Strategic Problem-

Solving Professional
Growth
Lamar University – EDLD 5339

Ann Okafor
11-21-2020
Week 1: Campus Mentor Meeting Regarding School/Family/Community Partnership Evaluation

My meeting with my mentor went mostly well. We collaborated on how I will implement the

Student/Family/Community (SFC) Partnership assignment. While we discuss the plan, she was very patient with

me and empathetic. She did not talk over me and waited till I was finished. She made me feel at ease. I could tell

that she was actively listening to what I have to say. She would even rephrase what I just said to make sure she

was clear on my message. Even when her phone rang, she did not let that distract her from listening to me. I really

appreciated that. It was important that we had this meeting because it is important that administration consult with

each other, when appropriate, in planning for a communication (Lunenburg, 2010). She encouraged me to invite

at least 5 parents, 2 community members, 1 business member, 2 supporting staff members, 1 administrator, 1

specialist or counselor, and at least 1 teach from each department. Some concerns we had in our meeting were

the make-up the committee members and any possible barriers of effective communication. For instance, many

of our key stakeholders, our parents, community members, supporting staff, central office speak Spanish as their

primary language. It is imperative that the SFC committee is a fair representation of the demographics of the

student population. We need to use the TAPR report to select the committee members. Also, not only will we

have to worry about any process barriers such as encoding or decoding, but we will also have to worry about any

semantics and psychosocial barriers (Lunenburg, 2010). We know that if we plan on having this meeting,

translators, both human and apps, will be needed to help facilitate this meeting. I would also have to be mindful

not to use any jargons that might confused the committee members (GaDOE, n.d.). I would try and encourage

members to use educational terminology that everyone can understand.

In order to ensure the success of SFC Partnership Evaluation in week 2 meeting, I need to make sure we have

a welcoming and nurturing environment, and we keep the communication lines open (GaDOE, n.d.). If we expect

the committee members to complete this form, we need to make sure that they feel welcome at our campus. This

will make them more likely to want to come and support our school. We want our school to be a nurturing

environment because this will help lead to student success and this is very important to parents. I would also need

support from our technology specialists to help send out the emails with a link to the Microsoft form. The email

with provide directions in English, Spanish and Vietnamese on how to create a Microsoft account, how to
complete and submit the form, and other important information. For committee members without computer or

internet access, they will be given the opportunity to complete the survey either by phone or face to face. I will

also work with the librarian secure access to one of the libraries or LGI (large group instruction) for our after-

school meaning for our week 2 meeting. Despite my mentor’s concerns, I feel very confident that the week 2

meeting will go off smoothly and we will get close to for in the SFC Partnership Evaluation.

Reference:

GaDOE Family-School Partnership Program. (n.d.). Home [YouTube channel]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3gAmski7tYsNKr79ATfb3w

Lunenburg, F. C. (2010). Communication: The process, barriers, and improving effectiveness. Schooling, 1(1),

p.1-11.
Week 2: Building Relationships and Creating Ownership

Ima Leader High School Home of

the
1 E. Ketch Harbour Street Azodi, TX 75449 Leading

T: (903) 640-5332 W: www.lamarisd.net/imaleader lions

Memo
To: Dr. Hypothetical Superintendent
CC: Dr. Harrison
From: Ms. Ann Okafor, Principal
Subject: RE: Challenges

Thank you, Dr. Superintendent, for reaching out to me. After reviewing the challenges and analyzing the

supporting documents, I can see the validity of your concerns. I discussed this issue at length with my leadership

team and we decided to hold a Shared Decisions Committee meeting which included the CTE department (6

teachers), a counselor, two parents, a member of Chamber of Commerce, CEO and founder of Tech-Fab Metal

Company, and myself. The meeting took place after school in the North LGI (large group instruction) at 3:00 PM.

The purpose of this meeting was to get everyone on the same page and then look for areas of improvement. To

tackle this, I decided to make our first meeting about the Ima Leader’s vision statement and how we could create

a new one for the Agricultural Science Program. I knew the Ag teachers might be resistant to some changes,

which is why I wanted the decision-making process to be done collaboratively. Before we can implement change,

we must identify questions, collect data and analyze it, and then present the results. Realizing the vision requires

understanding, effort, and support from the whole team. To do this, I told everyone to write down any questions

or concerns they had and bring it with them to the meeting for a discussion. At the start of the meeting, we used

this time discuss and address these questions and concerns and how we could move forward.

For the next exercise, I wanted to focus on data-driven decision-making. I divided the members into three

groups. Each group was given some data, a copy of the Ima Leader vision statement (“In collaboration with our

school community, we teach all the students of all the people doing our best to reach every student every day.”),
markers, and a large post it sheet. Their first task was the review and discuss the data. I provided each group a

copy of the student achievement data, staffing patterns, student demographic profile, the Ag. Science budget, and

the school facilities report. I also included the letter sent by the President of the Chamber of Commerce. After

each group analyzed the data, I had one representative from each group present their findings. The next task was

to create vision statement for the Ag. Science program based on the campus vision and the data. I gave each group

20 minutes to come up with a vision statement and prepare to share. After each group took turns presenting their

vision statement, the other groups were given a few minutes to question with them. We ended the exercise by

looking for connections between each of the statements and then creating one unified vision statement. As a

group, we came up with “We will empower our students for college and career success by providing high quality

education with sincerity, authenticity, and originality.” This vision statement will be posted on the Ag. Science

website and in each of the CTE classrooms.

The next step of the decision-making process was looking at how can we improve and move forward. If

we want to Ag. Science program to improve and close the achievement gaps, each stakeholder will be responsible

for caring out certain roles. As a group, we decided that Mr. Pritchard’s role would be to participate in professional

development programs that will provide him with effective strategies for working with students and the

community by improving student success. This includes him joining me in capacity-building learning walks. He

will serve as a "first responders" in identifying student needs and what support they need. And since he has 25

years of service as an Ag. Science teacher, he was probably made a lot of connections along the way. He can use

his networking skills to connect students to potential future employers. Since a quarter of students plan on

attending college, this would provide a great opportunity for partnerships and internships. He can work with the

Chamber of Commerce for ways to keep graduating students in Azodi instead of searching elsewhere for work.

Mr. Fails is a rising star that has not been given a chance to shine. He came to our school from an already

successful program and he his expertise are in of computerized drones, DNA analysis, and marketing software.

We would like to open a new course in agricultural tech and Mr. Fail’s job will be to help develop, advocate, and

market the program. He can also help provide suggestions on what made the Ag. Science program at the other

campus work and what could we adopt here. For families, their role will be to continue participating the in school’s
decision-making process. We want our parents and guardians to share Ima Leader’s high expectations for students

and for them to provide a home that supports student learning. To do this, it will be our role as administration and

teachers to communicate often with families about student achievement and school events. They will also be

invited to participate in guided visits to see the implement process firsthand and debrief. As the principal of Ima

Leader High School, it will be my job to lead this effort. My role will be to create a learning environment that is

conducive to learn and will close student achievement gap. I will do my best in being consistent with my priorities

and actions. I will also make know that even though I am the principal, I will share responsibility for improving

the campus’ operations. To track the progress of our vision, I will be conducting monthly walkthroughs with

feedback. We will also be meeting once a month to update each other our glows and grows. I would like to use

our second meeting to create a roadmap of goals so that they are reasonable, attainable, and measurable. Members

will also be given a weekly reflection sheet to keep track of their own goals and write to themselves about what

areas they can improve.

While I am more than pleased that were able to create a vision statement and the members being more

than receptive to the upcoming change, there are still some issues that will need to be addressed. This will all be

done based on student needs and budgeting. We need to address the inappropriate conduct and the locker room

arrangement at the Ag. Science program. Schools are supposed to be a safe and civil place to learn and knowing

that some students are being harassed makes this a top priority for me. I will be working with the counselor to

address this issue and I would like to hear from the students themselves as well. I would also like to discuss with

the counselor and the Ag. Science program ways we can improve the gender ratio in the Ag. classes. I also want

to work with Director of Operations to identify to manipulate our current space to for dressing room for our female

Ag. Students. The two large offices for the Ag. teachers seem unnecessary and a waste of space. The goal will be

to have these issues addressed before or at the start of the new school year. And lastly, I am not sure how receptive

they will be, but I understand the building relationships and listening the key stakeholders will help improve my

chances of buy in to these changes. I have attached following documentations that shows the process our

collaborative team used to develop the vision statement and the minutes from the meeting. Any other suggestions

or concerns are welcomed.

Please reach out to me at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely,

Ms. Ann Okafor

Ima Leader High School Principal
(903) 640-5332 ext. 22658
Doing our best to reach every student every day!
 Documentation 1 The Decision-Making Process:
We went with the Shared Decisions Committee (small groups) because change requires the decision-making
process to be done collaboratively. The purpose was to hopefully generate ideas and answers, keep the members
engaged throughout the meeting, gauge the members’ understanding.
 Step 1: Identify questions. Everyone was told to write down any questions or concerns they had and bring it
to the meeting.

Morillo, C. (2018). Untitled illustration of a conference. Retrieved from

https://www.pexels.com/@divinetechygirl

 Step 2: Collect data and analyze it. The participants were broken into three smaller groups. After each
group looked through the data, they were tasked with creating their own vision statement.

Morillo, C. (2018). Untitled illustration of a conference. Retrieved from https://www.pexels.com/@divinetechygirl

 Step 3: Present the results. Each group presented their vision statement. We then created a united vision
statement.

Morillo, C. (2018). Untitled illustration of a conference. Retrieved from https://www.pexels.com/@divinetechygirl

Agricultural Science Mission Statement

We will empower our students for college and career success by providing high quality
education with sincerity, authenticity, and originality.

 Step 4: Implement the change. After creating the vision statement, we discussed roles for each member, the
roadmap, and accountability.

Morillo, C. (2018). Untitled illustration of a conference.

Retrieved from https://www.pexels.com/@divinetechygirl
 Ima Leader High School — Shared Decisions Committee
Minutes: 4/21/2020
I. Call to order
Facilitator Name called to order the regular meeting of the Shared Decisions Committee at 3:00 on 4/21 at North LGI.

II. Roll call

Secretary Name conducted a roll call. The following persons were present: Ms. Okafor (Ima Leader Principal), Ms. Jones
(counselor), Mr. Pritchard (CTE Teacher), Mr. Fails (CTE Teacher), Mr. Jacobson (CTE Teacher), Ms. McBride (CTE
Teacher), Ms. Griffin (CTE Teacher), Mr. Tran (CTE Teacher), Mr. Baker (CTE Teacher), Ms. Reynolds (parent), Ms.
Sullivan (parent), Mr. Stone (Chamber of Commerce member), Mr. Kennedy (Tech-Fab Metal Company), and Ms.
Alverez (Central Office Secretary)

III. Approval of minutes from last meeting

Secretary Name read the minutes from the last meeting. The minutes were approved as read.

IV. Development
• Created a collaborative team CTE department (6 teachers), a counselor, two parents, a member of Chamber of
Commerce, CEO and founder of Tech-Fab Metal Company, and myself)
• Met in the North LGI after school
• Discussed the purpose of the meeting and took questions and concerns from each member
• Came together as a group an created a unified vision statement
• Each member was a given a designated role to help implement the changes
V. Articulation
• Post the vision statement on the school’s website and in the CTE classrooms
VI. Implementation
• Mr. Pritchard:
o Participate in professional development programs
o Serve as a "first responders" in identifying student needs
o Connect students to potential future employers
o Partner with the Chamber of Commerce for employment opportunities
• Mr. Fails:
o Develop, advocate, and market a new course in agricultural tech
o Provide suggestions for course improvement
• Families:
o Participate the in school’s decision-making process and guided visits
o Administration and CTE department:
o Communicate often with students and families about student achievement and school events
• Administration and Counselor:
o Strive to create a learning environment that is conducive to learning
o Be consistent with my priorities and actions.
o Share responsibility for improving the campus’ operations
VII. Stewardship
• A roadmap with smart goals
• Monthly walkthroughs and meetings
• Weekly reflection sheet

VIII. Adjournment
Facilitator Name adjourned the meeting at 4:30. Documentation 2
Reflection

How does this response make sense?

I understand the realizing the vision during my first year is a risky move. Teachers and other stakeholders

are usually resistant, sometimes fearful, of change. For us to come up with a vision statement for the Ag. Science

program, I thought it was essential to include input from all key stakeholders into the decision-making process.

When putting together my collaborative team, I looked at who would be most affected by the changes, the

expertise of the staff, the importance of the decisions, and buy-in for successful implementation of the vision

(Martin, 2017). This process allowed me to listen others vent, understand their perspective, and develop

meaningful relationships with the stakeholders.

Describe how the response fits with the established criteria and models the elements found in the building

blocks?

This response fits the established criteria and models the elements found in the building blocks using small

groups using key stakeholders to model a collaborative approach. Breaking the group into small groups to review

the data and what is stake allowed them to understand what the expectations were and why their input was crucial

in the decision-making process. Everyone left the meeting knowing what role they will take and take realizing

the vision meant sharing responsibilities and holding everyone accountable. While there are still some issues that

need to be addressed, such as budgeting, the Ag. Science parking lot, and staff attendance, we included a roadmap

defines our goals and major steps needed to reach it. We will also have walkthroughs and continuous meetings to

make sure we are hitting those goals and see what adjustments are needed.

What issues did the response address?

The purpose of this committee was to address several challenges including, personnel issues, sexual

harassment in the classroom, CTE gender ratio, the Ag. Science facility issues, and community stakeholders. As
outlined in the memo, both Mr. Pritchard and Mr. Fails need to build their capacity by attending professional

development programs and learning walks. Mr. Pritchard, along with the counselors, need to be there to support

their students and address issues immediately such as sexual harassment and he can also help create partnerships

with the local businesses and organizations. Mr. Fails can use his expertise to draw more students into the program

by offering more expansive courses with the help of administration, counselors, and the CTE program. Once these

areas are aligned with the vision statement, we can then start to tackle some of the other challenges that were

mentioned in the Superintendent’s memo.

In what other way could this issue be addressed and prove equally or more successful?

Another way to this issue could be addressed to have a professional development faculty meeting. These

meetings would be more impactful and increase buy-in as these would be teacher-led, and the focus would be on

what the student and teacher need, rather than what the district needs. Teachers would establish a unified vision

and then create steps to achieve those goals. Most importantly, this will encourage communication and

collaboration among the different teams and departments. Together, they can analyze the data and see what are

the most important issues that need to be addressed and how can they collaboratively get there.
 Reference:

Martin, Gary E. (2017). School Leader Internship: Developing, Monitoring, and Evaluating Your Leadership.

New York, NY: Routledge.

Morillo, Christina. (2018). Untitled illustration of a conference [Photograph]. Retrieved from

https://www.pexels.com/@divinetechygirl
Week 3: Establishing and Aligning Measurable Goals

Ima Leader High School Home of

the
1 E. Ketch Harbour Street Azodi, TX 75449 Leading
T: (903) 640-5332 W: www.lamarisd.net/imaleader lions

Memo
To: Dr. Hypothetical Superintendent
CC: Dr. Harrison
From: Ms. Ann Okafor, Principal
Subject: Ag. Science Program DDDM

Thank you, Dr. Superintendent, for reaching out to me after our last correspondence. Since we last spoke,

we at Ima Leader High School, have been at hard work to address the necessary challenges at our campus and

how best to move forward. Our school decision committee have come up with two main goals that we would like

to focus on first, the strategies to reach those goals, and how we can build capacity among our staff to make sure

these strategies are implemented appropriately. Our first goal that we have identified is promoting an equity and

diverse environment at the Ag. Science program that is welcoming to all students. On our meeting on Monday,

we collected an assortment of student data. According to the staff report, the CTE program serves 600 students.

The abbreviated student demographics report shows that the Ag. Science program only serves 250 students. You

mentioned that 80% of those enrolled in the Ag. Science program are listed as white males and only a total of 20

(8%) are female. White, non-Hispanic make up 98% of all students in the Ag. Science program despite making

up on average 39% of the student population at Ima Leader. Students who were identified as Hispanic,

economically disadvantage, or ELLs were not represented at all. I presented this data to the committee to help

support this goal and to increase buy-in. Many of those in the committee were aware of the disparity, but it was

shocking for them to see it in numbers. Our other goal is to help build effective school and community

partnerships. The school achievement data showed that 62.5% of our students are risk for dropping out. Our four-

year graduation rate is at a dismissal 70% compared to the Texas graduation rate of 89.1%. Another heart-breaking

statistic was that less than 25% of our students planned on furthering their education after high school. We both
know how crucial family and community partnerships are to ensuring student success and I have outlined some

strategies to help continue these partnerships and help build new ones.

I read about the complaints from students about sexual harassment and the unequal facility usage. As the

new principal, I cannot under good conscience to let this issue to continue to persist. Since I want Ima Leader to

be a warm and welcoming campus, I have made this my number one priority. For our first goal, we wanted to

develop effective strategies to recruit and attract a more diverse student population. In my last memo, I had

mentioned that Mr. Fails’ role was to use his talent to help develop, advocate, and market the Ag. Science

program. I believe many of the issues in this program would be resolved if it were more inclusive. However, I

understand that this is a responsibility that cannot be done alone. To assist him in addressing this challenge, our

committee has come up with two strategies. The first strategy is to build equity and diversity in the classroom,

particularly in the Ag. Science program. Building equity means increasing self-awareness, making the Ag.

Science course more culturally relevant, establishing classroom norms, and involving the community. One of Mr.

Pritchard’s role is the be the first point of contact for students if they are in distress or for any other needs. Instead

of being dismissive or pretending that the issue does not exist, Mr. Pritchard and Mr. Fails must acknowledge

their own personal biases so that they can better understand people who come from a different background than

they do. The second strategy is to reevaluate the CTE curriculum to make sure it aligns with the Texas Essential

Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The purpose of these standards is to ensure student success after high school.

There must be a balance between competition and instructional practices. I believe a revamped Ag. Science

curriculum can help bring in more students and reduce the dropout rate because students will build critical

thinking skills, practical skills, and career and college aspirations. Both strategies will require high quality

professional development. As for our second goal, we want to build and sustain effective community partners to

improve the education experience for our students. Based on the letters I have received from key stakeholders,

including the Chamber of Commerce, the community has shown that they are willing to be involved at campus.

Since we want to create long-term relationships, this will take some extensive planning and coordination. I have

attached documents on how we will select partnerships and how we will develop our goals and objectives with

them.
 To build capacity among our instructional team, there must be a common vision, members will need

support throughout the implementation process, and making sure our committee support collaboration and ensures

accountable. For example, the instructional team met last Monday to formulate goals and strategies. While at this

meeting, we went over the vision statement we had created last week. I reiterated that our goals must match with

our vision and that the data that will be used to support the goals, not drive it. We made sure everyone participated

with activities and that their time was respected. The task was done collaboratively, and each group was able to

organize, analyze, and summarize the data, a critical step in building capacity. Once the goals and strategies were

set, we went over again each member’s roles and how we would hold each other accountable. It was important

when deciding roles that responsibilities was shared and not defined by compliance. Going forward, we will need

to invest in continuously high-quality professional development. One step was the creation of a book study for

the CTE teachers. The book the CTE program will read at the beginning of the semester is Classroom Cultures:

Equitable Schooling for Racially Diverse Youth by Michelle G. Knight-Manuel and Joanne E. Marciano. The

committee chose this book because it provides strategies and recommendations for implementing effective school

change that will encourage equity in the classroom. I also recommend this book because it provides practices for

ongoing professional development and questions to help educators reflect on their own experiences and

perspectives. At our first meeting, I recommended that Mr. Pritchard and Mr. Fails attend professional

development to developed best instructional practices. I am certain that this book study will help them to

implement equity and diversity effectively in the classroom while also getting support from the rest of the CTE

program and the instructional team. Another step is to conduct monthly walkthroughs with the instructional team

with timely feedback to track their progress. The observation walkthroughs will be developed collaboratively

with the instructional team to make sure the program is staying on track with our common goals. I will check to

see if the program is making their classes more culturally relevant for their students, whether there is evidence

that students are mastering the knowledge and skills, and so forth. We will continue to meet once a month to

update each other our glows and grows. Members were given a weekly reflection sheet to keep track of their own

goals and write about what areas they can improve.

 The instructional team and I ran a needs analysis and identified some resources that will be critical to

achieving our goals and addressing the challenges. One of the challenges was the unequal facility usage. I believe

this is a huge factor impeding female growth in the Ag. Science program. Going back to our first goal, we want

to promote a diverse and inclusive environment in the program that is welcoming to all students. The Direction

of Operation sent me a facilities report and showed that there were two large offices for the Ag. Science teachers,

but only one locker room and one restroom. In our meeting on Monday, I suggested that we create a budget

committee that would include teachers, administration, counselors, families, and community stakeholders. As you

know, we are a Title I school, but even that is not enough. With some creativity and some funding, we can change

one of the large offices into a women’s locker room and restroom. The other office should be able to accommodate

both Ag. Science teacher and will encourage more communication and collaboration among the two. Our team

will also need to discuss ways to adjust the Ag. Science budget to allow more for technology, textbooks, software,

and other instructional expenses. The option would be to decrease the travel budget. I am in talks with the Business

Manager to secure more funding to allow for these changes to happen. If funding is not available or is limited,

the CTE department and I have discussed ways to raise funding and other resources through external partnerships.

And if the budget allows, I would like to see some more diversity in staffing that will attract female students.

Thanks for your consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Ms. Ann Okafor

Ima Leader High School Principal
(903) 640-5332 ext. 22658
Doing our best to reach every student every day!
 Documentation 1
Goal #1: Promote an equity and diverse environment at the Ag. Science program that is
welcoming to all students.
 DATA

 CAPACITY BUILDING MEETING

 BOOK STUDY AND WALKTHROUGH OBSERVATION SHEET

 Documentation 2
Goal # 2: Build effective school and community partnerships.
 SAMPLE FROM OUR MAY 27, 2020 INSTRUCTIONAL TEAM CAPACITY BUILDING
MEETING POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

Slide 3: Range of Complexity of School-Community Partnerships Slide 5: Potential Partners for School-Community Partnerships

Slide 8: School Facilities Needs Assessment Analysis

Slide 13: School Facilities Needs Assessment Timeline

 COMPREHENSIVE CHECKLIST FOR EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIP

IMPROVEMENT
Reflection
How does this response make sense?

I felt that this was the most appropriate response because it addresses some the challenges that were

outlined in the memo. One of the challenges was the lack of diversity and the unsafe environment for female

students. We addressed the issue by reevaluating the curriculum to ensure student success after high and we

formed a book study that will provide the necessary professional development to help Mr. Pritchard and Mr. Fails

ensure the Ag. Science program promotes equity and inclusion. We also addressed the concern of at-risk students

and low graduation rates with by building partnerships with families and the community.

Describe how the response fits with the established criteria and models the elements found in the building

blocks?

This response fits the established criteria and models the elements found in the building blocks by

establishing two measurable goals that aligned with data. After outlining our goals, we offered strategies to

address these goals, such as building equity and self-awareness among staff members, creating a book club and

ongoing support, and reaching out to key stakeholders to build effective community partnerships. We built

capacity among our instructional leadership team by holding collaborative meetings where they can organize,

analyze, and summarize data, help develop action plans, and share the responsibilities among themselves. We ran

a needs analysis using the data that was given us and decided to revamp the Ag. Science program by shifting the

budget to support more instructional strategies, decreasing the among spent on traveling, and converting one of

the offices to a girl’s locker room and restroom.

What issues did the response address?

We addressed a variety of challenges, including the sexual harassment and unequal facility usage in the

Ag. Science program. We looked at ways to help solve the gender, racial, and socioeconomic balance, including

promoting equity in the classrooms and reevaluating the current curriculum. We addressed the lower than average
graduation rates and high dropout rates by building effective community partnerships. And lastly, we addressed

some of the facility issues using the facilities report to create an action plan.

In what other way could this issue be addressed and prove equally or more successful?

Like I had mentioned in last week’s reflection, I think another way this could be addressed is by making

this a school-wide approach. While I do not plan on tackling all the challenges during my first year, I would like

to see each department create their vision statement and run their own needs analysis. After gathering the data,

my instructional team and I can start to look for common issues that are shared with the Ag. Science program. I

think the whole school would benefit from the book study and continuous high-quality instructional support. Once

all teachers receive the necessary feedback and support, we can then start to see improvements in equity, diversity,

family and community engagement, and student achievement.

Week 4: Monitoring, Adjusting, and Communicating Progress

Ima Leader High School Home of

the
1 E. Ketch Harbour Street Azodi, TX 75449 Leading
T: (903) 640-5332 W: www.lamarisd.net/imaleader lions

Memo
To: Dr. Hypothetical Superintendent
CC: Dr. Harrison
From: Ms. Ann Okafor, Principal
Subject: Ag. Science Program

Thank you again, Dr. Superintendent, for reaching out to me again. We at Ima Leader High School have

been hard at work to address the challenges and I think you are going to like some of the ideas and projects we

have come up with to address these issues. First, I would like to address that current status of our CTE school

decision committee. The committee has been meeting monthly to review the progress that has been made within

the CTE program, particularly the Ag. Science classes. These meetings are collaborative and is data driven. At

these meetings, we organize the data that we have been collecting, including walkthrough observations, guided

visit notes, student data and work, and the status of community partnerships. We also allow time for the members

o read their weekly reflections and ask any questions to the group. The instructional team provides feedback, such

as glows and grows. While the focus is usually on the grows, or needs for improvement, I also like give teachers

a chance to reflect on their glows and explain the committee how they achieved that. Once the data has been

analyzed and summarized, we then use this knowledge to decide how are we going to implement any necessary

changes. One of the challenges we had prioritized from the very beginning was the sexual harassment complaints.

Before the start of the school, we completed an internal Facility Risk Factor Audit. We noticed that some parents

decided to withdrawal they students at the end of the last school year due to safety concerns. We also received

many reports from students complaining about bullying, intimidation, and harassment in school. With the

assistance of the counselor, we have been meeting with Mr. Pritchard and Mr. Fails continuously to review what

they have done to address the issue, what improvements have been made to ensure the safety of our facilities, and
what still needs to be done. This is part of larger, but ongoing issue of equity and diversity that we have been

working hard to fix.

To address this larger issue, the committee came up with an idea to create a CTE Outreach Committee

that would be run by CTE students. Members were selected by their peers, but we made sure it also matched the

student demographics of the school. Leaders of the committee were given formal roles to provide leadership,

support, and encouragement. We thought Mr. Pritchard would make a good sponsor because of his role of being

the point of contact for students for guidance and assistance. Members of committee had undergone training to

learn acceptable behaviors to peers. They were expected to not only attend these trainings but uphold them to

serve as model to the community. As a part of the committee rules, members are responsible for holding monthly

meetings to discuss, plan, and implement outreach and networking events that will engage diverse student

populations, including different races and ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. I attended one these

meetings and the ideas being discussed were promising. One of the ideas was to develop advocacy initiatives to

address specific issues within the Ag. Science program. Some of their initiatives included increasing female

presence and participation in all activities, advocacy capacity building within the CTE program, coalition building

with several student and community organizations, and leadership development opportunities. While the

committee is still in its infancy stage, I am excited about the direction of the group and skills that are being

developed by the members.

One of the goals for the CTE strategic decision committee was for Mr. Pritchard and Mr. Fails to attend

professional development to build their capacity as educators. As a part of their training, each were assigned a

member from the instructional team to act as their mentor. The mentor’s duties were to meet weekly with their

mentee and establish goals, decide how those goals will be assessed, and create timeframe to complete those

goals. While the mentors join me in my walkthroughs, I also have the mentees sit in their mentor’s classes to

observe them and take constructive notes. I have been meeting with each group consistently to discuss their

progress and concerns. We also use these meetings to schedule our walkthroughs and classroom observations.

While Mr. Fails was very receptive to extra support and guidance, Mr. Pritchard was very resistant to the change

initially. Despite this, we have continued to offer Mr. Pritchard support through our monthly book study and
committee meetings and his weekly meetings with his mentor. We have seen improvement in instructional and

he has helped secured several partnerships with local business for student internships and school material,

including Scent & Violet, First Choice Landscaping, and Tech-Fab Metal Company. Progressive IT Services, a

local computer service company has even offered to donate several laptops after the CTE Outreach Committee

and Mr. Pritchard reached out to them. I know that change is hard, but I am glad to see that he is at least trying,

and we are already seeing some of the hard work pay off.

And as always, I am always look for the impact of future resources. A while ago, the committee and I ran

a needs assessment analysis to identify and report needed resources for sustained improvement. There are several

things that still need to be addressed. First, the locker room and restroom situation. I know this is something we

have gone back and forth about, but in order to make my school equitable and inclusive, it also needs to be safe.

The current situation is not safe or equitable. In fact, it is illegal and deprives our female students of their dignity!

I suggest we use some of the travel budget funding to redesign one of the offices to create a women’s locker room

and restroom. The other office can be shared by both Ag. Science teachers. The second issue I would like to

address is technology. The CTE Outreach Committee has reached out to me several times about the lack of internet

access in the Ag. Science area of the building. We are currently in talks with the Texas CTE Director, Ms. Heather

Justice, on how to correctly apply for and receive a Perkins grant. Once approved, the funding will help improve

and modernize our CTE program and align workforce skills with labor market need. The money could be used to

build more access points to that side of campus. This will also include money for instructional expenses, such

textbooks and software, and hiring a female Ag. Science teacher due to enrollment increases in the program.

And as always, any other suggestions or concerns are welcomed.

Yours sincerely,

Ms. Ann Okafor

Ima Leader High School Principal
(903) 640-5332 ext. 22658
Doing our best to reach every student every day!
 CTE Outreach Committee Documentation 1

 Yearbook Photos: Members of the CTE Outreach Committee were chosen by their peers

 Student leadership training: Members building capacity by attending monthly trainings on acceptable
behaviors to peers hosted by Teach Anti Bullying and by completing an online anti-bullying, discrimination,
and sexual harassment course

 Projects: Laptops received by Progressive IT Services & Students interning at Tech-Fab Metal Company

 Projects: Anti-bullying initiative created by the CTE Outreach Committee

 Building Teacher Capacity through mentorship program
 Mentor and Mentee Meeting: discussing goals, creating action steps, and breaking down the evaluation
process

 Mentor Forms: Getting to know mentee, goals, visitation form, teacher reflection form

Funding Process and Updated Employee and Student/Parent Handbook

 Perkins CTE Grant process

 Updated Handbook 2020 - 2021: Revised harassment policy approved by the Board of Trustees

Documentation 2
Reflection

How does this response make sense?

This response makes sense because it shows that the CTE shared decisions committee initiated a

collaborative review process by conducted monthly meetings with key stakeholders from the school, family, and

community. Part of the process was to collect and organize data from across different data sets and analyze and

summarize the data to gain knowledge from it. I developed and share efforts at developing student leadership and

capacity by creating the CTE Outreach Committee. The purpose of the committee is for members to learn

acceptable behaviors to peers and gain meaningful leadership skills. This response also identifies and reports the

needed resources for sustained improvement, such as refiguring the large office into a women’s locker room and

restroom and reducing the travel budget to fund internet access points and other instructional materials.

Describe how the response fits with the established criteria and models the elements found in the building

blocks?

This response fits because the CTE shared decisions committee is a monthly collaborative meeting hosted

by several members of the community, including teachers, administrators, parents, business leaders, and

community members. To address the issue of harassment and lack of diversity in the Ag. Science program, I

created the CTE Outreach Committee that is run by students. The committee teaches students leadership skills

and acceptable behaviors to peers. I distributed leadership of the instructional team by assigning two of them to

mentor Mr. Pritchard and Mr. Fails on a weekly basis to review goals, create new ones, address concerns, and

provide constructive feedback. I considered the impact of future resources by addressing the need for instructional

materials, better internet access and improved safety of our facilities.

What issues did the response address?

The main issue I addressed in this memo is equity and inclusion. The purpose of these committees is to

improve capacity among key stakeholders, include our students. This also includes funding to fix the locker room
and restroom issue, the lack of instructional material, and the internet access point to so that all students feel safe

and have access to the necessary materials for student achievement.

In what other way could this issue be addressed and prove equally or more successful?

The goal is to expand the program into the next school year. Another way this could have been successful

was to include the whole school at the beginning. If I were to have done a needs assessment for each department,

I am sure that I would have seem some overlaps in the issues. I think all the staff would have benefited to the

extra support and guidance the Ag. Science program has received.
Week 5: Professional Growth Reflection

1. Impact your ability to analyze issues, make decisions, and overcome problems?

I learned how problem solve by using the data driven decision making process. I used to the resource packet

to look for contextual information to determine the problem. This meant collecting, organizing, analyzing, and

summarizing the data sets from the resource packet, such as the facilities report, student demographic data, the

letter from Chamber of Commerce, etc. and then synthesizing and prioritizing what issues needed to deal with

first. Each week I had to generate solutions that may solve the problem and decide how it should be implemented.

Lastly, I had to evaluate the possible impact and what alternatives could be used to reach the same result or better,

and then how I would gather feedback and establish ongoing monitoring.

2. Impact your ability to demonstrate originality and inventiveness?

I appreciated the freedom to decide what documentation to use for our memo. Instead of being told what

exactly to use to defend my position, this allowed me to come with varied solutions each week on how to deal

with certain issues. One week I created an anti-bullying and harassment initiative that required all staff and

students to undergo training on how to treat their peers and recognize bad behavior. I used an updated employee

and student/family handbook, capacity building training for all staff and students, and anti-bullying week program

as my documentation. Another week, I used pictures to showcase the collaboration and decision-making during

an SDC meeting, both which are important in a stakeholder meeting.

3. Impact your ability to articulate thoughts and ideas clearly?

Practicing writing a memo each week helped me learned how to address issues in a professional and logically

manner. The first week I struggled because I thought the building blocks were too rigid compared to how I

normally write, such as in week’s two memo where I had to model the collaborative approach in the first paragraph

and established expectations and built relationships in another paragraph. However, by the fourth week, I was
able to articulate my thoughts and ideas clearly with ease. Before I would write my memo, I would choose an

idea and create an outline based on that idea. I did that for each paragraph and would revise and edit them until it

satisfied what was expected from the rubric.

4. Impact your ability to build of collaborative relationships?

One of the key takeaways from this class was learning how to start and maintain collaborative relationships.

I learned in 5311 that ideal leader in today’s world was a transformational leader, but I was not sure what that

would look like in practice. When I was first tasked with addressing the strategic problem-solving assessment, I

thought this would be a great opportunity for me to practice being a transformational leader. After I formed a

team of key stakeholders, I had them create a shared vision, define what their roles and responsibilities would be,

and I made sure to use effective communication with my team. Today, I know the knowledge and skills that are

necessary to be a collaborative instructional leader, such as goal setting and action planning, time management,

aligning budget, external partnership and facilities to the plan, and building and managing systems for key

stakeholders.

5. Impact your ability to leverage the strengths of others to achieve goals?

One of the issues that needed to be addressed immediately was the sexual harassment among female CTE

students and I knew telling the students to stop just would not be enough. To achieve this goal of creating a safe

and civil environment on my campus meant getting everyone involved, including staff and students. The goal was

the build their capacity to do better and be better about how they interact with peers. I felt like this approach could

be applied to other situations as well. By building the capacity of others, such as training or professional

development, they will be better equipped to handle and address challenges and help us reach our goals.