Safe Schools

Schools have a responsibility to create a safe environment for all students. I think the best way to provide this safe environment is to do what schools do best, that is to educate students from an early age on what is appropriate and what to do if they encounter a situation that might make them feel unsafe. This includes all groups that might have been harassed, bullied, excluded, rejected, or abandoned, for whatever reason.  The anti-bullying initiative that CMS has implemented is a positive step in student awareness.

Community involvement is also a key ingredient so help can be in place as the need arises. Putting community resources into the school community is beneficial for a safe school environment.  Law enforcement (resource officers), security personnel, counselors, social services (DSS), can provide a way for students to seek help and support. With the proper support in place students know they have an alternative to skipping or even dropping out altogether. Strong family support goes a long way in providing resources for students but obviously this is not always the case.

 The school can help with many initiates including the “Safe School Ambassador Program” discussed in the video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mmOKbeCdoI). I believe this proactive approach provides for better opportunities for success in the long run.  Teachers are the best catalyst to student awareness and must lead by example in the classroom.

In some cases schools are the most logical place to address a variety of social issues, like drug abuse, gang involvement, pregnancy, etc., since all of these issues can detract from student learning. I think the role of a school will grow to tackle social issues in addition to learning math, English, etc. But teachers can’t be exclusively responsible to educate on these social issues. Rather these issues have to be dealt with in a joint effort by bringing in the necessary community support. Then this support can be put in a classroom situation by the real experts.

MELS 660 Decision Making Assignment

Decision Making At My School - Reyes


The first decision I want to present was a decision that affected all of the staff before school began. It involved a requirement of all teachers to attend a 4 hour “team building activity” at the U.S. National Whitewater Rafting Center in Charlotte, NC.

It was important for our principal to go forward with this decision as an opportunity to develop a positive relationship with all staff members. In her second year as our principal she is still developing the relationships with teachers and wanted to set the tone for the forth coming year.

She discussed this initiative with her administrative assistants and department heads and received input for the idea as well as asking this group if there were some other possible alternatives to rafting. The majority agreed to the rafting trip and a decision was made that all staff attend with no exceptions. Looking at the Maier Model in our textbook The Principal, Chapter 3, page 43, this decision in my opinion required stakeholder commitment but technical expertise is not required because the subject and decision is not all that complex. This may also be similar to the Vroom-Jago Decision Process Model (page 45). In a GII decision process elements of a consensus decision making with a small working group.

School was officially closed, doors locked, lights were out, and no business other than janitorial staff were in the school. There were no alternatives for teachers, they were only given the option to raft or watch others raft but all had to attend. Many teachers were not happy because the first day of school was just days away.

I think after the experience however, most teachers I talked to enjoyed the time away from school and were appreciative of the effort that was made from the principal. I think I would have made the decision in the same manner as she had. In the end it made a positive impact on the staff.

The second decision I want to address involved all teachers during their planning period last week. The principal required the staff to attend a 90 minute presentation from the Rutherford Learning Group out of Waxhaw, NC. Although the entire staff was affected, the decision was definitely a Vroom-Jago A1 Decision.

The principal having heard the presentation in the past knew that it would benefit the group. Despite leading the district in student achievement, this presentation focused on how talented teachers can improve even more. Focus was directed to things you do best and less attention to your “non-talents”.

Although the initial response from the staff was negative it proved to be very informative and was just what this staff needed to show that there was still room for improving the quality of teaching even with the staff we currently have. This unilateral decision seemed to be the way to go and I would have probably used the same process to make the decision.

References

Developing the artisan teacher (2010). A primer on talent [Pamphlet]

Rutherford, M: Author



Ubben, G.C., Hughes, L.W., Norris, C.J. (2011) The principal creative leadership

for excellence in the school (7th Ed., pp. 36-51) Pearson