EDL 540 - Leadership Disposition Reflection

 EDL 540 Leadership Disposition:

Leadership Disposition 6: Develop the professional capacity of school personnel

Strike et. al. (2019) identify the following leadership competencies that align with the sixth

Professional Standard for Educational Leadership (PSEL):

Domain 1 Leadership Framework 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e (Promote a professional culture)

Domain 2 Professional Learning and Growth Practices 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d (Actively participate in professional.

development, coaching and mentoring)

Domain 3 Instructional Practices 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d (Champion and support curriculum development)

Domain 4 Management Competencies 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e (Manage resources and personnel in accordance with

regulations and within resource constraints)

According to Strike et. al. (2019) effective leaders: are responsible for the recruitment, development and retention of professional staff; plan for and manage turnover; develop teachers' professional skills and knowledge; foster continuous improvement and collective efficacy and capacity of staff; deliver actionable and timely feedback; empower and motivate staff; develop teacher leadership; and promote a healthy work-life balance for all staff.

Background

As part of my new role as Professional Learning Specialist (PLS) at Northridge Elementary, I am responsible for

developing, planning and implementing professional development that supports staff in meeting our school-

wide goals. Following a review of our Unified Improvement Planning data, the Instructional Leadership

Team identified a need for a renewed focus on instructional practices in the area of foundational literacy.

In my combined role as PLS and Reading Interventionist, I was able to leverage district level best

practices and resources to create a process and plan for implementing a primary grade phonics and

writing curriculum aimed at improving student outcomes while reducing the planning load on teachers.

Leadership Goal

By November 2024, I will provide develop professional capacity of teachers and interventionists through

monthly professional development reflection and collaboration sessions in order to refine and improve

instructional practices around phonics and structured writing.

Competencies Addressed in Leadership Goal

Component 1a: Adheres to personnel requirements

      Element: Recruits, trains, supports and retains highly competent personnel

Component1e: Promotes a positive school culture 

      Element: Encourages inquiry and reflection

Component 3a: Champions curriculum development

      Element: Refines use of multiple resources for effectiveness

      Element: Monitors indicators of student success

      Element: Demands equity and accessibility to curriculum and resources

Component 4e: Manages effectively

      Element: Prioritizes time with regard to projects

Action Plan

The following steps were used over the course of six weeks: 

• Organize and present PD to primary staff (UFLI) Lead subject matter experts in creating, organizing and presenting whole staff PD (SRSD)
• Lead subject matter experts in creating, organizing and presenting whole staff PD (SRSD)
• Lead collaborative reflection at twice monthly MTSS meetings where teams will reflect on instructional practices, determine next steps and identify additional resources needed to meet goals.
• Observe 4 teachers implementing instruction of new resources in their classroomsUse data from observations and student progress monitoring to plan additional dialogue/training at monthly staff meetings and/or during writing committee

Successes and Areas for Improvement

My objective for this activity was to provide staff with actionable, relevant instructional practices and tools that

would support their ability to teach foundational skills in a systematic and explicit way. Prior to this initiative,

teachers were creating their own materials to supplement our Tier 1 resource in order to support student

growth. The practices were inconsistent and our data identified gaps in student growth and achievement. The

training and resource were very well received by all staff and within one week of the initial training, all K-2

students were receiving consistent, systematic phonics instruction in their general education classroom and in

small intervention groups. Teachers felt the resource was very user friendly and removed the need for them to

create supplemental resources.

The roll-out of our structured writing framework was equally as successful as teachers found it easy to

implement. The ongoing success of this program, however, is dependent upon further professional development.

We are challenged with finding the time and available resources to move forward with full implementation

during this school year and plan to continue the roll out in increments until we are able to develop it fully in

the 2025-2026 school year.

Reflection

I feel as though I have a very solid foundation in developing the professional capacity of school personnel.

Specifically, I understand and value the importance of leveraging shared leadership and available resources to

support the needs of staff. In both of these initiatives, I collaborated with district level subject matter experts and

sought out continuous feedback from all stakeholders. I identified individuals who were able and willing to

participate in leading the initiative and supported them in doing so. Through my coursework and internship

experience I have expanded on my knowledge and understanding of the leadership disposition

and competencies addressed in my leadership goal.

Disposition 6 focuses on developing the professional capacity of school personnel in the capacity of managing

and developing personnel and being a champion for curriculum development while continuing to promote a

positive culture of continuous improvement. Within the scope of my internship experience I effectively

demonstrated all of these competencies. One of the most significant positive outcomes was the increase in staff

engagement and leadership around curriculum and instruction. The training was delivered in such a way that

staff improved their collaboration around planning and student data and I noticed a renewed sense of

enthusiasm for teaching foundational reading skills.

References:

Strike, K. T., Sims, P. A., Mann, S. L., & Wilhite, R. K. (2019). Transforming professional practice: A framework for effective leadership. Rowman & Littlefield.