Introduction Bill Clinton Middle School is one of the failing schools in Florida. I have recently been appointed as the new principal. According to the former principal’s evaluation he was not an effective communicator at all. There was no rapport with the staff, he did not encourage employee interaction, nor did he show interest in faculty and staff events. These factors could have been the reason for the low staff morale and lack of collegiality in the school. I have an opportunity to come into a horrible situation and work wonders. I plan on doing this by completely remodeling the methods of communication in the school.
Needs assessment Administrators can sometime set the tone for the entire school. This includes decisions, actions, and communication style. At Bill Clinton Middle School, the employee morale was low. I have come to the conclusion that this stems from the fact that the previous principal did not communicate well at all with employees. People have something called a reference group. These are the people that are used to evaluate self worth (Adler, Proctor, & Rosenfeld, 2004). In a school setting, co-workers may serve as a kind of reference group. The evaluated actions of the previous principal explain the attitude of the current employees. If the teachers felt this way I can only imagine how the students acted and performed. Happiness breeds more happiness. This calls for a definite need to increase employee morale and make the school seem more like a group of individuals who are working together towards a common goal. According to the school demographics, Bill Clinton Middle definitely had a need for an understanding of diversity. The racial compositions of the students are: 30% White, 42% Black, 26% Hispanic, and 2% other. At least 90% of the students that attend this school are on free or reduced lunch with some upper class population within the schools district. This means that not only were there racial differences but also some socioeconomic status differences as well. Not only is there an obvious need for an understanding of a diverse culture while most of these students are probably considered to be at-risk. Teaching in an environment of at-risk students requires teachers to adopt certain practices that can foster the growth of students from adverse backgrounds (Conyers & Wilson, 2000). The bottom line for improving this desolate situation begins with the staff. Once the staff develops a more positive attitude then they may begin to feel more invigorated to learn and try new things with the students. Motivated teachers with strategies for improving student achievement is the key. These new innovative ideas can be the trigger to improve on the school’s overall state test performance. The school’s state score is a clearly defined cry for help.
Communication Objectives Coming into this type of situation can be extremely intimidating and stressful. A plan has to be created to stay focused and on track. While I was searching for solutions I came across a Cinderella type story regarding an inner city college preparatory school rising against all odds. This school was the Hugo Newman College Preparatory School under the direction of the principal, Peter McFarlane. This principal showed great passion and excitement as he explained all that he did to erase his school off of the SINI (School in need of improvement) list. Dr. McFarlane used a four-step approach to turn around an at-risk school in the heart of New York City. First, the principal faced the task of convincing his staff to buy into his instructional vision. Key to this task was communication and input through team planning and feedback. The second step involved in the creation of a community of learners, based on the belief that learning is lifelong. Essential to a community of learners is an environment where teachers learn and, therefore, better their practice. A school leadership team was developed to be the governing voice of the school and set the parameters for the other teams in the school. Subcommittees were appointed from the leadership team to discuss issues relevant to the comprehensive education plan. Step three involves the setting of short- and long-range plans. For Hugo Newman the short-term goal is to get off of the SINI list, while the long-range goal is to become a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. The last step in this colossal undertaking was professional development based upon research. The successful implementation of professional development is highly dependant upon the school leader. A professional development team of experts on the staff in the areas of math, literacy, technology, and administration was formed. A survey was then distributed to the entire faculty and used to prioritize the professional development needs of the faculty and staff. Dr. McFarlane then held one-on-one meetings to have real professional conversations with each teacher about professional development, including personal goals, student goals, what teachers need from the principal to support goals, and what the principal can do to help the teacher grow professionally. Small group conversations were also held school-wide to further the conversations about the professional goals articulated in the one-on-one meetings could be discussed. Peter McFarlane has been a source of great motivation for me and the Bill Clinton Middle School. After viewing this story I agree with so many of the strategies that were displayed, I decided to adopt many of them into my improvement plan. He will serve as my real-life model for creating a school environment filled with excellence and accomplishments. As principal I am responsible for bringing this school to its greatest level of becoming an “A” school in the state of Florida. What works for one school may not work for another but in this case I went through the Principal Leadership Standards and made connections with Peter McFarlane’s strategies and everything he was doing was right on target with the standards. At this point I feel as if I am heading down the “yellow brick road”.
Dr. McFarlane’s connections to standards 1.0 Vision- High performing leaders have a personal vision for their school and the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to develop, articulate and implement a shared vision that is supported by the larger organization and the school community. Dr. McFarlane clearly identified the needs of his school that are to be targeted in the improvement plan. These are the components that he feels will aid in getting his school off of the SINI list:
1) Cohesive curriculum
2) Collaboration of people working together
3) Discussions of student work
4) Conversations about kids, what they do and how they can achieve. 2.0- Instructional Leadership- High performance leaders promote a positive learning culture, provide and effective instructional program, and apply best practices to student learning, especially in the area of reading and other foundational skills. Dr. McFarlane identifies the teaching and learning needs of the school’s staff and teachers. As he conferences with teachers he asks about their professional needs to improve student achievement. He is also a firm believer in creating an environment where teachers learn, practice and continue to grow as instructional leaders. 3.0- Managing the Learning Environment- High performing leaders manage the organization, operations, facilities and resources in ways that maximize the use of resources in an instructional organization and promote a safe, efficient, legal, and effective learning environment. Dr. Peter McFarlane focuses on keeping constant conversations with his faculty and staff. This demonstrates his ability to lead and manage a complex and diverse organization. Dr. Peter McFarlane provides discussions that begin in large group settings then in small group settings and eventually end up in an individual one-on-one setting. This is not a meeting that requires the teachers or staff to just listen to what they are being told. They have an opportunity to let the principal know what they need from him as an administrator to help them grow professionally. This creates a “give and take” relationship that works beautifully in a school environment that is working towards a common goal. 4.0- Community and Stakeholder Partnerships- High performing leaders collaborate with families, business, and community members, respond to diverse community interests and needs, work effectively within the larger organization and mobilize community resources. Dr. McFarlane realizes that constant budget cuts should not prevent the school from meeting the needs of the learners. His school has a working relationship with the community to create partnerships that can supply additional funding for the school to continue its plan for becoming a School of Excellence. 5.0- Decision Making Strategies- High performing leaders plan effectively, use critical thinking and problem solving techniques, and collect and analyze data for continuous school improvement. Dr. McFarlane does not have a problem including others to help him achieve the organizational goals set for the school. The creation of a professional development team is a perfect way to combine experts in various areas to work together on a common goal. 6.0- Diversity- High performing leaders understand, respond to, and influence the personal, political, social, economic, legal, and cultural relationships in the classroom, the school and the local community. Dr. McFarlane is the principal of a school that has a diverse population of students and faculty. He demonstrates the skills necessary for handling interpersonal situations by creating an environment where there is a communication and understanding of where the school wants to go. 7.0- Technology- High performing leaders plan and implement the integration of technological and electronic tools in teaching, learning, management, research, and communication responsibilities. Dr. McFarlane demonstrates this standard by having a technology expert included in his professional development team. This displays his ability to work with a tech-savvy staff to plan for effective technology use in the school. 8.0- Learning, Accountability, and Assessment- High performing leaders monitor the success of all students in the learning environment, align the curriculum, instruction, and assessment processes to promote effective student performance, and use a variety of benchmarks, learning expectations, and feedback measures to ensure accountability for all participants engaged in the educational process. Dr. McFarlane demonstrates his ability to monitor and assess student progress by creating an environment where the staff have actual conversations that focus on student achievement and student work. This enables Hugo Newman to spot problems in student achievement before they can escalate into larger ones. 9.0- Human Resource Development- High performing leaders recruit, select, nurture and, where appropriate, retain effective personnel, develop mentor and partnership programs, and design and implement comprehensive professional growth plans for all staff- paid and volunteer. Dr. McFarlane demonstrates the fact that he provides opportunities for teachers to think, plan, and work together by creating a schedule that gives grade level teachers a common planning period. Plenty of planning can take place during this time to benefit the common goal of the school. 10.0- Ethical Leadership- High performing leaders act with integrity, fairness, and honesty in an ethical manner. Dr. McFarlane has developed well-reasoned educational beliefs based on an understanding of teaching and learning. He knows that by empowering his staff that his school can come off of the SINI list and become a School of Excellence. This idea was cultivated from focusing on the entire child and the understanding that this is going to require a team effort. He developed a short term plan and a long term plan with the inclusion of input of the faculty and staff. His goal setting was realistic because he expected to see and change within a 3-5 year time frame.
Communication Plan
Activities to build rapport with staff Meet individually with each employee to talk about their goals, expectations, and concerns with the school at this point. | August 2006 | Invite teachers to participate in a ”back to school” luncheon. | August 2006 | Have a faculty Christmas party at an agreed location. | December 2006 | I will begin a secret pal activity during the Christmas season and also be a participant. | November 2006 | Conduct monthly faculty meetings to address issues concerning the school, student achievement, and employee concerns | Monthly | Schedule meetings to introduce activities that may be beneficial to the school and demonstrate my support for the activities. | Continuous | Activities to show support of staff and display effective listening skills Work with faculty at each grade level to create a realistic teacher evaluation form to be used this school year. | August 2006 | Create a list of concerns that each teacher had during the conference at the beginning of the year. | September 2006 | Schedule follow-up conferences with teachers to assist them in working towards their desired goals. | September 2006 | Bring the faculty together to create an overall teacher evaluation form that can be utilized throughout the school. | September 2006 | Have an open door policy for teachers, listen to their concerns, and address them at the appropriate times. | Continuous | During conferences and after observations with teachers provide employees with a conference to receive constructive feedback. | Continuous | Create a leadership team within the school that can handle certain aspects of the school’s function that does not always require the attention of the principal. | August 2006 | Create a schedule that allows teachers on the same grade level a common planning time. | August 2006 |

Activities to strengthen the school’s relationship with the community Encourage teachers to report any kind of student achievement to the local newspaper. | Continuous | Be present at every school board meeting, conduct more PTO meetings, and be an active source of input in these meetings. | Continuous | Invite local businesses to a meeting to discuss the goals of Bill Clinton Middle School and find out how they may be of some assistance by becoming sponsors. | August 2006 | Begin open communication with community leaders and other school administrators in the area. | Continuous |

Activities to increase student achievement Work with leadership team and experts in specific subject areas to align curriculum with state performance standards. | August 2006 | Interact with students on a daily basis and ask them questions about the content they are learning. | Continuous | Schedule professional development for teachers that will enhance teacher learning and increase student achievement. | Continuous | Start an after-school program to focus on students that did not make adequate progress on the state exam the previous year. | September 2006 | Invite parents as well as students in for conferences to discuss the progress of the student’s academic achievement providing possible solutions to continue progress. | Continuous |

The BrainSMART program is the perfect program for me to adopt in my quest to transform Bill Clinton Middle School into a School of Excellence. This program was developed by Dr. Donna Wilson and Marcus Conyers of Florida. This program focuses on using research of the brain in connection with strategies for student achievement. They have analyzed the technical functions of the brain and connected them with methods of teaching. Since many of the students of a lower socio-economic status are the ones that tend to perform poorly on state tests, these are the primary focus of this program. Majority of the students taught these days are considered to be left-hemispheric learners and the usual lecture style of teaching does not work for them. They can only retain about 5% of the information presented to them in this manner. Dr. Wilson and Mr. Conyers will come into the school to conduct workshops with teachers that can equip them with the strategies necessary to make a phenomenal difference in their student’s achievement. Not only can the students benefit from this program, but teachers will begin to feel empowered as they see the strategies they have learned make an improvement in the lives of their students.
Conclusion
I have given a great deal of thought and consideration in the creation of this communication/school improvement plan. This entire situation has become realistic to me because it is a possible scenario in the future of my administrative career. I feel more confident in my ability to handle a situation such as this one since I have done my research and completed this course. Communication is so important that it affects physical health, identity needs, social needs, and practical needs (Alder, Proctor, & Rosenfeld, 2004). If an improvement in communication affects all of the previous aspects of life just imagine what it can do for education.
References
Adler, R., Proctor, R., & Rosenfeld, L. (2004). Interplay. New York: Oxford University Press.

Conyers, M. & Wilson, D. (2000). Courageous learners: unleashing the brain power of students from at risk situations. Winter Park, FL: BrainSMART, Inc.

Meeting the Challenge of Urban School Instructional Leadership. (n.d.). Retrieved
February 4, 2006, from Nova Southeastern University, Educational Impact Web site:http://programs.educationalimpact.com/topics/index.cfm?ses=478129&&videoNum=1&CFID=425058&CFTOKEN=28524510.