Emily Coddington: Fieldwork Experience Showcase

Short biography: While this showcase illustrates my journey

over the past twelve months as a teacher and school leader, it is
representative of my professional work over the last ten years.
I grew up in Tennessee attending small public schools. Junior
high was when I decided that I was actually good at school. My
own experiences in a highly supportive junior high school
environment that helped all students find their niche inspired me to continue work with middle
school students throughout college. While majoring in history and theatre at Wellesley College
in Massachusetts, I taught dance classes to middle school students at nearby Walnut Hill School
for Performing Arts. After college and a brief stint dancing aboard the Disney Cruise Line and
in an Off-Broadway show, I turned to teaching where I found I was able to synthesize the
communication skills I learned creating ensemble pieces in the theatre with my own love of
continuous learning. For the past decade, I have worked at Campbell Hall Junior High as an
English teacher, history teacher, choreographer, dean, English department chair, and experiential
education coordinator-- among other job titles. The following reflections show that I have met
the competencies defined by the state of California to be a school administrator, but I also hope
they illuminate my strides toward the goal of creating an environment where students, parents,
and teachers can find their niche and excel in our school community and beyond.
*Please note that during the course of this fieldwork experience, my job title changed from junior
high dean to chair of the English department. The reflections are written from both perspectives.

My fieldwork was completed at Campbell Hall

Episcopal, a K-12 private school with 1100 students in
North Hollywood, CA. Most experiences took place in
the Junior High, which consists of about thirty faculty
and staff who work with 220 students in grades seven and
eight.

Fieldwork site supervisor: Eileen Wasserman, Assistant Head of School

University Coordinator/fieldwork supervisor: Dr. Darline P. Robles

University of Southern California

Masters in School Leadership Fieldwork Apprenticeship
Cohort 1
2013-2014

CPSEL Standard 1; CTC Standard 10; ISSLC Standard 1

Vision of Learning: Promote the success of all students by
facilitating the development, articulation, and stewardship of a
vision of learning that is shared and supported by the school
community.
CPSEL Standard 2; CTC Standard 11; ISLLC Standard 2
Student Learning and Professional Growth: Promote the
success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining
a school culture and instructional program conducive to
student learning and staff professional growth.
CPSEL Standard 3; CTC Standard 12; ISLLC Standard 3
Organizational Management for Student Learning: Promotes the
success of all students by ensuring management of the
organization, operations, and resources for a safe, efficient, and
effective learning environment.
CPSEL Standard 4; ISLLC Standard 4; CTC Standard 13
Working with Diverse Families and Communities: Promotes
the success of all students by collaborating with families and
community members, responding to diverse community interests and
needs, and mobilizing community resources.
CPSEL Standard 5; ISLLC Standard 5; CTC Standard 14
Personal Ethics and Leadership Capacity: Promotes the success of all
students by modeling a personal code of ethics and developing
professional leadership capacity
CPSEL Standard 6; ISLLC Standard 6; CTC Standard 15
Political, Social, Economic, Legal and Cultural Understanding:
Promotes the success of all students by understanding,
responding to, and influencing the larger political, social,
economic, legal, and cultural context.

Reflection #1: Gaining Teacher Buy-In to Improve the Advisory Program

Standards:
1.e Shape school programs, plans, and activities to ensure that they are integrated, articulated
through the grades, and consistent with the vision.
2.a Shape a culture in which high expectations are the norm for each student as evident in
rigorous academic work.
3.c Establish school structures and processes that support student learning.
3.e Align fiscal, human, and material resources to support the learning of all subgroups of
students.
5.d Make and communicate decisions based upon relevant data and research about effective
teaching and learning, leadership, management practices, and equity.
6.e View oneself as a leader of a team and also as a member of a larger team.
Ever since our new principal arrived two years ago, she has asked that we focus on
improving advisory group. Her interest in this area of our schools offering makes sense. We
had identified it as an area for improvement even before she became principal. While everyone
enjoyed advisory, there wasnt a cohesive vision to which we could point and though we
mentioned the programs ability to allow the whole student to be seen and valued during the
school day, we didnt have much evidence that suggested this was in fact happening.
Last year, the principal, assistant principal, and the other dean and I attempted to
articulate the vision of the program. Heres what we developed:
The purpose of the junior high advisory program is twofold: first, to
ensure every students academic and personal development is guided
by an adult advocate; and second, to create a cohesive group dynamic
by providing a space in which each child experiences a sense of
belonging.

After completing one year of the USC SLP program, I can point to this vision as the
moment, we went wrong. We never should have created the vision for advisory on our own. We
should have included teachers and perhaps even parents and students. In all honesty, the group
probably would have come up with a similar statement, but once the vision was created without
them, we lost significant buy-in. Last summer, to support the vision, we decided to implement
student led conferences based upon a student-portfolio. The intent was to provide a structure that
further supported the academic goals of advisory and to implement a clear structure for student
reflection, both of which had long been absent from the program. From the beginning, students
and teachers were resistant to the changes. Apparently, some advisors told their students that our
annual trip to Disneyland (which had become too expensive) was canceled so that they could do
conferences with their parents. Mid-way through the year, the principal went on maternity leave.
The assistant principal became overwhelmed with the day to day running of the school as she
tried to fill two positions. The other dean and I were left to implement an unpopular program
and to provide professional development and support to make our first foray into student-led
conferences as successful as possible.

Before the principal left, one of the last things she did was create an advisory task force
to make decisions about the program for next year. This was an effort to solve the issues we
created by excluding voices from our original plans and discussions. Within the structure of this
group, the other dean and I asked for help creating the lesson plans that would prepare students
for their presentations. It was difficult to strike a balance between asking for real tangible input
so that teachers had a voice and asking them to do significant work that would make them even
more upset. Ultimately, we ran meetings and asked teachers to work together to create plans
during the meeting, but we did the leg work of writing up the plans and posting them on our
advisory website so everyone could utilize the plans. The issue we ran into as we tried to lead
this particular part of the program was our desire to improve upon some of the teachers ideas.
Ultimately, we decided to leave the teachers plans exactly as they had written them (with a few
formatting changes for web-posting). We felt it was most important for teachers to see their
work without changes in order for them to become invested in the process. Furthermore, I took
on the role of advisor for one of our teachers who was out on maternity leave (not the principal).
Once the teachers saw someone in the administration carrying out the lessons, they stopped
feeling like they were being asked to do something that the administrators wouldnt deign to do
themselves.
Next we needed to create a professional development opportunity for all teachers, not just
those on the advisory task force, to get a real sense of what the conferences could look like. We
wanted the teachers to understand that there was no right way to present and to explain to their
advisees that the sky was the limit as they presented their reflection on the year. Our first
impulse was to create the professional development experience ourselves. We both like
organizing meetings, we have a sense of what the conferences should look like, and putting it
together on our own was certainly most time effective. Luckily, we checked ourselves. Instead,
we collaborated with members of the task force who reenacted different possible scenarios that
could occur during student-led conferences. The levity that the reenactments added to our
professional development meeting in addition to seeing a range of teachers invested in making
the conferences a success began to turn the tides of teacher resistance (though not completely).
The best part was when one of our math teachers played the role of an overzealous mother who
wanted to have a parent-teacher conference, rather than a student-led conference. We had
various teachers role play to bring the focus back to the student. This allowed teachers to see
themselves in a new role as facilitator of a conference (something most had never done before)
and to try their own voices out in the role rather than simply seeing how the other dean and I
would handle a situation.
Once the teachers began feeling more comfortable (though, to be completely honest, lots
of concerns remain) we began tackling our parent population. Parents were only hearing about
the presentations through their children who continued to see the conferences as stupid and as a
replacement for Disneyland. The office was fielding calls from parents who wanted to opt out of
the conferences. At various school functions, I began talking up the presentations to parents I
ran into and I even showed some an article from The Middle School Journal entitled, Portfolios

Help Parents Appreciate Advisory Time. Next, I wrote a letter to parents about the conferences
and scheduled all 223 conferences, no small feat especially when space on campus is tight!
While I carried out each of these tasks, I met with teachers and the assistant principal regularly to
show them the work and to get suggestions. In fact, the most useful way of meeting, I found was
to do so informally one-on-one. Large collaborative meetings can sometimes feel like were
checking a collaboration box, but if you seek out a range of advice in between, the chance to
help out with a process can feel more authentic. This realization helped me reinforce the notion
that I am a leader that forms her leadership role through relationships with those around her.
Ultimately, well have to wait to see how the conferences go and what kind of feedback
we get from the community. Right now, were trying to spread the message that sometimes
things dont go exactly right the first time. Well certainly need tweaks next year, but if we
continue communicating, we can keep the
conversation about improvement rather than
about scrapping the whole program.
When I first saw the Leadership
Project for this class, I began trying to come
up with new projects to institute. Each one I
started to work on, felt superficial. Once my
role in the student-led conferences became
more defined, I realized that even though it
was the principal and not me who initiated
this new structure, real leadership projects are
not an individual endeavors from start to
finish. Instead, its important to find the right
people at the right time to continue to move
the project forward.
An excerpt from a letter I wrote inviting
parents/guardians to the student-led conferences.

Reflection #2: Responding to a Book Challenge

Standards:
1.b Communicate the shared vision so the entire school community understands and acts on the
schools mission to become a standards-based education system.
1.d Identify and address any barriers to accomplishing the vision.
1.e Shape school programs, plans, and activities to ensure that they are integrated, articulated
through the grades, and consistent with the vision.
2.b Promote equity, fairness, and respect among all members of the school community.
2.c Facilitate the use of a variety of appropriate content-based learning materials and learning

strategies that recognize students as active learners, value reflection and inquiry, emphasize
the quality versus the amount of student application and performance, and utilize appropriate
and effective technology.
2.d Guide and support the long-term professional development of all staff consistent with the
ongoing effort to improve the learning of all students relative to the content standards.
4.a Recognize and respect the goals and aspirations of diverse family and community groups.
4.b Treat diverse community stakeholder groups with fairness and respect.
4.c Incorporate information about family and community expectations into school decisionmaking and activities.
4.e Communicate information about the school on a regular and predictable basis through a
variety of media.
5.a Model personal and professional ethics, integrity, justice, and fairness, and expect the same
behaviors from others.
5.b Protect the rights and confidentiality of students and staff.
5.d Make and communicate decisions based upon relevant data and research about effective
teaching and learning, leadership, management practices, and equity.
5.f Demonstrate skills in decision-making, problem solving, change management, planning,
conflict management, and evaluation.
5.g Reflect on personal leadership practices and recognize their impact and influence on the
performance of others.
While I have had challenges to
curriculum in my position as Junior High
Dean, the complaints were usually based
on how content was being delivered
not the content itself. This fall I
experienced my first challenge to a book
in the school curriculum. For the past
five years, the 9th grade teachers have
assigned John Greens Looking for
Alaska as the summer reading assignment. I now know that there have been challenges to the
content of the novel each year, though parents usually have not read the book when they make
the challenge. In previous years, the English department chair has asked parents to read the book
and then found that the complaints dissipate. He also added a link to Common Sense Media on
the assignment. Common Sense Media sets the appropriate age for readers at about 16 (most of
our 9th graders are 14).

This situation was

particularly challenging because
as a new chair. I want to support
the teachers expertise. Like
many English teachers, I also
have a fairly strong knee-jerk
reaction to the idea of censoring
or banning books. I also worry
about starting a precedent that
allows families to opt out of
books in the curriculum that they
dont like. As Vygotskys and
others work shows (Rousseau
An excerpt from my initial response to the parents email

2014), discussion is an imperative

part of learning. As English Department Chair I cannot make policies that create an environment
where discussion becomes more difficult or less effective because not all students in the class
can respond to the same text. However, all these concerns must be balanced with a sense of
respect for families diverse viewpoints and an understanding that while many students love this
book, it may be unfair require this particular book at this particular age. As the headmaster
points out in one of his emails to me, we may not even be considering other, less vocal
constituencies.
This discussion will continue throughout the year and into next spring as we choose next
years reading list (while maintaining students and parents confidentiality, as they have asked).
The fraught subject of banned books as well as the fear that many teachers on our campus have
that parent complaints dictate policy and curriculum rather than teacher expertisecombine to
make this a difficult but necessary conversation about curricular choice, the purpose of summer
reading, and the idea of age limits on books.
Here are some of the ways I responded to the complaints and tried to lead, collaborate
and maintain the integrity of our curriculum:
1)
After receiving the first email
challenging the book, I met with the
9th grade teacher who would be
teaching the child and who chose the
book.
2)
I met with the librarian and
former department chair to
understand previous challenges to
this book and the school response.
3)
I went online and read about

The parents final response

how librarians respond to challengesespecially in school environments, and I watched

John Greens YouTube video in defense of his book (Franklin & Claire 2006; Green
2008).
4)
5)

I wrote the email response to the parent (attached as artifact).

I took phone calls from two more parents, one of whom was particularly irate.

Ultimately, my previous relationships with these parents convinced them that the school
had their childrens interests at heart, and I put one of them in touch with the counselor, chair of
the human development program, and 9th grade dean to help support him with his daughters
transition into high school and the fears that this book brought up for him for his daughter.
Resources
Franklin, P., & Claire, G. S. (2006). Banned books week and facing challenges. School Library
Media Activities Monthly, 23(1), 44-45. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/237133993?accountid=14749
Green, John. "I Am Not A Pornographer."YouTube. YouTube, 30 Jan. 2008. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHMPtYvZ8tM>.
Rousseau, S. (2014, February 6). Significance of Language in Learning-Vygotsky
PowerPoint. EDUC 549: Supervising Instruction for Optimal Learning. Lecture
conducted from University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
Reflection #3: Organizing the English Department Presentation for the Prospective Student
Open House
Standards:
1.a
Facilitate the development of a shared vision for the achievement of all students based
upon data from multiple measures of student learning and relevant qualitative indicators.
1.b
Communicate the shared vision so the entire school community understands and acts on
the schools mission to become a standards-based education system.
1.e Shape school programs, plans, and activities to ensure that they are integrated,
articulated through the grades, and consistent with the vision.
1.f Leverage and marshal sufficient resources, including technology, to implement and
attain the vision for all students and all subgroups of students.
2.c Facilitate the use of a variety of appropriate content-based learning materials and
learning strategies that recognize students as active learners, value reflection and inquiry,
emphasize the quality versus the amount of student application and performance, and utilize
appropriate and effective technology.

2.e Provide opportunities for all members of the school community to develop and use
skills in collaboration, distributed leadership, and shared responsibility.
3.d Utilize effective systems management, organizational development, and problemsolving and decision-making techniques.
3.e Align fiscal, human, and material resources to support the learning of all subgroups
of students.
4.a Recognize and respect the goals and aspirations of diverse family and community groups.
4.e Communicate information about the school on a regular and predictable basis through a
variety of media.
5.e Demonstrate knowledge of the standards-based curriculum and the ability to integrate and
articulate programs throughout the grades.
5.i Encourage and inspire others to higher levels of performance, commitment, and motivation.
6.e View oneself as a leader of a team and also as a member of a larger team.
6.f Open the school to the public and welcome and facilitate constructive conversations about
how to improve student learning and achievement.
Every year the Campbell Halls admissions office puts on two
open houses for prospective students and their families to learn about our
secondary program. This year, the first open house was on September
27. As an English department, we began talking about the event in our
first meeting of the year. There was a sense that though the teachers
were satisfied with what we had presented in past years, there might be a
way to do more and to do it better.
At the beginning of Prospective
Student Morning, we have a fair.
As prospective families arrive, they
have a chance to wander through the
gym where each department has set up a table full of
representative materials. Members of the department man the
table and tell families about the programs we offer. The
English table contained all of our books and samples of our
publications (the school newspaper, yearbook, creative
writing publication, and the satire magazine). The problem
was that as families leafed through the books and put them
back down, the books got out of order and soon it looked like
we were reading YA literature in 11th grade! One teacher mentioned that we should get shelves

to display our books in a more user-friendly manner. During our first semester of classes in the
USC program, we talked about low hanging fruit and the idea that there were easy, noncontroversial wins for new leaders. This seemed like a perfect opportunity for me to demonstrate
that I listened to their ideas and could organize resources to make what was already working,
better. Along the same lines, I bought clean copies of all the books we put out. Some teachers
were putting out their personal copies of the books. The fact that the books were annotated
wasnt bad, but the idea that a book could be misplaced or lost during the event always elevated
stress levels. I was surprised how grateful department members were for this easily
accomplished gesture.
The shelves were a little more problematic. I
spent hours online and calling various companies to see if
we could get display shelves. The lowest price I found
was close to $700 and it wasnt really the best option.
After becoming a shelving expert, I asked a department
member who I knew to be good at carpentry to create
some shelves for us. I designed them, ran the designs by
the department members for feedback, and then he built
them. I paid him $400 out of the department budget. Im
still negotiating with the admissions director to split the cost with us, but Im not getting much
traction there. I had to get permission from the admissions office and the maintenance staff to
create a different display. The Operations department also had to confirm that they did indeed
have space for the new shelves to be stored. Finally, I told the principals about the expenditure
because paying a department member so much money might look strange on a line-item budget.
On the day of the event, the shelves looked phenomenal. Not only could we talk to more
families at once because of our new set up but the teachers also told me they felt much less
awkward in the new set up. Other departments have already started designing their own
exhibition shelves.
I also asked a few department members to create new presentations so that the breadth of
our department was more apparent to prospective
students. For instance, I worked with the Speech and
Debate teacher to create a presentation that included
some of our best student debaters. She and I talked about
the fact that a good debate program is often a hallmark of
a rigorous school. Therefore, putting it front and center
for prospective students was imperative. Over 150
people pushed into a classroom for her presentation.
Were changing the location of the presentation so we
can accommodate more people next time. We also
offered a publications presentation for the first time. This

one did not get as much interest, so we are changing the timing of the presentation for the next
open house to see if we can generate more enthusiasm.
Finally, we refined the main department presentations to include the voices of all the
teachers. This required me to collaborate with other departments since some of our teachers
belong to more than just the English department. For instance, I worked with the head of the
technology department to schedule our presentations so that one teacher could present for both
technology and English. I was particularly proud of myself for this negotiation. When it first
became apparent that there would be a conflict, the principals told me that I should explain the
technology department that English was the greater part of the teachers load, and therefore, I
should get the teacher. It didnt necessarily feel right to call dibs through this sort of
prioritization, so I worked with the admissions director to get put in the theatre for the English
presentations instead. Once the English department was in the theatre, we had room for more
people to watch our presentation, which meant we didnt have to run the presentation two times.
We got a better and more prestigious space, the schedule for the teachers was less hectic, and the
teacher who doubled in the technology and English was able to do both. It was a win on all
fronts, without me ever having to suggest that English should trump technology.
For the high school presentation, each teacher talked about how they create opportunities
for students to establish their own voice within classroom assignments. The idea being yes, we
teach formal writing and close reading, but none of that matters if students dont feel they have
something important to say. Thus, a major component of our program is helping students find
and use their own voice to articulate what matters most to them. Hearing from all the teachers
gave parents a sense of the scope of our program and allowed them to see the care and passion
each individual brings to his or her job. I spoke at the beginning and end to tie up loose ends and
create a sense of cohesion. The teachers felt good about the opportunity they had to share their
worksomething they had never done before. As a result, the whole presentation felt vibrant.
In addition, the teachers got a chance to see each other in action, which further developed a
community of trust and respect among colleaguesthis outcome was completely unplanned but
the benefit cannot be overlooked.
In the junior high, we added one more layer to the presentation by putting representative
activities under each chair in the theatre. As they walked in, families were able to complete the
activities. Then, during the presentation, we referred to the activities since each one represented
something fundamental about the way we teach through student exploration.
Looking back on this process, I see elements of the levels of leadership as defined by Jim
Collins (2011). For instance, I think I may be straddling level three and level four leadership
capacities. In this case, I was a competent, level 3 manager by organizing people and resources
toward the effective and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives, but also (and without
meaning to) the organization of open house presentations also had the unintended result of
catalyzing commitment to and vigorous pursuit of a clear compelling vision by stimulating the
group to high performance standards, which is the description of a level four manager (p.116).

Resources
Collins, J. (2011). Level 5 Leadership. In HRBs 10 Must Reads (Eds.), On Leadership (p.
115-134). Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press.
Reflection #4: Creating an Action Plan for Teacher Improvement
Standards:
1.a
Facilitate the development of a shared vision for the achievement of all students based
upon data from multiple measures of student learning and relevant qualitative indicators
1.b
Communicate the shared vision so the entire school community understands and acts on
the schools mission to become a standards-based education system.
1.d
Identify and address any barriers to accomplishing the vision.
2.b
2.d
2.f
3.a

3.c
3.f
3g.

Promote equity, fairness, and respect among all members of the school community.
Guide and support the long-term professional development of all staff consistent with the
ongoing effort to improve the learning of all students relative to the content standards.
Create an accountability system grounded in standards-based teaching and learning.
Sustain safe, efficient, clean, well-maintained, and productive school environment that
nurtures student learning and supports the professional growth of teachers and support
staff.
Establish school structures and processes that support student learning.
Monitor and evaluate the program and staff.
Manages legal and contractual agreements and records in ways that foster a professional
work environment and secure privacy and confidentiality for all students and staff.

4.a
4.c

Recognize and respect the goals and aspirations of diverse family and community groups.
Incorporate information about family and community expectations into school decisionmaking and activities.

5.a

Model personal and professional ethics, integrity, justice, and fairness, and expect the
same behaviors from others.
Protect the rights and confidentiality of students and staff.
Make and communicate decisions based upon relevant data and research about effective
teaching and learning, leadership, management practices, and equity.
Demonstrate skills in decision-making, problem solving, change management, planning,
conflict management, and evaluation.
Reflect on personal leadership practices and recognize their impact and influence on the
performance of others.
Engage in professional and personal development.

5.b
5.d
5.f
5.g
5.h

5.i

Encourage and inspire others to higher levels of performance, commitment, and

motivation.

6.c

Generate support for the school by two-way communication with key decision-makers in
the school community.
View oneself as a leader of a team and also as a member of a larger team.

6.e

As a junior high dean, I often fielded parent complaints about teachers. In this role, my
job was to listen to parents and then work with the student to empower him/her to come up with
structures for how s/he could do well (i.e. check in with the teacher after class, ask for a new
seat, meet with me to make sure the homework was written down for each class). Although the
focus was on empowering the students, I would usually let the teachers know what the parents
had said. Teachers were sometimes upset, but I always framed the conversations in terms of
this is what the perception isnot you did this. As a result, the conversation had rather low
stakes. If teachers chose to be reflective (and most did), they would take the feedback with a
grain of salt, and then they would also change their classroom for the better if they could. They
knew I was not a supervisor, and they werent in trouble. I was simply a sounding board for them
as they thought through ways of making their classroom better, just as I was a sounding board for
the parents. If things didnt improve, they might have a conversation with a supervisornot that
the supervisor wouldnt support them, but in general, no teacher wants an unhappy kid in his/her
class, and we fixed many issues with relatively little intervention and heartache.
Now instead of simply reporting complaints to teachers, as the English department chair
and a supervisor, I need to assess the validity of the complaints and then give specific feedback
to the teachers about how they must (not may) alter their practice to conform to our community
expectations.
At the end of the year last year, we hired a new English teacher. He had 13 years of
experience and came to us from an American school in Turkey. I watched his class several times
at the beginning of the year and was impressed with his pedagogical knowledge and the warm
environment he created during discussions. At the end of September, however, I started to get
complaints that he was mean and inconsistent. I spoke with two kids and two mothers who were
unhappy with the class, but I couldnt get a clear picture of what the teacher was doing to cause
this perception. The meanest thing he had done was tell a class of 9th graders that they were
acting like middle school students. There was also the complicating factor that both students had
just gotten back papers with low scores. I mentioned to the teacher that he might want to make a
special effort to reach out to both students, but I wasnt particularly concerned.
Then suddenly, things started to snowball. There was a story that was corroborated by
many kids that he stuck a kid in the corner and had the other students point their fingers and say
shame, shame, shame because the student had forgotten his homework. There was a story that
he looked under the table to check the length of the girls skirts. There was a story that he was
handing out zeros when work wasnt done correctly even though the directions werent written
down anywhere. Some administrators asked me if he needed to go. Some of the claims were

so egregious that I let the high school principal and the school counselor know right away.
However, my first goal was to support the teacher. Despite a fabulous mentor assigned to help
him, new teacher meetings and other supports, we were somehow failing to help him acclimate
to our community. I knew I needed to have a meeting in which I not only laid out all the
concerns, but also let him know how our community expected him to fix the issues. I created an
action plan that I showed to my mentor and the assistant head of school. She helped me
finesse the plan and gave me the sound advice of building in structures for me to assess how each
effort was paying off by having the students complete a survey in the next several weeks. I also
showed the high school principal, the plan. She suggested that I send it as a follow-up email and
make it slightly less formal, so that if we do need to put the teacher on probation, we can shift the
tone slightly. Both suggestions were helpful, and I also felt calmer going into my meeting with
the teacher knowing that I had support for what I was going to say and the way I planned to say
it had been vetted.
Though the meeting was difficult to
scheduleone of the issues is that the
teacher doesnt respond to communications
in a timely mannerthe meeting itself was
rather easy. I let him know the concerns.
He was appalled by some of the
accusations. For instance, he had no idea
that his uniform checks felt uncomfortable
to the girls. He also didnt remember
sticking a kid in the corner. I didnt press
him on it, but simply said we needed to
move forward and change the way kids are
feeling in the classroom. I tied the kids
perception to what we know about feeling
comfortable and safe before learning
(Bransford, 2000). Im not sure if that was
right or wrong not to hold his feet to the
fire on the specifics of each concern. On
the one hand, my goal wasnt to humiliate
or punish him. On the other hand, it
worries me that he either cant tell when he
is doing something that isnt appropriate in our classrooms or that he isnt completely honest
about whats going on. At one point, he started to explain something and then said, Well,
excuses dont really matter. I just need to figure out a way to fix it. I appreciated this attitude.
I feel good about the action plan I created, I feel fairly good about the meeting since he
made it clear that he was most interested in moving forward. However, as I write this at the end
of the weekend, he has not changed his syllabus on his webpage in the way that I asked, and I

have received an email from a parent who is he has still not called back. However, the action
plan that I created gives me comfort. Ive asked him to do very specific things, and if I need to
micromanage those things I can. I feel comfortable in my priorities. I know that the first priority
is making sure our students get an excellent English class. My second priority is helping the
teacher make a smooth transition into our community (Blas & Blas, 2003). The most difficult
part is asking parents to wait while someone transitions to our community. Its a fact of life that
we sometimes get new teachers, but it feels unconscionable that kids should suffer while a
teacher finds his footing. The high school has several mentoring programs, but I havent been
able to figure out why our structures arent working for this teacherother than the fact that he
doesnt ask for help or seek guidance. He is an experienced teacher, but clearly I need to do a
better job of not only saying Im available by scheduling time for him to talk with me about his
classroom protocols and behavior management systems.
I desperately hope that with coaching, this teacher will be a good fit for out community,
but I also have to realize that if he doesnt fit we need to be okay with letting him go after a year.
Unfortunately, I have a niggling feeling that he may left high and dry because Im just figuring
out how to do this kind of coaching and I dont have the perfect words to mentor teachers yet
despite my best efforts.
Resources
Bransford, J.D, Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (2000). How People Learn, Brain, Mind,
Experience, and School. National Research Council, Washington, D.C.: National
Academy Press.
Blas, J. & Blas, J. (2003). Handbook of Instructional Leadership: How successful principals
promote teaching and learning (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Personal Reflection Journal #5: Professional Development through Observation-Gaining
Knowledge of Public School Services &Watching Great Leadership in Action
Standards:
1.b
Communicate the shared vision so the entire school community understands and acts on
the schools mission to become a standards-based education system.
1.c
Use the influence of diversity to improve teaching and learning.
1.d
Identify and address any barriers to accomplishing the vision.
1.e
Shape school programs, plans, and activities to ensure that they are integrated, articulated
through the grades, and consistent with the vision.
1.f
Leverage and marshal sufficient resources, including technology, to implement and attain
the vision for all students and all subgroups of students.
2.a
2.b
2.c

Shape a culture in which high expectations are the norm for each student as evident in
rigorous academic work.
Promote equity, fairness, and respect among all members of the school community.
Facilitate the use of a variety of appropriate content-based learning materials and learning

2.f
2.g

3.b
3.c
3.d
3.e
3.g

4.a
4.b
4.c
4.d
4.e
4.f

5.a
5.b
5.c
5.d
5.e
5.h
5.i

strategies that recognize students as active learners, value reflection and inquiry,
emphasize the quality versus the amount of student application and performance, and
utilize appropriate and effective technology.
Create an accountability system grounded in standards-based teaching and learning.
Utilize multiple assessments to evaluate student learning in an ongoing process focused
on improving the academic performance of each student.
Utilize effective and nurturing practices in establishing student behavior management
systems.
Establish school structures and processes that support student learning.
Utilize effective systems management, organizational development, and problem-solving
and decision-making techniques.
Align fiscal, human, and material resources to support the learning of all subgroups of
students.
Manage legal and contractual agreements and records in ways that foster a professional
work environment and secure privacy and confidentiality for all students and staff
Recognize and respect the goals and aspirations of diverse family and community groups.
Treat diverse community stakeholder groups with fairness and respect.
Incorporate information about family and community expectations into school decisionmaking and activities.
Strengthen the school through the establishment of community, business, institutional,
and civic partnerships.
Communicate information about the school on a regular and predictable basis through a
variety of media.
Support the equitable success of all students and all subgroups of students by mobilizing
and leveraging community support services.
Model personal and professional ethics, integrity, justice, and fairness, and expect the
same behaviors from others.
Protect the rights and confidentiality of students and staff.
Use the influence of office to enhance the educational program, not personal gain.
Make and communicate decisions based upon relevant data and research about effective
teaching and learning, leadership, management practices, and equity.
Demonstrate knowledge of the standards-based curriculum and the ability to integrate
and articulate programs throughout the grades.
Engage in professional and personal development.
Encourage and inspire others to higher levels of performance, commitment, and
motivation.

5.j

Sustain personal motivation, commitment, energy, and health by balancing professional

and personal responsibilities.

6.a

Work with the governing board and district and local leaders to influence policies that
benefit students and support the improvement of teaching and learning. Influence and
support public policies that ensure the equitable distribution of resources and support for
all subgroups of students.
Ensure that the school operates consistently within the parameters of federal, state, and
local laws, policies, regulations, and statutory requirements.
Generate support for the school by two-way communication with key decision-makers in
the school community.
Collect and report accurate records of school performance.
Open the school to the public and welcome and facilitate constructive conversations
about how to improve student learning and achievement.

6.b
6.c
6.d
6.f

As I listen to members of the cohort talk with great understanding and knowledge about
services for special education students, the array of acronyms and multitude of laws makes the
system seem daunting and overwhelming for an outsider (I can only imagine how parents must
feel!). This was why I decided that it was necessary to gain first-hand knowledge of the IEP
process for myself. The greatest moment of insight came to me during my pre-observation
interview with the principal of Washington Elementary School in Glendora. As she explained
the process by which a child gets an IEP, I asked, So, what do you hope will happen in this
process? Do you want to get the child an IEP, a 504, or do you hope they dont need anything?
She paused for a minute and then said, Well, we hope that whatever happens is whats best for
the child. It seems like a simple, obvious response, but in the midst of all the possibilities, laws
and protocols, it is easy to begin to think that the procedures that are in place are for the teachers
and parents. Keeping an eye on what is best for the child is the a job for the leaderand making
sure that others view the protocols in this way is one of the most important leadership tasks that
can become easily obscured by what may feel like bureaucratic minutia.
Once the IEP meeting itself began, I felt right at home. Most of it could have taken place
at my school for a child with an educational plan or for a child who is simply struggling to
keep up with his or her studies. The meeting was a check-in for a 6th grader who would be
moving on to the middle school in a few months. The special education teacher ran the meeting;
the principals designee was there (the principal was stuck at another meetingthis is a brilliant
practice when budgets must be cut and the assistant principal position eliminated); the students
mother attended, as did the general ed. teacher and a translator. Both the designee and the
translator seemed surprised that the student was not going to be included in the meeting. Im not
sure why she wasnt. We saw her playing outside the window. From the general ed. teachers
comments, the student was very involved in her education. She had learned to pinpoint where
meaning broke down and she was particularly good at seeking out teachers and other students for

help when she needed it. What the teacher wanted to see was more self-reliance. She loved that
the student asked questions, but she wanted to begin to see the student turn to her own resources,
such as her own notes when she was stuck. The student took tests with the special ed. teacher
and was in her classroom for 300 minutes a week. The special ed. teacher was working on the
skill of self-reliance as well. Clearly, the special ed. teacher and the general ed. teacher were on
the same page and had collaborated with one another to help the child. The students mother
corroborated the observations about the students lack of confidence when it came to figuring out
homework on her own. Through the translator, the mother explained that she was always telling
her daughter to reread her homework five times before asking her older brothers for help.
My favorite part of the meeting was the inclusion of goals. Specific goals in the childs
learning (based on standards) had been outlined for the year. The general ed. and special ed.
teacher read through the goals and explained why they felt the child had accomplished her goals.
In meetings at Campbell Hall for students with educational plans, we talk about the students
progress but we dont set goals beforehand. Thus, the moving target of improvement is a little
hard to quantify and parents and students dont necessarily see tangible evidence of progress
being made. I was surprised, however, that the teachers at the IEP meeting only relied on their
observations of whether or not the child reached her goals. They didnt bring in student work or
some other form of data (which I am sure they had). The teachers had also articulated some new
goals for the child to work on in the following year. Clearly, they had been in communication
with the middle school special ed. teacher as they formed these goals.
During the meeting, the teachers also went over the plan for the student in middle school,
including being the a first period block with the special ed. teacher so that she could get help
with homework and the transition to middle school. The mother wanted to know about the
logistics of this arrangement, and the teachers seemed worried that she might be questioning the
plan. It soon became apparent, however, that she was only wondering if she would need to get
her daughter to school earlier than her other children. The teachers explained that school would
start at the regular time for her daughter--just the first period is different. Also, the student will
be placed in general ed. classes that include a special ed.
teacher to help with small group work and who will be
able to help her individually. The mother was asked a set
of standard questions that included the question if she felt
she was included in the plan. She said, yes to all the
questions.
I left the meeting feeling really good about the
support this child was receiving. The emphasis on the
transition to middle school was especially impressive and
thoughtful. I also liked the accommodation of being in a
general ed. classroom with an extra teacher. This is an

accommodation that fits my understanding of Universal Design Theory. Having that extra
teacher may be initiated to help the students with IEPs in the room, but an extra teacher, in fact,
helps all the students in the room. Its a structural design that provides better access for all.
When the principal returned from her administrative meeting, I checked in with her to say
thanks and good-bye. I told her how impressed I was with the comprehensive support the
student was receiving and with the evidence of forward momentum. She was pleased, but she
offered a note of caution. She explained that 90% of her resources go to these studentsboth
financial and human. This was a piece of the puzzle that I had not seen firsthand. However, I
had seen all the effort the principal had put into collaborating with parents to raise funds for the
school (see artifact #2 advertising the talent show). During my pre-observation visit, I had
walked the school grounds with the principal and she did rounds checking in with teachers and
students (many students came running up to tell her about how they had improved in certain
behavior areas). We also rehearsed a group of students for the next weeks fundraiser talent
show (there is no music teacher to do this), and she walked through a large group of parents who
were waiting outside the school for their children to be dismissed at the end of the day and talked
to each about his/her students and reminded them about various school functions that were in the
works.
One of my final thoughts as I left the school was
that if I had a child in public school, I might feel more
comfortable if he/she had an IEP. If s/he did, I could be
certain that resources and special attention based on
clear strategies for forward momentum was being paid
to him/her. Clearly, the resources for students with
special needs are much further reaching (the special ed.,
teacher talked to me about the resource centers that
provide further support and help to families to get all
the support they need) than what we provide at
Campbell Hall. At CH the Director of Educational Support Services writes up plans in
collaboration with psychologists who conducted the testing, and parents and teachers, but the
accommodations we have available are limited to modifications like extended time on tests and
preferential seating. Our resources go elsewhere and so do students who need more support than
we can provide.
Its hard to comment on whether or not one system is better than another, and I note here
that the IEP I observed was for a child who was simply lowshe wasnt a student with major
special needs. This was a particularly good meeting for me to see because the meeting was most
comparable to the meetings we have for students at Campbell Hall. Through this meeting, it was
clear to me that the systems put into place to help these students are different, and Im very glad
to have a deeper understanding of the system in public schools. I think there are aspects of the
system utilized in public schools that we can appropriate to make our system at Campbell Hall
stronger.

Final Reflection: Using

Leadership Capacity to Explore
and Implement Big Ideas in the
English Department
This final image represents
the work that I am currently leading
in the English department as we
collaborate to create a curriculum
that is increasingly rigorous and
authentically student-centered.
Department members created these
post-its during the course of a long
conversation that centered around
the essential question: What does
an even more successful program
look like at our school? The
question invigorated teachers and
created opportunities for more
teacher autonomy and distributed
leadership. In many ways, it is the
ability to facilitate work like this
that is the true culmination of the
USC program.