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Dolphins Team Renee’ L. Hanson, Gwendelyn Fristensky, Kassandra Gallegos, Angela (add last name) October 13, 2010 Principles of Educational Leadership **WORK IN PROGRESS! **

Hickory Ridge High School Problem-Based Learning Project

**__Introduction __** Hickory Ridge High School is currently a focal point of attention in the Wingfield School District. A large urban school of approximately 1800 students, Hickory Ridge’s population is comprised of approximately 15 percent exceptional or special needs students, 46 percent white, 40 percent African American, 12 percent Hispanic, and 2 percent Asian. The students’ needs at this school have changed over the years as is the case with many schools in our nation, and the faculty and school community have worked to meet these changing needs. The student demographics vary greatly from the Iowa State average. According to the Iowa Department of Education the state average includes 82 percent white, 5 percent African American, 0 percent Hispanic, 2 percent Asian, less than 1 percent Native American and 2 percent Multi-Race. The vast difference in demographics as compared to the state average as well as the overall student achievement levels makes Hickory Ridge High School an interesting case for school reform as well as a good place to implement technological innovations. Hickory Ridge has been under the leadership of Jim O’Connor who was a middle school teacher for eight years prior to moving into an assistant-principal position. Serving thirteen years as an assistant principal has provided Jim with a lot of experience and led the way to his promotion last year as principal of Hickory Ridge. Jim’s years serving the school district and community have given him great insight into the community and he is actually known as the “keeper of the history.” The staff members at Hickory Ridge see him as knowledgeable but he is not well respected and they don’t believe he has a real grasp on the district’s vision for their school. He is able to provide the younger staff with perspective and understanding of the community but that younger staff members also see him as having a very limited amount of power and importance. They don’t see him as being able to him them with their upward mobility within the district. Over the last four years as superintendent of the Wingfield School District, it has become evident that changes must occur. Each year new teachers known as “fast-trackers” have been placed at Hickory Ridge making a total of twenty-seven. These “fast-trackers” have all been in the top 10 percent of their programs of study and are knowledgeable about desired school reforms and are readily willing to share their expertise in the area of technology. The decision to place these teachers at Hickory Ridge was a carefully planned idea implemented in hopes that the principal and aging teaching staff would learn innovative programs and stay closer to the cutting edge of what is happening in education rather than settle into the whole “We’ve always done it this way” mentality. The plan is not going exactly as hoped because the new teachers feel that Principal O’Connor is always second-guessing their work and the aging staff members are not really interested in making any major changes to their programs. The new teachers question the principal’s ability to do his job properly and question whether or not the aging teachers can really get the needed results. Pressure from the board is mounting and school reform must be implemented. The board has a good vision for Hickory Ridge but implementing that vision will take some work on everyone’s part. Several different areas must be addressed to make reform happen. A plan must be developed and there must be stakeholder buy-in. **__Mission and Vision __**

Before people can function together, before teachers can work together, before teachers and students can work together productively, there must be an atmosphere of respect. According to Sweetland (2009), children benefit when the adults in a school building work together productively and joyfully. Sweetland (2009) also mentions that too often schools end up being places of isolation, competition among students and teachers, and place unneeded emotional stress on those involved. Rather than being places of nurturing and encouraging, faculty lounges and eating areas become places to complain about fellow teachers, students, administrators, and regulations. Rather than work for continual improvement, many educators fall into the blame game trap. In an effort to build respect among colleagues at Hickory Ridge, Professional Learning Communities will be implemented. Professional learning communities place teachers in a role of being the solution rather than the problem. Ample time will be provided for Professional Learning Communities to meet and have time for reflection, talking with coworkers, and finding new solutions to some old problems. It takes time to build a community and Sweetland (2009) acknowledges that Professional Learning Communities take a long-term commitment if change is to take place, in fact, it could take three to five years for cultural shift to not just get planted but actually have time to grow and sustain. Some ways to build respect include; cooperation, leadership, balance, service and responsibility. Staff members will feel better about themselves when they have a leader they admire and respect. When staff members feel that a leader is concerned about him or her as individuals, they work harder. Working to develop this admiration and respect can be accomplished by creating collaborative activities that bring out the best of everyone. One activity the principal can introduce that will aid in “breaking the ice” is called “Colored Broken Squares.” In this activity participants form small groups of five people and try to put together pieces of puzzles to form a square in front of each participant. Participants proceed according to specific rules which are enforced by the principal and the assistant principal can be appointed as of the observer and the facilitator. After the activity, a debriefing session can build on experiences and feelings of the participants and the comments of the observers to examine the points raised by this activity. Principals can raise the expectations of the school community and help everyone live up to the mission of the school by using this process, reports Hyman (1986). Having a principal who is credible and trustworthy is a major step as well. The principal needs to exercise a high degree of moral leadership to raise the expectations of all staff and internalize the school’s goals and its philosophy. It’s important for the principal to keep the organization toward the vision and mission. It’s the responsibility of the administration to keep everyone focused on the school’s and district’s goals. This can release their creative energies to work in cooperation and harmony to achieve preferred results. The school staff, with the principal’s guidance, should understand the difference between what should and should never change, keeping it consistency with the vision. By having a balanced atmosphere where everyone is being heard through, evaluation and reflection, could bring a balance among the staff. Creating communities that include old teacher, new teachers and administration can be a chance for everyone to speak in an environment that is non-threating and equal.
 * __ Building a Community of Respect __**

**__Communication __** Sometimes to implement reform we have to be willing to throw out the old and accept the new and nothing could be truer than in the area of communication for the members of Hickory Ridge. In fact, Sweetland (2009) believes that meaningful learning often requires the development of new means of communication. One idea that will be included in the professional Learning Communities will be for teachers to write on index cards factors that influence student performance. Then they will separate the cards into two stacks: In my control and Out of my control. Sweetland reminds us though that the objective of the activity is not to reach consensus, but rather to open up discussion of the role of the teacher, inviting teachers who feel disempowered to acknowledge and claim the power of their personal influence, making space for redefinition and reflection on individual and collective responsibilities.

**References ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">Iowa Department of Education. (2009). //Education Statistics.// Retrieved October 13, 2010, from Iowa Department of Education: [] Sweetland, J. (2008). Making dissatisfaction divine: An inspired approach to whole-school reform. //International Journal of Whole Schooling//, //4//(1), 13-21. Retrieved from ERIC database.