DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Reflection

Ethical Leadership: Promoting the success of all students by acting with integrity, fairly, and in an ethical manner. The diverse populations professional development assignment fits into the ELCC 5.0 standard directly by addressing a specific underperforming subgroup at our school in a fair and ethical manner. We are steadfast about promoting the success of all students irrespective of their ethnic background. All students deserve a chance to succeed and a leader that addresses the individual needs of students. Ethical Leadership is directly aligned to NCLB in it's school of thought that all students deserve a free and fair ducation irrespective of their socioeconomic background. My Diverse Populations Professional Development plan refuses to overlook the underperforming subgroup, and targets the ELL population of underperforming students in ELA. By attempting to close the achievement gap, this professional development plan addresses Standard 5.0 in acting "fairly" and in an " ethical" manner.

 

During the creation of the diverse populations professional development assignment, I spoke to the ELL Coordinator at my school to learn about the most effective interventions and practices to help ELL learners succeed in the classrooms. I wanted to learn as much as I could so that I would be able to design a realistic and effective professional development plan for my staff. I also considered the different personalities of my teachers when developing activities for them to complete during the implementation stage of the professional developments. I think this was an effective strategy because I factored in my audience as I planned the trainings for them. In order for professional developments to be effective and impact students, they must impact the teachers first. My favorite part of this assignment was getting the opportunity to interface with the ELL Coordinator and learn about best practices for ELL learners. As an ethical leader, I will have to make decisions on how to design professional developments to get the best results for my students.

 

Even though I have been to a few professional developments since I started teaching and I have had ELL students in my classroom, planning a professional development program with measurable objectives felt abstract. I have only written measurable goals in isolation for out summer class, and did not feel very confident about being able to write good measurable goals. In addition, I wasn’t sure about being able to clearly address those goals because I had to consider follow up and evaluation which I had initially lumped together in my mind. This assignment was definitely a stretch for me in terms of knowing what I was doing.

 


I usually try to start thinking about an assignment ahead of time and preparing myself before the due date. I also ask questions when I’m confused and contacted Janet a few times to go over some of my work as I tried to make sense of the assignment.  I also talked to some of my colleagues which was also helpful.

 


I liked the fact that I had to speak with different people in my school for more information about my topic on English Language Learners. This helped make a connection between us because we all have common goals for our students and their success. I learned about a thing that I otherwise wouldn’t have known about that was happening in my school. For instance, the ESL Specialist informed me that due to budget she cannot simply do professional training for teachers. She must push in and provide legally mandated services for ELL students.

 

I learned the importance of planning ahead and aligning objectives to professional developments. I also learned about how critical follow through and support is and that it can be done in several ways.

 

I would have started the assignment even earlier so that I could have more time to go back and revise.

 

I remember Dr. Kaufman talking to us a lot about systems and how they support initiatives at the schools. At first, this too, was abstract. Now as I plan professional developments that I want to have an impact on teachers, I must also consider what systems need to be put in place to provide that ongoing support. In addition to support, eliciting feedback is essential to the success of the implementation of any program. Teachers must be given a voice. As a future leader, I will work very hard to cultivate a culture where teachers do not fear retaliation for voicing their opinions. I will also work closely with a team of teachers and administrators to continuously discuss systems that support the programs that we want to see be successful.

 

 

During the creation of the professional development for reinforcing effort and providing recognition, I addressed the ethical leadership standard by incorporating the mental and social development of children into the plan. Students need to feel that thy are being treated fairly to respond positively to instruction. This is an essential component to being an effective ethical leader in the future. In my opinion, leaders must mot lose touch with what it feels like to be a student in their school. Promoting their self-efficacy as well as their academic performance is key as a school leader.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.