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3 pages/≈825 words
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5
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APA
Subject:
Education
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
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MS Word
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Total cost:
$ 11.88
Topic:
Continuous school improvement
Essay Instructions:
Final Response to Challenge A
Please review Challenge A before creating your Final Response. Your Final Response may build on ideas you generated in your Initial Response and/or in the Discussion. It also may be developed from ideas suggested by your colleagues.
The Case
A new superintendent has been appointed in your district. She is known for being strongly committed to improving student learning and for being impatient with those who are not willing to change in order to make that happen. She enjoys considerable backing from local political and business leaders who have pledged resources to support her commitment to continuous school improvement.
From past experience, the superintendent knows that any school improvement effort in which the district might engage undoubtedly will require changes in structures and practices, knowledge and skills, and values and dispositions related togoal setting, assessment and analysis of student performance, instruction, curriculum, professional development, and other key aspects of effective schools. Therefore, she has requested that the district's principals join her in studying continuous school improvement as a way to foster higher levels of learning for all students.
To that end, she schedules two full-day retreats with the principals. The purpose of the first retreat is to discuss what it takes to foster continuous school improvement, develop a common understanding of the change process (as schools engaged in continuous school improvement inevitably require change), and support the changes that will be involved. You are asked to be the facilitator of one of several small groups. The superintendent plans to sit in on as many group discussions as possible.
The Challenge
Before the retreat, you meet with the other facilitators to discuss how to set up the small groups in a way that generates participation and meets the superintendent's goals. You agree that this is more likely to happen if each of you prepares by learning what experts think about change processes that result in continuous school improvement and how school leaders can support such change. You suggest that each of you develop a set of notes on these topics to share with one another in preparation for facilitating the small-group discussions.
In your Final Response to Challenge A, you will prepare notes that address, but are not limited to, the following:
How a theoretical understanding of the change process can enable a school leader to support change required by continuous school improvement
Four or five challenges that a school leader may need to address as a staff and school undergo changes related to continuous school improvement
What a school leader can do to:
Address the cognitive and emotional effects of change experienced by those involved in continuous school improvement
Use the uncertainty associated with change to foster rather than impede continuous school improvement
Essay Sample Content Preview:
RESEARCH PAPER
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Date of Submission
Research Paper
Continuous school improvement encompasses change, and as we all know change is a complex process. The cause and outcome of change is dependent on many different actors and forces that are pushing this agenda of change at the same time, but in different direction at times. The various actors of institutional change like within the schools system in this case, should understand how changes in their actions can impede change or result to a sustainable long term changes. A theoretical understanding of the change process is indeed important since it enables the school system and other key players within the learning sector to understand how their relationships and their work are contributing to the complex yet long term change process (Fullan, 1993).
This understanding provides them with that all necessary framework within which they can come up with a plan and update their activities, carryout their stakeholder dialogues, get a chance to learn from the experiences of each other, and come up with a consensus on where the sector stands at the moment. Change is increasingly rolling down the tracks of many schools and districts throughout the country. And as this "change train" makes its stops along the track, there is new language that it seems to be adding to this suitcase that is already full of initiatives within our schools. It is important for the leaders to understand that change is a process, rather than an event; this should be the first step. During the change process, people do go through some natural and recognizable stages that occur during this change process. It is therefore incumbent upon leaders to recognize these stages of concern because this can help district leaders and schools manage the changes while supporting the staff (Hall and Hord, 1987).
One of the main challenging tasks of schools leadership is managing schools change and other improvements. The school leadership ought to understand what the change process entails so as to lead and manage the change efforts effectively. There are bound to be many buriers and they should have some foresight that will help them cope with the challenges and chaos that are naturally present during this complex change process. Continuous school improvement happens in three stages and these are: initiation, implementation, and institutionalization. It is imperative to know the challenges and equally the success factors that are associated with each stage since this can increase the likelihood of success (Deal and Peterson, 1994).
One of these challenges are the fact that some players within the school community may be reluctant to attempts of initi...
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