ELCC 1.2: Case Study: Vision And School Improvement Plan

ELCC 1.2,1.4, &1.5 Building consensus with my staff on ways to align resources with the district vision requires effective communication, professional development, data collection and analysis. Effective superintendents align local, state, and federal resources to maximize the effectiveness of the district vision and school improvement plan. The school improvement plan requires collaboration and shared leadership with all staff members. An effective communication strategy keeps staff members focused on the issues, goals, vision and strategies of the improvement plan. The task of leadership is to communicate clearly and repeatedly the organization’s vision, all with the intent of helping every person involved understand what work needs
to be done and why, and what part of the individual plays in the overall effort (O’Toole, 1999). The key for superintendents is to build collaborative and sustained relations with all staff members while at the same time being careful not to impose their own views and beliefs. Taking time to understand the multiple perspectives of key stakeholders regarding both the issues and the strategies is foundational to being able to communicate the plan effectively (Eldridge & Mason, 2010). Utilizing professional development, as a resource, can improve student achievement. Studies that had more than 14 hours of professional development showed a positive and significant effect on student achievement from professional development ( Yoon, Duncan, Wen-yu, Scarloss & Shapley, 2007). Effective professional development provides time for staff members to learn and work together to create an instructional plan that is aligned with the school’s vision. Loucks-Horsley et al., (1998) outlined 7 principles of effective professional development.
• Driven by a vision of the classroom