Elements that Impact on the School Culture - Case Study Example

Case Study Instructional Leadership Development Model Instructional leadership development training is meant to enable new school heads to crate instructional experiences that will make knowledge and skills acquisition more effective, efficient and appealing to learners (Reiser and Dempsey, 2012). The training also helps head teachers of different schools to establish significant processes in the school routines which will systematically support the developments and improvements in the quality of education for each student in their schools. The course also enables school leaders to create conditions in the culture of the school that are centered on the students (Reiser and Dempsey, 2012). Question 1: Elements that impact on the school culture School organizations are affected by various issues, both internal and external, that ultimately shape the culture of the school. The culture of the school will eventually determine the performance of the students, staff and the general performance of the school as judged against other schools in similar category (Reiser and Dempsey, 2012). There are four main elements in the instructional leadership development model that help to shape the culture of the school (Reiser and Dempsey, 2012). Decisions regarding various aspects of the school such as resource allocation, staffing patterns, time management, course offering and use of space focus around the four main elements. The elements include the course curriculum, student to teacher ratio, authority of the teachers as well as community involvement. In developing a positive school culture, it is important for school heads to focus on a model that the four main elements of collaboration, continuous improvement, high expectations and learner centeredness. In order to create a positive culture for the new school I will be heading, I will Endeavour to put in practice the key elements of instructional leadership development model. I will promote a learner centered approach to the learning process (Reiser and Dempsey, 2012). This will help the students to benefit tremendously from the learning process through a more interactive approach. There will also be high expectations from both the students and staff members with each person expected to work hard to achieve both individual and organizational goals. I will promote a collaborative approach to learning. Team work is essential in achieving the objectives of the school as a whole. Finally, I will develop a school culture that is based on continuous improvement, with continuous planning, monitoring, evaluation and assessment of the progress made after specific periods of time. Question 2: Students’ performance review A critical analysis of the students performance from the data gathered indicates that there is a lot need to improve the performance. The school is currently in unacceptable academic standards but there is still room for improvement. The data shows that students with a white ethnic background perform better than those from the other races in all subjects. The other students need to work much harder so as to help the school improve its academic status in the district and the state. As the new head of the school, I will make it my mission to improve the academic performance of the entire school and for every student in the various subjects. Based on the continuous improvement process model, the main goal and objective I will set to improve the performance is to encourage a more interactive and student centered learning process (Reiser and Dempsey, 2012). In achieving this objective, I will encourage teachers to move from a learning process focused on skill and drill exercises and adopt a more interactive student centered learning process that will require more involvement of the students in terms of complex thinking. The learning process will involve teachers giving stimulus to students so as to encourage them to gain attention throughout the lesson. Learners will also be shown the objectives and expectations of the learning process. Teachers will also stimulate students to recall previous issues learnt, guide the students throughout the learning process, assessing the students’ performances and providing feedback on the learning process. Question 3: Review of the Staff data The school has very few teachers. The ratio of students to teachers in each of the grades is very high as compared to the average ration in the state. Examining the data on the teacher’s experience reveals that the teachers in the school are not well paid as compared to their colleagues in the state with the same experience. Only teachers with over 20 years experience receive a salary close to the industry standards. Low pay may discourage the teachers from working hard and they may be at a risk of joining other schools that offer them a better pay. The number of female teachers in the school is twice as much as that of male teachers. This represents a significant improvement as compared to the data from the state which has female teachers at 70% and male teachers at 29%. This can also be improved so as to set new gender standards for the rest of the schools in the state. A majority of the teachers are of a white ethnic background just like in most schools in the state and the district. The statistics can also be improved so as to accommodate more teachers from the other ethnic groups. In order to help improve the status of the school, there is need to add more staff members in terms of their ethnic backgrounds, experience and reduce the student to teacher ratio (Reiser and Dempsey, 2012). There is need to train the teachers on a wide range of issues to make them comfortable in delivering knowledge to students. The main goal I would set to improve staffing in the school will be to increase teachers’ skills through relevant training and making educational tools available for their use. I will also set a long term goal to increase the number of teachers in the school when the finances get better. This goal can be achieved using the continuous improvement process model by increasing the expectations from the teachers’ performances, promoting collaboration from teachers in the various departments as well as fostering ethics and integrity. The teachers’ performances will be assessed at the end of specified periods and necessary improvements made for the next period. Question 4: Review of the financial data The data indicates that the schools financial resources have been underused as compared to other schools in the same group. All the expenditure for the school functions and programs is below the average rates in the campus group. This indicates that the resources in the school need to be better managed so as to make the school competitive. The current financial situation of the school is of unacceptable standards. This limits further expansion and improvement of the various departments of the school. For there to be significant improvement in the school’s overall performance, the financial situation needs to be improved. This will facilitate improvements in the teachers’ remunerations, availability of learning materials as well as library materials for the students (Reiser and Dempsey, 2012). Improvement in the welfare of both students and teachers in the school will facilitate the education process and steer the school forward in terms of education performances. The main object I will set to improve the financial situation of the school is to attract investment from educational partners who will help fund students education, improve the staff welfare and improve the infrastructure of the school. This goal can also be achieved using the continuous improvement process model. By improving the teachers and students welfare through better finances, there is bound to be a better environment for learning. Steps in the continuous improvement process model will enable me to assess financial progress made after sometime, increase expectations from both teachers and students performances and foster a more student centered approach to learning. Question 5: Review of Students’ demographic data The school currently has more students as compared to the resources available to improve their learning process. The greatest majority of the students, about 75% of them is economically disadvantaged and may experience problems in paying for their education. The school needs to have a sustainable number of students in each grade and reduce the student to teacher ratio so as to facilitate a more interactive learning process (Reiser and Dempsey, 2012). The current number of students can be sustained if there will be improvements in other aspects of the school such as the increase in the number of teachers and availability of financial support. The school also needs to be more diverse in its admission of students. Ethnic demographics need to be improved as well by enrolling students from various backgrounds, races, religions and geographical locations. The majority of the students in the school are Hispanics, who comprise of 54.5% followed by African Americans at 28.6% and Whites at 15%. The other races have been minimally represented and account for about 2.9% of the total population. This will help create a culturally rich environment which will allow students to learn a lot from each other as well as promoting diversity and coexistence of people regardless of their backgrounds (Reiser and Dempsey, 2012). My main objective would be to create a more inclusive admissions policy that will attract individuals from various parts of the country and cultures. This objective can be achieved using the continuous improvement process model by creating a more inclusive culture that will help promote interactions among students and teachers and promoting ethical and professional relationships among the students and teachers alike. Question 6: Additional Data to be collected The data already collected provides me with an overview of the school I will be heading and is very useful in formulating policies that will help steer the school ahead in the future. I would however endeavor to collect more data in these and other aspects of the school so as to get a more holistic view of the school (Reiser and Dempsey, 2012). This will enable me to take in to account the various stakeholders in the education process in the school and include them in the planning process. I will collect data regarding the infrastructure of the school, subordinate staff, and extra-curricular activities, history of the school and government records about the school. This new data would be important in formulating more inclusive policies and goals that will help increase the status of the school among its peers. Works Cited Reiser, R. A. and Dempsey, J. V. Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology, Boston: Pearson, 2012. 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