Formative Assessment II
The link below is to a presentation for FA-II and documents my progress through the second year in the Educational Leadership Program.
Author archive
Multiple Stakeholders and Changing Perspective
I recently encountered the following story in the news:
http://news.msn.com/us/ohio-school-says-jesus-portrait-has-been-taken-down
The story involves a school which recently removed a picture of Jesus which had been displayed in the school for years.
During a recent class presentation I stated that research seems to often prompt more questions (areas for further investigation) than answers. I have a similar feeling after reading this story. Many conflicting viewpoints are implicated in the story, and I’m not naive enough to attempt to render judgement of the situation in a blog post. However, I’m left to with many questions? Which rights should be upheld? How does the party who hung the picture impact the case? How would this case be viewed differently in rural Ohio vs. urban LA or NYC and should this make a difference?
As a second year doctoral student, I”m finding I have more questions than answers!
Zero Tolerance
I have recently been assigned a new assignment in which I am overseeing the school division’s crisis plan and coordinating school safety activities. In conjunction with the new assignment I was reviewing this article on the “zero tolerance” policy, and I noticed that it raises some interesting points. Administrators must tow a fine line between promoting school safety and allowing all students’ to learn. Ultimately school safety often relies upon the “judgement calls of school administrators, and as such, administrators must weight the interests of various stake holders in formulating such decisions.
http://news.msn.com/us/kids-suspensions-renew-debate-over-zero-tolerance
Tracking Students, Student ID’s, and Religions Infringement
My superintendent forwarded me an article regarding a student in Texas who is fighting her school’s requirement that she wear a device in school which tracks her movements throughout the school. The tracking device is part of the school’s ID cards which all students are required to carry. Both the ACLU and Christian Fundamentalists, normally at opposite ends of issues’ spectrums, have both voiced opposition to the tracking system. When the girl and her parents in the article balked at the school’s tracking system, the school agreed that the girl could simply wear an ID badge without the tracking implant; however, the girl and her parents are arguing that compliance with the school’s rule would constitute “submission of a false god”.
I do not understand this argument but probably should learn about it, as it may prove to be an issue for leaders in schools.
Learning about the Leading in a Small Town
Since beginning the program in educational leadership, the school system for which I work has allowed me different leadership experiences. As such I recently overtook our school system’s crisis duties and subsequently planned a division-wide earthquake drill. After the drill I was instructed to submit an article to the local paper. Acting as a good employee I submitted a summary of the earthquake drill as it occurred in the county’s schools. Much to my surprise I found my submission printed verbatim in the local paper.
I had anticipated the paper would review my summary and one of its writers would craft an article. I had no idea my submission would be printed in the exact format in which I submitted it. In retrospect I’m very glad I carefully read my submission and edited it correctly! Until this incident I had no idea that a simple e-mail to the paper would simply appear in print! My take away lesson is to always write carefully, because I never know where my words might appear.
