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Educational Platform of Kathleen A.

Allan

THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION Let us in education dream of an aristocracy of achievement arising out of a democracy of opportunity Thomas Jefferson Our society must provide all of its citizens with an equitable education to assure opportunity for economic success that will lead to lifelong opportunities. It is no longer acceptable to provide just an adequate level of education to some members of society. The purpose of education must be to level the playing field for all members of our society in order to reduce the socioeconomic gap that exists in schools across our country. Education can only achieve such a lofty purpose of equity if the highest expectations are imposed for all students at all schools in all districts.

ADEQUATE v. EQUITABLE EDUCATION Should the purpose of education be different for students based upon their heritage, income or their zip code? For members of a democratic society, the answer to this question should always be - NO. Yet based upon the idea of an adequate education, millions of American children attend public schools that receive less funding as compared to counterpart schools in more affluent, less culturally diverse neighborhoods. This concept of an adequate education provides just enough funding to provide an education but limits the possibility of less affluent students from receiving an excellent education. In so doing, an adequate education often prevents students from having the opportunity to succeed in school and in life. Imagine what our society could become if all students received an excellent education? It is my belief that education must be excellent for all students. To begin to level the playing field, I believe public funding should be based upon socioeconomic need. The schools with the greatest need should receive the largest amount of funding with a high level of accountability at the building level. This would be the first step toward assurance of an equitable education of excellence for all students. An excellent education should be student centered addressing the personal needs of each student. Highly skilled teachers would have access to the requisite resources to present rigorous and relevant curriculum in a safe learning environment with the goal of providing students with an excellent education. In a school of excellence, strong educational leadership would focus on principles of collaboration that would unite families and communities to work side by side in the educational process.
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Educational Platform of Kathleen A. Allan

APPROPRIATE ROLE OF STUDENTS To create a school of excellence requires all stakeholders to work in collaboration to achieve academic success. It is vital that students be actively involved in the educational process. Student involvement begins with coming to school prepared to learn. Students must be motivated by a school culture that demands academic success based on high expectations. Students should be actively involved in setting learning goals as well as tracking their progress toward goal attainment. Students must be receptive to personalized attention to assure they have the requisite skills to meet their academic goals. Finally, students should be confident the school culture will provide a safety net that will prevent failure and provide every student with the programs that will assure their academic success. APPROPRIATE ROLE OF EFFECTIVE TEACHERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY An effective teacher must develop a positive, caring relationship with students, parents and staff members. In addition, actively involving parents in the education of their children creates a vital partnership that will greatly assist in raising student achievement. Through parent and student communication, an effective teacher should continually send a message of high expectations. An effective teacher must be aware of cultural norms of students and adjust their expectations accordingly but never lowering their belief that all students can succeed. Effective teachers have classrooms that are student-centered. The educational process is collaborative and cooperative allowing students the opportunity to direct their own learning. Effective teachers facilitate learning that addresses the key skills of the 21st Century including: creativity, innovation, critical thinking and problem solving.

APPROPRIATE ROLE OF PARENTS AND OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS Since parents have a major influence on the academic success of their children, it is vital to actively involve parents in the educational process. The key to successful parental involvement requires establishing a relationship with parents through appropriate communication methods. The methods of communication must be appropriate to develop a partnership between the school and the parents with focus on the academic success of the students. Parents must be open to available training that will allow their role of in the partnership with the school to be
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Educational Platform of Kathleen A. Allan

most effective. The school should provide community services to parents that will increase their effectiveness to assist their children in achieving academic success.
What the best and wisest parent wants for his child that must the community want for all of

its children. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon, it destroys our democracy. John Dewey THE IMPORTANCE OF CURRICULUM Curriculum is the framework, including the steps, resources and goals to be accomplished to determine student success. Curriculum at the primary level provides a platform for all students to meet the learning goals. At the secondary level, curriculum guides students to meet the challenges dictated by society. Teachers use curriculum to assist in achieving the curricular outcomes. The curriculum development process should address student needs to assure improvement of student achievement. The curriculum should clearly specify the philosophy and learning goals of the educational community. A curriculum aligned to educational standards is vital in assuring student achievement. Instructional strategies that are derived from a curriculum that has been aligned will create usable data to design and target best practices to increase student achievement as well as close achievement gaps for all students.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF THE STUDENTS HAVE LEARNED? Through the use of pre and post assessments that have been aligned to mastery level standards in all core subject areas, our school will be able to determine which students have achieved the learning objectives. Those students who have not achieved the designated learning goals will receive remediation to achieve mastery of these standards. Teachers will be using formative assessments in their classrooms to determine the level of student understanding in comparison to the desired outcomes. Through the use of Student Response Devices, teachers can capture assessment data and provide immediate feedback to students as well as use the data to further refine and direct their instructional methods. In addition, students need to be assessed periodically using a norm referenced standardized test that provides additional learning outcomes and has resources to meet the needs of all students. Finally, through the use of technology and online programs, teachers can create student specific assignments and track their progress toward

Educational Platform of Kathleen A. Allan

meeting specific learning goals. All of these assessment methods provide vital data that continuously informs and drives instruction that will assure the success of all student.s

HOW DO I WANT OTHERS TO SEE ME I want my peers to see me as a visionary leader who is always looking for the best way to assure that all students can and will succeed. There is no place for ego in a learning environment. I want to be viewed as a collaborative educational leader committed to creating a shared vision with participation and dedication from all stakeholders including staff, students, parents and the community members. I wish to be perceived as a supportive and caring administrator who can assemble a dedicated staff willing to meet the demands of becoming a School of Excellence. Finally, I believe I can be a motivational leader that can direct a staff to give 110% to raise student achievement for all students. Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death Albert Einstein NON-NEGOTIABLE VALUES The value that I believe holds the greatest importance for an educational leader is integrity. Adhering to ethical principles establishes the educational leader has an honest and sincere person. Integrity is essential to creating a shared vision. An educational leader must be collaborative and open-minded. Being an empathetic listener is necessary to develop a trusting relationship with staff. To be a motivational leader an educational leader must be willing to work in the trenches with the staff. By being industrious and hardworking, an educational leader models the behaviors required to meet the goals of the school vision. A great educational leader should also be a great communicator assuring that all key stakeholders have a shared understanding of the vision and direction of the school. An educational leader must be a critical thinker that demonstrates the ability to be a lifelong learner. Finally, being a well organized planner will help me as an educational leader to stay on top of the big picture issues while continuing to manage the daily tasks necessary to operate a school efficiently and effectively. Personal leadership is the process of keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to be congruent with them. Stephen Covey
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