Nowadays, where everything is step against criterions including educational establishments, every school is prosecuting a different manner to hone its work and do it more accurate. In fact, this end will non be accomplished without a leading which is chiefly represented by the principal who plays a critical function in taking a clear guided spoting assisting in directing his school community towards success and clear ends based on his ain doctrine and standardised method. Some of these criterions are stated by many establishments. I listed some of them upon which I will reexamine my school against ; Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium ( ISLLC ) , Ontario Principals ‘ Council ( OPC ) , Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development ( ASCD ) and The National Association of Elementary School Principals ( NAESP ) criterions.
The criterions which the school principals are measured upon have changed through the clip. In 1996, the ISLLC provided a set of common outlooks for the cognition, accomplishments, and temperaments of school leaders grounded in rules of powerful instruction and acquisition ( Waters & A ; Grubb, 2004 ) . ISLLC besides includes criterions such as “ A school decision maker is an educational leader who promotes the success of all pupils by join forcesing with households and community members, reacting to diverse community involvements and demands, and mobilising community resources ” ( Murphy & A ; Shipman, 1999, p. 218 ) . Such criterions frequently change harmonizing to the altering definitions of the principals ‘ occupation. Once they were urged by pedagogues, theorists and analysts to be ” bureaucratic executives ” . Then they were asked to be “ humanistic facilitators ” . Later on, they were asked to be “ instructional leaders ” . Principals themselves are likely to hold no clip for theoretical argument but they instead try to happen a definition for their functions based on day-to-day patterns.
Theoretical model
The sets of criterions that a principal ‘s public presentation may be measured against vary harmonizing to the cultural background and the basic demands of the communities. Since I was sing the function of the principal as a leader of a professional acquisition community, I needed to look for criterions which are straight related to this facet. A set of criterions including six cardinal subjects related to the facets of Professional Learning Community is considered. The subjects themselves can represent major criterions for the function of the educational leader in a professional Learning Community. They emphasize chiefly on the principals functions in easing shared vision, prolonging a school civilization conductive to pupils and staff acquisition, pull offing the organisation for a safe, efficient and effectual acquisition environment, join forcesing with households and community members, moving with unity, equity and ethical manners, and eventually act uponing the larger political, societal, economic, legal and cultural context. ( ISLLC 2006 ) . The OPC defined the leading patterns of the PLC principal as puting the waies of the school in a sense of four nucleus patterns of successful leaders: scene waies, developing people, redesigning the establishment and pull offing the instructional plan ( OPC and Crown Press 2009 ) .
In add-on, more guidelines stress on the leader ‘s function in making a dynamic acquisition community by giving the highest precedence to pupils and grownups larning, puting high outlooks, demanding content and direction that guarantee pupils achievement, making a civilization of uninterrupted larning for grownups, utilizing informations to steer betterment, and eventually actively prosecuting the community ( NAESP guide 2001 ) .
While the ISLLC, NAESP, ASCD and OPC qualities or criterions can be attacks for developing and measuring leaders, other pedagogues and theorists like Katrina Jordan in 2006 who emphasized these qualities which about goes side by side with the above establishments, she said a principals may be required to transport out functions that peculiarly related to answerability:
– Creating and prolonging a competitory school ( Market answerability )
– Supplying instructional leading ( Professional answerability )
– Development and put to deathing strategic programs ( Management answerability )
In brief, I will look at the OPC criterions which I am traveling to undertake and concentrate on to judge my school leading.
Data aggregation
In the undermentioned study on Al Dahma ‘ Model School instance survey, I depended on two chief methods ; my personal experience, my observations as I have been working for the school since its startup in 2003 and questioning the school principal and targeted forces which I believe enabled me to give a brief sum-up of the current position of the school leading to see how close or how far it is from the ideal larning community leading as identified by many associations and organisations concentrating on OPC. In fact, the chief focal point in the survey was on the execution of the function of the principal in taking professional acquisition community.
My school principal
Since get downing to take Al Dahma ‘ Model School in 2005. The principal has had the aspiration of doing the school distinct and singular non merely among other schools in Al Ain Zone but besides at the UAE degree. He was wholly cognizant of most defects province schools every bit good as many other schools encounter. He stated that deficiency of communicating and lower outlooks can organize two major obstructions against success.
The function of the outside community in the school was limited. It was minimized to the constitution of Parents Teachers Assembly or Parents Council. Connections with the other community members and even parents were restricted on the societal workers or the disposal members.
Keeping in head all the old input, the principal of Al Dahma ‘ Model School started his disposal period with good organized strategic program through which he can alter the school into a acquisition community where pupils ‘ acquisition is the chief issue or nucleus instead than teachers learning. So his focal point was on what pupils could larn and what pupils could make. He spared no attempt in supplying the best acquisition environment to the pupil. The strategic program which acted as the anchor of the school work was formed by the staff through several questionnaires and studies. The program contains of several constituents like ; vision, mission, values, ends, instructors, pupils, edifice, community, disposal and in and out relationships.
A commission was organized to put to death the strategic program. It has had the function of monitoring, reexamining and authorising the strategic program. Regular meeting were held to measure and measure the facets of the program and to see how far it helped in the school accomplishment.
Strategic planning is a uninterrupted procedure as it includes measuring the processs and programmes established.This manner they make certain they are on the right path Hamdan Academy Award for distinguished Educational public presentation usher ( HAA guide 2009-2010 ) . Now, I am traveling to compare our leading against the OPC criterions and see how close it is to or far from holding a acquisition community which will include ; vision, mission, values, ends, collaborative teamwork, instructor capacity, leading capacity, and professional development and other patterns of successful leaders.
Vision
The school vision is, ” Educational and scientific pioneering at the UAE degree ” . He formed his vision which he discussed with most of the staff. He made certain that the vision was clear and was accepted by non merely the staff and pupils ( micro community ) , but besides by the outside community around his school ( Macro Community ) . He did his best to joint his vision in every juncture. He was acute on distributing the vision either verbally or practically. The vision was translated into a written message to be read everyplace in the school, in categories, in athleticss locales and even outside the school walls. Print-outs and multi-media stuffs were footed or headed with the vision description. A questionnaire was made including question on the staff ‘s consciousness of the vision showed that most of the staff had full consciousness about it. Parents and visitants of the school were asked to show their sentiment about the school ‘s vision. Educators from United Arab Emirate University ( UAEU ) and Sultan Qabous University ( QU ) were asked for arbitration. And subsequently on the concluding version of the vision was presented in a staff meeting to be implemented.
Looking at the inquiries in the OPC which assumes that the vision answer these inquiries ; “ What will our school expression like if bettering pupil larning in our mission? How will we asses our success in accomplishing this vision? ”
I believe that the vision does n’t reply these inquiry to the full and clearly. In fact the vision needs to be modified to reply OPC inquiries towards bettering pupil larning for all pupils.
Mission
The school ‘s mission statement is, “ We are an pioneering educational establishment working manus in manus with the local community for development and creative activity to conveying up a wise belonging coevals who trusts his abilities and can get by with the alterations in the field of universe cognition. ” The mission was formed by the principal and presented to the strategic program commission who polished it based on the whole staff comments and treatments. DunFour and Eaker ( 1998 ) believe that the development of the mission must include treatment and elucidation of these cardinal inquiries: Why do we be? What are we here to make together?
As PLC the manner the pupils will larn is non clearly stated neither how the acquisition will assessed nor how pedagogues will react when pupils do non larn.
Valuess
The school has a set of values ; ” Team-work, invention and modernness, leading and duty, belongingness, affirmatory and positivity. ”
Valuess which guide and bound the school work and relationships were besides presented to the staff and a batch of alterations were made to run into the needed signifier. The chief intent was to set up an applicable set of values. They were derived from the existent demand of a high school which aimed at differentiation. The value of “ team-work ” , will non carry through without a existent cooperation between the school leading and the staff. A batch of the above values can be representative, comprehensive and inclusive nevertheless, other values like duty, belongingness and modernness are general and need to be more consistent. The inquiry is, can the school leading accomplished all these values? It seems to me that it is difficult.
Goals
Goals are the vehicle which takes the whole school disposal and staff towards PLC, where the chief Acts of the Apostless like the driver, the instructors are moving like the wheels, the PLC squad and other professional squads are the engine and the riders are the pupils. The whole school community are seeking to make their finish firmly. Conzemius and O’Neil ( 2002 ) depict the ends puting procedure by the acronym SMART “ Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Result oriented and Time bond ” . DunFour and Eaker ( 1998 ) besides stated that ends be linked to the school vision and monitored continually. The chief sat a figure of ends for the school where he tries his best to see the learning constituents and concentrating towards lifelong larning. The school ends as listed in the strategic program are: Achieving high norms on the zone and national degree. Fixing a multi-skills pupil. Learning for life. Effective cooperation with local community.
Looking at the school ends as listed in the strategic program, I can see that they are good stated and supported by many inside informations which make them clear and applicable, and they match them with the mission, vision and values. However, since they were stated in 2005 none of them has been modified or redesigned.
Leadership and Teacher Capacity Building
In this portion I will unite both capacity edifice and the leading ends in one portion.
The principal had a chief end of enabling the disposal and the whole staff to take part to the full and to lend their expertness for the good of the whole school and edifice a learning civilization. He announced a package of undertakings so as to promote the staff to take positive stairss in footings professional development. He himself is ever the first to take any new classs in pedagogical patterns or engineering application. An award for the best pattern in twice a twelvemonth in every semester was announced for everyone believing that differentiation will merely come from PD. Regular PD Sessionss are held in the school undertaking a new research paper in a selected country based on corporate and single demands. Centers like self-access acquisition centre, entree to the cyberspace was made available for instructors, instructors ‘ societal nine all were presented to instructors as a package hoping that every instructor will happen what will carry through his involvements and buff his accomplishment to procure better acquisition environment.
Not merely mental development the school is caring about but besides physical. The school besides offered the staff with a to the full equipped gym centre for continuing healthy organic structure and fittingness.
Professional Development
Right from the beginning of his work as the school principal, he selected his disposal squad and the staff really carefully. He collected adequate information about every member with the aid of the supervisors and paperss presented in the staff portfolio.
Subsequently he distributed a study for each section looking for the professional development ( PD ) depending on the fortes of each topic. The chief so organize a PD commission. The commission surveies sections demands and work on two programs, immediate response and long response one, depend on how pressing the PD is.
Puting waies
After constructing shared vision, mission, values and ends statements, which are portion of the strategic program, the chief signifier a commission to follow and look into the execution of the strategic program. The commission was from different instructors who have the sense of dedication and difficult work. The commission organizes meetings and take attention of garnering thoughts from the staff, pupils and parents through the school suggestions bead box and the web site. Subsequently, they present them to the principal who convert them into action. All the work leaded by the principal and the strategic program commission was towards accomplishing the ends of the school and the execution of the strategic program.
I think the principal was non cognizant of the construct PLC nevertheless what he does, does fit the PLC construct and does n’t oppose with it.
Developing people
The PD commission meets at the beginning of each semester to analyze, analyze and measure its programs. Recently the PD commission with the cooperation with the topics advisers and coordinators, set an single PD based on the visits, the on- traveling assessment pupils ‘ consequences, EMSA and PENTA ( two companies hired by ADEC to measure school ) studies. Not merely the chief attentions about PD but besides emotional issues. Since 2005-06, the chief signifier a societal commission which looks after instructors emotional emotionally, believing that emotions are portion of the bigger image. Teachers are visited and gifts are presented in sorrow and happy occasions. The hebdomadal salutation plan is in action, the school presents a rose for every instructor at the beginning of each hebdomad as an grasp of his attempts.
A day-to-day newspaper in English and Arabic in available for the staff to update them with what is traveling on outside the school fencings. A well equipt library is besides available with internet connexion for bettering and back uping professional growing. The principal besides value all the educational conferences and PD Sessionss either by go toing himself or directing a representative and brief the staff with what is new in the learning field.
Redesigning the organisation
As the principal, he is acute of set uping a squad work, or coaction doctrine. This civilization is represented by the principal ‘s regular accent on a common work. The principal ever us the look “ WE ” , coaction and avoiding lone. The school has a instructor acquisition squad which is responsible for interchanging expertness and new patterns.
Although everyone is acute about holding the impression of squad work, the school still suffers from some patterns where some of the staff, particularly newcomer, be given to solitary.
Pull offing the instructional plan
Although the principal is specialized in geology, he is up-to-date in the pedagogical patterns and information engineering ( IT ) application in acquisition and the importance of instructor acquisition. He ever puts pupils larning and instructors ‘ capacity at his precedence. He himself attends PD session whenever possible or nominates person to go to and brief him and the staff about the latest in instruction and acquisition, that is why he assigns a budget for each section for the PDs. He volitionally attended all the preparation session hold by Abu Dhabi Education Council ( ADEC ) or the Ministry of Education ( MoE ) . He believes that everyone is a pupil in the instruction field and ever seek new patterns and flawlessness.
Decision and recommendations
To reason, Al Dahma ‘ Model School leading is close to PLC. The principal stared his work at the school with organizing commissions ; Strategic Plan Committee, Coordinator, Prizes Committee, Social Committee, Leadership Committee, Assessment for Learning Committee, Teacher Learning Team. All the commissions were formed by the instructors and harmonizing to their experiences.
The principal is moving as an active facilitator for authorising learning civilization. He encourages collaborative work across the school and within each topic. The timetable contains a PD period for each topic one time a hebdomad. He attends some of those Sessionss and praising the attempts. The principal besides helps in making instructors and leading capacity as he assigns a budget for resources and PD in and outside the school. In fact, the PD commission working positively in this issue. Al Dahma ‘ Model School was the first school across the UAE to depute pupils and English instructors to native English speech production states, Australia and Canada, to better English linguistic communication across the school. The school hosted and organized many activities for making a acquisition community through forming ; English Olympiad for the twelvemonth 2007-08 and 2008-09, GCC Physics Olympiad, Mathematics Olympiad. The leading ever focuses on larning for life where instructors converts theory to pattern. Undertakings are applied by pupils in group and separately. Transportation systems and communications with other establishments for visits, talks, and comparing theory with pattern are funded and facilitated by the school. Regular meetings with the whole staff and each topic are assigned and positions are exchanges and taken in consideration.
Although all these patterns in Al Dahma ‘ Model School, there are a few defaults which hinder Al Dahma ‘ Model School from being a Professional Learning Community ( PLC ) that have been mentioned after each point, nevertheless I will remember the most of import 1s. The chief demand to work nearer with the whole staff towards more cooperation among the staff and between each topic and exchange expertness and patterns. Though scientific instructors have a good room for doing accommodations to their course of study the humanistic disciplines capable instructors on the other manus are still bound to the text edition as presented by the ministry of instruction. This limits the pupils and instructors choice of the topic to suits the scholars demands. The more parents are involved the easiest the school work will be. By this I mean, all the parents have to portion and play a positive function in all the school daily, occasional and one-year activities. All parents are urged to reach the school that can merely be through set uping a systematic method of contact and unfastened channels of frequent interaction which I believe the school leading needs to work on to construct a better relationship. The vision, mission, values and ends need consistence and regular alterations specially after fall ining the school to ADEC. PLC leading squad has to be implemented to assist the principal with his work.
