EDLD 5399 Week 5

In developing the three year plan I found another great opportunity for reflection.  I tried to examine the areas where I felt there was a greatest need for improvement while also considering how the organization may best be served as a whole.  It was difficult to resist placing all goals in the first year.  But I believe that all goals will receive some degree of accomplishment as I grow each year.  I am sure that some goals will evolve or even change as I develop and am comfortable with such an evolving growth plan feeling that growth must not only be continuous but also meet the changing needs of the organizations we serve. 

Year One

Goal 1.	TExES Dom:  I Comp:  2	Objective Facilitate  the development and implementation of a shared vision by all learning community stakeholders.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops Peer (supt.) mentor (K. Weldon; H. Chambers) Conferences Reading journals/books Region center	Mentor Professional Support Peer (supt.) mentor (K. Weldon; H. Chambers) Region center	Date of Completion February 2013	Evaluations Well established district goals Stakeholders ability to explain goals Working improvement plan
Goal 2.	TExES Dom:  II Comp:  5/6	Objective Develop a deeper understanding and ability for implementation of current best practices and research-based theories/techniques.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops Peer (supt.) mentor (K. Weldon; H. Chambers) Conferences Reading journals/books Region center	Mentor Professional Support Peer (supt.) mentor (K. Weldon; H. Chambers) Curriculum experts Improvement teams Teachers Administrators	Date of Completion Habits developed and significant gains by November 2012	Evaluations Improved student performance Evidence of application of methods during walkthroughs

Year Two

Goal 3.	TExES Dom:  II Comp:  6	Objective Develop an expertise in the development of teacher professional growth programs.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops Peer (supt.) mentor (K. Weldon; H. Chambers) Conferences Reading journals/books Region center	Mentor Professional Support Peer (supt.) mentor (K. Weldon; H. Chambers) Region center Experts Administrators Teachers Improvement teams	Date of Completion March 2014	Evaluations Improved student performance Improved teacher satisfaction
Goal 4.	TExES Dom:  III Comp:  8	Objective Develop a deeper understanding of school finance to ensure financial stability, compliance, and improvement of my district.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops Peer (supt.) mentor (K. Weldon; H. Chambers) Conferences Reading journals/books Region center	Mentor Professional Support Peer (supt.) mentor (K. Weldon; H. Chambers) School financial officer	Date of Completion February 2014	Evaluations District financial stability Audits Improved facilities as needed Fund balance gains

Year Three

Goal 5.	TExES Dom:  II; III Comp:  5; 8;9	Objective Become an expert in strategic planning.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops Peer (supt.) mentor (K. Weldon; H. Chambers) Conferences Reading journals/books Region center	Mentor Professional Support Peer (supt.) mentor (K. Weldon; H. Chambers) Region center Experts Administrators Teachers Improvement teams	Date of Completion November 2014	Evaluations Comprehensive plan for total district improvement.  Plan continuously evolves to meet current and projected needs.
Goal 6.	TExES Dom:  II Comp:  6	Objective Develop an organization that builds educational  leaders for the educational needs of the future.	Course Work/Book/ Workshops Peer (supt.) mentor (K. Weldon; H. Chambers) Conferences Reading journals/books Region center	Mentor Professional Support Peer (supt.) mentor (K. Weldon; H. Chambers) Region center Experts Administrators Teachers Improvement teams	Date of Completion October 2014/continuous	Evaluations Administrative leaders developed

EDLD 5399 Week 4

REFLECTION

Leadership often requires complex decision-making during difficult situations.  I have often referred to thoughtful decision-making as an asset necessary for effective leadership.  The need for decisiveness would seem to preclude thoughtful decision-making in some situations.  But, an effective leader who practices meaningful reflection will often equip himself/herself with thought processes necessary for quick and thoughtful decisions.  Reflection enhances professional growth reinforcing the information gained from an experience by recreating the experience mentally and, when used effectively, applying higher level thought processing to analyze and evaluate the experience and the response to the experience.  Further reflection may even allow the leader to synthesize other possible responses and possible outcomes based on perceived contributors to the initial experience.  Such reflection creates new pathways in the brain for the effective thought processing of future problems and experiences.  Leaders engaging in this type of continuous, in-depth reflection develop the “cognitive processes” necessary to be “experts” in their field as described in School Leader Internship, 2^nd edition (Martin, 2005).

During our coursework, cohort members have been asked to continuously reflect on every assignment through the use of written reflections as assignments, blogs, intern activity summaries, and discussion pages.  The toughest reflection for me was providing evidence that I do what I ask others to do (31E).  I thought that this would be fairly simple but as I reflected on what my actions are I also began to reflect on my value system and how it has developed as a result of my past experiences in education.  I found this activity to be very revealing and meaningful.

Other valuable experiences included reflections from serving as a mediator for two employees (35A) and developing resolution for an issue with a consensus group (5C).  When reflecting on the perceptions and opinions of a diverse group of stakeholders I felt that I was able to grow in my ability to maintain objectiveness while addressing the concerns of differing opinions.

Throughout the program I have been able to meet with my superintendent to discuss assignments and complete intern activities. The reflections written from these meetings provided the opportunity to develop a greater understanding of the thought process involved in high-stakes decision-making required at that level of leadership.

In the future I plan to continue the consistent application of reflection to enhance professional growth.  I believe that every experience, positive or negative, provides an opportunity for professional and personal growth.  I must make the time for meaningful reflection to fully process the experience and create those new pathways for future problem solving.