Glenallen Elementary School Site and Leadership Needs Analysis Report March 29, 2016 Glenallen Elementary School Principal Amy Archer has been appointed as the new principal at Garden Elementary School effective June 8. The district will begin its search for a new principal for Glenallen by posting the job vacancy April 1. District staff conducted a Site and Leadership Needs Analysis to receive input from Glenallen parents and staff regarding their experiences at the school and their expectations of a new administrator. The analysis is intended to provide potential applicants for the position with some insights relative to instruction, management and school climate at Glenallen from the perspective of parents and staff. The information was collected at a meeting at the school and from questionnaires submitted by parents and staff members who could not attend the meeting. A summary of the information gathered from both sources is contained in this report, which will be posted with the announcement of the job vacancy. The site analysis meeting was March 29 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Glenallen Media Center. Parents, guardians and staff were invited by letter and an automated phone message to attend the meeting. Parents, guardians and staff who could not attend the meeting were provided with a questionnaire they could use to submit written responses to the questions that were to be asked at the meeting. The questionnaire responses also have been included in the answers recorded for this report. Thirty-three parents and school staff members participated in the meeting. Ten others submitted their responses on questionnaires. District Executive Director of Elementary Schools Laura Kingsley welcomed the parents and staff to the meeting and explained the process and timeline for selecting a new principal. Communications Director Gary Leatherman facilitated the question-and-response portion of the meeting and prepared this report. The participants were asked the following four questions: 1. What is going well? 2. What traditions, programs or activities should remain? 3. What challenges should the new principal expect? 4. What characteristics of a new principal will best fit Glenallen in the areas of professional experience, leadership style and personal qualities? A summary of the responses to each of the questions is presented below. All unduplicated responses were recorded. No attempt was made to reach consensus on whether a response should be included, therefore some responses may be contradictory. All responses recorded during the site analysis meeting and submitted on questionnaires are included as appendices to this report beginning on page six. Responses from the meeting are listed in the appendices in the order in which they were submitted.
Page 2 of 10 Glenallen Site Analysis 2016 Question 1: What is going well? The participants in the site analysis meeting and the respondents to the questionnaire identified 47 things that are going well at Glenallen. The items listed related to the school, teachers and staff, and administration. Some items might fit into more than one category, so it should be understood that the categories were created after the meeting for the purpose of organizing the responses. School The participants in the site analysis identified a number of general areas in which Glenallen is doing well. Those areas included arrival and dismissal procedures, block scheduling, counseling programs, CPT and grade level planning, the ESE and ESOL service models, family involvement events, the master schedule, the Media Center, departmentalized teaching and the PTO. Administration Participants cited a large number of administrative responsibilities that are being well executed. Those included good and creative budgeting, offering professional development on site, communicating with the staff and community, managing emergency procedures, providing funds and supplies, being visible and present in the school, maintaining safety and security, encouraging collaboration within the team and with other schools, having an open-door policy, supporting staff in their interactions with parents, allowing teachers to make as many copies as necessary and providing other classroom materials, conducting scheduled observations, making suggestions and offering ideas, and being responsive to teacher feedback. Staff Participants and questionnaire respondents said the intervention block with staff labs is going well. They also reported that the following areas affecting staff are successful: staff support and recognition at staff meetings, the teacher dress code, technology and custodial support and efficiency, mentoring new staff, intervention time with manned computer labs, CPI Training, staff meetings, encouragement of problem solving and collaboration, grade level teams, schedules, and subs being available for PD. The group also noted that the school support staff is efficient and effective. Question 2: What traditions, programs or activities should continue? The analysis participants and the respondents to questionnaires identified 58 traditions, programs and activities they would like the new principal to continue. The responses fall roughly into the categories below. If a suggested item is something that continues throughout the school year, it was listed as a program. If it was a one-time or annual event, it was considered an activity. The traditions are things that the school offers continuously, but are not necessarily organized as programs. Programs Backpack Snack program Before and After Care Blue ticket rewards Box tops programs CHAMPS Clusters ESE Model ESOL Guidance Intervention labs PAWS reading program PBS incentives Reading counts Science boot camp Science Lab Second grade reading buddies/baseball players Second Step program SEDNET
Page 3 of 10 Glenallen Site Analysis 2016 Staff PBS Student PBS Tutoring Walking school bus YMCA swim program Activities Afterschool clubs for students Annual Title I meeting and meet your teacher Attendance celebrations Book fairs Camp Learn-a-lot Camp Read-a-lot Carnival Field trips Fifth-grade graduation GA Newsletter Glenallen News Network Holiday Program/Angel Program Literacy days Panther Run Poinsettia Parade Publix Math Night Quarterly award celebrations Science Fair Science Lab Special Olympics Spirit week Spring and fall flings Staff appreciation week Student Council Talent Show Ukulele Club Winter Concert Traditions Admin working with students Backpack Kids Business partners Co-teaching teams Flexible professional days with options Intervention Labs manned I-Ready Night/trainings Kudos at staff meetings Monthly ESE meetings Parent behavior trainings Professional day parent conferences Recess every day Return of CPT days SAC SDMT Staff committees Teacher CP Days The new PTO!!! Volunteer recognition Volunteer support Question 3: What challenges should the new principal expect? The new principal will face a number of challenges that are common to any administrator of a public school in Florida: meeting high expectations with limited resources, managing the issues associated with extensive standardized testing and meeting students social and personal needs. The specific challenges that the new principal at Glenallen will need to address fall roughly into the categories below: general schoolwide challenges, challenges related to staff and challenges related to the demographics of students and families. School Meeting participants and respondents to the site analysis questionnaire said the new principal will be challenged to administer the school ESE and other clusters, comply with Title 1 paperwork and procedures, provide administrative input on CARE and SWST, delegate appropriately, unite administration, and manage conflict resolution among staff, students and parents. Some participants said the new principal will be challenged to overcome mistrust of the administration and to prevent negative attitudes from overpowering the positive accomplishments of the school.
Page 4 of 10 Glenallen Site Analysis 2016 Staff Participants and respondents said the challenges related to staff include high RTi caseloads, a large percentage of new staff, an overload of data expectations, teachers tired of too much paperwork, staff burn out, finding and hiring qualified staff and subs, a great need for counseling services, low morale, frustration and staff clicks. The group also said discipline is an issue that affects staff. Families The participants and respondents reported a variety of issues affecting families that also bear on the students ability to succeed in school. As a Title 1 and a cluster school, Glenallen has a large percentage of economically disadvantaged families and a high number of ESE students. Parent involvement is low, but many have an attitude of entitlement. Custody issues and DCF investigations are common. Home or social problems follow students to school, which results in a challenging level of behavior and discipline issues and a large number of students in SWST and CARE. Question 4: What characteristics of a new principal will best fit Glenallen in the areas of professional experience, leadership style and personal qualities? This question was answered in brainstorm style at the meeting. Responses were captured on paper flip charts as they were suggested by participants. When all responses were recorded, participants prioritized the list by placing one of four sticky dots they were provided beside the characteristics they believed to be most important. A number beside a response indicates how many participants besides to the person who suggested the characteristic thought it was important. If there is no number beside the characteristic, it did not receive any dots. Questionnaire responses were not included on the charts at the meeting. They are listed separately below. If a questionnaire answer matched a meeting answer, it was added to the number beside the meeting responses. Responses from meeting Strong disciplinary nature 15 Title 1 experience 12 Visible 11 Respectful 9 Trusting of staff 9 Recognizes dedicated staff 7 Humor 6 Approachable 6 Students first 4 Strong leader 4 Positive 4 Dedicated to our school 3 Open door policy 3 Flexible 2 Friendly 2 Compassionate 2 Local 2 Team player 2 Classroom experience 2 Familiar with Sarasota County expectations 1 Compassionate about high-need students 1 Open minded 1 Approachable 1 Organized 1 Communicator 1 Understanding 1 Well versed in learning strategies 1 Big Heart Consistent Knowledgeable Trustworthy Confident Instructional leader
Page 5 of 10 Glenallen Site Analysis 2016 Likes kids Responses from questionnaires Accepting of greater input at SDMT Encourages all staff to participate in Arts Integration League Not so data driven Encourages creativity Kind, empathetic, listener, fair, genuine, light hearted, people person, not a bully, hands on support Male role model Open to teachers ideas Less emphasis on the PRIDE rubric Sticks up for teachers; has our backs Treats all employees equally; no favorites Treats staff as professionals Observations should include more positives, less picky Understands the makeup of North Port
Page 6 of 10 Glenallen Site Analysis 2016 Appendices Appendix A Question 1: What is going well? Responses from meeting Master Schedule ESE service model Good budgeting decisions/creative Professional development offered on site Communication to staff and community Support Staff Mentoring new staff Emergency procedures handled effectively Funds request and given supplies when needed Administration is visible and present Policies and procedures that keep our school safe Intervention block with staff labs Sense of humor Staff support and recognition at staff meetings PBS programs Arrival and dismissal procedures Specials wheel are going well Encourage to collaborate within the team and other schools Open door policy CPT and grade level planning Block scheduling Opportunity to teach departmentalized Administrative support with parents ESOL service model Amounts of copy paper and copies allowed Teacher dress code Family involvement events Technology and custodial support and efficiency Counseling programs Responses from questionnaires New ESE Model Reading Counts Specials Wheel Intervention time with manned computer labs CPI Training Administration has done well making sure classroom needs and materials are available Admin on the news Staff meetings Scheduled observations are a good thing Quick walk through so students see administration PTO Encouragement of problem solving and collaboration Grade level teams work together well for the most part Schedules
Page 7 of 10 Glenallen Site Analysis 2016 Subs available for PD Teachers are well supported when parents are difficult/are upset about something. I always feel like admin has my back. I appreciate suggestions and ideas when I m given a task to do. I feel like my feedback is taken into account when I offer it. Media Center Appendix B Question 2: What traditions, programs or activities should continue? Responses from meeting Special Olympics The new PTO!!! PAWS reading program Spring and fall fling Second grade reading buddies/baseball Backpack Snack program players GNN Literacy days Blue ticket rewards Quarterly award celebrations PBS incentives Attendance celebrations Book fair Science boot camp Afterschool clubs for students Winter Concert Panther run 5 th grade graduation Spirit week Admin working with students CHAMPS Clusters Return of CPT days Kudos at staff meetings PAWS program SEDNET Tutoring program Annual title one meeting and meet your Camp Learn a lot teacher Publix Math night Poinsettia parade Support behavior academic ESOL and ESE Flexible professional days with options Intervention labs Box tops programs Holiday Program-Angel program Reading counts Second step program Science Lab Volunteer recognition Volunteer support Science Fair Staff appreciation week Walking school bus Field trips Parent behavior trainings YMCA swim program Business partners I-ready night/trainings Staff committees SAC SDMT Responses from questionnaires All programs as is Staff PBS (the blue recognition-raffle) Student PBS Monthly ESE meetings Camp Learn-a-lot, Camp Read-a-lot Reading Counts Intervention Labs manned Co-teaching teams ESOL ESE Model GNN News Science Lab SDMT GA Newsletter Carnival Backpack Kids Panther Run Talent Show PAWS Book fairs
Page 8 of 10 Glenallen Site Analysis 2016 Guidance Before and After Care After Care directed with the help of volunteers for better spent in help of students using fun academic games, spelling bee, math games, trivia, etc. Tutoring Getting first or second professional day to have conferences with all parents Student Council Recess everyday Ukulele Club Teachers need to have CP Days. So much time is spent discussing students at CPT that teachers have not time for planning together. (We ve had it in the past.) Appendix C Question 3: What challenges should the new principal expect? Responses from meeting High RTi case loads Clusters Lack of involvement from some parents Title 1 population needy families Large percentage of new staff Overload of data expectations High ESE population Families with attitude of entitlement Title 1 compliance paperwork and procedures A need for admin input on care and SWST knowing the students Staff burn out Home or social problems that will follow students to school Finding and hiring qualified staff and subs Challenge of no bookkeeper Negative overpowering the positive DCF and custody issues Great need for counseling services Parents feeling easement with open communication and involvement Able to delegate appropriate and confidently Uniting Administration Conflict resolution between staff, students and parents Responses from questionnaires Discipline Staff moral low, frustrated No accountable for admin Mistrust of administration Staff clicks Student population with many challenges High profile cases High student needs High number of ESE students Lots of behaviors (from students)
Page 9 of 10 Glenallen Site Analysis 2016 Teachers tired of too much paperwork A lot of new staff this year SWST CARE?? We have so many. Needy parents that require education from staff other than teachers. Support the teachers when there is a disgruntled parent or at least believe/trust the employee. Read their notes, listen w/out intimidation. The curriculum is not developmentally appropriate for the students. This must be acknowledged by the new principal rather than ignored. Teams must be given the freedom to teach the content in a more developmentally appropriate way. Too much emphasis on I-Ready That these teachers work harder than most elementary schools and should be acknowledged. (35% highly effective as a school is not a true reflection) To enter a school that has been a hostile environment for years. Moral has been bad for years. Teachers have been disrespected for years. Someone who needs to help this staff heal and move on. Would like to see teachers back in classrooms teaching and not riding around in golf carts. The school has been very divided for years. Moral has been low and many teachers feel defeated. Teachers may be very cautious and many suffer from PTSD from the last administration. Last administrator left Glenallen after creating a very hostile environment. She is very evil, narcissistic and disrespectful. She should be removed of her duties. The new principal will face beaten down - not a very trusting teaching staff. We will be very welcoming, but very hesitant based on years of disrespect and verbal abuse. Appendix D Question 4: What characteristics of a new principal will best fit Glenallen in the areas of professional experience, leadership style and personal qualities? Responses from meeting Approachable 6 Positive 3 Strong leader 4 Respectful 8 Humor 6 Visible 9 Open door policy 3 Compassionate 2 Consistent Local 2 Title 1 experience 11 Knowledgeable Trustworthy Familiar with Sarasota County expectations 1 Trusting of staff 7 Recognizes dedicated staff 7 Dedicated to our school 3 Strong disciplinary nature 14 Responses from questionnaires Acceptance of greater input at SDMT, teacher leader etc. A leader not an abuser who berates and belittles staff Confident Compassionate about high need students 1 Classroom experience 1 Instructional leader Friendly 2 Open minded 1 Likes kids Approachable 1 Team player 2 Big Heart Flexible 2 Organized 1 Communicator 1 Students first 4 Understanding 1 Consistent Well versed in learning strategies 1
Page 10 of 10 Glenallen Site Analysis 2016 A leadership style that trusts their staff and does not feel the need to micromanage Arts Integration League should be highly encouraged for ALL staff! Not so data driven Encourage creativity Kind, Empathetic, respectful, listener, fair, genuine, light hearted, persona and people person, not a bully, hands on support, visible, Male role model 5 years of classroom experience Title school experience Open to teachers ideas Less emphasis on the PRIDE rubric Sticks up for teachers has our backs Strict with behaviors of students Treat all employees equally; no favorites Treats staff as professionals The need to communicate that observations should include more positives, less picky. Trust your teachers Understands the makeup of North Port Visible to students and know your students Becky Drum as our principal. She understands the clientele, knows the supports parents and teachers need, is interested in being involved, is usually available to talk to when needed, gets her face out there in the school, has a great sense of humor, is not overbearing, knows what to say/do to support staff in a non-threatening way, is assertive when needed, loves the kids, understands the balance between home and school life, is well-liked and respected by staff!