Standard 1. Mission, Vision, and Core Values

1. a) Develop an educational mission for the school to promote the academic success and well-being of each student.
2. b) In collaboration with members of the school and the community and using relevant data, develop and promote a vision for the school on the successful learning and development of each child and on instructional and organizational practices that promote such success.
3. c) Articulate, advocate, and cultivate core values that define the school’s culture and stress the imperative of child-centered education; high expectations and student support; equity, inclusiveness, and social justice; openness, caring, and trust; and continuous improvement.
4. d) Strategically develop, implement, and evaluate actions to achieve the vision for the school.
5. e) Review the school’s mission and vision and adjust them to changing expectations and opportunities for the school, and changing needs and situations of students.
6. f) Develop shared understanding of and commitment to mission, vision, and core values within the school and the community.
7. g) Model and pursue the school’s mission, vision, and core values in all aspects of leadership.

GELS 1 activity: I did a draft of an outline presentation at this conference https://ncyi.org/www/docs/195.489Links to an external site.

Reflection

Culture of Success

So, we have purposely worked at developing school culture in ways that will further engage each student in a world-class educational experience. The looking, thinking, and acting we will encourage will be about increasing a culture of educational engagement by promoting

1. A culture that is welcoming,
2. A culture in which the conditions for learning are ever-present,
3. A culture in which we examine how our behaviors affect us, others, and our world,
4. A culture in which there is a shared belief that we are a part of something special and great, and
5. A culture in which the language creates and facilitates personal pride, purpose and power.

Lasting change requires an agreement on quality such that the leader and the teacher can have a productive conversation. School’ experiences with improvement efforts suggest that reaching agreements on quality are crucial if professional development efforts and administrative or peer feedback are going to be effective. An effective school operationalizes its mission by integrating academic press as part of building a positive culture. School culture is an important part of the work that educators need to do if students are going to achieve at high levels. As has been noted before, teachers matter, and what they do matters most. Yes, teachers need to have instructional skills and an understanding of their content area. But we argue that there is something else needed, and that is the systematic implementation of procedures that build the culture of the school such that students, and every other stakeholder in the educational organization, become bicultural. The culture of the school is not something that can be left to chance, nor can it be seen as something beyond our control. We have a duty to build a positive, responsive, and dynamic culture. In doing so, we can help all students, including Amal, Renee, Eddie, Stephen, and Antonio.

Educating Georgia’s Future Workforce

The Georgia Department of Education is launching Educating Georgia’s Future Workforce, an initiative aimed at increasing the state’s focus on career education a​​nd expanding partnerships with the business community, State School Superintendent Richard Woods announced today. “Georgia’s students must leave our schools with skills that prepare them for higher education or to immediately begin a career,” Superintendent Woods said. “It’s essential that we offer the very best career education available, responsive to the changing economic landscape and aligned to the needs of business and industry. This initiative will bring all stakeholders to the table to strengthen our career, technical, and agricultural education offerings and ensure students are being prepared with skills that will serve them well in the workforce of the future.” Some major components of Educating Georgia’s Future Workforce include:

• Participating in listening sessions during business and industry visits by the State CTAE Director and State Board Members to determine how we are doing in supplying labor force needs
• Hosting twelve “Partners Educating Georgia’s Future Workforce” regional meetings during fall 2015 with a focus on economic development and Georgia’s Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) offerings (These meetings will provide a chance for business and community partners to learn more about CTAE in Georgia and develop new partnerships with local school systems, thus positively impacting economic development)
• Identifying and making available valuable economic development resources to both educators and business partners with a Pathways to Prosperity toolkit
• Developing a Superintendent’s Business and Industry Advisory Council
• Offering an International Skills Diploma Seal to graduates who demonstrate a strong interest in international business and policy. Students earning the Seal have engaged in courses and extra-curricular activities that foster global competencies.

Partnering with Harvard University’s Pathways to ProsperityLinks to an external site. project to analyze the efficacy of Georgia’s CTAE initiatives and offerings “Educating Georgia’s future workforce can only be done by forming partnerships with a variety of stakeholders,” State CTAE Director Dr. Barbara Wall said. “These partnerships are formed through relationships based on trust and communication, and we are working to develop these relationships every day.” In Georgia’s schools, students take Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) courses and, in high school, choose a Career PathwayLinks to an external site. that equips them with skills and industry certifications in a field of their choice. The Educating Georgia’s Future Workforce initiative will strengthen the business and industry partnerships that support CTAE, and further develop the skills students need to enter the global workforce. ​ “Creating Career Pathways was a major step to improving educational outcomes for Georgia students,” said Chris Clark, Georgia Chamber president and CEO. “The launch of Educating Georgia’s Future Workforce will advance this cause even further, preparing our next generation of students with the skills employers need them to know for the jobs of tomorrow”. ​ 

School Climate & Safety

A positive school climate directly impacts telling indicators of success such as increased teacher retention, lower dropout rates, decreased incidences of violence, and higher student achievement. Extensive research outlines 12 dimensions that most comprehensively color and shape our perception of school climate. These dimensions are divided into four major categories of safety, teaching and learning, interpersonal relationships and the institutional environment. In addition, NSCC measures two dimensions particular to staff: Leadership and Professional Relationships.

The Comprehensive School Climate Inventory (CSCI)Links to an external site. is a research-based needs assessment that helps schools measure, evaluate and improve school climate. It is a springboard for whole school improvement and provides a detailed profile of strengths and potential areas of need.

Teacher & Leader Development

Staff Development…where change is a constant occurrence. Professional Learning Communities. PLC as they are commonly called are currently one of the most successful means of delivering specialized training. PLC have four major focuses:

• Learning rather than teaching
• Collaboration Planning
• Acknowledgement of members of the PLC as learners
• Practicing self-accountability.

The PLC model requires collaboration and dialogue between the facilitator and the targeted learning group. Staff Development consists of learning through the engagement of training and education. Training is the process of learning a sequence of programmed task in order to perform job related work.

Staff Development Model

• System Wide Goals and Objectives
• Needs Assessment
• Formalized Staff development  Goals/Objectives
• Program Design
• Implementation and Delivery Plan
• Program Evaluation

Types of Staff Development Programs

• Instructional Skills
• Management Skills
• Human Relation Skills
• Leadership Skills
• Self-Understanding

 Delivery Models:

Workshops, conferences, seminars, and leadership institutes.

Business and Operational Management

The CFO may assist the CEO with forecasting, cost–benefit analysis and obtaining funding for various initiatives. In the financial industry, a CFO is the highest-ranking position, and in other industries, it is usually the third-highest position in a company. A CFO can become a CEO, chief operating officer or president of a company.

The CFO must report accurate information because many decisions are based on the data he provides. The CFO is responsible for managing the fiscal activities of a company and adhering to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) established by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other regulatory entities. CFOs must also adhere to regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that include provisions such as fraud prevention and disclosing financial information.

Local, state and federal governments hire CFOs to oversee taxation issues. Typically, the CFO is the liaison between local residents and elected officials on accounting and other spending matters. The CFO sets financial policy and is responsible for managing government funds. The CFO role has emerged from focusing on compliance and quality control to business planning and process changes, and he is a strategic partner to the CEO. The CFO plays a vital role in influencing company strategy.

Refrences

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/111014/chapters/Creating-Culture-in-Schools.aspxLinks to an external site.

http://www.schoolclimate.org/climate/faq.phpLinks to an external site.

http://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-and-Policy/communications/Pages/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?PressView=default&pid=349Links to an external site.