EDLD 5399 Week 4

Reflection is an important leadership skill because it helps one to develop expertise. As you reflect on what you are doing while you are doing it and after you have completed it, you can make changes on the fly and make better decisions in the future. We learn best from our mistakes, so a reflective practitioner must think about what went wrong and how to do better next time. We also can learn from our successes. We must think about what we did well so we can do it again.

An example of a reflection from a course assignment activity follows: As I review the history of Texas school finance it is easy to see how we are in this mess. Everything I have learned has made it apparent that the Legislature does not want to create an adequate and equitable funding system. If they did, they would have done so by now. The original intent was to have the State provide funding for the basic education of all Texas students (“a general diffusion of knowledge”) and then the local school boards could levy local property taxes if the community wanted to provide more than the basic education. The funding burden has been moved to the local school boards. Some districts cannot fund a basic education no matter how highly they tax the community. I do not want to be a conspiracy theorist, but it seems like there is a plan to set schools up for failure. The districts with the most disadvantaged students received the deepest cuts to basic educational programs, while the wealthy districts continue to have an abundance of money for additional educational and extra-curricular programs. It is a travesty. The current funding system must be changed.

Another example of a reflection from a course assignment activity follows: The concepts of equality, equity, and adequacy seem easy to understand for everyone but the members of the Legislature. I agree with the Equity Center, which claims that if the Legislature wanted an equal, equitable, and adequate funding system, they would have created it by now. Instead, they have created this mess. The current system as a whole is neither equal, equitable, nor adequate. Not every district in Texas is being adequately funded at a foundational level so that all students master the TEKS for their grade level. Most districts are grossly underfunded and they additionally received a cut in their funding this year. Not all students have equal access to a basic education. The system is not equitable because similar districts are funded at different levels. If we want our students to be successful in the 21^st century world, we must revise our funding formulas or risk the collapse of the public education system as we know it. Perhaps that is the plan…

An example of a reflection from my blog follows: I have gained knowledge and skills in the following: effective budget planning and management; acquiring, allocating, and managing resources according to district vision and priorities, including obtaining and using funding from various sources; managing my own time and the time of others to enhance district operations; and applying legal concepts, regulations, and codes as required. I am still competent, but not strong in the following areas: using district and staff evaluation data for personnel policy development and decision making; and using revenue forecasting and enrollment forecasting to address personnel and budgetary needs accurately. I still need improvement in the following areas: work collaboratively with board of trustees and appropriate personnel to develop district budgets; facilitate and evaluate effective account auditing and monitoring that complies with legal requirements and local district policy; and establish district procedures for accurate, effective, ethical purchasing and financial record keeping and reporting.

Another example of a reflection from my blog follows: Before speaking to my superintendent, I did not have any idea how involved the budgeting process was for a school district. I now know that a school district Board of Trustees must have a vision, mission, and goals set before district administration has clear direction in setting a budget. The budget is a document to accomplish the goals of the district. It clearly defines how monies will be allocated to every program. The superintendent is integral in this process. As the Chief Executive Officer – the leader – the superintendent helps the Board to identify the vision, mission, and goals of the district. Then the superintendent is responsible for creating (or causing the creation of) a budget that effectively and efficiently funds programs/activities that will accomplish the goals of the district. Ultimately, the buck stops with the superintendent, but the superintendent cannot do it all alone. As a good leader the superintendent must hire the right people, put them in the right place, and get out of their way. It is imperative for the superintendent to be a good communicator with the Board of Trustees and the executive cabinet.

An example of a reflection from my course/campus supervised logs follows: I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Leland Williams the retiring superintendent of Dickinson ISD. The transfer officially took place on September 1, 2011. Dr. Williams is currently serving in an advisory role through November to assist the new superintendent Vicki Mims, who was the Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services. Dr. Williams was the superintendent for Dickinson ISD for 16 years. He was the longest-seated superintendent in Texas. He has served students in Texas as an educator for more than 30 years. One of the first things he said was that as you progress higher through an organization, you must trade management skills for leadership skills. You cannot do everything, so you must give up control in order to gain leadership ability/capacity. He defined leadership as the ability to understand the parameters of a situation and be able to work with others in that situation so that they will follow you. He also said that leadership cannot be taught, but it must be learned. The positive aspects of leading a school district include having the opportunity to select the right people and place them in the right position to achieve the goals of the organization. He described a good superintendent as having the following qualities: high energy, good listener, understand problem solving, highly visible, and always “firm, fair, and consistent.” He had good advice about working with boards of trustees: communication is crucial; you must set high expectations; do not ever lecture them; lead by actions and conversations; understand where they are coming from; let them have the power but not the control; inform but don’t offend; and be consistent over time. With regards to strategic planning, he referred back to the idea that one person cannot do it all; you must hire the right people, put them in the right place, and get out of their way. He said you must lead by conversations and not directives. He clarified the difference between strategic plans and tactical/action plans. Strategic plans are visionary and long-term; the war. Tactical/Action plans are concerned with daily operations and have specific objectives and activities to fulfill the strategic plans; the battles. Then he quoted General Patton in reference to Texas Aggies, and said you may lose a battle, but you want to win the war. In fact, sometimes you lose a small battle on purpose. I could go on. Dr. Williams was a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. Our interview lasted an hour and could have lasted all day. If I can be half the superintendent he was, I’ll be golden.

Another example of a reflection from my course/campus supervised logs follows: Sitting down to write one’s work experience is an illuminating task. It forces you to think really thoroughly about what you have done and what you need to do to attain your professional goals. The first draft of my vita was rather sparse. I added a few more duties, responsibilities, and accomplishments after I finished trying to fill it out some. I struggled with trying to be concise (as one would be on a resume) with being detailed about my work and leadership experience. After posting my vita to my blog and wiki, I received numerous suggestions, many of which involved adding more detail to my duties, responsibilities, and accomplishments. Since this is the first document that a prospective hiring committee will see, it is imperative that it be as detailed as possible to give an accurate and favorable first impression. I know that I need to add more detail to my vita. Also, I need to accomplish more so I have more to add.

An example of a reflection from an assessment follows: My strengths lie in data, i.e. numbers. I have a very analytical mind. I noted in Domain II, Competency 5 that student assessment, technology integration , and accountability systems are my strengths. In Domain II, Competency 6 I noted that understanting how various organizational factors (staffing patterns, class scheduling formats, school organizational structures, and student discipline practices) affect teaching and learning. In Domain III, Competency 8 using technology and information systems to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of school district operations is my strength. I am the associate principal at a large junior high. My primary responsibilities are curriculum/instruction, assessment (testing coordinator), and master scheduling. These are my strengths. I am also the technology expert on campus, simply because that is one of my personal strengths. Staff members from my campus and around the district seek my assistance on technology issues.

I am competent in the areas of ethics/integrity, curriculum, instruction, assessment, accountability, and personnel development/supervision/evaluation. I marked myself competent in all of Domain I, Competency 1 (act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner in order to promote the success of all students); Domain II, Competency 5 (knows how to facilitate the planning and implementation of strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment among curriculum, curriculum resources, and assessment; use the current accountability system; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance) with the exception of those I noted as strengths above; Domain II, Competency 6 (knows how to advocate, promote, and sustain an instructional program and a district culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional growth) with the exception of the strength noted above and two weaknesses noted below; and Domain II, Competency 7 (knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system and select appropriate models for supervision and staff development to improve the performance of all staff members) with the exception of one weakness noted below.

I marked myself as mostly competent in Domain III, Competency 8 (knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and management in relation to district budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management, and technology application); and Domain III, Competency 10 (knows how to apply organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving skills to comply with federal and state requirements and facilitate positive change in varied contexts) with the exception of working with others (especially the board of trustees) and encouraging and facilitating positive change.

My weaknesses mainly center around the fact that I have not had the opportunity to work at the district level. I have no experience in dealing with the board of trustees, all staff members, strategic planning, budgeting, physical plant, maintenance, etc. I also have had little experience in dealing with the community as a whole. I marked myself as in need of improvement in those areas of Domain I, Competencies 2, 3, and 4; and Domain III, Competencies 8, 9, and 10. I also marked myself in need of improvement on student support services (II, 6), special needs (II, 6), and effective presenting (II, 7).

I plan to use reflective practice to improve my leadership skills by recognizing the perspectives of others, accommodating how others learn, understanding how hierarchy filters information, and anticipating problems.