Decision-Making Process:
I had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Ferrill, a retired principal, serving as an Interim Principal. She conversed with me about having to make a decision to refocus staff at a High School. She explained that she felt she needed to make some changes. She stated that some things done at that time would have caused a loss of employment. She stated that through observation, data, and listening to the conversations of staff; she made the decision to restructure and refocus the staff. Through her observation she discovered the faculty was so conditioned to saying whatever they wanted to say and weren’t modest in their conversation. When she looked at the data there was no achievement growth of students. She set a meeting with the staff at a different location away from the school. This happened to be at a church conference room. When she began her meeting she presented to the staff “What do you teach?” The staff replied, “I teach my subject area.” She presented to them to refocus their teaching and to teach the students. The proposal was made to the teachers. They complained about the changes she wanted to make. She said that she could still vividly picture staff so angry. If they had not been in a church environment, ”Oh the words that may have come out of their mouth.” All of the staff left the school for number of reasons except for an AP.
The Facilitative Leader Levels Model was used to explain this decision. Ms. Ferrill observed the staff’s mannerisms and conversations about the school and the clientele. Then by gathering information from her observation she analyzed the data of the school to determine the problems. It was at that point she made a decision to refocus the staff at the school. She felt that the individual staff input was so negative that the school culture and environment needed a change. However, she gathered the staff to discuss her plan and obtain their input. She posed a question to them which the consensus was that they teach a subject and not students. It was at this time she delegated to the staff what their duties and responsibilities were going to be to teach at that particular high school. Thus she made the final decision. However in making this decision she had the opportunity to obtain staff not biased to the issues of her former staff. Her new staff was able to “climb on board.” Her new staff was able to see her vision. She advises when making decisions, you may have to stand alone. A decision will need to be firm. She states, “Don’t be afraid to take risk.” I agree that she should have made changes because the staff’s focus was not geared toward educating students.
Decision-Making Process
Ms. Ferrill also made a decision to change the focus of the high school and design a curriculum that is geared toward the interest of students. She stated that a colleague was researching this type of program and receiving a grant for it. She began her investigation. She researched the model and observed schools that were doing this model. She collected the data that supported the model. Through collaborating with others and discussing the model for months she decided to try the model. She had to consider everyone involve. The stakeholders were important for this to work. The teacher, the parents and the students had to “buy into the program” in order to make it work. Again she emphasized that you decisions can be risky. She stated that though the scores did not improve greatly. Students showed some improvement.
Facilitative Leader Levels Model was used in this decision. Ms Ferrill decided on this plan of incorporating schools of interest. She announced her intentions to the stakeholders. She began to research and travel to places all over the states that had this program and looked at the data to support it. Parents, students and teachers were involved in the process because they were affected. So a consensus was determined. The results of the reports were made. After many collaborative events and discussions, a decision was made. I agree with the process. I think when you are making decisions that effect stakeholders it is best to come to some kind of consensus,
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