Field Based Work Proposal

Sheena Strada
EDU 706
University of New England
Fall B 2019
Introduction:

This is my third year as the literacy coordinator for the Mount Abraham Unified School

District. The district has five elementary schools and one union middle/high school. The assistant

superintendent and director of curriculum, Catrina DiNapoli, is serving as my mentor for this

course. For my internship, I will take on responsibilities at the district level related to school and

community relations, particularly connected to expanding the district’s Title I community and

family outreach.

In the future, I aspire to be the director of curriculum for a school district. I’ve played a

district leadership role in two districts over the previous five years and hope this field work

experience will support my efforts to grow as a leader by taking on new and different

responsibilities in coordination with the director of curriculum.

What You Hope to Learn:

Through this course I hope to help strengthen the connections between our school district

and the community, which have been tense in recent years due to changes in the district and

multiple failed bond votes to improve the high school’s physical plant.

I look forward to learning more about the interplay between the school district’s central

office and the community, as well as the expectations of the director of curriculum in terms of

community engagement and relationships.

In addition, I will expand my knowledge of Title 1 Federal Consolidated Grant Programs.

Reflection on My Experience as a Leader/Self -Assessment:

According to the self-assessment, there is much room for me to grow as a leader. I

recognize that in my current role, connection with families and the community at large is an area
where I have not engaged as strongly as I might. To this point the extent of my connections with

families has been extremely limited.

Setting Goals/Areas of Inquiry:

Create and sustain positive, collaborative, and productive relationships with families and
the community for the benefit of students

Engage in regular and open two-way communication with families and the community
about the school, students, needs, program and accomplishments

Create means for the school community to partner with families to support student
learning in and out of the school

Understand, value and employ the community’s cultural, social, intellectual, and political
resources to promote student learning and school improvement

Data Collection:

Sign-in sheets at the family outreach events will be used to calculate the percentage of

families who attended.

Feedback surveys will be sent to families who attended the family outreach evenings, as

well as the volunteers and collaborating organizations who helped plan and facilitate the events.

Leadership Project:

Three of the six schools in our district have been identified for Title 1 schoolwide

programs. Feedback from the state agency of education indicates that our district must do a better

job of family outreach, including notice to parents (informing families that these schools are

receiving Title 1 funds, the reasons for the identification, etc.), parental involvement, and

supporting parents in at-home strategies to increase student academic achievement.

 For this project, I will partner with one of the three Title 1 schools, and their community
public library and parent-teacher organization, to put on a family outreach night. This event will
include academic-rich activities for students and informational sessions for parents.
Leadership Project / Schedule:
Activity
Connect with school
principals, faculties, PTOs,
and town library regarding a
family outreach night
Invite town library and school
parent teacher organization to
participate in the planning and
implementation of this event
Connect with mentor
Connect with town library and
school PTO to learn more
about the community
Connect with mentor
Skills Needed Timeline Hours
Develop and provide the school Week 1 4
as a resource for families and the
community
Build and sustain productive Week 1 5
partnerships with public and
private sectors to promote school
improvement and student
learning
Advocate publicly for the needs
and priorities of students,
families, and the community
Create means for the school Week 1 1
community to partner with
families to support student
learning in and out of school
Maintain a presence in the Week 2 3
community to understand its
strengths and needs, develop
productive relationships, and
engage its resources for the
school
Create means for the school Week 2 1
community to partner with
families to support student
learning in and out of school
Coordinate planning and Create means for the school Week 2 7
facilitation of parent community to partner with
informational sessions families to support student Week 3 5
learning in and out of school
Co-planning with literacy
coach and other school-based
point people

Secure spaces for event in Develop and provide the school Week 3 2
school building as a resource for families and the
Finalize date and times for community
event
Request volunteers

Create and place orders for Develop and provide the school Week 3 2
required materials as a resource for families and the
coordinating with school and community
the district central office

Coordinate communication Advocate publicly for the needs Week 3 1

outreach to families and and priorities of students,
students, informing them of families, and the community
invitation to attend this event

Facilitate collaborative work Create and sustain positive, Week 4 4

sessions for those involved in collaborative, and productive
the school community (PTO, relationships with families and
librarians, faculty and the community for the benefit of
administration) students

Plan district-level Title 1 Engage in regular and open two- Week 4 4

informational sessions for way communication with families
parents and the community about the
school, students, needs, problems,
and accomplishments

Know, comply with, and help the

school community understand
local, state, and federal laws,
rights, policies, and regulations so
as to promote student success.
Collaborate with principal to
incorporate school vision and
mission, as well as current
realities regarding community
connections, into plans for
parent informational sessions
Finalize list of volunteers and
their responsibilities
Manage deliveries of
materials, including sorting
and preparing for event,
delivering to point people in
the school
Revisit advertisement of event
to families, re-adjust and
republish as necessary
Create event maps for facilities Develop and provide the school
staff
Communicate with facilities
staff
Finalize plans for the event
Communicate with all
involved parties at school
Facilitate event at school,
including coordinating all
volunteers, setting up, picking
up
Collect and synthesize data on
attendance at event at large, in
addition to individual parent
informational sessions
Understand, value, and employ Week 4 2
the community’s cultural, social,
intellectual, and political
resources to promote student
learning and school improvement
Develop and provide the school Week 5 2
as a resource for families and the
community
Develop and provide the school Week 5 3
as a resource for families and the
community
Advocate publicly for the needs Week 5 1
and priorities of students,
families, and the community
Week 5 4
as a resource for families and the
community
Be approachable, accessible, and Week 6 3
welcoming to families and
members of the community
Be approachable, accessible, and Week 6 4
welcoming to families and
members of the community
Build and sustain productive Week 6 2
partnerships with public and
private sectors to promote school
improvement and student
learning
Share this information with
school principal and district
central office
Thank volunteers and
collaborating groups at school
Create feedback survey for
volunteers and collaborating
organizations
Send feedback survey to
volunteers and collaborating
organizations
Collect, collate, and analyze
data from family feedback
survey
Share family feedback data
with school principals and
central office
Collect, collate, and analyze
data from volunteer and
collaborating organization
survey
Share volunteer and
collaborating organization
Be approachable, accessible, and Week 6 1
welcoming to families and
members of the community
Engage in regular and open two- Week 7 4
way communication with families
and the community about the
school, students, needs, problems,
and accomplishments
Develop technically appropriate Week 7 4
systems of data collection,
management, analysis, and use,
connecting as needed to the
district office and external
partners for support in planning,
implementation, monitoring,
feedback, and evaluation.
Develop and manage productive Week 7 1
relationships with the central
office and school board.
Develop technically appropriate Week 7 1
systems of data collection,
management, analysis, and use, Week 8 3
connecting as needed to the
district office and external
partners for support in planning,
implementation, monitoring,
feedback, and evaluation.
Develop and manage productive Week 8 1
relationships with the central
office and school board.
survey data with school
principals and central office
Synthesize reflections,
planning, and materials so they
may be used for future family
events at the school.
Deconstruct data & experience
with principal and staff,
analyzing successes and areas
for growth to impact future
events for families
Deconstruct experience with
mentor, analyzing successes
and areas for growth, with
implications for other schools
in the district
Encourage faculty-initiated Week 8 5
improvement of programs and
practices.
Provide opportunities for
collaborative examination of
practice, collegial feedback, and
collective learning.
Provide opportunities for Week 8 1
collaborative examination of
practice, collegial feedback, and
collective learning.