Standard 1: Strategic Leadership
Principals will create conditions that result in strategically re-imaging the school’s vision, mission, and goals in the 21st century. Understanding that schools ideally prepare students for an unseen but not altogether unpredictable future, the leader creates a climate of inquiry that challenges the school community to continually re-purpose itself by building on its core values and beliefs about its preferred future and then developing a pathway to reach it.
Element Ia. School Vision, Mission and Strategic Goals: The school’s identity, in part, is derived from the vision, mission, values, beliefs and goals of the school, the processes used to establish these attributes, and the ways they are embodied in the life of the school community.
Our school improvement plan mirrored the district framework that was introduced this school year. As a result of looking at data and our district plan, we have weekly PLC meetings and a monthly collaborative planning period. During the monthly planning period, information from the Central office regarding the instructional framework is discussed. Our High School Specialists facilitated several of these meetings to assist the staff in fully understanding the components that are connected to their observations. I have co-facilitated several sessions that also focused on the instructional framework. As a result of the district training, I am more comfortable with the district’s expectations and am equipped to support our staff.
Element 1b. Leading Change: The principal articulates a vision, and implementation strategies, for improvements and changes which result in improved achievement for all students.
Element 1b. Leading Change: The principal articulates a vision, and implementation strategies, for improvements and changes which result in improved achievement for all students.
The principal and staff at Southern Nash High School have established a clear mission and vision for the school. The mission and vision are posted on the school website for parents, staff, students, and community to be aware of what direction the school is going in. With the mission and vision articulated so clearly by the building leader, everyone is cognizant of the beliefs and it spills over into the school culture and climate.
Element 1c. School Improvement Plan: The school improvement plan provides the structure for the vision, values, goals and changes necessary for improved achievement for all students.
Element 1c. School Improvement Plan: The school improvement plan provides the structure for the vision, values, goals and changes necessary for improved achievement for all students.
I was an active member of the School Improvement Team during the 2017-2018 school year. Southern Nash High School uses a web program referred to as IndiStar. This web-based platform houses our school improvement plan. We met monthly to discuss the plan and things that were being done to meet the goals set forth in the School Improvement Plan. During my tenure on the School Improvement Team, I found out how important it is to remember that the SIP is a living document and should not just be completed and left on a shelf. I also learned that mid-course adjustments may be needed to help reach student achievement and success.
Element 1d. Distributive Leadership: The principal creates and utilizes processes to distribute leadership and decision making throughout the school.
It is my belief that the school staff should be included in the decision making process. At Southern Nash High School, I had the opportunity, along with a team of folks, to assist in creating various schedules for the 2017-2018 school year. During the process, we examined the schedule to make sure that it maximized instructional time, protected individual teaching planning time, provided weekly collaboration for teachers (Professional Learning Communities), provided bi-weekly intervention time, and met the needs of all students. As a result of this process, I quickly learned the complexity of creating a high school versus an elementary school schedule. There are so many layers to a high school schedule that makes it so complex such as the need for specific blocks of time for each class period and the schedule needs based on the different grade levels, abilities, and classes taken by the students. The duty rosters were created by the administrative team to ensure that all staff supported the school at arrival and dismissal.