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Running Head: ACTIVITY 6 ANALYSIS

Activity 6 Analysis:
Policy in Action
Ben Thayer
Central Michigan University

ACTIVITY 6 ANALYSIS

Activity 6 Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) Standards:


ELCC 1.3: Candidates understand and can promote continual and sustainable school
improvement.
ELCC 3.3: Candidates understand and can promote school-based policies and procedures that
protect the welfare and safety of students and staff within the school.
ELCC 5.1: Candidates understand and can act with integrity and fairness to ensure a school
system of accountability for every students academic and social success.
ELCC 6.1: Candidates understand and can advocate for school students, families, and
caregivers.
ELCC 6.2: Candidates understand and can act to influence local, district, state, and national
decisions affecting student learning in a school environment.
ELCC 6.3: Candidates understand and can anticipate and assess emerging trends and initiatives
in order to adapt school-based leadership strategies.
Activity Synopsis
The final activity for my internship learning plan is about policy in action. It is said that
an education leader promotes the success of every student by understanding, responding to, and
influencing the political, social, economic, legal, and cultural environment of the school/district
(Martin, Danzig, Wright, Flanary & Brown, 2013, p. 68). These contexts lead me to my first
goals for this activity. First, achieve a better understanding of how school board policy, and
state, and federal law affect our school. Second, to actively participate in political or legal
school processes. I have discussed with my building Principal the general duties of being a
school leader and the role in advocating for others. Mrs. Nowacki has continued to share her
sentiment as a servant-leader who is student-centered in her decision making.

ACTIVITY 6 ANALYSIS

I have also had the privilege of experiencing what it is like to be Principal for a day at my
school. On a couple occasions, I have had the chance, in cooperation with front office staff, to
act as the building principal when administrative staff were out of the building. My immediate
impressions were that the position required constant collaboration with the office secretaries.
Mrs. Morrison and Mrs. Weiczorek were the first to absorb most of the initial confrontations
when an issue arose. While there were responsibilities in the office, I also had a job to do out on
the playground during recess. I had the distinct pleasure of dealing with the disposal of a dead
rabbit on the soccer field. Also, I was in the office when EMS was called for a student who had
fainted. Additionally, child protective services made a visit to the school as I was acting
Principal so I had to follow school district procedures when communicating with them regarding
a student. Lastly, I was unable to attend a board meeting during the end of the school year due to
time constraints so I reviewed the agenda (see Appendix A for artifact) from a recent meeting
regarding several end of the year components. By reading over the board meeting agenda I was
able to gain a better understanding of how the board meetings operate and how their policies
work.
I also had the opportunity to work side by side with the special education department
earlier in the year which allowed me the privilege of knowing current issues taking place among
the special education staff. I learned of budget cuts, position changes, legal issues, among other
items. I also had the chance to spend the day at Quarton Elementary School to meet with our
building Principal as well as Quartons Principal, Mrs. Ghiardi-Coignet, to partake in transition
504 plan meetings with future students parents. During these day-long meetings I heard from
each set of parents about their childs current accommodations and the plan for a transition into
middle school. Furthermore, I attended students transition IEP meetings (see Appendix B for

ACTIVITY 6 ANALYSIS

artifact) with Derby special education staff and high school counselors from Seaholm. Finally, I
was able to take the lead on thanking the Birmingham Education Foundation (BEF) on behalf of
Derby teachers for the grants issued this past school year. I contacted the staff to see what cool
ideas they were provided grants for and crafted a thank you letter (see Appendix C for artifact).
Reflection
There are several contexts in school leadership to reflect on and discuss. I focused on
policy and legal experiences in reviewing the school board agenda and partaking in several 504
or IEP transition meetings. My roles during this internship as an observer, participant, assistant,
and leader have each given me the opportunity to engage in many contexts within the school
community. When reviewing the board agenda I found that many end of the year items appeared
on the list such as personnel changes due to teacher retirement, awarding of high school
diplomas, resource adoptions, budget decisions, and future meeting dates. I have found that
federal and state mandates on the number of school hours in a year can affect the decisions on
start and end times for the school day. I can understand how a building leader is able to
contribute their perspective to the board regarding the status of the staff and students.
I have gained an improved understanding about the grant application process, what
teachers have received or been denied grant requests, and communicating with the BEF on
behalf of the school. I have also heard of current issues facing our special education department,
threatening budget cuts, and more demanding caseloads. It is vital to be aware of the emerging
trends and changes taking place in education as a school leader as it may have a direct impact on
your school. Lastly, I have grown to know in my role as a developing school leader that I am a
powerful advocate for my students and for their learning. I can act to influence student learning
at the local and state levels and am ultimately responsible for the welfare of my students both

ACTIVITY 6 ANALYSIS
physically and socially. With the knowledge and training I received during my internship
experience I am confident that I can promote the success of every student.

ACTIVITY 6 ANALYSIS

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References

Martin, G. E., Danzig, A. B., Wright, W. F., Flanary, R. A., & Brown, F. (2013). School leader
internship: Developing, monitoring, and evaluating your leadership experience (3rd ed.).
New York, NY: Routledge.
National Policy Board for Education Administration. (2011). Educational leadership program
recognition standards. Retrieved from http://www.npbea.org/wp/wpcontent/uploads/2015/06/ELCC-Building-Level-Standards-2011.pdf

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Appendix A
Board Meeting Agenda artifact

ACTIVITY 6 ANALYSIS

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Appendix B
IEP Transition artifact

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Appendix C
Letter to BEF artifact

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