Internship Plan Conference

I met with Dr. John Fuller to review and discuss my internship Plan. We discussed the needs of the district in relation to my planned activities. One activity that Dr. Fuller wanted me to implement in my plan was an activity that will develop a more current and comprehensive evaluation instrument that the superintendent will use to assess administrators in the district. I will do this by reviewing the current instrument and comparing it to instruments that some other districts currently use. I revised activity #23, under personnel procedures to reflect this activity. The rest of the plan was acceptable to Dr. Fuller, but he also reserved the right to add and/or change any activities as needed throughout the school year.

I'm looking forward to implementing my plan and working on the evaluation instrument activity specifically, as I believe my contribution will greatly assist creating leadership in our district.  

Professional Vita

PROFESSIONAL VITA

ROD ALLEN

320 County Road 2258

Mineola, TX. 75773

(W) (903) 569-5488; (H) (903) 456-5907; allenr@mineolaisd.net

Education/Certification

M.Ed. - Educational Administration, Texas A&M University-Commerce, TX, 2005

BS - History, Texas A&M University-Commerce, TX, 1997

Superintendent Certificate – Lamar University, Beaumont, TX. (In progress with an expected completion date of June 15, 2013)

Principal Certificate – EC-12 Texas A&M University-Commerce, TX, 2005

Teacher Certificates – EC-12 Special Education; Generalist 4-8; FAA Certified Flight Instructor.

Administrative and Leadership Experience

Principal, Mineola Primary School, Mineola ISD, Mineola, TX, 2008-present

·      Administered all aspects of the daily operations of the a campus comprised of approximated 450 PK-2^nd grade students.

·      Implemented the use of Smart Boards, Ipads, Ipods, Mac Books and the addition of a computer lab to begin the transformation into a 21^st Century Campus.

·      Increased Texas Primary Reading Inventory scores by reworking the daily schedule to incorporate literacy groups for each grade level based on data provided by interval assessments.

·      Implemented the Imagine Learning software program that raised Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System scores among English Language Learners.

·      Reduced retention rate to less than .05% per grade level for the 2011-2012 school year.

·      Increased attendance to over 95% for the campus by implementing various attendance program incentives.

·      Implemented a College Readiness program for our Primary School students which resulted in several parents enrolling into college.

·      Introduced and implemented C-Scope curriculum on our campus.

·      Supervised and Appraised approximately 50 teachers and support staff members.

Assistant Principal, Mineola Primary School, Mineola ISD, Mineola, TX, 2006-2008

·      Assisted the Principal in daily operations of the campus.

·      Administered all Gifted and Talented testing, all English as a Second Language testing, facilitated Language Proficiency Assessment Committees and represented the district in Admission, Review and Dismissal meetings.

·      Collaborated with teachers regarding Texas Behavior Support Initiatives to decrease discipline referrals.

·      Implemented social skills training for those students with behavior challenges.

Assistant Principal, A+ Academy, Dallas, TX, 2005-2006

·      Served as the assistant to the Principal in an inner-city school of approximately 1000 students from Prekindergarten to Twelfth grade.

·      Allocated supplies and materials to all teachers on the campus.

·      As textbook coordinator, implemented an electronic system to maximum efficiency and accuracy.

·      Supervised and appraised forty teachers.

Teaching Experience

High School Special Education Teacher, Quinlan Ford High School, Quinlan, Tx,2003-2005

·      Taught all subjects to students with emotional disturbances.

·      Designed and implemented a step system that students could rejoin their mainstream classes.

High School History/Geography Teacher, Quinlan Ford High School, Quinlan, TX, 2002-2003

·      Taught world history and world geography to high school students.

·      Developed several projects that increased interest and exam scores within my class.

·      Attained a 100% passing rate on TAKS with my students.

Flight Instructor, Golden Eagle Flight Training, Greenville, TX, 2001-2002

·      Taught primary flight students.

·      Performed classroom instruction and practical flight training in single engine aircraft.

·      Developed a scope and sequence for private pilot training.

Presentations

Staff development on classroom management to campus staff, Mineola Primary School, 2006-Present.

Staff development on the Educator’s Code of Ethics based on the Texas Education Code and State Board for Educator Certification, Quinlan Ford High School, 2004.

Staff Development on the Fish Philosophy Character Education Program, Mineola Primary School, 2011-Present.

Professional Affiliations

Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association, 2006-Present

Texas Association of School Administrators, 2012-Present

Community Involvement

Board of Director Member of Wood County Child Welfare, Quitman, TX, 2010-2011

·      Allocated funds to foster children in Wood County

·      Member of Public Relations Committee that brought awareness to the community in an effort to raise funds

Cub Scout Den Leader, Pack 385, Mineola, TX, 2009-Present

References

References will be included on a separate page if requested.

Interviewing a Superintendent

I interviewed Dr. John Fuller, interim Superintendent at Mineola ISD. Dr. Fuller has been in education for 43 years and 34 of those years have been as a Superintendent. Before becoming the Interim Superintendent at Mineola ISD, Dr. Fuller had recently retired as Superintendent of Wylie ISD.  I sat down with Dr. Fuller in his office and he was gracious enough to give me ninety minutes of his time during this interview.

I will paraphrase some of the answers that seemed to have a real impact on me.

I asked Dr. Fuller question # 2, regarding the positive aspects of being in a leadership position, such as the Superintendent. Dr. Fuller replied that “it is the amount of influence you can have guiding an organization and developing leaders. You can influence an entire community, starting with the principals and each campus. A good Superintendent can have a very positive influence over an entire community”.  After reflecting on this question and answer, I realized that conversely, an ineffective or abrasive Superintendent can have a very negative impact and even divide a community.

I asked Dr. Fuller question # 3 regarding the negative aspects of being in a leadership position, such as Superintendent. His immediate response was “it is lonely. Only other Superintendents can really understand the pressure you are under and the difficulties that you face”.  Upon reflection of that answer, his immediate response struck me more than the actual answer. I know as a principal, when I feel overwhelmed I can call or visit my principal friends at an adjacent campus. The superintendent has no one that he or she can consult with in close proximity.

I asked Dr. Fuller question # 5 related to Competency 1, as far as the importance of integrity, fairness and ethical behavior. I asked him “what does ethical leadership look like”? Dr. Fuller responded that ethical leadership is based on making decisions based on the data and what is in the best interest of the child. He also spoke of how important it is to build trust within your organization and with the people that you work with and the people that work for you. He also emphasized that trust, once broken, is difficult, if not impossible to rebuild. I found it refreshing that the Superintendent actually verbalized that “the best interest of the child” should be what is driving the decision making process.

We moved on to question # 7 that discussed Compentency 3 which involves communication and collaboration with family and community members. I asked Dr. Fuller “how should a superintendent evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies in the school district and encourage the engagement of the community to benefit all students?” Dr. Fuller responded with “Transparency. People need to know who you are and what you stand for. Establish a culture of excellence, by involving those in decision making and gaining feedback.  Evaluate communications. If I am not getting feedback, communication is not truly occurring.  You have to “set the stage”.  You need a survey or a suggestion box to get the feedback.”  I think it is important to know that to be a truly effective communicator, you need to be able to receive communications as well as send your message and you need to be open to feedback, even it is negative or critical.

We finished the interview with question # 15 which asked what additional experience, learning or advice could Dr. Fuller give me, and our class that would be helpful in our educational pursuit. Dr. Fuller replied “A good superintendent asks lots of questions. Asking the right question is very powerful. “Frame the question right” and you get people to better understand where you are coming from as well as an understanding them.  Put “first things first”. Prioritize. 7^th habit is sharpen the saw. Effective change can take place in 3-5 year period for a Superintendent.”  He likened my enrollment in the superintendent program as “sharpening the saw”. A good superintendent is always learning and always looking for better ways.

The interview was a very positive experience for me and reenergized me as an educator. It was refreshing to interview the CEO of a school district who truly has a heart for kids and bases educational decisions on what is best for children. As a Superintendent, his actions and decisions match his verbiage.  I think I learned that even though a superintendent is in charge of the entire district, it is important to remain open to feedback, to ask questions, and to surround yourself with good, knowledgeable people to truly be an effective leader. 

Blogs in Education

Although I have read a few blogs in the past, my exposure to blogging has been limited and I have certainly never written a blog myself. When I first realized that I would have to build my own personal blog for this course, I was a bit intimidated. However, I found that it was relatively simple and user friendly.

The vast changes in technology over the past few decades have changed the manner in which people of all ages communicate and in the manner that they receive and process information. An effective superintendent in today's education world will realize and utilize several different forms of electronic media to communicate with all stakeholders in the community and blogging is certainly one way to accomplish such communications.  It is also important to note that in today's society, people want immediate, current information and they want the opportunity to be heard. Blogging allows for a superintendent to disseminate current news of the school district to the community and allows for immediate feedback.

My current superintendent writes a blog and addresses changes in the district, current news and has even addressed some questions that have been asked in the community for years. One example is that many people always felt like the school district employed too many coaches for our size. The superintendent addressed this question on his blog by listing every coach and what that coach taught and what sporting assignment the coach held. It put the information out for everyone to see and there have no further questions related to coaching since it was addressed in the blog. I think that is a perfect example of just how useful a blog can be to a superintendent.

I am looking forward to not only using this blog during the duration of the course, but also learning more about the effective uses of blogs in education and how a blog can help a superintendent and a school district.