Interview Analysis - Assignment Example

Education Interview Analysis Schools which are often categorized as high-poverty or high-needs types of schools often face some ofthe greatest challenges. The challenges are worse for the administrators who run them. It becomes difficult to understand how children can learn when they do not feel safe at home or schools or if they lack adequate food and clothes. To examine how the administrators in such schools deal with learners from low-income earning families, I used the data I obtained from an interview I had done earlier. It was during this interview that I collected academic performance data from third-grade students from Idea Carver Academy, a public school in San Antonio. The data collected came from three people I interviewed who included the Vice Principal, Mr. Stilder, Ms. Reyes a math teacher and the third person was a parent. All the interviewees came from different constituencies to ensure that the data collected was not all concentrated from only one high-poverty school. From the interview and the information that I collected, I found that administrators in high-poverty schools are likely help their students if they worked together with the teachers and parents to establish programs that helped the students (Texas Education Agency, 2014). The first person I interviewed was Mr. Stilder, the Vice Principal at Idea Carver Academy. To identify how high-poverty school administrators maintained a balance between leadership and management tasks I had to ask. I mentioned that I thought it was difficult for administrators to get students with basic needs such as lack of money to buy lunch, lack of insecurity at home or clothes to change on a daily basis. Mr. Stilder was quick to point that even though he was the school administrator, he could not have successfully ensured that students performed well in their academics without teachers and parents. As a leader Mr. Stilder said that he ensured that all the programs set in the school motivated teachers to encourage the students to talk about their problems. He motivated teachers by allowing them to participate in teams to create a feeling of campus planning. Through some of his responses indicated below, it was clear that he was a leader that motivated his followers. “…if we do not build a solid relationship with teachers, I cannot expect them to be fully committed to the students” (Mr Stilder, 2015). He also added that “Allowing teachers to participate in making the team of teachers stronger thus feeling involved in campus planning; truly allows teachers to be heard…” (Mr. Stilder, 2015). As a manager, he said that he felt it was his duty to ensure the staff members at school and the students conformed to the set standards. The principal asserted that it was only through organization and directing that it was possible to make sure everyone carried out their tasks within the set boundaries. When I asked how he saw his management technique, he said that he saw himself as a democratic leader who oversaw implementation of appropriate management techniques and delegation of authority. He also added that everyone’s roles were well-defined because there were group processes and assigned functions that determined a person’s accountability for goal attainment. I found that his management style was very successful at ensuring that there was fast implementation of parental involvement and incentive programs which resulted in student’s improved academic performance. To identify how administrators addressed the operational and instructional needs in high-poverty schools, I first asked Mr. Stilder the type of resources and information he gathered prior to making decisions. He informed me that there were many sources of information for use when it was his turn to make decisions. According to the principal, the key goal in decision-making was for the administrator to make sure that the decisions made were effective. He was also insistent that operational and instructional needs were properly addressed when he collaborated with all teachers and all the other staff members in the school. For example, he gave an example where he said that the use of designated planning, done at regular times would be the key to ensuring that teachers engaged in team work. Mr. Stilder was able to express how he addressed such needs by saying that: “…moral and relationship and support as a team makes us effective when working with our students, if they are struggling we know what to do…” (Mr. Stilder, 2015). “Work together for success" it could be tutoring, Saturday school, extra time doing a school day, incentives for the students really seem to be effective ” (Mr. Stilder, 2015). To explain how his efforts contributed to positive results, the principal added that he relied on technology to frame and analyze all the problems in campus. According to the principal, telecommunications and information systems in the school helped in effective problem solving techniques and decision-making skills. The other aspect of the interview that I noted was that teachers and parents also had high expectations and that it is not only the administrators who had this task. Like in all schools where students are not in need of financial or food aid, high-needs schools are also expected to achieve excellent performance standards of students in their academics. Students are also expected to behave appropriately since most educators do not accept any excuses why a student may not care about their grades or cannot work. To show the students they are serious, school administrators and staff members also follow consistent procedures when responding to student behavior that they see as negative. Teachers may decide to spend time with students as the school year begins, with an aim of noting the type of behavior that students exhibited. For example, during the interview with the math teacher Ms. Reyes she stated that; "… role play, fun games, pretending the teacher is a student and the positive atmosphere trickles down to the students and after” (Ms. Reyes, 2015). From what Ms. Reyes said it was evident that the administrators and teachers did not resort to excuses when their students did not perform well, since there was no chance for students to fall behind in their studies. At one point when interviewing the math teacher, Ms. Reyes she added that there were other techniques that the school administrator used for campus planning and the revising of an annual improvement plan. According to Ms. Reyes, there was a model that led to continuous development of all the learners who were in the community. Ms. Reyes stated that; “The VP and interventionist does not want to be viewed by the students as someone who is just there to reprimand but rather give another view or technique to get information given to the students” (Ms. Reyes, 2015). To understand if the administrative team at Idea Carver Academy improved the performance of teachers and students using motivational principle, I had decided to interview a parent at the school. When I asked if there was a process that teachers used for consulting with the committee responsible for planning at the campus, the parent named several of these processes. For example, the parent argued that the school had incentive programs developed for purposes of helping students learn math. These were different programs which all suited students according to their grade-levels but they were helpful. Moreover, the parent argued that such programs eliminated some of their fears because the parent did not feel obligated to teach their children using what they saw as obsolete school programs or methods. The programs were not only helpful in educating parents only, but teachers also benefited because students performed well in mathematics and their overall grade in all units. “They have different requirements for each grade-level, but if they meet them, they are allowed to attend a Math Rock concert at the end of the school year” “…parental involvement is imperative to my child’s success in math and the school’s success in teaching math” These were some of the things that the parent found as the most important for the school to continue doing for the students. According to the parent, such incentive programs were not only effective in motivating students to perform well in math, but they also encouraged and facilitated positive change in the behavior of students. The parent noted that most parents found that after becoming introduced to incentive programs their children able to overcome obstacles they had in all other subjects. Lastly, I was able to ask the principal how he ensured how other people such as parents in his model of leadership participated in making the school a high-achieving school. In my opinion, this was the best technique that a school administrator in a high-needs school would use to promote learning and productivity among the teachers. Such approaches are useful in high-poverty schools because students usually feel that the parents, teachers and administration team support them. They feel loved and valued, which makes it easier for them bond with parents. Moreover, the principal stated; “…we are working on better parental involvement with that we feel we have to be so much more successful” (Mr. Stilder, 2015). The parent also said that the principal used the incentive program for not only the benefit of the students, but also as a way for parents to learn how to teach their children when they were at home. The parent’s argument was that personal connection between teachers and students or parents and their children encouraged everyone to think beyond their interests. From this interview, I learnt that it is not the administrators in schools who are responsible for ensuring that students perform exceptionally well in their education. I learnt that this was not possible, if the administrator was not collaborating with the teachers and students. Even in a situation where the models that promoted high standards were part of the techniques use by schools to ensure that the highest of standards was the norm, it was impossible to succeed. Success was not easily attained without joint team efforts from all sides. The use of models that encouraged ethical principles and integrity when students made decisions showed that what each student at the school did was their way of saying that success is achievable even for students learning in high-poverty schools. This was the way of students at IDEA Carver school to show that regardless of the obstacles they faced, getting high grades in their school work was possible. From the interview it was apparent that programs that promoted better parental involvement and provision of incentives helped (Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association, 2015). References Mr. Stilder, personal communication, (2015). Interview Questions. Retrieved from Class discussions Ms. Reyes, personal communication, (2015). Interview Questions. Retrieved from Class discussions Texas Education Agency. (2014). 2013-14 Texas academic performance report. TEA Division of Performance Reporting, 1-13. Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association. (2015, March 4). Principal surveys to evaluate Texas educator preparation programs (2015). Retrieved from http://tea.texas.gov/interiorpage_wide.aspx?id=25769820488 Read More