5333+-+Leadership+for+Accountability,+ET8008



This course introduced us to the data. My district is extremely data driving so it was a perfect opportunity to thoroughly examine my district and campus data first hand and not rely on the summaries distributed by the district. I learned how to locate, analyze, disaggregate and manipulate the data and present it in a usable manner. I learned to appreciate the department that does this task five days a week. The teachers in my building are some of the best professionals I have ever had privilege of working with and the group works well together. They are supportive and encouraging. I’m puzzled that we don’t get an opportunity to work together more often to solve the problems facing our building.

In week four assignment, “Action Planning and Professional Growth” we examined our campus plan. The data we worked with in previous weeks was compared to the campus plan to determine if we were successful and what we need to change for the upcoming year. Our focus was on fourth grade students. One area that I feel like we could excel is by incorporating the assistance from every grade level. Several benefits will occur: · Vested interest by all faculty · Students will come to 4th grade better prepared · A clearer understanding by teachers in grades 1 – 3 as to what is required of 4th grade students · Vertical collaboration · Wider professional idea bank for issues that are school wide · Providing a safe, comfortable environment to brainstorm ideas more ideas will be offered. The next portion of the assignment we created a professional development agenda. The objective was to improve reading state test scores by 3%. It was a new experience for me to practice my skills in creating professional development. I plan to use these skills in the future to present technology information for teachers. I’m curious why more teacher input isn’t involved when planning professional development days. I understand that some days are district mandated, but it seems logical to me that with a building full of professionals, they would be the best to say what their needs are. In order for professional development to be effective, McTighe states that “an explicit and expected part of a teacher’s job should involve continuous improvement”. He went on to explore various benefits from the staff working together to achieve a common goal. Joyce & Showers state in their work that peer coaching enables professional learning on both people involved. This meets TF-VIII. References McTighe, J. (2008). Making the most of professional learning communities. The Learning Principal, 3(8), 1, 4 -8. Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (2003). Student achievement through staff development. National College for School Leadership. Retrieved June 6, 2009, from []