Scenarios

Scenarios Faced By Administrators

The position of school administrator provides many pleasures as well as many challenges. As individuals work daily to effectively lead schools toward success for all, decisions of vast differences must be made that have impact on themselves, students, faculty/staff members, as well as parents. The administrator must make wise decisions with careful analysis of all factors that could be involved. Below are examples of possible situations that could develop as a school administrator works daily to guide the total school effectively. Using the following scenarios that are faced by school leaders determine the steps that you would take to resolve these issues.

**When responding please provide your current position and number of years you have been in administration.** Mrs. Allen has called the Board of Education's main office to complain about the excessive homework that she feels is being given by her child's fifth grade teacher. She states that she has met with the teacher without any resolution and no understanding of what she considers useless and excessive assignments. She states that she has not spoken with the principal of the school because she feels that the principal will only support the teacher. The director who received this call from the angry parent listened briefly and then stressed that it was very important that the parent first make contact with the school principal to express her concerns. The director later called the principal to relate that she had received this call from a parent who was very angry, quite critical in her manner, and most likely would be making contact in some manner to request a conference.
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As principal of this school, what steps would you next take to resolve these circumstances?

A parent has called the principal three days after report cards were issued to indicate achievement levels for the first marking term. The parent states that she has made contact with the teacher but feels that she did not acquire specific or adequate explanation for the unsatisfactory grade in science. The principal holds a conference with the teacher and explains the circumstances of the contact by this parent. The principal then asks the teacher to explain the grade while they were conferencing before establishing the conference date and time for the meeting with the parent. In addition, the principal asked the teacher to explain the standards that had been pre-established for daily homework and assignments, participation, testing opportunities, as well as review of the documentation that the teacher had maintained for each of the important areas. As the discussion with the teacher continues, it is evident that the teacher does not have enough documentation in any area and only two test grades for the marking term. Samples of the student work is also not available to be reviewed, and the teacher had not made any other contact with the parent to indicate concern beyond indicating unsatisfactory progress on the midterm progress report. The principal is not satisfied that there is adequate information or documentation provided by the teacher to justify as E for science for the marking term. As principal facing this situation, what steps would you then take?
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It is February and a principal has completed an observation of a reading lesson that is less than satisfactory in the classroom of a third grade in which the teacher is engaged in her first year of teaching. This observation was preceded by a pre-visit conference to discuss the objectives to be emphasized, the anticipated strategies to be employed, and the successes and needs of the students in the group being taught. Previous observations have been very weak and assistance has been provided through demonstration lessons provided, observations in other classes with similar demographics have been arranged, and coaching with administrators and content specialists has been provided. The teacher responds verbally with concern but does not appear to follow through with adequate efforts to plan thoroughly or to follow through with adequate efforts to plan thoroughly or to implement the suggestions that are shared.
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As principal in this situation what are the next steps that you will take?

Participation in grade level team meetings by all grade level teachers and the content area coaches has been stressed as very important for all professionals within this school. E#5 As part of an effort to increase team planning for teachers, the administrator of the school has provided the required personal planning time of 220 minutes for the local county and in the teachers' contract and added an additional 50 minutes of planning time provided at the end of two school days of the six day cycle prior to 4:00P.M.( the time when professional can leave). Teachers and coaches were asked to meet on a grade level rotating basis for thirty minute periods at the ending of two days in a six day cycle together for planning. Their responsibilities for dismissing students are handled totally by other staff members on these two days to provide for this additional planning time for the grade level. If the local teachers' association challenges this overlap of 20 minutes of planning time even though more than the required total number of planning minutes were provided, what would you as principal do to resolve this issue?ven though it is not possible to schedule special area instruction for all at the same time, efforts to provide this time has been made through use of other staffing to provide coverage. When it became apparent that one teacher was using this time for different purposes with limited attendance and participation, emphasis of this need was made again by the principal with the total faculty and through a personal conversation about the concern with the teacher. At this time the teacher stressed that she wished to plan on her own. The subsequent grade level meetings were attended by the individual but with little enthusiasm and participation. As principal of this school, what steps would you now implement?
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As part of an effort to increase team planning for teachers, the administrator of the school has provided the required personal planning time of 220 minutes for the local county and in the teachers' contract and added an additional 50 minutes of planning time provided at the end of two school days of the six day cycle prior to 4:00P.M.( the time when professional can leave). Teachers and coaches were asked to meet on a grade level rotating basis for thirty minute periods at the ending of two days in a six day cycle together for planning. Their responsibilities for dismissing students are handled totally by other staff members on these two days to provide for this additional planning time for the grade level. If the local teachers' association challenges this overlap of 20 minutes of planning time even though more than the required total number of planning minutes were provided, what would you as principal do to resolve this issue?
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Mr. Johnson, a first-year teacher, teaches 10th grade English. He has been carefully following the curriculum guide for his course. During the first week of October, Mrs. Windsor, a parent of one of his students, asks for a parent/teacher conference. Mrs. Windsor's son, Tony, has maintained a "C" average in 10th grade English, though he finished 9th grade English with an "A". During the conference, Mrs. Windson maintains that Mr. Johnson isn't challenging Tony enough and that his grades are lower because Tony is "bored". How should Mr. Johnson address this parent's concern?
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