COMPETENCY

REFLECTIONS
Ellen Prestage
University of St. Thomas
EDUC 6331

Competency 001
The principal knows how to shape campus culture by facilitating the development,
articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared
and supported by the school community.

During the course of my Internship, I have learned how to facilitate and implement a
school vision. This year, my school has been trying to grow the International
Baccalaureate Program. By assisting with parent/community meetings, I have
witnessed the importance of buy-in for the success of a program and for the overall
campus culture. It is important for a school to have a faculty that is on the same
page and working together to reach their shared goals.

Competency 002
The principal knows how to communicate and collaborate with all members of the
school community, responds to diverse interests and needs, and mobilizes resources
to promote student success.

Through my observation of several Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD)

meetings, I have witnessed examples of effective and non-effective communication
with members of the community and response to diverse needs. I have realized the
importance of utilizing resources effectively. Money and resources do not help
students, but what we do with those resources can make all the difference for a
student. As a principal, I will make sure that Special Education resources are being
used to their full potential, instead of just placing a band-aid over problems.

Competency 003
The principal knows how to act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical and legal
manner.

This competency is extremely important, and failure to act in an ethical manner could
result in severe consequences. I have witnessed my mentor act with integrity and
fairness on several occasions. I have observed student conferences in which he used
the Student Code of Conduct explicitly to discipline the student. I was impressed,
because it showed the student that the punishment is not personal and that he or
she is being treated fairly.

Competency 004
The principal knows how to facilitate the design and implementation of curricula and
strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment of curriculum,
instruction, resources, and assessment; and promote the use of varied assessments
to measure student performance.

During my schools implementation of the International Baccalaureate Program, we

have had several professional development sessions. These sessions ensure that all
teachers are aligned in their instruction and that it relates to the IB curriculum. The IB
planning system ensures that there is a consistent way of assessing work throughout
the school. Even though not all schools have the IB Program, it is equally as
important to find a way to align vertically and horizontally throughout the school.

Competency 005
The principal knows how to advocate, nurture, and sustain an instructional program
and a campus culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional
growth.

My principals strength is her ability to sustain a campus culture that is conducive to

student learning and staff professional growth. She creates a positive atmosphere
that makes students want to come to school and teachers want to come to work. As
principal, I want to emulate some of her methods to foster my own campus culture.
For example, my school has Go Texan Day, which includes bull-riding, petting zoos
and food during lunch periods. These types of activities make students excited to go
to school, which reflects positively on their learning.

Competency 006
The principal knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system to
improve the performance of all staff members, select and implement appropriate
models for supervision and staff development, and apply the legal requirements for
personnel management.

During my Internship, I was able to conduct walkthrough observations with my mentor.

He sets a great example of how to give meaningful feedback. He provided specific data
regarding student engagement in the classroom and made sure to always give teachers
positive feedback initially. It is important to not overload teachers with negative
feedback, but to give them a couple of things to work on at a time. It is also crucial to
make sure that feedback is not personal, but instead is backed up by data gathered
during the observation.

Competency 007
The principal knows how to apply organizational, decision-making, and problem
solving skills to ensure an effective learning environment.

Every part of being a principal is centered around this competency. One cannot be an
effective principal without knowing how to be a problem-solver. During my Internship,
I observed my mentor using problem-solving and decision-making skills when dealing
with investigations into student behavior. For example, when conducting an
investigation into an online bullying incident, he was level-headed as he gathered all
of the relevant data to ensure he was taking appropriate action.

Competency 008
The principal knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and management
in relation to campus budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial
management, and technology use.

At my campus, I believe that there are some major improvements that could be
made in our resource utilization. For example, there are several classroom that have
Smart Boards that are not functioning or are not being used. These innovative
resources do not do any good if teachers do not use them appropriately. Another
example is the Special Education department, which has several teachers who are
rarely seen in the classroom. As principal, I will make sure that resources are being
used to their full potential for the promotion of student success.

Competency 009
The principal knows how to apply principles of leadership and management to the
campus physical plant and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning
environment.

The physical plant and support systems of the school are extremely important,
because it is what allows us to have school every day. The people who maintain
these systems are often taken for granted. As principal, I will make sure to build and
maintain and relationship with all of my employees to make sure we are all working
together to maintain the learning environment.

Resources
https://www.region10.org/r10website/assets/File/sbec_principal_competencies(1).pdf