Clinical Field Experience E: Strategic Leadership And Management Functions In Practice
collaboratively discuss with your principal mentor and at least one other individual at the district or community level what strategies are utilized in obtaining and making the best use of the resources available to the school. This includes human resources, items the school budget pays for, and items that are donated.
Include the following in your discussions:
Strategies that school administrators can use to maintain a presence in the community to understand its strengths and needs, develop productive relationships, and engage community resources for the school.
The ethical responsibilities of school administrators in stewarding school resources, being transparent with school resources, and aligning the use of school resources to the schools’ mission and vision.
If possible, participate in a meeting that involves collaborating with the community to leverage resources for the benefit of the students and families your school serves.
Use any remaining field experience hours to assist the principal mentor and, provided permission, seek opportunities to observe and/or assist the principal mentor.
Write a 250-500 word reflection on your experiences. Incorporate PSEL Standards 2 and 8 into your reflection and describe how you will apply what you have learned to your future professional practice.
2. Utilize technology to broaden outreach efforts within the community; e-newsletters, social media campaigns, webinars etc can help reach large numbers of stakeholders quickly and efficiently which in turn helps build trust with those who may otherwise have limited access to information about what’s happening at the school.
3. Regularly assess the impact that resources from within or without are having on students’ performance by creating surveys or focus groups that solicit feedback from students, parents/caregivers, teachers etc on how they perceive their experiences at your school when it comes to leveraging resources available both during traditional schooling hours and outside as well (extracurricular activities/events).
4. Take advantage of available grant funding initiatives that are focused on helping schools meet student needs through targeted interventions such as afterschool programming or mentorship programs; these initiatives provide a great opportunity to partner up with other organizations within your district or even beyond it since most grants come along with additional stipulations requiring collaborative effort amongst multiple entities in order for applications to be successful.
5. Promote transparency when it comes to stewarding school resources by making sure all stakeholders understand exactly how funds are being allocated and why certain decisions were made based off what criteria was used (e.g., input from various individuals involved versus solely relying on administrative discretion alone). This will help ensure everyone feels part of ownership process thus furthering buy-in throughout entire school ecosystem whether directly related decision making process itself or not