Professional Documents
Culture Documents
I believe our society often falls into the trap of creating self-fulfilling prophecies in
our young people by limiting their creativity and squashing their initiative to dream. Ralph
Marston once said, Excellence is not a skill, it is an attitude. If we look at the various
surveys of school environments, the lack of student motivation and the resistance to using
creative new approaches are two of the most pressing problems administrators deal with. I
currently teach a personal development class where we constantly reinforce the ideas of
having students see the big picture and establish a positive attitude of gratitude. I believe
the key to changing a students perspective on their scholastic experience is to change their
attitude and the best way to do this is to PROMOTE their individuality.
Another of my favorite classroom related quotes comes from Oliver Wendell Holmes,
Once a mans mind is stretched to a new idea, it never goes back to the same shape. As
classroom educators, we strive to stretch our students minds in a variety of directions as
we present new ideas and information. I believe administrators and teachers must
approach educational much the same way. We need to encourage our teachers to grow
through professional development, peer observations, and exposure to cutting edge
methods and technology. We cannot continue to do things as we always have done. To
compete with all of the external distractions our 21st century students deal with, educators
must adapt and incorporate rather than condemn and ignore.
PREFERRED SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT:
Relationships characterize my idea of a preferred school one in which students
are excited to come into the building. Students study core subjects but do so in a way in
which they are empowered and respected. Vibrant relationships are emphasized with
each student assigned a personal mentor to provide guidance and support. A
preferred school creates a culture of high expectations and will intentionally celebrate
student accomplishment.
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I believe the best plan to achieve this educational plan has been created by Dr.
Robert Marzano and associates at the Marzano Institute. Marzanos instructional
model, detailed in his book, The Art and Science of Teaching, was designed to ensure
effective instruction by balancing research-based data with the equally vital need to
understand the strengths and weaknesses of individual students. He articulates his
framework in the form of 10 questions that represent a logical planning sequence.
Marzano states, for classroom lessons to be truly effective, educators must examine
every component of the teaching process with equal resolve (www.ascd.org).
Marzanos instructional model includes the following design questions:
1. What will I do to establish and communicate learning goals, track student progress, and celebrate
success?
2. What will I do to effectively help students interact with new knowledge?
3. What will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge?
4. What will I do to help students generate and test hypotheses about new knowledge?
5. What will I do to engage students?
6. What will I do to establish or maintain classroom rules and procedures?
7. What will I do to recognize and acknowledge adherence and lack of adherence to classroom rules
and procedures?
8. What will I do to establish and maintain effective relationships with students!
9. What will I do to communicate high expectations for all students?
10.What will I do to develop effective lessons organized into a cohesive unit?
Beginning in the fall of 2012, six staff members and four administrators were sent to
the six-day Marzano Academy training sessions. In the fall of 2013, 32 additional
teachers and the three building principals were sent to a second round of the six
sessions. The initial group of six staff members provided half-day introductory training
for teachers who were not able to attend the Academy. The Central City Public School
Board and the School Improvement Process team requested initial implementation of
the training sometime during the 2013-2014 school year.
track; and a Business track diploma. I would propose 100 hours of core requirements,
including 20 hours of language arts, 20 hours of fine arts, 20 hours of math, 20 hours of
science and 20 hours of social studies. Each specific track would complete the
remaining 140 required hours of content material.
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EDUCATIONAL ISSUES:
I believe the key issue of today revolves around the need to balance assessment with
relevant 21st century content. Educators live in a highly mobile, increasingly diverse
world with intensifying expectations from politicians, business leaders, and parents.
The competitive, must-see-results-now American public has little patience for changes
that take several years to reach fruition. The challenges school districts across the
country face are more complex and more diverse than ever before. As a potential
administrator in this rapidly changing environment, traits I feel are critical include
creativity, flexibility, and the ability to maintain focus despite inevitable changes to
original plans.
The mission statement for the Central City Public Schools is to educate, challenge,
and prepare students with lifelong skills for the world around them. With this
statement as our true north, the district identified three key issues. First is the
implementation of appropriate technology. To address this concern, all district teachers
received a MacBook Pro laptop for instructional use in the fall of 2013. Teachers also
received technology updates on common software, such as Microsofts Office platform;
while learning the benefits of using Googles various features like Gmail, Docs, Drive
and Earth. The districts technology team has considered the benefits of taking the
middle and high school to a one-to-one status with each student receiving their own
laptop, but this decision has been postponed for the time being. Each building has at
least two laptop carts and at least one computer lab available at this time, all of which
provide coverage for most of our current tech. needs, but new policy decisions are being
researched in an attempt to place the district ahead of the curve.
A second key issue involves the rapidly changing demographics of the area and the
district in particular. Central City is experiencing a significant growth in the number
and spectrum of students with special needs. The English Language Learner population
is also increasing to the point of compelling the addition of staff with specialized
training to meet the unique cultural requirements of these children. The Bison Advisory
Team, an administrator/staff leadership group, has recently held discussions, which
would address these issues. One possibility includes the addition of Coordinator
positions in the Special Education and Technology departments and the development of
an ELL transition plan to aid immigrant students with language acquisition needs.
The third key issue for Central City Public High School involves the design of
programs to help struggling students succeed. Currently, the district maintains an
alternative education program, which provides indirect instruction through the
Odysseyware platform. Central Citys alt. ed. curriculum mirrors the graduation
requirements of the general population but requires half-day attendance with
accelerated content units to allow students the opportunity to maintain a full-time job.
Central City also offers a credit recovery program for students who have failed a course
more than once or who have experienced health or other personal issues, which have
significantly set them back in the regular environment.
Discussion of such services always centers on equity vs. rigor. I would like to revise
our existing alternative policies to ensure the general education standards are being
followed while continuing to provide struggling students with their second chance.
CCHS is also in the process of designing a summer school program based on the Grand
Island Senior High School package to provide one more opportunity for students to
remain with their cohort.
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REFERENCES:
Ornstein, Allan; Pajak, Edward; and Ornstein, Stacey. (2015). Contemporary Issues
in Curriculum. 6th edition. Boston, MA.
Central City, Nebraska. (2014). [Website]. Retrieved July 13, 2014 from:
http://www.ccne.com/ccne
Central City Public Schools. (2014). [Website]. Retrieved November 21, 2014
from: http://www.centralcityschoolsne.org/
What Makes a Great Teacher. (2013). [Website]. Retrieved November 30, 2014
from: http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/quality-teaching/79-whatmakes-a-great-teacher.gs
Ten Roles for Teacher Leaders. (2013). [Website]. Retrieved November 30, 2014
from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/sept07/vol65/num01/ten-roles-for-teacher-leaders.aspx