Proposal Title
A Principal’s Journey to Authentic Inclusion
Abstract
This retrospective lecture documents the professional journey of a principal in a ‘high needs’, under- performing, urban school in the pursuit of instructional and social equity for all of its students. The journey began with the appointment of a principal who was the youngest member of the staff and highlights the seminal changes that established the foundation for ultimate success. It follows the steps and missteps commonly taken by practitioners as they strive to build a culture of learning to achieve positive outcomes for their students.
The evolution of the principal’s perspective and well as the continuum of growth in her own practice is reflected in the metamorphosis of her school. This was achieved through a painstaking process of team building beginning with professional faculty to share in the leadership process.
What became a salient realization was that a critical mass of stakeholders was not included in the mission of continuous growth. The school’s mission was expanded to call for continuous growth not only for students and professional faculty but for all staff. By the authentic inclusion of paraprofessionals and non-instructional support staff in the daily execution of our goals and commitment to learning, we experienced a powerful paradigm shift. Our school culture became rich and diverse with the active participation of all staff. We will share some of these case studies to illustrate our conclusions.
Start Date
27-3-2019 3:00 PM
End Date
27-3-2019 3:50 PM
Room Number
U-Hall 3-100
Presentation Type
Paper
A Principal’s Journey to Authentic Inclusion
This retrospective lecture documents the professional journey of a principal in a ‘high needs’, under- performing, urban school in the pursuit of instructional and social equity for all of its students. The journey began with the appointment of a principal who was the youngest member of the staff and highlights the seminal changes that established the foundation for ultimate success. It follows the steps and missteps commonly taken by practitioners as they strive to build a culture of learning to achieve positive outcomes for their students.
The evolution of the principal’s perspective and well as the continuum of growth in her own practice is reflected in the metamorphosis of her school. This was achieved through a painstaking process of team building beginning with professional faculty to share in the leadership process.
What became a salient realization was that a critical mass of stakeholders was not included in the mission of continuous growth. The school’s mission was expanded to call for continuous growth not only for students and professional faculty but for all staff. By the authentic inclusion of paraprofessionals and non-instructional support staff in the daily execution of our goals and commitment to learning, we experienced a powerful paradigm shift. Our school culture became rich and diverse with the active participation of all staff. We will share some of these case studies to illustrate our conclusions.
