ISLLC Standards Pre/Post Survey Reflection Using the Michigan State Board of Education Modified Interstate School Leaders

Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards for the Preparation of School Principals, I have identified strengths and areas for improvement as a student entering and exiting the Education Specialist Program. At the early stage in my journey to become a school administrator it was clear I had many more areas that needed improvement than areas of strengths. Throughout the program I have been given the opportunity to increase my confidence in several areas of weakness and continue to build on my strengths. While acknowledging my strengths, I still consider them areas for improvement because there is always room for improvement. As part of my ISLLC pre-survey reflection, I stated, Many of my strengths relate to Standard Four, which focuses on promoting collaboration with families and community members, responding to community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources. Due to my work as a coach, caregiver, teacher, advocate, and volunteer I have had a variety of relationships with parents and the community. Working in these capacities I have become confident and skilled in collaborating with others to ensure the success of all students. Therefore, I feel meeting the expectations of this standard as a school administrator will be less challenging for me. My confidence has continued to grow in this area as I maintain my work in a variety of capacities with parents and the community. In the pre-survey I also wrote, Standard five, focusing on acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner, will also be less of a challenge for me once I become an educational leader. As one of my core values, I continuously practice living a virtuous life and modeling integrity in all aspects of my career and

personal life. Continuing this behavior as an administrator will be an easy task. Having completed the program, I now find these early comments somewhat nave. By working through case studies, interviewing leaders in the field, and participating in field experiences, I have found that there are plenty of moral dilemmas to grapple with as an educational leader. Acting with integrity may not always be the easiest choice, but is always the right choice. In my pre-survey reflection I stated that, I could write an entire document on which ISLLC Standards I need to improve upon and my plan for development in those areas. While I still believe this to be somewhat true, the Education Specialist program experiences have allowed me to develop my areas of weakness and build confidence in performance related to the following areas of leadership. At the beginning of the program, I felt that Standard Six, which emphasizes work in political, social, economic, legal, and cultural contexts, was a major weakness for me. As a classroom teacher it is still fairly easy to limit my involvement in these areas when it comes to my work as a professional. However, this is an area in my career as a school administrator I feel I could have the greatest influence. I have built my confidence with this standard through my coursework in action research, school business, educational law, school/community development and HR management. These courses provided knowledge, advice and the opportunity to analyze and reflect on my own thoughts and opinions that further developed my foundation for decision making in this area of school leadership. Even after the completion of these courses I have worked to stay current and informed, understanding emerging trends and initiatives, influencing policies and decisions, and advocating for the children, families, and caregivers I work with. Although I have not

actively pursued this endeavor, I would also like to improve my knowledge, skills, and confidence in this area is by becoming part of organizations and networking circles that focus on political, social, economic, legal and cultural topics in education. Doing so will not only give me a chance to listen to what others are saying but will provide information so that I can continue to develop my own opinions and decision making skills within this area of school administration. While I truly dont believe a person can become fully proficient in any of the ISLLC standards until you are in an administrative position, learning and building experience from each day in the role, working through the Education Specialist program has provided me with the foundation and scaffolding to become a successful leader in the field of education.