Gwendelyn's+Page

Well, I think I am creating my page so hopefully this comes out the right way. If not, I hope I can easily delete it. We need to get into more of the meat and potatoes of this project, so let us post on our pages and see what we've got. I will track down more of the pertinent text from my research sources and post here. Anyone with ideas of how to shape this thing? Input please :-)

10/06/10 So I've gotten full text on only one article. Another one costs $32, and the third I cannot track down anywhere :-( The one I did get is 27 pages long! Will look for more accessible info.....

11/14/10 Here is my updated portion of the paper. I have emailed it to Renee as well for easier integration into the Word document: **__  Staff Support and Empowerment   __**

 According to Maele and Houtte (2009), success in implementing school reforms must embrace programs that increase teacher trust. At Hickory Ridge, Jim O’Connor is viewed by the staff as having limited power, importance, and as not being able to help them to gain desired promotions. Though he is viewed as being knowledgeable, he is not viewed as being able to understand the school district’s vision for HRHS. With the push toward reform, now more than ever, there needs to be an atmosphere of trust and ‘team’ at the school. It must be headed by the principal, and supported by the staff.  Maele and Houtte (2009) state that faculty trust in students, parents, colleagues, and the principal are associated with conditions of organizational value, culture, size, and group composition. With the creation of new vision and mission statements, Mr. O’Connor needs to make sure to include all stakeholders so as to unite them ‘under one flag’. The faculty seems to have trust already in the community and parents. Trust in administration and colleagues can be strengthened through team-building, and giving the faculty the power to serve on committees and carry out tasks throughout the process from selecting a reform program, to implementation, and assessment. The gaps in technology and teaching practices that exist between older and younger faculty need to be addressed, especially since the district reform initiative is one of creating a technologically driven, innovative school district.  At Hickory Ridge, even though major pressure was put on the system to incorporate computers into the curriculum and daily instruction, the actual use of the computers by both teachers and students has been disappointing. The older faculty members are not motivated to embrace the integration of technology in the curriculum. Professional development in the area of learning new pedagogies is often found to be lacking in schools, and is the greatest obstacle to successful implementation (Groff & Mouza, 2008). Changes that must take place in order to implement technology use in the classroom may prompt teachers who are uncomfortable with technology and with change to resist and do only enough to skate by. In addition to quality staff development, an arrangement should be made for younger and older faculty members to work together in mentorship pairs or groups: the younger mentoring the older in technology and innovative teaching practices, and the older mentoring the younger in the informal structures of the school and community. Since many of the parents are also technically advanced, they could serve as somewhat of a mediating and facilitating presence during technology mentoring sessions. Through empowering the staff and bringing them together, the group will be better motivated to take on reform of the school under the district’s vision.  ** __ Motivate Staff to Research Reforms __ **  Getting the staff to work together and on the same page as far as the school’s mission and vision are concerned will go far in motivating them to contribute to finding an appropriate reform program for Hickory Ridge. The district’s reform efforts allowed a core of Hickory teachers to participate in activities that included technology-based tours and attending forums on the implementation of pilot programs to reform schools. Many of the younger teachers may already have knowledge of reform programs that may be appropriate at HRHS, and with new willingness to work together Mr. O’Connor might successfully appoint some catered think tank sessions to look over the extensive research and pertinent knowledge that exists for the desired reforms and promising innovative programs.  In situations where staff can work collaboratively with one another in varying groups and in varying roles and by extending their responsibilities, they come to recognize the worth of their work as individuals and to the school as a whole. They become happier in their work, and more willing to take on challenges and take risks (Lance, 2010).  The parents of HRHS also want to be involved in what is going on at school, and their aid should be enlisted in the many tasks involved in school reform. As stated by Guhn (2009), it is important, however, to make sure that parental support is not overly-present or given too much weight as it can be counterproductive by introducing more stress to the process. The positive energy that is brought by the support of the parents can be a catalyst for the staff to work together and utilize their unique skill sets with foci on student benefits and professional purpose. Greater community and parent involvement are well-known as valuable contributors to successful education reform, and connecting the school with the community through ICT (communication technology), is one way to keep the energy flowing from the parents into the staff (Hohfeld, Ritzhaupt, & Barron, 2010). Consistent, open communication regarding needs between staff and parents will ensure that parent support is at a level healthy for the school environment. ICT and technology integration is one way to conveniently facilitate this through the use of email, automatic phone messaging, classroom websites/blogs, and other digital means.  References ** Maele, D.V., & Mieke, V.H. (2009). Faculty trust and organizational school characteristics: An exploration across secondary schools in Flanders. // Educational Administration Quarterly, 45 //, 556-589. doi: ** 10.1177/0013161X09335141  Groff, J. & Mouza, C. (2008). A framework for addressing challenges to classroom technology use. // AACE Journal, 16 //(1), 21-46. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/24421   Guhn, M. (2009). Insights from successful and unsuccessful implementations of school reform programs. // Journal of Educational Change, 10, 337-363. // doi: 10.1007/s10833-008-9063-0   Lance, A. (2010). A case study of two schools: Identifying core values conducive to the building of a positive school culture. // Management in Education, 24 //, 118//. // doi: 10.1177/0892020608090407 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Hohfield, T.N., Ritzhaupt, A.D. & Barron, A.E. (2010). Connecting schools, community, and family with ICT: Four-year trends related to // school // level and SES of public schools in Florida. // Computers & Education, 55 //(1), 391-405. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.02.004  ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">