100-word response Due 1/6/2024

Matthews

Situation

A few year ago, my school was determined to be a failing school. The teachers who were teaching did not seem to have the teacher accountability that was needed to make sure all students received the proper education. Most of the teachers were young and fresh out of college. It seemed as if they were not concerned about the school’s progress. When the new principal arrived, he monitored the teacher and students. He did not just sit in the office; he was the one who made sure he was visible during the change of classes in the hallways. With this being a middle school from Grade 5 through Grade 8, he knew monitoring the students was just something he needed to do. After being there at the school for two weeks, he began to visit classrooms and walk around in the rooms to make sure students were on task; some were not. Additionally, he also saw many teachers sitting behind their desks teaching, some were texting on phones, and some were eating food. He knew if this school would improve he had to be the one to make changes.  

Communication System

The following types of communication systems were used:

Remind, Team Leaders Meeting With Subject Area Teachers, PLC’s (Professional Learning Communities)

Two Systemic Communication Strategies

Teacher Assessment

The teacher assessment strategy is used as informal and formal assessing. The principal uses this assessment to monitor the teacher so they will know their areas of weakness. Also, the teacher is handed a copy of the assessment to visually look at all areas. If an area has a 2 or less, that area needs improvement.

Stakeholders Meeting

This meeting is sometimes held during the school hours or after school is dismissed. This meeting includes parents, teachers, school personnel, and other people in the community. This meeting will allow parents and others to express their opinion about what they think should be included in their child’s education. This strategy is effective because when parents and other community people are involved in the education of their children, they will feel motivated to learn. 

 Rational

Whether it is a school or business, everyone should be willing to adapt to a change. Alonzo (2012) wrote, “Taking the first step towards systems thinking is simpler than you might imagine, invite others to participate. By inviting employees and different departments to  communicate and share information with each other, you can begin brainstorming and making strategic decisions on
how to successfully grow your business, as a whole” (Para. 10). The input of ideas that comes from the community’s is an effective  form of communication. Even though children are the ones receiving the education, parents also matters. Additionally, all teachers should be held accountable. Senge et al. (2012) wrote, ” the way to turn around failing schools was to set targets, make them measurable, and make educators accountable for hitting those targets” (p. 122).

Overcoming Two Challenges

Teacher and students both had to make the adjustments. Many teachers did not want to be a part of the change. So, the principal explained the scenario of how dead weight in a boat will make it sink. He also explained the changes were mandatory, compromising was not an option. The school policy also changed. For example, if you know you need to be absent, request this a few days ahead. Also, he explained how getting adjusted would require some time, but it will and can be done.