Leadership for

Accountability
Lamar University – EDLD 5333

Ann Okafor
11-24-2020
Week 1: Analyzing Academic Data for School Improvement

Part 1: Data Analysis

Based on the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 TAPR data, African American students scored much lower than

the other subpopulation groups across all grade levels and content areas. For instance, in the 2016-2017 TAPR,

only 29% of students approach grade level or above in reading compared to 71% of Hispanics 69% of whites,

86% of Asians, and 60% of those classified as economically disadvantage. The data did show improvement from

2016 to 2017 in most areas, particularly in math which showed the most consistent growth. More data is needed

to determine if the growth in math scores continued into the 2017-2018 school year. For Hispanic students, their

2017 scores were lower on average compared to 2016. For instance, 5th grade scores showed significant drop in

the amount that approach grade level or above. There was a 15-percentage drop in science scores from 2016 to

2017. The 6th grade showed no improvement as well, as there as another 15-percentage drop in reading scores

compared to 2016. But it is important to note that most subgroups did worse in reading in 2017 than in 2016.

There were some improves in 2018, however 6th and 7th reading scores are still an area of concern. For white

students, scores were mostly consistent from 2016 to 2018. There was a drop in 2016 for grade 8 in reading and

social studies, with a loss of -7% and -9% respectively. Asian students showed slight improvement or were flat

from 2016 to 2018. The only significant change was in 2017 when there was a 5-percentage drop in 5th grade

science scores. Overall, their scores have consistently ranked higher than the campus, district, and state levels.

According to the 2016-2017 TAPR, 54.6% of students are classified as economically disadvantage. For

economically disadvantage students, the scores were mixed possibly due to a variety reasons, including

demographics and external forces. While there were improvements in scores for 5th, 6th, and 8th grade, there was

a drop in scores for 7th grade reading and math in the 2017-2018 TAPR. Based on the 2016-2017 TAPR, African

American students did better in math and reading compared to their Year 3 benchmark scores. For example, 5th

graders outperformed their science Year 3 Benchmark 3 score with 61% approaching grade level or above on the

science STAAR compared to 57% on the benchmark. However, despite these improvements, their benchmark

scores were still lower than other subpopulations and is an area of concern. Hispanics, there is a downward trend
in the number of students approaching grade level above in the 2016-2017 TAPR in most grade levels and content

areas. This is also noticeable in the benchmark scores for Year 2 and Year 3. Year 3 students are consistently

underperforming in each grade level and content area compared to Year 2 students. White students were

consistence for each grade level and content area in their benchmark and STAAR scores. For Asian students,

scores from the 2017 STAAR showed improvement from the Year 2 Benchmark, with students’ achievement

100% approaching grade level or above in 5th and 6th grade math, and 5th grade reading. As for economically

disadvantage students, they showed growth in their 2017 and 2018 STAAR scores for all grade levels and content

areas. But there is a gap in achievement level among them compared to white and Asians students.

Based on the data, three of the biggest gaps were among economically disadvantage and African American

students compared to white and Asian students. Two of the three biggest achievements gaps in the TAPR and

benchmark data was the 43% difference among Asian and African Americans 8th grade students in the 2017

science and social studies STAAR. As stated early, scores among African Americans have been lower than other

subpopulations in almost all categories in each of the data sets. The most significant was the seen in grade 6 where

there was a 40 plus gap among African American and Asian students in the 2017 STAAR for science and social

studies. The 2018 STAAR are missing for African American students. The assumption can be made that the gap

between the two demographics is still wide because in the Year 3 Benchmark 3 for, African American students

scored 57% and 61% in science and social studies respectively compared to 82% and 87% for Asian students.

The third achievement gap is the 32% difference among economically disadvantage and Asian students in 6th

grade math. Because there is more data for economically disadvantage students, the focus will be on this

subpopulation.

The problem that needs to be solved is the academic gap between economically disadvantage students and

Asians students. Why do economically disadvantage students preform lower than Asians students across all grade

levels and content areas? Specifically, why do economically disadvantage students perform lower than Asian

students in 6th grade math? On the Year 3 Benchmark 3, economically disadvantage scored 70% compared to

100% by Asian students. And on the 6th grade 2018 math STAAR, economically disadvantage students scored

60% compared to 90% by Asian students. Based on the data, what knowledge and skills are economically
disadvantage students struggling with? How are these concepts being delivered in the classroom? Since these

students are classified as economically disadvantage, it may be possible that external factors are the root cause

and is impeding student success. The next step should be is to create an action plan that will involve key

stakeholders to help improve student achievement in math. This will involve creating a collaborative team with

instructional leaders, the math department, and other key stakeholders. The goal will be to improve math scores

among economically disadvantage students by creating targeted math instruction to increase achievement,

including the use of data to improve practice, and providing professional development for educators on effective

strategies for closing the achievement gaps.

Part 2: S.M.A.R.T. Goal & S.M.A.R.T. Objectives

A. S.M.A.R.T. Goal (long range/3-5 years)

Goal Specificity Measured Achieved Relevance Timeline

(What?) (Amount?) (How?) (Why?) (When?)
Improve Improve This goal will The goal is to The projected
economically economically be achieved by close the date for this
disadvantage disadvantage creating achievement gap goal is by
student’s student’s passing targeted math among 2023.
passing rate on rate on state instruction to economically
There is a
state assessments in increase disadvantage
correlation
assessments in Math by 10%. achievement, students and
between
Math. including the other
Improving math socioeconomic
use of data to subpopulations.
In the 2018, scores by 10% status and
improve
economically will help close In the 2018, school
practice, and
disadvantage the achievement economically performance
providing
students scored gap between the disadvantage levels. By
professional
80% for 5th subpopulations. students scored setting the
development
grade, 76% for Scores will 80% for 5th goal to 2023,
for educators
6th grade, 60% increase from grade, 76% for this will allow
on effective
from 7th grade, mid-70% to mid- 6th grade, 60% the
strategies for
and 76% from 80-90% from 7th grade, instructional
closing the
8th on the math achievement rate. and 76% from team time to
achievement
state 8th on the math create best
gaps.
assessment. state assessment. practices to
The passing The use of Asian students, improve
rate was lower TAPR and the however, scored student
compared to benchmark will 93%, 94%, 92%, achievement
other allow he and 89% on the in math. There
subpopulations, instructional math assessment, has already
including team to respectively. By been some
Asian and compare increasing the incremental
white students. academic gaps passing rate by growth in
between the 10%, this will math among
subpopulations help close the economically
and decide achievement gap disadvantage
which group to just a few students. For
will need percentage example, math
additional points. scores increase
support. by 2% for 5th
According to graders, and
the data sets, 6% for 6th
the has been a graders in
slight 2018.
improvement However,
among there was a
economically 14% drop for
disadvantage 7th graders
students. For and a 7% drop
instance, math for 8th
scores for 5th graders. On
graders have average, the
increased from overall
 69% in 2016 to number of
80% in 2018. economically
The goal will disadvantage
be to increase students that
that and other approach
grade levels by grade level or
another 10% above in math
for 2021 to dropped 2%
match the from 76% to
performance 74% in 2018.
rate of other
subpopulations.
Although a
20% increase
would be great,
that probably
will not be
attainable in
just a few
years.

B. S.M.A.R.T. Objectives (accomplish in one school year)

Objective 1 Specificity Measured Achieved Relevance Timeline

(What?) (How?) (How?) (Why?) (When?)
Build capacity Providing Setting one To help to build By September
among Professional hour each capacity for 2021.
instructional Learning week for leadership,
leaders and Communities educators to learning, and
teachers by once a week. collaborate growth for
providing and learn best educators to better
professional practices. serve economically
development disadvantage
to achieve students.
school goals.
Objective 1 What Principal Will Do
Activities
Principals will identify appropriate resources to train, coach, and support educators. Being an
effective leader means modeling effective approaches to planning and working collaborative
with faculty to improve student achievement (Desravines et al., 2016). They will design
continuous professional development for the instructional leadership team and teachers to
ensure consistency among faculty and administrative members.
Reference:
Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: a step-by-
step guide to building stronger schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a
Wiley Brand.

What Faculty Will Do

Faculty will work with the instructional leadership team to develop their capacity to review
unit and lesson plans (Desravines et al., 2016). They will collaborate and discuss student work
and data and identify student needs. They will provide each team member will feedback,
revise lesson plans, and share instructional strategies to help student achievement.
 Reference:
Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: a step-by-step guide
to building stronger schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.

Objective 2 Specificity Measured Achieved Relevance Timeline

(What?) (How?) (How?) (Why?) (When?)

Include 40% of math Continuous To improve math By May 2021.

targeted math teachers classroom scores among
instruction in observed will observations economically
the classroom utilize rigorous, and walk- disadvantage
to support targeted math throughs. students.
student instruction with
learning and a focus on
increase rigor. higher-level
thinking skills.
Objective 2 What Principal Will Do
Activities
The principal will solicit and provide feedback on instructional strategies. They will work with
the instructional leadership team to ensure consistency among team members in how they
assess instructional strategies in math and help build their capacity to provide effective
feedback to faculty members (Desravines et al., 2016).
Reference:
Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: a step-by-step guide
to building stronger schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.

What Faculty Will Do

Faculty will develop differentiation strategies and target student support accordingly. They
will work collaborative with the instructional leadership to create a list of student expectations
during the implementation phrase and faculty responses to ensure consistency among faculty
members (Desravines et al., 2016). They will facilitate collaborative group work in the
classroom, ask students higher order thinking questions, and provide opportunities for students
to ask their questions and generate solutions to solve real world problems.
Reference:
Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: a step-by-step guide
to building stronger schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.

Objective 3 Specificity Measured Achieved Relevance Timeline

(What?) (How?) (How?) (Why?) (When?)
Increase use 40% of math Teachers and To help teachers By May 2021.
of data-driven teachers the improve their
instruction. observed will instructional instructional
utilize data- team will practices in the
driven meet weekly classroom to
instruction in the and monthly address the
classroom. to make sure inequalities in
the student learning.
assessments
match with
the state
standards,
determine
 when the
assessments
will be given,
and how the
data will be
collected and
analyzed to
make
instructional
decisions.
Objective 3 What Principal Will Do
Activities
Principals will be responsible for defining the roles and responsibilities for the instructional
leadership team and among faculty members (Desravines et al., 2016). Principals will support
the data-driven decision-making process by implementing a professional development plan to
build the faculty’s capacity in data-driven instruction. They will lead the data-driven review
cycles, conduct classroom observations, and provide timely feedback to faculty members.
Principals can use the data to assess the strengths, needs, and performance of students. This
will allow them to develop a better understanding of what is going on the classroom and
monitor the implementation of instructional practices in the classroom.
Reference:
Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: a step-by-step guide
to building stronger schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.

What Faculty Will Do

Under the guidance of the instructional leadership team, faculty members will hold
collaborative weekly and monthly meetings to review the alignment and quality the math
curriculum and materials to ensure that is meets the state standards and the school’s mission
and vision (Desravines et al., 2016). Faculty will collect formative and summative data from
the classroom and analyze it to look for trends and patterns of success and areas in need of
improvement. They can use the data to develop and revise their instructional practices.
Reference:
Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: a step-by-step guide
to building stronger schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.
Part 3: Vision and Mission

When I see the word “mission”, I instantly think about a video game where I have been assigned a tasked

and it includes directions or steps on how I can reach my destination. Whereas for “vision”, I envision the future

or where I would want to be in 3, 5, or more years. According to this week’s lecture, a vision statement serves as

the focal point for an organization and gives an outline or direction of where they want to be heading (Lamar

University, 2019). The vision statement should be based on the company or organization’s values and beliefs.

The same is true in the academic setting. How a school plans to operate and move forward should always align

back to its values and beliefs. The vision statement should inspire members to be their best and remind them why

they are there in the first place (Lamar University, 2019). When developing a vision statement, a company or

organization need to decide where to they want to be going forward, when do they plan on getting there, and how

do they plan on getting there (“Mission Statement vs Vision Statement,” n.d.). The vision statement should be

clear, inspire hope, and always aligns back to the values and beliefs of the organization.

A mission statement, however, talks about how a company or organization will reach their vision (“Mission

Statement vs Vision Statement,” n.d.). It is what they are doing presently to lead it to its future. An effective

mission statement includes the purpose and values, its focus and responsibilities, and its objectives to help

accomplish its mission (Lamar University, 2019). When developing a mission statement, a company or

organization need to articulate what do they do, why do they do it, and for whom is this for (“Mission Statement

vs Vision Statement,” n.d.). For a school, for whom is the key stakeholders.

The data sets can be used to create a vision and mission statement to determine the purpose of the school,

its position in the community, and where does it see itself in the future. The instructional leadership team can use

the data to see areas of growth and areas in need of improvement. The instructional leadership team can then

create a vision statement of where they hope to be and a mission statement about how they plan to get there. Here,

they can create long range and short rang SMART goals to help achieve their vision. For instance, the principal

can use this data to start planning for resources that will be needed in the next three to five years. And the

instructional leadership team can develop one-year objectives with activities to help support the larger goal.
 Reference:

Lamar University (2019, April 19). EDLD 5333 week 1 lecture 2: Vision and mission [Video]. Retrieved from

https://luonline.blackboard.com

Mission Statement vs Vision Statement. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2020, from

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Mission_Statement_vs_Vision_Statement
Week 2: Analyzing Behavior Data for School Improvement

Part 1: Data Analysis

For this week’s data analysis, I compare the average daily attendance (ADA) to the academic performance

of each subpopulation using the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 TAPR for Cardinal Middle School. The

subpopulations I examined were African Americans, Hispanics, Whites, Asians, and Economically Disadvantage.

Looking at attendance, the ADA since 2016 has been around the mid-90%. However, for African Americans

students, their ADA has been lower compared to other subpopulations. African Americans have seen their ADA

drop from 97.2% during the 2016-2017 school year to 95.5% in 2018. Asians maintained great attendance over

the past three years with 98.8% ADA in 2018. Next, looking at academic performance, student strengths were in

math with growth or consistency seen in most subpopulations from 2016 to 2018. For instance, Asian students

improved the number of students who meets grade level in math from 66% in 2016 to 73% in 2018, and 40% to

49% for those who mastered. Social Studies also saw some gains with Hispanic students improving their meets

grade level from 35% to 50%. Despite the growth in scores, African Americans still perform lower than other

subpopulations in all categories while Asian students performed the best. This correlates with the ADA data with

African Americans having poorer attendance rate compared to Asians. According to this week’s lecture,

absenteeism can affect student test scores and people of color are one of the groups at most risk to dropping out

(Lamar University, 2019a).

According to the Campus Level Annual Discipline Summary for 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018,

most of the students in the campus discipline population were repeat offenders. In all three years, the most

common disciplinary action was in school suspension (ISS). And the most common reason was because they

violated code of conduct. African American students made up a disproportionate number of students that received

disciplinary action despite making up less than 20% of the student population. In the 2015-2016 Campus Level

Annual Discipline Summary, out of the 14 students that were sent to Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs

(DAEP), 13 of them were African Americans. That trend of African American students making up a majority of

those sent to DAEP continued for next two years. In the 2017-2018 summary, 48 unique students were suspended

while African Americans (46) and white students (25) were OSS. This means the same students were being
suspended multiple times for a variety of reasons. The same was seen for ISS data. According this this week’s

lecture, there is a correlation between disciplinary practices and student achievement in the classroom (Lamar

University, 2019b). With a disproportionate number of African American students being sent out of the classroom,

they were missing critical information that could positively impact their performance on assessments. This could

explain the lower testing scores among African Americans compared to other subpopulations, particularly with

Asian America students who were almost absent from any disciplinary actions.

The three most significant correlational findings were the disproportionate amount of African American

students being disciplined through exclusionary practices and their lower academic assessment scores, the

decreasing attendance rate among African Americans in 2018 and their lower academic scores, and the stagnate

scores among students classified as Economically Disadvantage and lower attendance rates compared to some

other subpopulations. The campus summaries showed higher instances of African Americans being disciplined

by exclusionary practices than any other subgroups. For instance, in 2018 African American students were OSS

46 times compared to whites (25) despite making up only 18% of the student population. On academic

assessments, less than 30% of African American student met or mastered grade level in any category besides

social studies (2018). Whites, however, showed about half meeting grade level and improving number of students

at master. There is a consistency disparity between these two groups despite similar attendance rates between

whites and African Americans. However, African American attendance rates have been decreasing more

compared to other groups, including whites. Also, economically disadvantage students have not seen any

significant improvements from 2016 to 2018 compared to some other subpopulations. While the number of

students that approach grade level is above 70% for each content area in 2018, the number of students that meet

or master has stayed flat over the past few years. Attendance rates for this group is lower compared to other

subpopulations and has decreased since 2016. According the data, the subpopulations with the biggest risk of

dropping out in high school are African American students. Attendance rates are decreasing, higher rates of them

are being disciplined through exclusionary practices, and growing achievement gap compared to other

subpopulations.

After reviewing the data from the TAPR and Campus Level Annual Discipline Summary to look for gaps,
I noticed that African Americans had lower ADA then other subpopulations, a higher frequency discipline

reporting, and lower state assessment scores. African Americans were consistently scoring 10 to 30 percentage

points lower than other subpopulations. They also made up a disproportionate number of students receiving

disciplinary actions. And as stated early, attendance rates for African Americans dropped from 2016 to 2018 by

almost 2%. Several studies (Lamar University, 2019a, 2019b) have shown a correlation between both absenteeism

and disciplinary practices and student achievement. Using this data set and the TLF, I can then start to investigate

the root cause of this issue. Using the TLF will help me to determine which effective practices are in place

currently at Cardinal Middle School and which areas need work. According the TLF, Cardinal Middle School is

probably at Stage 0, so our priority should be on improving the achievement gap among African American

students (Desravines et al., 2016). After accessing the current data and identify gaps, my actions as a principal

would be to set realistic goals, identify strategies, and create an action plan that would help achieve those goals.

This would require me to work with key stakeholders to understand why African Americans are doing poorly

compared to other subpopulations. Finding and addressing the root cause means collaborating with faculty and

staff members, students and their parents, and the community. Once a collaborative plan has been put in place, it

would need to be monitored periodically and adjusted when needed.

 Reference:

Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: A step-by-step guide to building

stronger schools. John Wiley & Sons.

Lamar University (2019, April 22a). EDLD 5333 week 2 lecture 1: Absenteeism effects on student success

[Video]. Retrieved from https://luonline.blackboard.com

Lamar University (2019, April 22b). EDLD 5333 week 2 lecture 2: Disciplinary actions & effects on student

success [Video]. Retrieved from https://luonline.blackboard.com

Week 3: Analyzing Social/Emotional Survey Data for School Improvement

Part 1: Targets, Goals, and Objectives

According to the Self-Assessing Social and Emotional Instruction and Competencies for Cardinal Middle

School, faculty members scored their instructional practice high in student- centered discipline at 80%, teacher

language at 70%, warmth and support at 90%, an self-reflection and self-assessment at 75%. However, faculty

members gave themselves low remarks in responsibility and choice at 65%, cooperative learning at 60%,

classroom discussions at 55%, balanced instruction and academic press and expectations at 55%, and competence

building at 60%. And for faculty social-emotional competency, the average teacher score for self-awareness, self-

management/emotional regulation, social awareness, and responsible decision making was 75%, 82% 95%, and

85% respectively. Relationship skills was rated the lowest at 70%. While teachers felt that their level of social-

emotional proficiency is adequate, their instructional practice data shows otherwise. About of the faculty do not

believe they their current instructional practices encourages classroom discussions, balanced instruction, and

academic press and expectations. This matches the data from the School Culture Triage Survey Results. The

average of the scores by the total faculty was a 42. And according to the survey, scoring at 42 means modifications

and improvements are needed. It recommends that the school begin with a more intense assessment of their culture

to determine which area is in most need of improvement. According the Breakthrough Principals (Desravines et

al., 2016), social-emotional learning should be woven in the curriculum so that stakeholders understand the

importance of these skills. Students should be given more opportunities to collaborate with their peers, lead

classroom discussion, and have more choice in the classroom to improve their academic outcome. To improve

instructional practices, the principal and the instructional leadership team should begin first by improving the

schools’ culture before establishing an aligned curriculum and teaching strategies (Wagner, 2006). Without a

positive atmosphere, any new strategies will fail immediately. Staff should receive professional development to

build competence on how to appropriately implement social-emotional skills in their curriculum and classroom.

Analyzing the Cardinal Middle School Student Survey Results was very interesting. Out of the 18

categories, students ranked 10 of them as frequently. These include Growth Mindset (40%), Self-Management

(40%), Self-Efficacy (40%), Learning Strategies (36%), Emotion Regulation (40%), School Climate (30%),
Teacher-Student Relationships (35%), School Safety (40%), Engagement (47%), and Valuing of School (30%).

Fifty-eight percent of students rank Social Awareness (empathy), Classroom Effect, Social Perspective-Taking,

and Rigorous Expectations either as once in a while or almost never. These numbers of consistent and should be

concerning about the current climate at Cardinal Middle School. Students do not put much effort into school and

learning could mean many of them feel invisible and may feel like they do not have access to a support system

(Desravines et al., 2016). Students showing lack of empathy toward others can create tensions with faculty

members and other students and may also cause them to tune out during school. These issues may be the cause

of the some of the academic gaps seen in certain subpopulations. Schools are unique in that it forces students and

faculty members to engage and negotiate with people who different from who they interact with at home

(Academy for SELinSchools, 2015). At school, students learn to understand what is important to them and what

do other people around them value (social perspective taking). Social-emotional skills means showing empathy

toward others and making ethical and respectful decisions (Desravines et al., 2016). The principal should be

monitoring data to ensure that all students are visible and have access to a support system. That also means training

staff members to about social-emotional development and identifying students need support. The instructional

leadership team should work collaboratively with teachers and students to appropriately implement social-

emotional and career skills into the curriculum.

The three most significant correlational findings from all data sets is low rigorous expectation from teachers

to students, a disproportionate number of African Americans being disciplined, and decreasing attendance rates

among African Americans. For week 1 and week 2, the data showed a disproportionate amount of African

American students being disciplined through exclusionary practices and their lower academic assessment scores,

the decreasing attendance rate among African Americans in 2018 and their lower academic scores, and the

stagnate scores among students classified as Economically Disadvantage and lower attendance rates compared to

some other subpopulations. The campus summaries showed higher instances of African Americans being

disciplined by exclusionary practices than any other subgroups. African American attendance rates have been

decreasing more compared to other groups, including whites. Also, economically disadvantage students have not

seen any significant improvements from 2016 to 2018 compared to some other subpopulations. According the
data, the subpopulations with the biggest risk of dropping out in high school are African American students.

Attendance rates are decreasing, higher rates of them are being disciplined through exclusionary practices, and

growing achievement gap compared to other subpopulations. The data week 3 provides more incite about the

lower academic achievements from African Americans and economically disadvantage students. This week we

learned that 58% of students rank Social Awareness (empathy), Classroom Effect, Social Perspective-Taking,

and Rigorous Expectations either as once in a while or almost never. After analyzing the data for the last three

weeks, it appears that there is a correlation with the lack of rigorous expectations from teachers and the

achievement gap among certain subpopulations. This could explain the high number of African American students

receiving disciplinary actions and their dropping attendance rates.

There appears that there is a correlation with the lack of rigorous expectations from teachers and the

achievement gap among certain subpopulations. African American students have shown to be disproportionately

affected by disciplinary actions and attendance issues at school. Teacher biases can be based on factors such as

race, ethnicity, socio-economical level, or academic level. Such biases, whether intentional or not, can cause

teachers to behave and react differently towards certain students. For instance, teachers may set a lower

expectation for some students or provide only negative feedback to incorrect responses. To increase student

efficacy and student achievement, teachers must believe in their student’s ability to reach their academic goals

(Desravines et al., 2016). Sending some students to OSS or DAEP at high rates than others is also a bias. It is

causing students, particularly African Americans, to lose important instructional time and puts them at a higher

risk to dropping out (Lamar University, 2019a). As the data showed last week, African American were

disproportionately affected by exclusionary disciplinary actions compared to other subpopulations. They have

also seen their ADA drop continuously since 2016. The campus social and emotional dynamics may be negatively

affecting African Americans more so than other subpopulations for a variety of reasons. This could explain the

high number of African American students receiving disciplinary actions and their dropping attendance rates. To

get to the root cause of African American lower achievement on standardized test would require specific actions

by the principal and the school. At stage 1, the administrator and the school should use these data sets to identify

structural issues on campus that need to be addressed (Desravines et al., 2016). Data systems should already be
in placed to trace discipline and student interventions. The administrator should make sure the school is following

the Pyramid of Behavioral Interventions to make sure students are receiving the most appropriate social-emotional

support according to their needs. The administrator should be intentional and deliberate with how they go about

handling the climate of the school if they want to see improvement in social-emotional skills and academic

achievement Academy for (SELinSchools, 2015).

 Reference:

Academy for SELinSchools. (2015, April 28). What is School Culture and Climate? [Video]. Retrieved from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-_NvhlcusQ

Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). School culture. Breakthrough principals: A step-by-step guide to

building stronger schools. (pp. 120-144). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Lamar University (2019, April 22a). EDLD 5333 week 2 lecture 1: Absenteeism effects on student success

[Video]. Retrieved from https://luonline.blackboard.com

Wagner, C. R., (2006). The school leader's tool for assessing and improving school culture. Principal Leadership

7(4), 41-44.
Part 2: S.M.A.R.T. Goal & S.M.A.R.T. Objectives

S.M.A.R.T. Goal (long range/3-5 years)

Goal Specificity Measured Achieved Relevance Timeline
(What?) (Amount?) (How?) (Why?) (When?)
Improve Improve the Improving A positive school May 2023
cultural percentage of school climate is linked
competency students culture that to student
and diversity. selecting features a achievement and
frequently on welcoming teacher retention.
the student and
survey to at inclusive
least 40% in all learning
categories. environment
that ensures
rigorous
expectations
for high
student
achievement
for all
students.

C. S.M.A.R.T. Objectives (accomplish in one school year)

Objective 1 Specificity Measured Achieved Relevance Timeline

(What?) (How?) (How?) (Why?) (When?)

Reduce 100% of Schools will Identifying May 2021

assumptions teachers and review data patterns of bias
and biases. administrators weekly to and inequality
will review look for can help improve
data weekly gaps and student
during their patterns to achievement.
team meetings. uncover
inequitable
actions and
outcomes.
Objective 1 What Principal Will Do
Activities
Principals will bring equitable practices to school and make sure cultural competence
plays an important part of Cardinal’s school culture. They will provide faculty
members opportunities to participate in professional development to improve their
understandings of their own biases (Desravines et al., 2016). Principals will create
opportunities for staff to learn about school’s community and address any of their
misunderstandings about the community’s culture.
Reference:
Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). School culture. Breakthrough
 principals: A step-by-step guide to building stronger schools. (pp. 120-144). San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

What Faculty Will Do

Teachers will try to understand how other faculty members and students view the
world while limiting their assumptions based on race, ethnicity, gender, etc.
(Desravines et al., 2016). Teachers will review data and the current school structure to
ensure that the certain subpopulations are not being treated unfairly.
Reference:
Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). School culture. Breakthrough
principals: A step-by-step guide to building stronger schools. (pp. 120-144).
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Objective 2 Specificity Measured Achieved Relevance Timeline

(What?) (How?) (How?) (Why?) (When?)
Educators 100% of Educators Directly May 2021
will teachers and will discuss addressing the
collaborate administrators inequalities inequalities can
to address will monthly help lime
inequalities collaborate during PLC. assumptions
at the school. monthly during about student
PLC to discuss potential based
inequalities. on their
characteristics.
Objective 2 What Principal Will Do
Activities
Principals will have collaborative discussions with faculty members about inequities
on campus and the surrounding community (Desravines et al., 2016). Principals will
guide teacher through the process of identifying students’ strengths and needs and use
moments of incompetency as teachable moments.
Reference:
Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). School culture. Breakthrough
principals: A step-by-step guide to building stronger schools. (pp. 120-144).
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

What Faculty Will Do

Faculty members will value the school’s community and key stakeholders (Desravines
et al., 2016). They will also find opportunities to learn about their student’s cultural
background and strengths.
Reference:
Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). School culture. Breakthrough
principals: A step-by-step guide to building stronger schools. (pp. 120-144).
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Objective 3 Specificity Measured Achieved Relevance Timeline
(What?) (How?) (How?) (Why?) (When?)
Build 80% of The Undoing the May 2021
capacity teachers will principal inequities found
among include and staff in the world
educators cultural will review begins in the
and students diversities in data classroom.
to reduce their lessons. monthly to
inequalities. identify any
patterns and
trends of
persistent
barriers of
inequality.
Objective 3 What Principal Will Do
Activities
Principals will build faculty’s capacity to create activities that encourage culture-
building. They will purposely try to interrupt the social inequalities found on campus
and the surrounding community (Desravines et al., 2016).
Reference:
Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). School culture. Breakthrough
principals: A step-by-step guide to building stronger schools. (pp. 120-144).
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

What Faculty Will Do

Teachers will develop lessons that are culturally responsive and relevant for students
(Desravines et al., 2016). They will use culturally competent language with students
and purposely try to interrupt the social inequalities found on campus and the
surrounding community. Faculty members including cultural diversity an ongoing part
of their content’s curriculum.
Reference:
Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). School culture. Breakthrough
principals: A step-by-step guide to building stronger schools. (pp. 120-144).
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Part 3: Vision and Mission

The vision statement serves as the focal point for an organization and gives an outline or direction of where

they want to be heading (Lamar University, 2019c). The vision statement should be clear, inspire hope, and always

aligns back to the values and beliefs of the organization. A mission statement, however, talks about how a

company or organization will reach their vision (“Mission Statement vs Vision Statement,” n.d.). When

developing a mission statement, a company or organization need to articulate what do they do, why do they do it,

and for whom is this for (“Mission Statement vs Vision Statement,” n.d.).

The data sets from week 1, 2, and 3 can be used to create a vision and mission statement to determine the

school’s direction and future. The TAPR and the Campus Level Annual Discipline Summary show that the school

needs to improve its attendance rates among African Americans. The data also shows that there is gap between

African Americans and other subpopulations on the state assessments and that African Americans make up a

disproportionate number of students who receive exclusionary disciplinary actions. The attendance and discipline

data show a correlation to African Americans’ lower state assessment scores. The student survey from week 3

show students ranking Social Awareness (empathy), Classroom Effect, Social Perspective-Taking, and Rigorous

Expectations either as once in a while or almost never. After analyzing the data for the last three weeks, it appears

that there is a correlation with the lack of rigorous expectations from teachers and the achievement gap among

certain subpopulations. This could explain the high number of African American students receiving disciplinary

actions and their dropping attendance rates.

When developing the vision and mission statement, the principal and the instructional leadership team

should keep in mind the achievement gap among the subpopulations, especially among African Americans. Their

vision should reflect on where they hope to see all students be in the future, including reduced inequalities around

the community and academic success for African Americans. Their mission should reflect what steps they are

taking to close the achievement gap. Based on the data, it appears that teacher bias, ADA and disciplinary actions

are negatively affecting African American’s performance on state assessments. When creating the vision and

mission statements, the principal and the instructional leadership team should include improving cultural

competency and diversity at campus, including more data monitoring, and increase engagement among students
and families, student success (Desravines et al., 2016; Lamar University, 2019a, 2019b). From there, the principal

can create a long-range SMART goal and start planning for resources that will be needed in the next three to five

years. The instructional leadership team can develop mid-range objectives with strategies to help support the

larger goal.
 Reference:

Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). School culture. Breakthrough principals: A step-by-step guide

to building stronger schools. (pp. 120-144). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Lamar University (2019, April 22a). EDLD 5333 week 2 lecture 1: Absenteeism effects on student success

[Video]. Retrieved from https://luonline.blackboard.com

Lamar University (2019, April 22b). EDLD 5333 week 2 lecture 2: Disciplinary actions & effects on student

success [Video]. Retrieved from https://luonline.blackboard.com

Mission Statement vs Vision Statement. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2020, from

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Mission_Statement_vs_Vision_Statement
Week 4: School Vision, Mission and Campus Improvement Planning

Part 1: Design, Implementation, and Communication of the Campus Vision and Mission

Based on the data sets from the past weeks, here are some things I would recommend for the vison and

mission statement. A vision statement should be what the school should be and will be (Lamar University, 2019a).

The Cardinal’s vision statement says, “Preparing all students for success in a global economy.” I liked that they

mentioned wanting all students to be successful in the global economy, because the vision statement should be

focused on college success factors (Desravines et al., 2016) The visions statement, however, does not mention

when it plans to do this or how. To make the vision statement more effective, I would include alignment with the

school’s community values and timeline for achievement of the vision. To find out what their values are, I needed

to look at their mission statement. In their mission statement, it features their values which are providing a safe,

supportive, and nurturing environment. It is equitable, because it says they will provide a challenging curriculum

to all students to prepare them for college or the workforce. However, it does not mention much about diversity

or even community. To connect the mission and vision statements, I would recommend a direct statement about

diversity, community, and being a digital citizen in the mission statement, given their diverse subpopulations. I

would also mention collaboration and social-emotional skills because in the vision statement, the goals is to

prepare students for the global economy which will require them to work with others who may have opposing

values, beliefs, and attitudes than they do.

Redesigning the vision and mission statement should involve the key stakeholders, especially those who

will directly affected by any changes. The first person to be involve must be the principal. Their role as the leader

is to create a positive culture and they must be intentionally about it as well (Academy for SELinSchools, 2015).

It is their responsibility to set the tone on how the school does things, such as deciding what will be the values,

traditions, and behaviors of the school. These values should be focused on college success factors. The principal

should collaborate with the instructional leadership team to revise and align the vision and mission statement with

the set of values that have already been established by the principal (Desravines et al., 2016). Once the vision and

mission statements have been agreed upon by the principal and instructional leadership team, the principal should

scaffold the communication of it in phases to allow time for faculty members to digest and buy in to it. The
instructional leadership team should make sure all faculty members and students are informed by the revised

vision and mission statement. The next step should then be for the instructional leadership team to create a

continuous improvement plan based on the data and the root cause analysis (Lamar University, n.d.) They will

prioritize what the needs are and develop objectives and strategies that align with the mission. All goals will be

aligned with the vision as well. The principal will then establish systems to collaboratively review the vision and

mission statements, as well as the school’s values, with stakeholders to ensure that they promote social-emotional

skills that will lead to student achievement in college principal (Desravines et al., 2016).
 Reference:

Academy for SELinSchools. (2015, April 28). What is School Culture and Climate? [Video]. Retrieved from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-_NvhlcusQ

Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: a step-by-step guide to building

stronger schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.

Lamar University (2019, April 19a). EDLD 5333 week 1 lecture 1: Vision and mission [Video]. Retrieved from

https://luonline.blackboard.com

Lamar University (n.d.). EDLD 5333 week 4 lecture 2: Campus improvement process: An overview [PDF].

Retrieved from https://luonline.blackboard.com

Part 1B: Design, Implementation, and Communication of the Campus Vision and Mission

Ensuring the success of the continuous improvement plan and any other changes requires all stakeholders

to be informed about the school’s vision, mission, and values. Like stated earlier, it is the role of the principal to

create the school’s culture by intentionally drawing up what the school’s values will be and collaboratively

working and reworking the vision and mission statement with the instructional leadership team to make sure it

focuses on college success and building student’s social-emotional skills (Desravines et al., 2016). To inform, or

communicate, the vision, mission, and values to faculty members and students, is to make sure the instructional

team supports it and the rest of the stakeholders buy in to it. Communication of the vision, mission, and values

should be scaffolded so that it is easier for everyone to digest the changes. Making the effort to include

stakeholder’s opinions will help drive the vision and mission forward. The vision, mission, and values should also

be visible, such as in the hallways, internal and external documents, school website, social media, etc. Seeking

different mediums to reach key stakeholders will help ensure the vision, mission, and values are communicated

and reinforced consistently.

The instructional leadership team should oversee communicating and modeling the vision, mission, and

values of the school (Desravines et al., 2016). While the principal should be a collaborative member and share

decision making responsibilities, it is the instructional leadership team’s responsibility to make sure all

stakeholders share a common understanding of the vision, mission, and values. They must ensure that all faculty

members can articulate the vision, mission, and values and be able to explain how they are represented each day

on campus. To do this, the instructional leadership team must communicate information and decisions from their

meetings to stakeholders so that everyone feels a part of the improvement efforts. They must be willing to

participate in open discussions of issues of priority and be interested in the ideas from the faculty members they

represent. It is critical that the instructional leadership team practices good communication skills as they will be

the ones to develop the school’s continuous improvement plan. They must always communicate and collaborate

with staff when developing objectives and strategies to address needs of priority. Once faculty members are well

versed on the vision, mission, and values of the skills, they can use this for all major decisions and planning.
 Reference:

Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: a step-by-step guide to building

stronger schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.

Part 2: Evaluation, Design, and Advocacy for Positive School Culture

To promote a positive culture at Cardinal Middle School, there needs to be more focus on policies promoting

social-emotional leaning skills on campus. According to the Cardinal Middle School Faculty Survey Results, the

average teacher score for self-awareness and relationship skills were lower compared to other categories. Faculty

members also rated themselves low on classroom discussions, balanced instruction, and academic press and

expectations on faculty instructional practices. The lower than average rating on self-awareness and relationship

skills could explain the lack of equity-based instruction in the classroom that allows for classroom discussions

and differentiation. Student also rated themselves low self-awareness, social perspective-taking, and rigorous

expectations. Biases from teachers due to low self-awareness could be influences their expectations toward certain

subpopulations. There is a clear disconnect from what teachers and students believe their school’s values and

behaviors are compared to what was stated in the Cardinal’s vision and mission statement, which is preparing all,

not some, students for success in a global economy by providing them a challenging curriculum that connects to

their lives and their future. Students with strong social-emotional skills can better control their emotions, can

maintain positive relationships with adults and their peers, have better self-perseverance during school challenges,

and are goal oriented (Desravines et al., 2016). According the TFL, teachers should build one-on-one relationships

with students and regularly check up on them to provide additional support. Strong social-emotional skills among

students also helps improve the school climate, which has a big effect on the school’s culture. Teachers should

encourage all students to discuss how they feel and how to appropriately manage their emotions. Teachers should

also seek to improve their self-awareness and limit their biases by trying to understand how their students and

faculty members view and experience the world. The principal needs to ensure that faculty members receive

adequate training on social-emotional skills and equitable instructional practices. They should also allow time

and processes for teachers to build positive relationships with students.

 Reference:

Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: a step-by-step guide to building

stronger schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.

Part 2B: Evaluation, Design, and Advocacy for Positive School Culture

The common values of Cardinal Middle School are creating an environment that is safe, supportive, and

nurturing for all students. To establish a school culture that is supportive, nurturing, and inclusive requires the

principal to be intentional about their actions and to include the use of student and teacher data. The principal and

the instructional leadership team should agree on the school values and must be able to articulate these values to

the rest of the school. The team should then analyze the current data to look for gaps, patterns, and inequalities in

the data (Lamar University, 2019). The data that is collected and analyzed should be from multiple data sets,

including academic, attendance, behavior, and social-emotional. Before coming up with an improvement place,

the principal and instructional leadership team should also listen and collaborate with stakeholders, including

teachers and the community. Next, they should prioritize the needs for improvement. Based on the data sets, there

needs to be an increased focus on diversity, social-emotional skills, collaboration, and self-efficacy. There also

needs to be more emphasizes on creating external partnerships with colleges. The instructional leadership team

should determine what appropriate actions must be taken to address these needs and assign personnel to these

responsibilities (Lamar University, 2019). Resources should be identified, such as funding and materials. How

they will be successful should be measured. And a timeline should be set for meeting these goals and objectives.
 Reference:

Lamar University (2019, April 19). EDLD 5333 week 4 lecture 2: Campus improvement process: An overview

[Video]. Retrieved from https://luonline.blackboard.com

Part 2C: Evaluation, Design, and Advocacy for Positive School Culture

To improve social-emotional skills at Cardinal Middle School, I analyzed the teacher and student surveys

from the past week to see which skills needed more focus. Strategies to improve social-emotional skills include

establishing positive and nurturing classroom environments having high expectations and classroom rules among

all teachers and students. There should be growth mindset practices that help students improve their self-efficacy

and persistence to school challenges. Instructional leadership team should encourage supportive adult-student

relationships (Desravines et al., 2016). Principal should create structures to make sure there is at least one adult

who regularly checks in on a student to provide them with support. This adult is also familiar with that student’s

academic progress and areas in need of improvement. Other examples of building relationships include teachers

holding morning or lunch meetings with students, greeting them at the door, making every student feel welcome,

etc. And school values and expectations are repeatedly taught and reinforced by faculty members. Teachers hold

high academic press and expectations for all students.

Having high expectation and consistent classroom management, such as listening to others and being

respectful, helps develop positive relationships in classroom and social perspective-taking. Teaching growth

mindset practices to students helps them improve their classroom effort, persistence to school challenges, and

learning from their mistakes (Desravines et al., 2016). Building meaningful, positive relationships with students

can help build their self-esteem and self-efficacy. Students need to feel that they matter. They will be more

motivated to do better and reach their academic goals knowing that there is an adult who supports them. Teachers

can use these meetings as interventions to respond to students who have shown negative behaviors. When teachers

and other faculty member continue to model positive behavior expectations. Setting high expectations toward all

students, despite their demographic, shows to students that they can achieve academic success. This strategy will

match the school’s mission of providing a challenging and rigorous curriculum to all students.
 Reference:

Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: a step-by-step guide to building

stronger schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.

Part 3: Campus Improvement Planning

The identified student achievement inequity was in science. Scores among African Americans have been

lower than other subpopulations in almost all categories in each of the data sets, but the biggest achievements gap

was the 43% difference among Asian and African Americans 8th grade students in the 2017 science STAAR.

And for grade 6, the gap was over 40% between African American and Asian students in the 2017 science.

Noticeable gaps were seen among other at-risk populations when compared to Asian students in science. The root

cause may have been that the instructional practices did not fully prepare all students for the state assessment.

The recommended development of policies to improve academic achievement for all students should be to

increase culture competency and diversity in the classroom (Desravines et al., 2016). At-risk students, particularly

African Americans and economically disadvantage students, may have been disengage with the curriculum. This

could explain why they have lower ADA and higher disciplinary issues compared to other subpopulations. It

could also explain why students rated classroom effort low as well. Teachers and other faculty members should

try first to seek to understand their students and what they are experiences before resorting to actions that may

affect students’ classroom instruction time. That means reviewing the systems and student data to make sure

underserved and underperforming students are not receiving unfair treatment (Desravines et al., 2016). Once the

principal provides the opportunity for faculty members to learn more about the community, whether though

professional development or guided school visits, it is then the responsibility of the teacher to promote the culture

values of their students. The science curriculum should be updated to be culturally relevant and encourage

classroom discussions. Effective instructional practices should include questioning strategies, collaboration,

meaningful assessment. Question strategies should be used to motivate and focus student learning and help them

connect ideas. Collaboration among students should always be encouraged to increase engagement and buy in.

Meaningful assessments should align with the standards and require metacognition from students. Teachers

should be mindful that any materials used should reflect the diversity of the community, and be free of any ethnic,

racial, or even economic bias.

The identified student social-emotional learning inequity was lack of rigorous expectations or academic

press and expectations from teachers to students. I believe the root cause of this is that teachers lack effective
instructional strategies in classroom due to bias. Student characteristics such as socioeconomic status, race,

English proficiency, and academic history are all related to teachers’ expectations for academic achievement.

Because of these biases some teachers have for certain at-risk subpopulations, such as African Americans and

economically disadvantage students, teachers are not providing meaningful and rigorous work to students. They

may have been led to believe that not all students can achieve rigorous work despite what their school’s mission

says. African Americans, are considered at risk, have consistently scored lower on benchmarks and state

assessments, have seen their ADA drop, and have been disproportionately affected by exclusionary disciplinary

actions compared to other subpopulations. Thus, certain students have not been receiving effective instruction

and can partly explain the gaps and inequalities in the student data sets. The recommended development of

policies to improve academic press should be setting high expectations for all students (Desravines et al., 2016).

Teacher and all faculty members must show a belief that all students are capable of learning and succeeding.

Faculty members should consistently provide clear expectations for behavior, recognize and reward students who

meet and excel expectations, and use daily encouragement and praise. Academic supports must also be included

with academic rigor. At-risk students who believe their teachers who care and support them will put forth more

effort to meet those expectations (Desravines et al., 2016).

 Reference:

Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: a step-by-step guide to building

stronger schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.

Part 3B: Campus Improvement Planning

GOAL AREA 1: Student Achievement: Science

Priority of Need:
Critical Success Factor(s):
Goal and Summative
Evaluation:
Increase the level of rigor through effective instructional practices in science classrooms to meet
all students’ needs.
Improve Academic Performance
By June 2021, at least 50% of all students tested will receive Mastery Academic
Performance in STAAR Science.

Measurable Activity / Staff Member Resources: Timeline Milestones:

Objective Strategy Responsible Funding Benchmarking /
Time Formative
Materials Evaluation
Personnel
Facilities

Based on Teachers will ask Science Teacher Master Schedule August 2020- District Common
benchmark and more open-ended June 2021 Assessment
Science Teacher common
Science STAAR, questions.
Specialists planning period Campus Common
least a 20% gain in
Increase wait time Assessment
closing the Science TEKS Science
for student
performance gap Department Head Resources Science STAAR
responses.
between African
American students Administrators Benchmark data
Allow students to
and overall student take risks without Science
performance. feeling insecure department
funding
Ask students for a
rationale or
justification for
their answers
Use bloom
taxonomy for
higher level
questioning.
100% of students Laboratory Science Teacher Teacher common August 2020- District Common
will engage in exercise planning period June 2021 Assessment
Science
collaborative
Paired and whole Specialists TEKS Science Campus Common
learning and
class discussions Resources Assessment
produce one PBL Science
each semester. Problem-based Department Head Benchmark data Science STAAR
learning
Administrators Science
Reciprocal teams department
funding
100% of teachers Modify a laboratory Science Teacher Teacher common August 2020- District Common
will use enhanced exercise to increase planning period June 2021 Assessment
Science
material strategies the level of inquiry
Specialists TEKS Science Campus Common
to accommodate the and make it less
Resources Assessment
needs of all student prescriptive Science
and reflect the Department Head Benchmark data Science STAAR
Rewrite or annotate
diversity of the text materials Administrators Science
community. department
Provide
funding
opportunities for
students to make
actual observations
of objects or events
Change an exercise
to include questions
that require higher
order thinking skills
Use graphic
organizers to clarify
concepts

GOAL AREA 2: Student Social-Emotional Learning: Rigorous Expectations

Priority of Need: Increase rigorous expectations for all students.

Critical Success Factor(s): Increased Instructional Time

Goal and Summative By June 2021, 100% of faculty members will set high expectations for students at all
Evaluation: backgrounds and levels.

Measurable Activity / Staff Member Resources: Timeline Milestones:

Objective Strategy Responsible Funding Benchmarking /
Time Formative
Materials Evaluation
Personnel
Facilities

100% of students Accountability Teachers Teacher common August 2020- June District Common
have at least one partners planning period 2021 Assessment
Team Leaders
faculty member that
Peer partners TEKS Resources Campus Common
checks up on them Department Heads
Assessment
regularly regarding Mentoring Benchmark data
Specialists
their academic STAAR
One-on-one time
progress and needs. Administrators

100% of students Small groups Teachers Teacher common August 2020- District Common
will engage in planning period June 2021 Assessment
Brainwriting Team Leaders
student-led learning
TEKS Resources Campus Common
the classroom. Constructive Department Heads
Assessment
feedback Benchmark data
Specialists
STAAR
Connecting with Administrators
experts in the real
world
Learning menus
Task cards
100% of teachers Cultural Teachers Teacher common August 2020- Student and faculty
will provide a accommodations planning period June 2021 surveys
Team Leaders
welcoming class (learn students’
TEKS Resources Student-Family-
climate. names, visuals, Department Heads
Community surveys
partners, Benchmark data
interpreters, Specialists District Common
cooperative Administrators Assessment
learning, etc.)
Campus Common
Teacher-student Assessment
relationships
STAAR
Consistent
classroom
management
Do Now activity
Communicate
frequently with
parents
Week 5: Constructed Response to Campus Improvement Scenario

Constructed Response to Campus Improvement Scenario

Based on the data provided, the most pressing barrier Ms. Garcia must overcome to effectively address

the issues facing Stonewood Elementary is the lack of a strong faculty and staff culture that is based on trust and

higher achievement. According to Bambrick-Santoyo (2018), a strong culture among adults helps create an

environment that is conducive to teacher expertise and achievement. It helps create a place that allows for

sustained growth.

On the surface, it appeared that Ms. Garcia did exactly what a collaborative leader should have done. She

spoke with the superintendent to discuss the areas in need of improvement. She found out that teachers were

resistant to change and that there was a lack of direction from administration (Texas Education Agency, 2018).

Some teachers also felt that they were struggling to meet the needs of English learners (ELLs). Parents wanted to

be more involved, particularly when it came to educational decisions. They also felt that school was too lax when

it came to student discipline. As for students, they felt that school was boring, but they still maintained a good

ADA. To combat these key areas, Ms. Garcia used this information and other relevant data to create initiatives to

address the high-priority changes that were needed. She also met with a diverse team of stakeholders to find the

root cause of these problems and used it to create a three-year strategic plan and campus improvement plan.

Despite all these necessary steps, Stonewood saw a significant number of teachers leave or retire (Texas

Education Agency, 2018). The number of first-year teachers rose 18% during Ms. Garcia’s first two years as

principal. According to the Change Process Survey, it reveals that there is a disconnect between teachers and Ms.

Garcia. By the end of the Ms. Garcia’s second year, there was an 8% drop in the number of teachers that were

aware of the change process. There was another 7% drop in the number who agreed that communication about

change initiatives is clear and timely at Stonewood. When it comes to knowledge and skills, teaches agree that

there is a disconnect between what they are currently doing in the classroom compared to what the instructional

leadership team is trying to implement. And some experienced teachers remarked that they felt left out of best

practices from instructional coaches despite one of these initiatives was for Ms. Garcia to build capacity among
teachers so that they can all grow professionally to meet the needs of their students. The Strategic Plan Initiative

Survey further proves the disconnect between Ms. Garcia and her staff. Only 59% of teacher understood the

expectations and importance of teaching writing at all grade levels. Teachers are not sure who is supposed to be

supporting the writing initiatives despite one of the strategies/initiatives was to improve language arts instruction

for all students through the use of daily writing across the curriculum by all teachers. The lack understanding

about the initiatives and unclear communication among faculty and staff members could explain the 9% drop in

the number of students at approaches or at grade level for writing as seen in the Summary of Key TAPR Results.

As a third-year principal, it is critical that Ms. Garcia increase buy in among teachers if she expects her

staff to be engaged and the initiatives to be fully carried out. While faculty and staff members agreed that the

instructional leadership team was knowledgeable, without first establishing a strong culture, Ms. Gracias

unintentionally created a lack of connection and trust among faculty and staff members (Bambrick-Santoyo,

2018).

As an instruction leader, I would collaborate with Ms. Garcia to address the lack of staff culture to help achieve

the goals of the strategic plan with the following action steps:

1. Establish a shared vision and mission.

a. Vision aligns with school’s core values

b. Clear roles and responsibilities

c. Clear weekly and monthly schedules

2. Roll out the vision.

a. Lead by example

b. Create a culture of practice

c. Build relationships with key stakeholders

3. Maintain the culture throughout.

a. Build great experiences

b. Point out positive moments

 c. Uphold expectations

As leader, it is Ms. Garcia’s responsibility to establish the schools’ culture, core values, and beliefs. These

are the behaviors she wishes to see among her staff members and students (Bambrick-Santoyo, 2018). Once the

values have been defined, she needs to collaborate with faculty and staff members to create a vision and mission

statement that is focused on student achievement (Desravines et al, 2016). It is important that all members share

a common understanding of the vision and mission, that way they cannot only explain the vision and mission, but

also be able to reinforce the desired behaviors daily at school. When Ms. Garcia begins working on the campus

improvement plan, part of process should be to assign roles and responsibilities to staff members. This process

helps clears up miscommunication about who will oversee the language art or assessment initiatives and how

others can help support them. Routines and consistency also help brings stability and teachers focus back on their

craft (Bambrick-Santoyo, 2018). A clear weekly and monthly schedule can also help brings structure to a school

environment. Ms. Garcia should send out a weekly memo to faculty and staff members that is short, includes a

weekly and monthly calendar, and praises and acknowledgements from the week. Doing this enable teachers to

plan accordingly and focus on teaching. This will help improve staff survey results since they will have a better

understanding about the goals and how the initiatives will help meet them.

Next is to roll out the vision. Ms. Garcia should lead by example if she wants her staff to replicate the

behaviors she wishes to see. How she interacts with students and teachers or receives feedback others can be used

as teachable moments for others. Through professional development, Ms. Garcia can help build teacher’s capacity

on how they can enact the vision and mission through specific behaviors, including collaboration, communication,

and data driven (Desravines et al, 2016). She can show her staff examples from different organizations like

businesses or other schools to show what the practice looks like and ensure them that it could work at Stonewood

too. Special emphasize should be placed on how teachers can interact with students that will lead to less

exclusionary discipline actions. She should also work on building relationships with all stakeholders. Simple

things like greeting all staff member in the morning or remembering a story they once told her can go a long way

to increase buy in and engagement (Bambrick-Santoyo, 2018).

 And lastly, Ms. Garcia can help ensure the success of the strategic plan by taking steps to protect the

school’s culture. These steps include lifting staff and students every day, making them think differently about the

world by encouraging social perspective taking, recognizing achievements, and allowing opportunities for

connection between peers (Bambrick-Santoyo, 2018). Ms. Garcia should praise members who go above and

beyond their normal tasks to show others what she values. And on the flip side, she should also be consistent with

her expectations and take the lead on accountability issues. By being consistent and taking the lead, she is again

showing to others what she values and the behaviors she wishes to see. When addressing accountability issues,

she must not act either aggressively or passively, but addressing them early, warmly, and briefly (Bambrick-

Santoyo, 2018).

By establishing strong culture first, Ms. Garcia and her staff can then begin to tackle the key issues of

Stonewood and achieve the goals stated in the strategic plan.

 Reference:

Bambrick-Santoyo, P. (2018). Staff culture. Leverage leadership: A practical guide to building exceptional

schools (pp. 263 - 288). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Desravines, J., Aquino, J., & Fenton, B. (2016). Breakthrough principals: A step-by-step guide to building

stronger schools. John Wiley & Sons.

Texas Education Agency (July 2018). Principal as instructional leader certification training for education

preparation programs. Austin.