FUTURE-READINESS:

The Standards in Detail

 

To demonstrate that students have mastered the philosophy of the conceptual framework, teacher education candidates must provide evidence of the following.  The medium for this demonstration follows this listing of descriptors.

 

1.     Teachers demonstrate leadership

 

a.     Teachers lead in their classrooms.

1.     Evaluate the progress of students toward high school graduation using a variety of assessment data measuring goals of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

2.     Draw on appropriate data to develop classroom and instructional plans.

3.     Maintain a safe and orderly classroom that facilitates student learning.

4.     Use positive management of student behavior, effective communication for defusing and deescalating disruptive or dangerous behavior, and safe and appropriate seclusion and restraint.

b.    Teachers demonstrate leadership in the school.

1.     Engage in collaborative and collegial professional learning activities.

2.     Identify the characteristics or critical elements of a school improvement plan.

3.     Display the ability to use appropriate data to identify areas of need that should be addressed in a school improvement plan.

c.     Teachers lead the teaching profession.

1.     Participate in professional development and growth activities.

2.     Begin to develop professional relationships and networks.

d.    Teachers advocate for schools and students.

1.     Implement and adhere to policies and practices positively affecting students’ learning.

e.     Teachers demonstrate high ethical standards

1.     Uphold the Code of Ethics for North Carolina Educators and the Standards for Professional Conduct.

 

2.   Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students

 

a.     Teachers provide an environment in which each child has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults.

1.     Maintain a positive and nurturing learning environment.

b.    Teachers embrace diversity in the school community and in the world.

1.     Appropriately use materials or lessons that counteract stereotypes and acknowledge the contributions of all cultures.

2.     Incorporate different points of view in instruction.

3.     Understand the influence of diversity and plans instruction accordingly.

c.     Teachers treat students as individuals.

1.     Maintain a learning environment that conveys high expectations of every student.

d.    Teachers adapt their teaching for the benefit of students with special needs.

1.     Cooperate with specialists and use resources to support the special learning needs of all students.

2.     Use research-verified strategies to provide effective learning activities for students with special needs.

e.     Teachers work collaboratively with the families and significant adults in the lives of their students.

1.     Communicate and collaborate with the home and community for the benefit of students.

 

3.  Teachers know the content they teach.

 

a.     Teachers align their instruction with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

1.     Develop and apply lessons based on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

2.     Integrate effective literacy instruction throughout the curriculum and across content areas to enhance students’ learning.

b.    Teachers know the content appropriate to their teaching specialty.

1.     Demonstrate an appropriate level of content knowledge in the teaching specialty.

2.     Encourage students to investigate the content area to expand their knowledge and satisfy their natural curiosity.

c.     Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/discipline.

1.     Demonstrate knowledge of links between grade/subject and the North Carolina Standard Course of Study by relating content to other disciplines.

2.     Relate global awareness to the subject.

d.    Teachers make instruction relevant to students.

1.     Integrate 21st century skills and content in instruction.

 

4.  Teachers facilitate learning for their students

 

a.     Teachers know the ways in which learning takes place, and they know the appropriate levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their students.

1.     Identify developmental levels of individual students and plans instruction accordingly.

2.     Assess and use resources needed to address strengths and weaknesses of students.

b.    Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students.

1.     Collaborate with colleagues to monitor student performance and make instruction responsive to cultural differences and individual learning needs.

c.     Teachers use a variety of instructional methods.

1.     Use a variety of appropriate methods and materials to meet the needs of all students.

d.    Teachers integrate and utilize technology in their instruction.

1.     Integrate technology with instruction to maximize students’ learning.

e.     Teachers help students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.

1.     Integrate specific instruction that helps students develop the ability to apply processes and strategies for critical thinking and problem solving.

f.      Teachers help students to work in teams and develop leadership qualities.

1.     Organize student learning teams for the purpose of developing cooperation, collaboration, and student leadership.

g.    Teachers communicate effectively.

1.     Use a variety of methods to communicate effectively with all students.

2.     Consistently encourage and support students to articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively.

h.    Teachers use a variety of methods to assess what each student has learned.

1.     Use multiple indicators, both formative and summative, to monitor and evaluate students’ progress and to inform instruction.

2.     Provide evidence that students attain 21st century knowledge, skills and dispositions.

 

5.  Teachers reflect on their practice

 

a.     Teachers analyze student learning.

1.     Use data to provide ideas about what can be done to improve students’ learning.

b.    Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals.

1.     Participate in recommended activities for professional learning and development.

c.     Teachers function effectively in a complex, dynamic environment.

1.     Use a variety of research-verified approaches to improve teaching and learning.

 

 

DEMONSTRATION OF FUTURE READINESS

 

To demonstrate that they have mastered the above standards, students must provide the following six pieces of evidence.  This evidence will be available for review by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

 

Evidence #1:  Breadth of Content Knowledge

An official college transcript will be submitted as evidence that demonstrates breadth of content knowledge in the specialty area.  This evidence addresses descriptor 3b.1 (above).

Evidence #2:  Depth of Content Knowledge

Candidates will submit evidence that demonstrates depth of understanding and application of content knowledge in the specialty area.  See specific evidence for each specialty area.  This evidence addresses descriptor 3b.1.

Evidence #3:  Pedagogical and Professional Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions

Candidates will design a Comprehensive Instructional Unit to provide evidence that demonstrates effective design of classroom instruction based on research-verified practice.  This evidence addresses the following descriptors: 1a.2, 2b.3, 2d.1, 3a.1, 3c.1, 3c.2, 3d.1, 4a.1, 4a.2, 4b.1, 4c.1, 4d.1, 4e.1, 4f.1, 5c.1.

 

All teacher education candidates must complete EDU 400: Organization for Teaching.  As part of this course, students will compose a Comprehensive Instructional Unit.  During the design phase of this plan, the candidate will consult with the general course instructor, the course content instructor, the future cooperating teacher, and the school-based Professional Learning Community.  The impact of this unit upon student learning will be assessed during student teaching as described in Evidence #5.  Because of formative assessment practices initiated during the delivery of the unit, it is possible that the Comprehensive Instructional Unit will undergo revision during the student teaching process.

 

The Comprehensive Instructional Unit will be evaluated by the two professorial instructors in the Department of Education, a supplemental content professor if needed, the appropriate member of the Teacher Education Committee, and the cooperating teacher.

 

The Comprehensive Instructional Unit, which will include a minimum of five daily lesson plans, will be guided by the following ten-part format. Performance descriptors are indicated as appropriate.

 

Comprehensive Instructional Unit

I.      Heading

a)     Course

b)    Student Teacher

c)     Duration of Unit

d)    Unit Title

 

II.    Data Collection and Preliminary Research

a)     Data Collection:  Candidates will consult with their cooperating teacher to familiarize themselves with data that can be collected at the particular school.  For example, student teachers in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system will be able to use the SPARTA (Student Performance at Real Time Accessibility) program, Castle Learning (tied to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study), and Study Island (also tied to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and available for student access at home) to gather data on their students’ progress and to make instructional decisions; thus, they will be able to chart student growth.  Student teachers working in Mooresville Graded Schools will be able to use the EVAAS (Educational Value Added Assessment System, a state program used to identify data to help create appropriate curriculum decisions and target student's potential), Read 180 (commercial software used to differentiate instruction for challenged readers), and  the Interactive Achievement Series Scantron program (a formative assessment product that groups students into categories and targets students for remediation) to evaluate student progress and growth. Iredell Statesville Schools also use EVAAS, as well as historical EOC data,  NCWise, and a district in-house CFA (a district standard Cumulative Formative Assessment that is given four times during a semester to measure growth). Such information will support the rationale for certain aspects of unit design.  Candidates will include a summary of their experience with collecting and utilizing data. [1a.2]

b)    Diversity:  Candidates will consult with their cooperating teacher and school administration to gather demographic data and to familiarize themselves with the diversity of the student population they will be teaching.  Candidates will write a statement explaining how this new familiarity influenced the design of their unit in order to plan instruction accordingly.  [2b.3]

c)     Special Needs:  Candidates will consult with their cooperating teacher to determine which students in their classes have designated exceptionalities and IEP’s.  They will then schedule a meeting with resource specialists in the schools to discuss what accommodations need to be addressed and the strategies available to support special learning needs.  Candidates will write a statement explaining how such consultations influenced unit design. [2d.1]

d)    Developmental Levels:  Candidates will consult with their cooperating teacher to familiarize themselves with the variety of developmental levels of the student population they will be teaching.  Candidates will write a statement explaining how this new familiarity influenced the design of their unit and daily lesson plans so that they can plan instruction accordingly.  Daily lesson plans will illustrate individualized procedures used to impact students of various developmental levels. [4a.1]

e)     Assessment of Resources:  Candidates will consult with resource personnel in the school to learn what is available to address strengths and weaknesses of students.  They will report their findings and explain how these findings influenced unit design. [4a.2]

f)      Statement of Collaboration:  In addition to attending departmental meetings in their content area, candidates will meet with their appropriate Professional Learning Communities and write a statement explaining how such meetings were useful in learning how to monitor student performance and make instruction responsive to cultural differences and individual learning needs.  They will also report on collaboration from outside of the immediate school, such as participation in online professional discussion groups, wikis, blogs, and social networking programs such as ning’s. [4b.1]

III.    Standards Alignment

a)     Lesson development based on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study:  Candidates will compose a table, indicating which elements of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study are covered in the unit and when/where they will be addressed.  Standards will also be indicated in the daily lesson plans of the unit and will include rationale for the inclusion of appropriate activities and methods. [3a.1]

b)    Linkages in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study:  Candidates will compose a table, indicating where in the unit-links between the grade/subject and the North Carolina Standard Course of Study relate content to other disciplines. Daily lesson plans in the Comprehensive Instructional Unit will also point out such links. [3c.1]

IV.    Globalization

 

The Comprehensive Instructional Unit will present a statement explaining how the unit promotes global awareness in students—that they will see themselves as citizens of the world.  Daily lesson plans will include activities that point out to students the need for Future-Ready graduates to be knowledgeable global citizens.  Assignments in daily lesson plans will strive to include as many non-North American examples as possible. [3c.2]

 

V.     Methods and Materials

 

The Comprehensive Instructional Unit will contain a table listing the various methods and materials used to meet the needs of all students.  Candidates will use such tools as Bloom’s Taxonomy, Multiple Intelligence Theory, and Learning Modalities theory to address the needs of all learners.  They will also include guided questions to reach upper-level students and address differentiation.  Daily lesson plans in the Comprehensive Instructional  Unit will demonstrate a variety of appropriate methods and materials to meet the needs of all students. [4c.1]

 

VI.    Integration of Technology

 

The Comprehensive Instructional Unit will include a statement describing proposed efforts to integrate technology with instruction to maximize student’s learning.  To help with this task, student teachers will consult with their cooperating teachers to determine what technology is available to aid in the delivery of daily lessons, such as smart boards and LCD projectors.  Daily lesson plans in the Comprehensive Instructional Unit must include at least one assignment that directly supports the learning objective in which students will create a technology-based product with programs such as PowerPoint, Keynotes, iMovies, Garage Band, or their counterparts. [4d.1]

 

VII.  Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

 

The Comprehensive Instructional Unit will include an overview of critical thinking strategies employed during the delivery of the unit along with a brief statement explaining how the proposed activities will achieve these ends.  Daily lesson plans in the Comprehensive Instructional Unit will include activities that help students develop the ability to process knowledge and strategies for critical thinking and problem solving. [4e.1]

 

VIII.        Collaborative Activities

 

In the Comprehensive Instructional Unit, candidates will provide a statement explaining their philosophy behind their methods for organizing student learning teams.  Daily lesson plans in the Comprehensive Curriculum Unit will include cooperative learning activities; such activities should go beyond simply having students work together in groups during class.  [4f.1]

 

IX.    Integration of 21st Century Skills and Content

 

Candidates will provide a statement explaining exactly what 21st century skills and content are addressed in the Comprehensive Instructional Unit: specifically, Life and Career Skills (Leadership, Ethics, Accountability, Adaptability, Personal Productivity, Personal Responsibility, People Skills, Self Direction, and Social Responsibility); Learning and Innovation Skills (Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Skills, Communication Skills, Creativity & Innovation Skills, Collaboration Skills, Contextual Learning Skills, Information and Media Literacy); and ICT Literacy.  Daily lesson plans will detail instructional procedures used to teach such skills and content.  For example, students of teacher education candidates might use Wiki Boards to correct incorrect information. [3d.1]

 

X.    Annotated Bibliography

Candidates will provide an annotated bibliography (summary and analysis) of sources consulted during the design of the unit.  These resources will include a variety of research-verified approaches to improve teaching and learning.  Suggestions include research on diversity, exceptionalities, globalization, technology, critical thinking and problem solving, etc. [5c.1]

 

Minimum of Five Daily Lesson Plans

 

Notes:  Each lesson plan must include flexibility to allow for differentiation and must incorporate formative assessments.  In other words, formative assessments will be used to inform instruction on a daily basis.  Daily plans will also be informed by various criteria mentioned above.  For example, daily lesson plans will illustrate individualized procedures used to impact students of various developmental levels; activities will be labeled according to how they meet the objectives of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study; activities will include those that increase global awareness in students; plans will demonstrate a variety of appropriate methods and materials to meet the needs of all students; plans will include at least one assignment in which students will create a technology-based product; plans will include activities that help students develop the ability to process and strategies for critical thinking and problem solving; plans will include cooperative learning activities; and plans will detail instructional procedures used to teach 21st century skills and content.

 

The format of the lesson plan will contain the following seven basic elements.  (These elements are neither inclusive nor exclusive, and they don’t need to be necessarily in this order.)

 

1.     Descriptive course data (Teacher, Class, Date, Grade Level, Unit Title, Lesson Topic, Duration)

2.     Goals and objectives (Instructional Goals, including Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor domains)

3.     Rationale

4.     Procedure (Content, Activities, Closure)

5.     Assignments and assignment reminders

6.     Materials and Equipment

7.     A section on formative and summative assessment of student learning, reflection on the lesson, and ideas for lesson revision

 

 

Evidence #4:  Pedagogical and Professional Knowledge Skills and Dispositions

 

This evidence demonstrates knowledge, skills, and dispositions in practice and is demonstrated by the state-approved LEA/IHE Certification of Teaching Capacity.  Candidates must score at the “Met” level on all items in order to be recommended for licensure. The Certification of Teaching Capacity can be found in the appendix to this handbook.

 

This evidence addresses the following descriptors:  1a.1, 1a.3, 1a.4, 1d.1, 1e.1, 2a.1, 2b.1, 2b.2, 2c.1, 2d.1, 2d.2, 3a.2, 3b.2, 3d.1, 4c.1, 4d.1, 4e.1, 4f.1, 4g.1, 4g.2, 4h.1, 4b.2, 5a.1.

 

 

Evidence #5:  Positive Impact on Student Learning:

 

Students will construct an Assessment Showcase to demonstrate positive impact on student learning.

 

This evidence addresses the following descriptors:   1a.1, 4b.1, 4h.1, 4h.2, 5a.1.

 

While teaching the Comprehensive Instructional Unit designed for Evidence #3, candidates will create an Assessment Showcase Web Site to assess the impact the unit had on student learning.  If it is discovered during this process that the impact was not positive, the candidate will re-teach sections of the unit until a positive impact is achieved.  Ideally, formative assessments conducted during the teaching of the unit will allow student teachers to adjust teaching strategies as the unit is being delivered; thus, summative assessments should be positive.  Candidates will use .html editing software such as Dreamweaver to compose the Assessment Showcase as a web page.

The Assessment Showcase will be evaluated by the two professorial instructors in the Department of Education, a supplemental content professor if needed, the appropriate member of the Teacher Education Committee, and the cooperating teacher.

The Assessment Showcase will include five sections, each corresponding to one of the recommended performance descriptors.

Section I: Progress-Evaluation Narrative. 

At the beginning of their study in Education 400: Organization for Teaching, candidates consulted with their cooperating teacher to familiarize themselves with data that can be collected at the particular school.  For example, student teachers in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system will be able to use the teacher version of the SPARTA      program (Student Performance at Real Time Accessibility), Castle Learning (tied to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study), and Study Island (also tied to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and available for student access at home) to gather data on their students’ progress and to make instructional decisions; thus, they will be able to chart student growth.  Student teachers working in Mooresville Graded Schools will be able to use the EVAAS (Educational Value Added Assessment System, a state program used to identify data to help create appropriate curriculum decisions and target student's potential), Read 180 (commercial software used to differentiate instruction for challenged readers), and  the Interactive Achievement Series Scantron program (a formative assessment product that groups students into categories and targets students for remediation) to evaluate student progress and growth. Iredell Statesville Schools also use EVAAS, as well as historical EOC data,  NCWise, and a district in-house CFA (a district standard Cumulative Formative Assessment that is given four times during a semester to measure growth).  Conversations with our public school consultants reveal that teachers use a variety of additional products.

During student teaching, and as part of the course requirements for EDU 420: Seminar in Student Teaching, candidates will provide documentation illustrating how they evaluated the progress of students using a variety of assessment data, both formative and summative, such as that gathered from the above commercial products.  The format for Section I will consist of a narrative describing the data with appropriate hyperlinks to specific documentation that will include, sample assessments, examples of student work, rubrics, etc. [1a.1]

 

Section II: Collaboration Log/Journal. 

Student teachers will attend departmental meetings, grade-level meetings, IEP meetings, and meetings with their school-based PLC (if such communities are formalized within the school) to learn ways to monitor student performance and make instruction responsive to cultural differences and individual learning needs.  Such discussions should also form part of daily meetings with their cooperating teachers.  They will keep a record of these meetings in a log/journal, with each entry containing both a summary and an analysis of these meetings.  Candidates will also include impromptu or non-scheduled discussions of these issues with public school personnel and Davidson College faculty. [4b.1]

Section III: Indicator Exposition. 

Students will write a two-part expository essay explaining the multiple indicators, both formative and summative, used to monitor and evaluate students’ progress and to inform instruction in the Comprehensive Instructional Unit.  These indicators must include examples from commercially available products used in the schools (e.g., SPARTA, Castle Learning Online, Scantron) as well as other research-verified methods, such as the Lee Jenkins from L to J method to generate charts and graphs that can be shared with students.  Part 1 of the essay will contain hyperlinks to examples of such indicators, and Part 2 will explain what steps were taken after each formative assessment to improve instruction. [4h.1]

Section IV: Student 21st Century Work Samples. 

As part of Evidence #3, candidates designed a Comprehensive Curriculum Unit and provided a statement of exactly what 21st century skills and content are addressed in the unit: specifically, Life and Career Skills (Leadership, Ethics, Accountability, Adaptability, Personal Productivity, Personal Responsibility, People Skills, Self Direction, and Social Responsibility); Learning and Innovation Skills (Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Skills, Communication Skills, Creativity & Innovation Skills, Collaboration Skills, Contextual Learning Skills, Information and Media Literacy); and ICT Literacy.

During student teaching, and as part of the course requirements for EDU 420: Seminar in Student Teaching, candidates will identify the targeted skill(s) and  provide documentation that students attained these knowledge, skills and dispositions.  Documentation will include examples of student work that directly demonstrate Life and Career Skills, Learning and Innovation Skills, and ICT Literacy.  There should be examples of technology-based student products made with programs such as PowerPoint, Keynotes, iMovies, Garage Band, or their counterparts.  Candidates might consider producing a two-part video: the first showing students working in the initial phase of the unit and the second showing students working in the final phase of the unit. [4h.2]

Section V:  Reflection Essay. 

As a conclusion to the Assessment Showcase, candidates will compose a Reflection Essay discussing their experience with gathering data during student teaching.  In the essay, they will specifically address key components of the Comprehensive Instructional Unit that they will modify to improve the unit upon its next delivery.  Hyperlinks in the essay will link to charts and tables to provide examples.  Such charts and graphs should also include an example of the development of exceptional children.  [5a.1]

 

Evidence #6:  Leadership and Collaboration:

 

Students will compose a presentation on the Seven Dimensions of Leadership as evidence that demonstrates leadership and collaboration.

This assessment addresses descriptors 1b.1, 1b.2, 1b.3, 1c.1, 1c.2, 2e.1, 5b.1.

 

Using PowerPoint or similar software, students will compose a seven-part, multi-media presentation that demonstrates engagement in leadership and collaborative activities before and during the student teaching experience.  The seven sections are inspired by the Seven Dimensions of Leadership as enumerated by Douglas B. Reeves in The Learning Leader: How to Focus School Improvement for Better Results (ASCD, 2006).  The recommended performance descriptors are embedded in the seven dimensions as follows.

 

  1. Visionary Leadership  [1b.1, 1b.2, 1b.3, 1c.2]
  2. Relational Leadership  [1b.1, 1c.2]
  3. Systems Leadership  [1b.2, 1b.3, 1c.2, 2e.1]
  4. Reflective Leadership  [5b.1]
  5. Collaborative Leadership  [1b.1, 1c.2]
  6. Analytical Leadership  [2e.1]
  7. Communicative Leadership  [1c.2, 2e.1]

This evidence will be evaluated by the professorial staff of the Department of Education, the content instructor if appropriate, the cooperating teacher, and the appropriate member of the Teacher Education Committee.

 

Although Teacher Education candidates are encouraged to create individually distinctive presentations, they will be required to address the following guidelines.

 

I.       Visionary Leadership

 

Teacher candidates should know that their visions for the future of their schools and for the future of their professional lives should be concrete.  To achieve this end and by envisioning future employment at the school where they are student teaching, candidates will respond to the following questions and explain how they arrived at their answers.  Explanations should include examination of the School Improvement Plan as well as discussions with colleagues.  Scanned copies of parts of the SIP would be appropriate here.

·         What will the school look like three to five years from now?

·         What parts of the school will be the same, and what will change?

·         Will there still be a place for me here in the future?

·         How will my work change?

·         What will I need to learn in order to be more valuable to the school in the future?

·         Why will I still want to be part of this school in the future?

 

II.    Relational Leadership

 

Teacher candidates must realize the importance of relational skills for the teacher-leader.  Researchers agree that when collaborating with colleagues an effective relational leader listens without interruption or prejudgment, respects confidentiality, and is empathetic.  In order to evaluate their own relational skills, candidates will report on the following exercise.

 

In a discussion with a colleague on professional matters they should tape a meeting (audio or video, with permission, of course) and evaluate the discussion by asking the following questions.  How many times did each of you speak?  Interrupt?  Ask for clarification before coming to a judgment?  Did you speak with conviction and enthusiasm and genuine passion?  Practice empathy?  And any other observations as appropriate.  Sound or video clips are good candidates for the presentation.

 

III.   Systems Leadership

 

Teacher candidates must learn that to become effective leaders in their schools they should understand systemic process in the schools and learn the importance of non-instructional staff, such as bus drivers, administrative support staff, cafeteria workers, custodial staff, resource officers, and the many others whose activities influence student achievement.

 

In order to direct their thinking, candidates should document two discussions with non-instructional staff and report on the nature of the work, especially the rewards and challenges they encounter.  They should also ask what role teachers should assume to aid in making their work more rewarding and what suggestions they have that might be addressed in a School Improvement Plan by creating sub-goals to support the Plan.

 

IV.   Reflective Leadership

 

As Doug Reeves (2006) writes: “Reflective leaders take time to think about the lessons learned, record their small wins and setbacks, document conflicts between values and practice, identify the difference between idiosyncratic behavior and long-term pathologies, and notice trends that emerge over time.”  In order to take stock of these trends, students will keep a daily journal that addresses each of the following questions.  The journal should not be lengthy or too introspective, nor should it be time consuming.  Candidates will realize that questions like these will help inform a Professional Growth Plan.

 

·         What did I learn today?

·         Whom did I nurture today?

·         What difficult issue did I confront today?

·         What is my most important challenge right now?

·         What did I do today to make progress on my most important challenge?

 

V.    Collaborative Leadership

 

Teacher candidates should learn that in assuming a leadership role, decisions can only be implemented through collaboration with others; likewise, systemic improvements will never occur except with collaboration.  They should also seek to understand the decision making process.  Research demonstrates that the majority of teachers believe that most decisions are made from the top down, while, in reality, more are made at the teacher-level.  To help them reach this understanding, they will engage in the following exercise throughout the student-teaching semester.

 

Directions:  Note that decision making takes place at three levels in the school (see below).  During the course of their student-teaching experience, candidates will list and categorize all decisions they see being made.  They will then calculate percentages and draw conclusions regarding their experience with decision making.

 

Level I:  Teacher Discretion—Decisions made by classroom teachers; in schools, teachers enjoy a wide discretion in choosing their teaching practices.

Level II:  Collaborative Decision Making—Decisions that are made collaboratively: teachers and administrators seeking common ground.

Level III:  Unilateral Administrative Decisions—Decisions made unilaterally by leaders, usually issues involving safety and values.

 

VI.   Analytical Leadership

 

Teacher candidates should learn that the best analytical leaders are creative and critical when faced with seemingly conclusive data.  They will seek to uncover the many variables in day to day school operations.  In order to practice analytical leadership, they will investigate the following phenomena in their school environment and speculate the reasons behind these “facts.”

 

·         Investigate the relationship between student demographics and student achievement.  Candidates will attempt to uncover intervening variables that lead to achievement gaps, rather than simply accept that demographics dictate achievement.

·         Investigate one of the following issues and try to uncover reasons for unequal treatment:  (1) how the educational system treats males and females, (2) students with English as a primary language and students who are learning English, (3) students who are white and students who are brown and black.

 

VII. Communicative Leadership

 

Teacher candidates should learn that written and oral communication skills are part of the repertoire of an effective leader.

In their presentation, candidates will provide examples of communication initiatives in which they engaged during their student teaching semester.  These should include communications with the home and community as well as communication with colleagues.  Examples could be technology-based (voice-mail, web-mail, class web page with weekly bulletins, social networking programs, Angel software [used at Mooresville High School], etc.), or they could include non-technological communications ( personal thank-you notes, hand-written letters, cards, etc.).  They should include a log of calls made to homes as well as letters from parents and the outcome or change in student learning/behavior as a result of such communication.

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