Week+5+Discussion

 When people feel like they are doing good work, but evidence of student improvement cannot be seen, further examination and reflection is required in that particular area. At my school, TAKS scores for math and science had stayed relatively stagnant for several years — either increasing or decreasing only a couple of percentage points. So, we started examining possible causes. We had a “ TAKS Academy ”  every day for two weeks prior to TAKS where teachers went over either math or science problems. Needless to say, many teachers felt very uneasy teaching these subjects. I think this may have been a good idea in theory, but not enough research was done on the topic and many teachers complained and didn ’ t feel like the time was well spent because they didn ’ t know how to teach the subject matter. Teachers in the subject area need to reflect on what is going well and what, specifically, the students who are being successful are doing and try to implement those strategies instead of trying to make teachers tutor students who are not familiar with the subject.
 * What should schools do when they get stuck? "Stuckness" typically happens when people feel like they are doing their best work and it's not paying off in visible evidence of improved student performance. Have you or has your school found itself in that position? What are some things that can be done at that point to gain forward momentum? **

 Consensus building in the school improvement process is essential to ensure buy-in from all staff. If teachers feel like they are helping making the procedures to improve the school, then they are more likely to participate in doing what they need to do to ensure that improvement. One of the things Vista Ridge does to ensure consensus building is to seek faculty input on important issues. Once a month or so, the administration meets with collaborative team leaders to see how everything is going and to solicit input on things such as continuous improvement. By gathering input from the staff, the school assures faculty participation in new efforts.
 * What is the value of consensus building in the school improvement process, and how does your school go about the process of consensus building? **

 One of the attributes of an effective PLC is peer evaluation. This year at Vista Ridge, we piloted a program in our district for peer evaluation. Each year, teachers conduct a needs assessment and select a specific area for professional growth. Traditionally, teachers are observed and evaluated by an administrator, conduct a pre and post evaluation, and reflect on the extent to which they met that goal. This year, teachers were given the opportunity to select a peer to team up with and observe one another. Teacher had to go to training on peer evaluation in order to be able to properly evaluate and give constructive feedback. As a principal, empowering teachers to evaluate each other would be an invaluable tool for teachers to be able to work more closely together on growth goals, observe how their colleagues teach, and be more effective at giving productive feedback.
 * Review this week's reading, "Making the Most of Professional Learning Communities," in which researcher Jay McTighe suggests several ways to use professional learning communities (PLCs) to improve student performance. How has your school used PLCs, or how would you, as the principal, use PLCs to improve student performance? **