Artifact Log

Standard One: Vision

A school administrator promotes the success of all students by facilitating the
development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that
is shared and supported by the school community
Personal Statement:
As a leader in a school district, it is my job to promote an increase in student
achievement within our building and district. I have to be a visionary and look at how
the end result will be achieved and finding a means by which all stakeholders will get
there and feel success. As a visionary, I need to be supportive in the process of
implementing long-range plans in order for student achievement to increase and longrange implementation to take place.
Standard Artifact
Reflection
Source
Function
(Course)
1.1, 1.2
Four Frames of
This paper allowed us to view the work of EA 740
Analysis Paper
a school through four different frames.
School as a
This helped to see the workings of a
Formal
school through four different lenses and
Organization
reflect on what each one means
separately, as well as, their work
together.
1.1, 1.2,
Moodle: Chapter
I posted a summary of Discipline 1 of The EA 754
1.3
Reading, The
Advantage (2012). The first discipline
(Human
Advantage
that Lencioni talks about in his book "The
Resource
Advantage" is building a cohesive
Management
leadership team. He defines a "team" as
and
"a small group of people who are
Supervision)
collectively responsible for achieving a
common objective for their organization"
(Lencioni, p. 21). In this section, he talks
about two behaviors that are critical for
building a cohesive leadership team and
a healthy organization and they are: trust
and mastering conflict. Lencioni states
that trust is the most critical of the five
behaviors he refers to in his book
because without trust the foundation of
creating teamwork would not be possible.
When trust is established, healthy
conflict is then possible to move toward
clear decisions and issues that would
otherwise not be resolved.
In the book, The Advantage, Discipline 1
is described as building a cohesive
leadership team. Lencioni states, within
the first few paragraphs, that "few
organizations invest nearly enough time
and energy in it, and certainly not with the
level of rigor that building a cohesive
team requires and deserves" (Lencioni,
p.20). He goes into an in depth
discussion that real teamwork does not

look like a golf team that would be

described as a "working group", but
rather resembles a basketball team that
plays together simultaneously.
When defining a leadership team,
Lencioni describes it as "a small group of
people who are collectively responsible
for achieving a common objective for their
organization" (Lencioni, p.21). This small
group of people consists of 3 to 12
people tops. This group of people
communicates through advocacy (stating
the individuals case) and inquiry (asking
questions to seek clarity about another
person's statement of advocacy). Those
people who are among the leadership
team have to display selflessness and
shared sacrifices for the team so that in
the long run the team will achieve their
objective. The common objective that
Lencioni refers to in his leadership
definition is that the goal should be
shared among the group. There has to
be a buy in with everyone on the team to
achieve that particular goal. This reflects
the greater good for that particular
organization.
There are five behavioral
principles that every team must embrace:
1.)building trust, 2.) mastering conflict, 3.)
achieving commitment, 4.) embracing
accountability, and 5.) focusing on
results. This section I am addressing
only covers the first two behavioral
principles. The first behavioral principle
that Lencioni refers to on pg. 27 is
building trust. He does not speak of the
trust that comes from knowing how
someone will behave and so you trust
them to get in that paperwork on time
because they always make sure things
are done in a timely manner it is the trust
that exposes you to be open and honest
about how you are feeling and allows
yourself to be vulnerable within a group of
people. For example when you can say,
"I need help" or " I wish I could learn that
as easily as you can" or "I am sorry".
That is the trust level that needs to be
reached within a team. Lencioni refers to
two activities in the book that he states
are critically important to allowing others
to trust each other. One is a personal
history activity (allowing someone to get
to know you on a more personal level)
which is referenced on p. 28 and the

other is a profiling activity that he says he

uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to
help with developing trust within the
team. Lencioni talks about how when we
don't know each other well we
build fundamental attribution error. That
is "where we give ourselves the benefit of
the doubt but assume the worst about
others" (Lencioni, p.33). When this
happens it breaks down the trust within a
team. Within this first discipline, he also
talks about how when the leader displays
vulnerability it shows courage and then it
is a way to say it is okay for other
members of the group to show their
vulnerability as well.
The second behavioral principle
he refers to is mastering conflict. He
wants the reader to be aware that
"conflict is not a bad thing for a team"
( Lencioni, p.38). In building upon the
trust principle he states, "when there is
trust, conflict becomes nothing but the
pursuit of truth, an attempt to find the best
possible answer" ( Lencioni, p.38). When
trust is established then disagreements
can take place that will likely turn in to
deeper understanding of each other's
ideas and values that will then take the
team back to that common objective that
everyone is seeking to achieve. Within
conflict there is some discomfort that
comes from that, but "healthy discomfort,
a sign that there is productive tension
around an issue that warrants discussion
and debate" (Lencioni, p.38). Lencioni
has created The Conflict Continuum
found on page 42 that makes the reader
aware of the artificial harmony that occurs
vs. the mean-spirited personal attacks
that happen on the other side of the
continuum. Lencioni says that in the
middle there is a line of demarcation (the
Ideal Conflict Point) and you need to be
somewhere to the left of that middle line
so that you don't cross over into
destructive territory. He does realize on
some occasions we all cross the mid-line
into the destructive zone where nothing
productive can result. He leaves the
reader with an important thought that
goes back to his view that trust is the
number one behavioral principle above all
others and it is this, "trust enables
conflict, conflict allows a team to move on

to the next critical behavior of a cohesive

team: achieving commitment" (Lencioni,
p.47) which is principle number 3.
1.1

Moodle:
The Art of
Possibility

In the "Art of Possibility", one of the

very first things that Ben Zander said is
that "leadership is based on
relationships". This resonates very loudly
to me. One cannot lead anyone if there
is not a sense of trust, honesty, and
consideration between one another.
Building relationships with one another is
a means by which you will have people
wanting to be part of your team and what
you inspire others to do in the future. You
cannot effectively lead if there is not a
relationship built before hand. When one
creates relationships with people and
takes a true interest in the person the
more willing that person will be to allow
the other to lead them in a direction that
will inspire possibilities for the future.
I don't see many current school
leaders following these ideas that were
presented in "The Art of Possibility". Very
few do these things. To lead takes a
certain kind of person. Everyone is not
born a leader, some may learn how to be,
but some of those leadership qualities
you are born with. You can only learn so
much in classes and seminars. The idea
of leading involves that person believing
in the people on their team and
encouraging the possibilities in others. It
seems that a leader is the one that
inspires their team to explore the
possibilities within themselves so that
they can contribute to the work of the
whole group. Leaders also recognize that
people need to be encouraged to reach
their full potential. Also it was expressed
in "The Art of Possibility" that anyone can
make a difference. Not always do I feel
that current school leaders are leading so
that everyone feels they have a voice and
they can make a difference. Let's face it,
many heads are better than just one. If
leaders empower others the possibilities
are endless.
In order for a transformation to occur
in current leadership, they would need to
be aware of the direction they are moving
and give their team members a voice and
know that their opinion matters. It is not a
top down approach but everyone on an

EA 754
(Human
Resource
Management
and
Supervision)

equal playing field allowing everyone's

voices to be heard. Relationships need
to be strongly developed so that there is
a sense of trust. As Ben Zander says,
"great leaders make new pathways".
Leadership encourages others to take the
reins at different times.
1.4, 1.5

Moodle: Chapter 2
How Program
Evaluation
Contributes to a
Learning
Environment

In a review of the chapter 2, I highlighted

how important a strong leader in the
building is to growth further down the
road. The leadership in a building is
critical to growing together as learners.
One could say how important it is to be a
learner in everything that you do. As a
school leader, it is important to create an
environment in the school where learning
is constantly going on and encouraged
daily whether it be with teachers and
students, teacher to teacher, or teacher
and administrator.
I was interested in Chapter 2 and the
reference to transitional leaders. I read
many articles this last week because it
sparked my interest. In the articles that I
read, it said that the outcomes of a
transformational leader are: 1.) to create
a supportive environment where the
responsibility is shared, 2.) encourage
actions that support the organization
rather than personal interests, 3.) break
through the status quo; have freedom to
set strategy and change direction, 4.)
earn genuine trust, respect, and
admiration from your team (the key being
genuine), and 5.) influence performance
and business impact beyond
expectations. These transformational
leaders are right there standing in front
and not in the wings hiding, they are
visible. They motivate individuals and
can see the vision and commitment to
what is trying to be achieved.
Transformational leaders are peopleoriented and believe the success comes
with strong commitment.
When looking at the phases of an
evaluation project- planning, designing,
collecting and analyzing data, drawing
conclusions, and offering
recommendations for improvement it
would help tremendously to have a
transformational leader in your midst.
One that can clearly look at information
with a group of individuals and assess

EA 747-Program
Assessment

how effective it will be and will there be

gains in student achievement. The
stakes are high in education, so we need
to make sure programs are worthy of
spending time on and that the results and
data prove they are worthy of continuing.
So, I will leave you with the last thoughts
on transformational leadership, as quoted
from the text Tranformational Leadership
by authors Bass and Riggio:
"Transformational leaders... are those
who stimulate and inspire followers to
both achieve extraordinary outcomes
and, in the process, develop their own
leadership capacity. Transformational
leaders help followers grow and develop
into leaders by responding to individual
followers' needs by empowering them
and by aligning the objectives and goals
of the individual followers, the leader, the
group, and the larger organization."
1.4, 1.5

EA 749 Evaluation
of a Standardized
Test

1.1

Reflection#1
Reflection#2
Reflection#3

My group and I assessed an ACT

released math test. We were looking for
credibility, validity, and norming of the
testing questions and the results that
were given.
I was asked to write a response to three
questions related to leadership as part of
reflective writing assignments. These
questions focused on my beliefs as a
leader, the truths Kouzes and Posner
mentioned in their book and which one
did I most identify with and the reflections
also had me identify my strengths and
weaknesses in leadership.

EA 749 Test
Measurement
and Data
Analysis
EA 743
Professional
Seminar

o
Standard Two: School Culture and Instructional Program
A school administrator promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing,
and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student
learning and staff professional growth.
Personal Statement:
School culture is built on the pillars of mission, vision, values, and goals. There has to
be a strong leader in place to be aware of the constant change that needs to happen to
create continuous improvement within a building. They have to acknowledge that their
staff has to have certain staff development trainings to be successful in their job. There
also has to be constant dialogue with what is working for the students and how we can
increase student achievement.
Standard Artifact
Reflection
Source

Function
2.1, 2.2,
2.3

FailureIsNotAn
OptionPaper

2.1, 2.2

Case Study
Webster Case

2.1

Moodle: Standards
for Professional
Development

2.3

New Teacher
Induction Plan

This paper allowed us to look at the

school culture and how it works together
to bring about success in academics.
Based on an evaluation of the school
according to the six principles outlined in
Alan M. Blanksteins (2013) book Failure
Is Not an Option, I make suggestions for
how a school should be run using those
principles.
Assuming the role of Human Resource
Specialists for our district, I was asked to
propose a plan to the new principal to
turn around a struggling Webster
Elementary. Underpinning this plan was
an attempt to transform the culture of
Webster Elementary from a stagnant,
hostile school into a center for learning.
Working in collaboration with the
principal, my plan would increase staff
effectiveness, student achievement and
parent and community involvement at
Webster Elementary through the
creation of a positive school culture.
Standard 2: Fostering a Collaborative
Culture to Support Educator
Development and Student Learning
Standard 2 resonated most for me
because behind all great schools there
has to be strong teacher leadership and
this standard spoke to how important
teacher leadership is. I thought this
standard was the building block to the
foundation for school success. One has
to build that collegiality, trust, and
respect to get others on board with new
initiatives and ways for school
improvement. Without a sense of trust
having been built within one another,
there will constantly be road blocks that
will continuously pop-up because the
basis for a strong working relationship
has not been established.
Induction is the process of providing this
support to beginning teachers through a
structured program of professional
development. Successful induction
programs include careful selection and
training of mentors, attention to the
expressed concerns of beginning
teachers, special consideration for the
their inevitable exhaustion, regularly
scheduled meeting times to build mentor
relationships, and assistance in
acclimating to the rigors of the

(Course)
EA 740
School as a
Formal
Organization

EA 754
(Human
Resource
Management
and
Supervision)

EA 754
(Human
Resource
Management
and
Supervision)

EA 754
(Human
Resource
Management
and
Supervision)

2.1

Moodle:
Crucial
Conversations

profession (McCann, Johannessen, and

Ricca, 2005, p. 32). With these
elements in mind, we created a high
quality induction program so that our
beginning teachers would become
valued, highly trained, and courageous
members of our school community.
Although specific induction programs
may vary to meet the needs of individual
schools within the district, induction
programs would be embedded within a
larger framework of professional
development for all staff and reflect the
tenets of Job Embedded Professional
Development (JEPD). Resting on the
principles of JEPD, our plan sought to
build a comprehensive, coherent, and
sustained structure to support and
encourage the growth of beginning
teachers.
In my moodle post, I examined the
chapter Start With Heart in Crucial
Conversations (Patterson et al., 2012).
This chapter reflects on how we maintain
dialogue that gets to the heart of the
matter (Start with Heart), what you want
to personally achieve from the
conversation, without straying from that.
It is easy, when engaged in important
topics of conversations, that the real
point of the conversation gets pushed to
the side because emotions start to run
high, opposing opinions start to take
place, and stakes are high. However, if
the person begins their conversations
with the right motivation and focus then
they will less likely to stray from their
intended outcome. The authors state
that an individual can maintain focus in
two ways by: 1.) sticking to their goal
and 2.) not making a Fool's Choice
(either/or choice). When keeping this in
mind, it allows the person leading the
conversation to maintain dialogue-smart
options and to have a healthy
conversation with the intended outcome
to be discussed and resolved in a way
that is appealing to the people who were
brought into the crucial conversation.
Part II- In the beginning of Chapter 3
(p. 33), Start With Heart- How to Stay
Focused on What You Really
Want, there lies a quote that says
"Speak when you are angry and you will
make the best speech you will ever
regret."~ Ambrose Bierce I know we all

EA 754
(Human
Resource
Management
and
Supervision)

can relate to this quote. When we are

angry or passionate about something we
are very quick to snap with the use of
our tongues at people in our personal
lives or professional lives, but in the heat
of the moment when the adrenaline is
flowing we most likely are not thinking
rationally and we say things that we
regret at a later time. This chapter really
gets one to think about how we react to
things so that we stick to the intended
outcome and not letting our emotions
take over causing us to completely lose
sight of what it was that needed to be
accomplished. The authors stress that
the first way to be able to be effective
communicators in spite of many outside
influences is to work on me first, us
second. (p. 34) Most have the idea that it
is always someone else's fault that
something isn't right, but "those who are
best at dialogue tend to turn this logic
around. They believe the best way to
work on "us" is to start with "me". " (p.
35) Many times as human beings we
place the blame some place else instead
of looking directly in the mirror and
wondering how can I make this better. I
found this quote fascinating stating that,
"it's the most talented, not the least
talented, who are continually trying to
improve their dialogue skills. As is often
the case, the rich get richer." (p. 36)
The next major point was to focus on
what you really want out of the
conversation. It states that without us
truly even recognizing it in a
conversation, "our motives usually
change without any conscious thought
on our part. When adrenaline does our
thinking for us, our motives flow with the
chemical tide." (p.42) It then becomes
so crucial in your conversations to make
sure as an individual that you keep
referring back to some critical questions:
What do I really want for myself?
What do I really want for others?
What do I really want for the
relationship?
How would I behave if I really wanted
these results?
This allows us to keep a focus and
locate as the book states our "North
Star". (p. 43) "Despite the fact that we're
being tempted to take the wrong path by
(1) people who are trying to pick a fight,

(2) thousands of years of genetic hard

wiring that brings our emotions to a
quick boil, and (3) our deeply ingrained
habit of trying to win, our North Star
returns us to our original purpose." (p.
43) I love that they make reference to
the North Star, I had never heard that
expression before, but I believe that
reminding ourselves of the North Star
being our guide and helping us to
remember that sticking to what your
original topic of conversation is will help
you achieve the intended outcome.
The next section focuses on refusing the
Fool's Choice (either/or choice). As
human beings we are quick to fall into
the emotions of the room or be
persuaded by the direction the other
person wants to take in the
conversation. But, "when you refuse the
Fool's Choice- when you require your
brain to solve the more complex
problem-more often than not, it does just
that. You'll find there is a way to share
your concerns, listen sincerely to those
of others and build the relationship- all at
the same time. And the results can be
life changing." (p. 46) By refusing to go
down the pathway of the Fool's Choice
you can clarify what you want, what you
really don't want, present your brain with
a more complex problem, and it forces
you to look for different ways to solve the
issues and questions other than the
silence that might occur or the fight that
might break out.
2.2, 2.3,
2.4

IDP for Struggling

Teacher

2.1, 2.2,
2.4

Inquiry
Project

I examined the teaching practice of a

teacher in order to create an IDP for
improvement of instructional practice.
This allowed me time to reflect on how
to maintain a sense of urgency with the
person as well as try to stay positive for
he/she.
For my inquiry project, I examined the
question: How will high school mentors
that come to work with our struggling
students impact the likeliness for those
students to make it to the end of the
month PBIS celebrations? What forms
of positive behavior are used to help
build positive relationships with the
struggling students and their mentors?
How are the high school students
weekly visits impacting behavior in the
classroom? What things are being done

EA 754 -Human
Resource
Management
and
Supervision
EA 750
Action
Research I
and
EA 751 -Action
Research II
and
EA 747 --

on an on-going basis to create positive

energy that is reflected in all areas of the
school: hallway, lunchroom, and special
classrooms such as art, music and gym?

Program
Assessment

We have identified the targeted students

in the school who have not been able to
attend the monthly PBIS parties and are
considered at-risk. The high school
students come in once a week to work
one on one for an hour with a particular
student. They are present in the
classroom assisting that student with
whatever is required at that particular
time. During these sessions we will be
collecting information from the mentor on
specific areas they are targeting and
talking with the students about. We will
be collecting data to see how their
behavior is being impacted week after
week through teacher logs. Data will
also be collected to see since the mentor
program how many students are then
able to attend the monthly celebrations.
2.1, 2.2,
2.4

Evaluationon
SecurityofTesting
Materials

Once the MEAP tests arrive in our

building they are locked in a conference
room that only the principal has the key
to. We have a meeting, by grade level,
to go over all the proper procedures to
administer the tests and we sign the test
agreement that we are agreeing to
administer the test properly. The
teachers then are allowed to take the
test administration booklet with them to
go over all the directions to make sure it
is read and given properly. On the day a
particular tests is given, we are to come
to the office and sign how many test
booklets are needed for our classroom
as well as the pre-printed answer
documents for every student in our
classroom with the exception of some
students who receive a additional
support for their testing. If there are
children who receive a accommodations
to the test, they are removed from the
room before the test begins and are not
permitted back until the test is completed
by all remaining students and the tests
and answer documents are taken back
to the locked area. Once the test has
been administered in the classroom, we
have someone come down to our room
to relieve the teacher and the teacher,

EA 749 Test
Measurement
and Data
Analysis

her/himself returns all the test booklets

and answer sheets to the locked room.
The principal is there to oversee every
step.
I do feel that the tests are extremely
secure in our building. The room cannot
be accessed by anyone other than the
principal. Every tests is checked back in
by the administrator and then those who
are absent are noted on an absent sheet
that remains in the principal's hands for
any make-ups she might have to do.
The only time I feel they are not secure
is when they are in the teacher's hands
and ONLY if that teacher chose to take
notes on the tests as a students were
taking the test, but even then, that
person would risk their job. At our district
level, the head of testing and
assessment makes rounds to all the
buildings to check on the administration
of the test and she comes in to
classrooms and observes what has been
covered on the walls and if you are
reading the directions properly. The
testing is fairly secure at our building
level.
Due to the fact that teachers are
required to walk around the entire time
the test is administered, teachers are
constantly checking to make sure the
number that the student is on aligns with
the number on their answer document,
therefore teachers can look at the
questions being asked of the students.
So I believe that I have a pretty clear
sense, as an educator, what types of
questions they will be asking. Obviously,
I don't know exactly what will be asked
the next year, but as a teacher beginning
a new school year I would have some
sense of the direction to go in when we
are reviewing concepts from the year
before as they prepare for the MEAP
testing in October. I could structure my
thinking similar to what I observed from
last year's test.
We do use the test released items to
help drive the instruction that we do to
prepare the students for this state-wide
test. As a staff, during our PLC
meetings, we look at the item analysis to
determine where we need to go in order
to drive our instruction for the next year.

2.3

Moodle: Job
Embedded
Professional
Development

2.2, 2.4

Project Based
Learning Project5th Grade Mall

In my moodle post I described how

critical professional development is
among professional educators. It is
critical for districts to offer professional
development opportunities to their staff
with the ever-changing information in
education that we receive and for
teachers to constantly be aware of the
best practices within the classroom.
Many educators dread the professional
development opportunities that they are
given due to their ineffectiveness, the
instruction being a time waster, and
there not being much substance to the
information that was presented. With
job-embedded professional development
(JEPD), this type of professional
development helps to truly connect
educators with educators in meaningful
discussions, allows teaching
professionals to dig deeper into data
reflecting growth or decline in student
achievement and to learn the best ways
to increase students mastery of subject
areas and to allow time for growth and
improvement within our profession.
JEPD can take place alone, with oneon-one guidance, and in teams. It is
important within the JEPD that there is
time for that critical dialogue to happen
so that we are getting the most out of
being effective in the classroom and
effecting the learning of our students.

EA 754
(Human
Resource
Management
and
Supervision)

I was fortunate enough to receive some

instruction on how to create Project
Based Learning (PBL) units. As teacher
leaders we were asked to create a unit
that we could use in our classroom. I
designed an economics unit around a
concept of selling goods or services
school-wide to be used as part of our
reward party for PBIS. The children had
to create business plans, write a
commercial, and market their products to
earn money for their good or service. It
was a huge success.

EA 746 -Curriculum and

Staff
Development

Standard Three: Management of Organization, Operations, and Resources

A school administrator promotes the success of all students by ensuring management
of the organization, operations and resources of a safe, efficient, and effective learning
environment.
Personal Statement:

As a school leader, it would be my job to promote success for all students within the
building. In order to do that a safe environment needs to be maintained at all times.
There has to be a shared responsibility with all the teachers, support staff, and ancillary
staff to create a shared leadership within the building. Everyone has to feel part of the
school climate.
Standard Artifact
Reflection
Source
Function
(Course)
SchoolSurvey
3.1, 3.2,
I had to create a school-wide survey to be
EA 749
3.4
used with our staff in regards to dates and
Testing,
forLeaderIn
training
for
our
new
Leader
In
Me
Initiative
Measurement
MeRegarding
and Data
Dates
Analysis
3.2, 3.3,
EA 754
I designed ten interview questions to be
3.4
Human
10Interview
asked at an interview for the position of an
Resource
Questionsforan elementary school music teacher. Due to
Management
Elementary
the fact that we had just lost our music
and Supervision
MusicTeacher
teacher, to restart the program at the middle
school after ten years, I felt this was a very
good exercise because we were going to be
hiring a new teacher in that department.
3.2, 3.3

WellnessPaper

3.1, 3.2

SchoolFunding
Study

3.1 3.2,
3.5

Simulated
Budget
Process:
School Budget
Spreadsheet
School Budget
Presentation

This was a personal wellness paper that we

had to write and take part in and to record
the results we had discovered. I had chosen
to use the running plan From Couch to 5K.
I managed to muddle my way through, but it
was not very effective for me and powerful
enough for me to continue. I am hoping to
revisit this after all my post-graduate work is
completed.
This paper focused on the school funding
that was taken away from many districts due
to the impact of Proposal A. This was a law
in 1994 that transformed the way money was
distributed to school districts. I reviewed the
impact it had on Dearborn Public Schools
and how they have to take the voting to the
people on the Hold Harmless Bond.

EA 754
Human
Resource
Management
and Supervision

In cooperation with my group, we developed

a budget proposal for the School Board of
Apple School District that took into account a
number of different considerations including
contract obligations/negotiations, healthcare
costs, projected enrollment, projected
retirement rate, projected funding allocations,
staffing, and also budget cuts to be
considered. Our group was able to maintain
a balanced budget largely by using strategies
proposed by the Mackinac Center including
privatizing/outsourcing some services
(bussing, human resources) and eliminating
non -nstructional staff. Despite our attempts
to preserve the quality of education, the
impact of Proposal A on public funding to

EA 741 -School
Business
Management

EA 741 -School
Business
Management

3.1, 3.2

Moodle:
Bargaining
Discussion

education has had a significant and

detrimental impact on public schools,
particularly those with shrinking enrollment.
In Moodle, Dr. Green asked us to comment
on three points from the bargaining power
point that you had not realized before. The
first thing I found fascinating was how often
"good faith" has been misused and even I did
not have a clear understanding of it. I found
it interesting that it relates back to the Public
Employment Relations Act (PERA) that
began in the early 1930's and was amended
in 1965 to include public school employees.
Bargaining in "good faith" is in regards to our
wages, hours, and conditions of employment
and making sure that the negotiation team
has the proper attitude and conduct to try
and reach an agreement. I always thought
that bargaining in "good faith" referred to
endless compensations that would have to
be taken away and it truly does not mean
that at all. The second thing that was
interesting, was the three different types of
bargaining: full, expedited, and interest
based. My wondering is how many districts
are currently not using the full bargaining and
are shifting to one of the other two within
their last few contracts. I am going to check
with my union leader in my building to find
out what type of bargaining my district is
currently using. The last item that I was not
aware of is the sidebar conversations that
take place and the caucuses. My vision was
that both sides sat down at the table and
everything was done in front of the
negotiating team. I did not realize that both
sides could meet with one another in
conversations and it would be "off the
record". I also found it interesting that the
sides went into private rooms in caucuses
and discussed things in more detail and
came back to the negotiating table.
He also asked us to respond to the trends
and tactics with bargaining within the last few
years?
The trends that I have seen within my district
and many others relate to the wages and
insurance. In very few districts these days
have there been many wage increases to
speak of or if wage increases happen they
mainly are to the teachers who are just
beginning and with that it is very minimal.
(1/2 step or so) They are not giving any
increases to the teachers who have reached
the top of the pay scale. Although in class we
have talked about districts who are giving

EA 741 -School
Business
Management

3.1, 3.2

Moodle:
School Bonds

slight step increases to their teachers. I

know in the district I currently work for all
steps have been frozen for the past 8 years
at least. With regards to insurance, many
teachers now are paying 20% of their health
insurance when it used to be part of a
teacher's compensation package. Currently
in our district, our union has taken over the
health care that is provided to the teachers.
They negotiate with companies the health
care packages, but with them constantly
negotiate with companies our health care,
dental, and vision keep changing yearly. It is
exhausting trying to keep up with who is
providing our dental, vision, and health care
this year.
How does business management help with
the process?
Business management helps with the
bargaining process because they have a
clear understanding and sense of what the
cost is to the district (they know the budget)
on all the various topics that come up at the
bargaining table. When someone has a
clear understanding of this then they know
how much compensation can be given on
salaries and health care. These are two very
important topics that cost the district a lot of
money.
Lastly he asked us to discuss the topic of the
district imposing a contract (last best offer)
after reaching impasse. How does this
work?
When both parties cannot agree and they
have reached a deadlock on the issues on
the table then they are said to reach an
impasse. Once this impasse has been reach
the district can implement their "last best
offer". The union, at that time, will most likely
file an Unfair Labor Practice. At that time the
Work to Rule will be put into place where
there is no contract, but teachers are
encourage to not come in early or stay late.
The teachers at this point still have to
perform normal services. Both parties can
come back to the table if there is a change in
circumstances where an agreement may be
possible at that time.
In a Moodle discussion, Dr. Green asked us
to respond to the topic of bonds including a
review of the bond issue process, capital
projects, and sinking funds. I wrote 1.)
Three things I did not know about the school
bond issue process are:
a.) how much work it takes to make sure
that you have buy-in from staff, parents, and

EA 741 -School
Business
Management

the community. It is a very collaborative

process and if executed correctly can very
much help aid the district in generating
money to fund large projects within the
district.
b.) that a contingency should be set
aside in the budget for unknown issues when
working on large projects such as the
construction of buildings. My question would
be how much money needs to be budgeted
in case of those unknown problems which
are out of anyone's control?
c.) how important the language is when
presenting a bond issue on the ballot. The
language is important because it allows the
schools to use the money within the
parameters of the bond without having to go
back to the citizens to approve specific items.
2.) I never realized financially how much it
costs the district to keep up with the basic
maintenance projects within the district. I
never took the time to truly think about it, it is
all taken for granted when teachers,
secretaries, and principals and children walk
into buildings that things will be safe and up
to a certain standard. The importance of
capital projects within the district is critical.
The district needs to be able to spend
money on projects such as roof
replacements, drafty windows, and gym floor
replacements. The funds from bonds cannot
be used for maintenance projects that I
mentioned, but it is critical in maintaining our
schools. I can see why many districts take
advantage of the sinking fund.
3.) The sinking fund projects would take care
of such things as replacement roofs, parking
lot resurfacing, drafty windows, bleachers,
gym floor replacements, replacing carpet and
tile, and fencing and ceiling. The sinking
funds are for projects that are on a smaller
scale than something that the district would
use for a bond issue. They are still costly to
the district, too costly to come out of the
general operating fund because if you took it
out of there you could be cutting programs
within the district. A similarity with bonds and
sinking funds are that you are not allow to
mix them with other funds. They both also
require voter approval. But unlike bonds,
when using the sinking fund you can
determine how much you want to take and at
what time, so you are only paying for the
money that you are borrowing at the time. If
you only need a little money then that is what

3.1, 3.2

Moodle:
School
Closing
Process

you are taking and paying for at the time.

The money from bonds are given in a lump
sum and you are paying on that total amount
that was allocated through the bond issue.
Bonds are to be used only for the
designated purpose that it was intended to
be used on. Bonds cannot be used for
salaries, maintenance, portable classroom,
textbooks and upgrades to existing operating
systems. However, they can be used on new
school facilities, construction of additions to
existing schools, school buses, purchasing
land, developing and improving sites, and
developing and improving athletic fields.
In a Moodle discussion, Dr. Green asked us
to respond to the topic of the school closing
process including the process for school
closing and ways that districts benefit from
this process. I stated that I thought I found
school closings rather interesting. Dearborn
has closed so many schools in our district
over time. Many of the buildings that have
closed, Ford Motor Company bought or Ford
just bought the property the school once
stood on to expand the land they owned in
Dearborn, which of course is extensive.
Currently, we closed a special education
building on a very main street in Dearborn
that is right across from Oakwood Hospital. It
stands vacant for the 2014-2015 school year.
The business director said, "They are
waiting for just the right bid on the property
before they will sell it." I would imagine
Oakwood will be chomping at the bit to buy
that property and expand even more than
they already have.
1.) Three points that seemed important to me
were: the importance of who the committee
is made up of ( a balance has to be struck),
committee expectations and the guiding
parameters for the important decisions that
will have to be made within the timeline
decided upon, and lastly creating rubrics to
guide the final decision making for closing a
school.
2.) Currently in the news, the PlymouthCanton Community School District will be
closing two of their elementary schools.
Closing schools involves the emotions of so
many involved that it truly is very hard for a
school district to make these tough decisions
when it pulls at people's own heartstrings at
a community level, as well as, up close and
personal levels of students and the staff who

EA 741 -School
Business
Management

attend or work at the school being

considered for closing. Some of the process
seems a bit mundane when you are looking
for all the data to show student enrollment
over a period of time, the cost of fixing up the
building and where to put students when the
enrollment changes from their current one to
one with added students from a school
closure. But all of this data collection work
must be done to give the most accurate
reflection of things to come within the district
and the money that could be saved or must
be spent. I can see where the building tour
done with a criteria sheet is necessary, so
that professionals can walk through and see
what needs to be fixed and have someone
give estimates as to what it would cost to
make those repairs. It is the committee who
really has such a LARGE job to do. To
oversee that the purpose and the
expectations are meant very clearly and that
the timeline and the agenda for the meetings
is always clearly laid out. The work of a
school closing committee is so vital to the
district. I do not envy anyone that has to sit
on a committee to determine what schools
will be saved and decide which one must be
closed.
3.) Closing schools in districts is necessary
especially when it comes to declining
enrollment. To pay to keep a building up and
running when the school is only
approximately 50% occupied is costing the
district an exorbitant amount of money. That
is why it is crucial to look at the enrollment
trends and predictions to determine what
schools should be considered to close. By
closing schools, the district not only saves
money on the building costs (maintenance,
utilities, etc.), but in staffing also. It is
necessary for districts to close schools to try
and keep and maintain a balanced budget
and not throw money away to schools that
are not up to full or close to full capacity.

Standard Four: Collaboration with Community and Response to Diversity

A school administrator promotes the success of all students by collaborating with
families and community members, responding to diverse community interests and
needs, and mobilizing community resources.
Personal Statement:
As a soon to be administrator, I must be committed to collaborating with all involved for
the betterment of our children and our school.
Standard Artifact
Reflection
Source
Function
(Course)
4.3, 4.4,
District
Collaborating with my group, we designed a EA 748
4.5
Marketing Plan:
marketing plan to be presented at a
School/
Kindergarten Round Up for the fictional
Community
Apple Elementary School. Our focus was
Development
Apple
to attempt to answer the question: Why
Elementary
Apple Elementary? Our answer was rooted
Flyer
in our mission: to educate the whole child.
Our presentation included an introductory
Presentation
graphing activity and a presentation
focusing on the education of the whole child
within the context of Apple Elementary.
IssueAnalysis,
4.1, 4.2,
At Snow School, we have a very large
EA 748
4.3, 4.4
School/
Management,and population of special education students
that are in a resource room for half a day
Community
Communication
and then are put into a general education
Development
Paper
setting the other half of the school day.
These are the students that are the mildly
and
cognitively impaired. (MICI) As general
education teachers at Snow School, we are
Moodle Posts
struggling with this concept. There has
been no formal instruction on the coteaching model, only select classrooms
were chosen for this half way through the
school year two years ago, and the roles we
each play as general education teacher and
resource teacher are unclear. This has
created resentment within the staff and
some feel it is unfair that only select
teachers are getting "chosen" for these
particular classrooms. We need help in
order to make this successful for the
students, both special education and
general education, and for the teachers.
What would you suggest we do to create a
collaborate environment where everyone
wins?
School
4.1, 4.2,
I attended a school board meeting in which
EA 748
4.3
they were discussing the possibility of
School/
CommunityPlan
closing the Howe Montessori School and
Community
the Special Education building and moving
Development
to a different location. They stated that
Oakwood Hospital could possibly want this
property due to the fact that it sits across

from the hospital. It was clear that they

wanted to push this forward and move in
that direction. They had just purchased the
Henry Ford/ Dearborn Heights Campus and
want to utilize that building and move the
special education students and the
Montessori students there helping with
maintenance costs.

Standard Five: Integrity, Fairness, and Ethical Behavior

A school administrator promotes the success of all students by acting with integrity,
fairness, and in an ethical manner.
Personal Statement:
Kouzes and Posner (2010) argue that one of the ten truths of leadership is that you have
to create Trust Rules. Students and staff in the building have to know that you are
one to be trusted. Once that trust is formed they will clearly see how you carry yourself
in rules of integrity, fairness, and ethics. If trust is not established you have nothing.
Standard Artifact
Reflection
Source
Function
(Course)
5.1, 5.2
Ethical Belief
In my statement, I describe ten statements of
EA 740
Statement
ethics that if one can uphold would create a
School as a
very desirable place to come to work where it
Formal
would be a win-win for everyone involved.
Organization
5.3, 5.4
Case Briefs
To what extend can the government search
EA 742 -students? Through a case analysis of two
Educational
landmark court decisions, New Jersey v. T.L.O.
Law
and Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton et
ux., I learned that, while schools have broad
discretion, it is not unlimited. In T.L.O., the
Supreme Court held that school officials need
not obtain a warrant before searching a student
who is under their authority and that only
reasonable, not probable, cause is required in
order to carry out a search. In Vernonia, the
Court held that schools can randomly drug test
student athletes because those participating in
athletic programs have a decreased
expectation of privacy, the method for collecting

5.1, 5.3,
5.4, 5.5

School Policy
Brief

5.3, 5.4,
5.5

Warm-Up
Activity: The
Truth About
Leadership

urine samples was unobtrusive, and the

severity of the need demonstrated for the
search.
Should school officials be allowed to strip
search students? In considering this question,
we have weighed the privacy rights of students
against the needs of the district to maintain a
safe environment for students. The Fourth
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution seeks to
guarantee persons and their property from
unreasonable searches and seizures. The
courts have attempted to balance the privacy
rights of citizens with the compelling safety
interests of society. In case law pertaining to
public schools, the courts have maintained a
standard of reasonableness; that is, searches
of students must be justified at inception and
reasonable in scope. Although the court has
left open the rights of the district to strip search
students under some circumstances, these
circumstances may not be excessively
intrusive in light of the age and sex of the
student and the nature of the infraction (La
Morte, 2012). In designing our district policy,
we argue that by their nature, strip searches
are excessively intrusive in light of alternative,
less intrusive forms of searching. Our district
policy therefore outlines guidelines for
searching students that provide for the safety of
our schools while protecting students against
erroneous searches.
Our group used Kouzes and Posners book
The Truth About Leadership to highlight the
moral dilemmas that underpin different
leadership styles. Given the authors emphasis
on collaboration, trust, and challenge, was Joe
Clark an ethical leader? The class had the
opportunity to view three different clips from the
film Lean on Me and discuss a number of
different questions related to leadership and
ethical behavior.

EA 742 -Educational
Law

EA 743 -Professional
Seminar

Standard Six: Political, Social, Economic, Legal and Cultural Context

A school administrator promotes the success of all students by understanding,
responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural
context.
Personal Statement:
As a school leader, I will always advocate for the well being of our children. They are
our future. As an administrator, you have to make sure you are keeping up with the

current journals and articles that pertain to your school setting. Things in education
change fast so you have to make sure you are staying current on all the pressing issues
of today.
Standard Artifact
Reflection
Source (Course)
Function
6.1, 6.2
Case Briefs
To what extend can the government search
EA 742 -students? Through a case analysis of two
Educational Law
landmark court decisions, New Jersey v.
T.L.O. and Vernonia School District 47J v.
Acton et ux., I learned that, while schools
have broad discretion, it is not unlimited. In
T.L.O., the Supreme Court held that school
officials need not obtain a warrant before
searching a student who is under their
authority and that only reasonable, not
probable, cause is required in order to carry
out a search. In Vernonia, the Court held that
schools can randomly drug test student
athletes because those participating in
athletic programs have a decreased
expectation of privacy, the method for
collecting urine samples was unobtrusive,
and the severity of the need demonstrated for
the search.
6.1, 6.2
School
Should school officials be allowed to strip
EA 742 -Policy Brief
search students? In considering this
Educational Law
question, we have weighed the privacy rights
of students against the needs of the district to
maintain a safe environment for students.
The Fourth Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution seeks to guarantee persons and
their property from unreasonable searches
and seizures. The courts have attempted to
balance the privacy rights of citizens with the
compelling safety interests of society. In case
law pertaining to public schools, the courts
have maintained a standard of
reasonableness; that is, searches of
students must be justified at inception and
reasonable in scope. Although the court has
left open the rights of the district to strip
search students under some circumstances,
these circumstances may not be excessively
intrusive in light of the age and sex of the
student and the nature of the infraction (La
Morte, 2012). In designing our district policy,
we argue that by their nature, strip searches
are excessively intrusive in light of alternative,
less intrusive forms of searching. Our district
policy therefore outlines guidelines for
searching students that provide for the safety
of our schools while protecting students
against erroneous searches.
SchoolBonds This assignment helped me to better
6.2
EA 748 School/
understand what exactly a school bond was
Community
andSinking

6.2, 6.3

FundsPaper

and how do community members help with

sinking funds.

Development

School
Presentation
onLeaderIn
Me

Co-planned a district presentation on the

implications of Leader In Me on Schools. It
was an hour presentation with associate
superintendents and school officials present.

EA 701 -Internship
Experience I and
EA 702 -Internship
Experience II

Standard Seven: Technology

A school administrator understands and comprehensively applies technology to advance
student achievement.
As a leader of a school it is important to know what technology you have readily available in
your school to make data collection much easier, so that we can move student achievement
in the right direction. As technology is always changing, as a school leader, it is important
to stay up with the latest advancements to enhance your building and your
school community of learners.
Standard
Artifact
Reflection
Source (Course)
Function
7.3,7.4
Digital
In this class we learned how to really utilize
EA 754 Human
Organization
the tools we have at our fingertips to
Resource
advance our technological skills and make
Management and
things easier
Supervision
DigitalToolbox
7.3, 7.4
I created a digital toolbox to store resources
EA 740 School as
to help me grow professionally. It also
a Formal
ToImprove
forced me to stay current on educational
Organization
Professionally
trends, best practices, and tools to use to
help me professionally.

7.3, 7.4

7.1, 7.2

Trainingour
schoolstaffon
GradeBook

I had an opportunity to train our staff on the

Grade Book that is almost implemented
district-wide. It is a way to post and share
with parents so they are aware of their
childs grades. It is an excellent form of
communication and very technologically
savvy.

EA 701 -- Internship
Experience I and
EA 702 -- Internship
Experience II

I had the opportunity to conduct professional

development for the staff on the use of
Google forms at Snow Elementary School.

EA 701 -- Internship
Experience I and
EA 702 -- Internship
Experience II