Jesse Cole Completed Week 2 EDLD 5339 Organization and Management Issues

Week 2 Assignment

Overview: “Site-Based Decision-Making”

Campus organization is critical to meeting the goals and objectives of the school. The predominant management style sets the groundwork for all decision making on the campus. In addition, the delineation of line and staff positions provides the school personnel with a road map for addressing pertinent issues. While Site-Based Decision Making (SBDM) is mandated by the state, the extent and manner in which it is practiced can vary greatly from campus to campus.

Learning Outcomes

·  Conduct interviews about campus organization and management, Site-Based Decision Making (SBDM), and development and implementation of the campus budget and master schedule.

·  Identify the predominant management theory in place on a campus.


Rubric

Use the following Rubric to guide your work on the Week 2 Assignment.

Tasks
ê / Accomplished / Proficient / Needs Improvement / Unacceptable
Interview a school staff member regarding campus organization and management. / Provides detailed notes from interview with school staff member regarding campus organization and management.
(3 points) / Provides notes from interview with school staff member regarding campus organization and management.
(2 points) / Provides minimal notes from interview with school staff member regarding campus organization and management.
(1 point) / Does not interview or provide notes from interview with school staff member regarding campus organization and management.
(0 points)
Apply knowledge of management theory and personnel interviews to identify the predominant management theory in place on campus. / Identifies the predominant management theory in place on campus, citing course material and personnel interview to justify selection.
(3 points) / Identifies and provides supporting evidence of the predominant management theory in place on campus.
(2 points) / Identifies and provides minimal supporting evidence of the predominant management theory in place on campus.
(1 point) / Does not cite, or does not provide evidence supporting, predominant management theory in place on campus.
(0 points)
Interview a school staff member regarding Site-Based Decision- Making policies and procedures. / Provides detailed notes from interview with school staff member regarding Site-Based Decision Making.
(3 points) / Provides notes from interview with school staff member regarding Site-Based Decision Making.
(2 points) / Provides minimal notes from interview with school staff member regarding Site-Based Decision-Making.
(1 point) / Does not interview or provide notes from interview with school staff member regarding Site-Based Decision Making.
(0 points)
Identify and analyze the Site-Based Decision-Making process in place on campus. / Provides in-depth analysis of Site-Based Decision-Making process in place on campus, citing course material and personnel interview to justify positions.
(3 points) / Analyzes effectiveness of Site-Based Decision-Making process on campus.
(2 points) / Minimally analyzes effectiveness of Site-Based Decision-Making process on campus.
(1 point) / Does not describe or analyze Site-Based Decision- Making processes on campus.
(0 points)
Mechanics / No errors in grammar, spelling or punctuation.
(2 points) / Few errors in grammar, spelling or punctuation.
(1 point) / Responses lack clarity and depth and/or multiple errors in grammar, spelling or punctuation.
(0 points)


Week 2 Application Assignment, Part 1: Analyzing Campus Organization

For this week’s assignment, you will interview a campus administrator regarding the organizational and management structure in place at your school. Use the following questions to guide your interview.

In the space below, provide the name and title of the person you have chosen to interview for this assignment.

Dr. Ken Fox, Associate Principal, Highland Park High School (4/21/2011)

What is the predominant theory of management practiced on the campus? Cite examples to substantiate your answer.

Highland Park High School is a reflection of its community; the parents and students are very involved in their school and the same is required of all members of the faculty. Therefore, it is important that each campus is aware of the needs of its community members, and that can only be determined at the campus level. In my opinion, it would not be acceptable for all schools to run the same because all grade levels require attention in different areas. Dr. Fox, Highland Park H.S. Associate Principal, states that campus-based or site-based management is very much the norm at Highland Park. He continued that compared to other school districts he has worked in, where “lip service” is given to the site-based committee, Highland Park really walks the talk. He states that we have two committees on campus which represent the district’s support for site-based management: the Campus Leadership Council and the School Leadership Team. Both of these committees give pertinent members of the community an opportunity to be involved in decisions that will directly impact our specific students. Much like the Classic Decision-Making Model, these two committees identity problems, brainstorm ideas, create a workable plan, and implement their final strategy (Hopson, week 2 Lecture).

What are the strengths of the campus organizational structure? Give one example that demonstrates how the organizational structure supports the Campus Improvement Plan.

The Hoy-Tarter Model is a shared decision making process which utilizes the “zone of acceptance” philosophy (Hopson, week 2 Lecture). In theory, decisions are made by groups who are aware of the zone of acceptable ideas and practices. This is very true at Highland Park HS; before implementing a plan, the impact to, and opinion of, all parties is strongly considered before making campus decisions. For example, Dr. Fox recalls the decision of the Campus Leadership Council to give teachers a daily department period. He points out that this collaboration period is one of the school’s strengths. The department chairs meet at least once a week, but more often as the need arises, as do departments. These department periods are utilized as an opportunity for teams within departments to meet regarding learning and teaching. In addition, once a week the departmental period is a time when all teachers have an opportunity to give input on topics such as scheduling, exams, club days, basement grades, etc. The input acquired in department periods is then taken to the Campus Leadership Council and School Leadership Team, which directly results in the Campus Improvement Plan. The Campus Improvement Plan is a culmination of decisions made by invested members who recognize the objectives of the school. Even in today’s climate of budget cut backs, there has been no serious discussion of elimating the department period from the day to day schedule.

What areas are in need of improvement? Give at least one example that indicatges a negative impact on the Campus Improvement Plan.

Unfortunately, a school’s annual budget does not hold the funds necessary to support large financial needs. For example, Dr. Fox, Associate Prinicipal at HPHS, says that the biggest area in need of improvement is acquisition of technology equipment. A school’s yearly budget must be used for day to day functioning expenses, which does not leave the necessary funds for expensive innovations. Dr. Fox supports this issue by saying, “We don't always have the funds to get everything we want, so we limit the opportunities for engaging students.” So, that means the funds for technological equipment must be acquired from other sources, such as school bonds. The lack of available funds makes it difficult to reach the school’s technology goals which are mandated by the 2006-2020 Texas Long Range Plan for Technology. The school’s plans to reach those state mandated goals are evident throughout the Campus Improvement Plan; however, it would be hard to meet those long range goals unless funds are found elsewhere. In our case, the community has recently approved a bond that will allocate financial resources to update and aquire technology equipment. Our local PTA gifting campaign is also helping to fill in some the gaps, such as the PTA’s commitment to purchase interactive white boards for each classroom in the building.


Week 2 Application Assignment, Part 2: Site-Based Decision Making

For the second portion of this week’s assignment, you will interview a staff member at your school who is on your campus’ Site-Based Decision-Making Committee. Use the questions provided below to guide your interview.

In the space below, provide the name and title of the person you have chosen to interview for this assignment.

Stewart Brown, 9-12 Science teacher and TAK’s recovery specialist, Highland Park High School, 2010-2011 Campus Leadership Council Member (Site-Based Decision-Making Committee) 4/20/2011

Is the role of the Site-Based Decision-Making Committee well communicated to faculty and staff? Give at least one example to support your answer.

Site-Based Decision-Making Committees are implemented in hopes of empowering teachers, students, community members, business leaders, teachers and administrators at the campus level. Unfortunately, I do not believe that the existence or operations of our Campus Leadership Council and/or School Leadership Team are communicated with campus or community members. The only reason one might hear of these committees is through discussions in department periods; department chairs often ask our opinion on topics that are addressed by these site-based decision-making teams. Stewart Brown says, “I would not say the role is well communicated, but it is communicated every time we have an election. The School Leadership Team really functions more in our school and that role is very well communicated.” Stewart also stated that some of the committee groups working on a project are not well known; for example the group working on “Respect the Balance.” This committee is a group of teachers, community members, and students trying to teach balance of activity and personal life to reduce overall stress of students at Highland Park High School. I personally had no knowledge of this group until I met with Mr. Brown. This frustrated me since I am in charge of developing a wellness program for the faculty at our school, where the aim of this committee is an obvious tie-in.

How often does the committee meet? Are meeting agendas and minutes provided to all personnel?

The Campus Leadership Committee only met once each semester during the 2010-2011school year. Mr. Brown has taught at HPHS for 4 years now; he says that they met more often in the past. All school documents are public domain; agendas are provided to all committee members for the purpose of review. Staff members can also receive a copy of the agenda upon request.

Does the committee member you interviewed believe that he or she is providing valuable input and that the input is factored in to the decision-making process?

Stewart Brown does not feel like his input is always valued and sometimes feels that his time could be better spent in other areas. Stewart does feel that the committee has the best of intentions, but thinks the scope of the committee might be to general and needs to be broken into smaller groups to effectively handle issues. For example, this year the CLC has implemented “Respect the Balance,” a campaign designed to teach kids to balance work, school, and play to reduce personal stress. Mr. Brown states the concept is “very cool”, but feels like the Delphi technique being used within the group does not allow for true group discussion to take place in order to solve the problem. He states that he feels some members of the committee are trying to steer the group to their way of solving the problem, rather than true group brainstorming.

Describe one issue that the committee has been instrumental in resolving at your school.

McGregor’s Theory Y says that work comes as natural as play; at Highland Park, the community/staff/faculty members naturally work hard to improve our educational system (Hopson, Week 1 Lecture). The Campus Leadership Council has the following responsibilities: to improve the campus improvement plan, review new courses, review waivers on textbooks, as well as a myriad of additional responsibilties. Mr Brown remembers two of the issues they have resolved in the past: not to have an IB program and the issue of block scheduling. The IB program has been a request from many teachers and some parents; however, the CLC has decided not to implement such a program at HPHS just yet. Block scheduling has been reviewed in the past as not a viable option, but is currently being relooked at due to budget constraints. While not everyone may agree with the decisions, it is more beneficial for our campus that a decision was made so we can continue to focus on other areas.

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