EDL530 School Culture and Equity Leadership

EDL530 M8P1 PQS

In this Principal Quality Standards Reflection e-portfolio document, I will address the five Elements identified in the eight modules of assignments in EDL530. Since many assignments have multiple Standards or Elements attributed to them I will simply list the Standard and Element verbatim followed by a link to or excerpt of the assignment(s) with a description of its importance, and how it represents, demonstrates, or provides evidence of competence related to the Element (in italics). References to course resources will be provided throughout. Note: in the EDL530 Syllabus, it does NOT state that QS II, Elements D and E are also covered, but there is a specific assignment that lists them; these shall be contained in this reflection since they align with the School Culture and Equity theme of EDL530. However, QS III, Element A is also not listed in the Syllabus, does have an assignment associated with it, but will not be included in this reflection as it does not align with the theme of EDL 530.

 

Principal Quality Standards Covered

QUALITY STANDARD I

Principals demonstrate organizational leadership by strategically developing a vision and mission, leading change, enhancing the capacity of personnel, distributing resources, and aligning systems of communication for continuous school improvement.

ELEMENT B: Principals collaborate with staff and stakeholders to implement strategies for change to improve student outcomes.

In the EDL 530 M3 Critical Thinking Assignment, I was asked to (1) assess my school on Inclusive and Culturally Responsive policies, (2) propose improvements in three exclusive areas, and (3) reflect on how to improve in these areas. This paper is important because it helped me look the equity imperative written into our Mission, vision, and particularly, Ends Policy 4. Then, I saw feedback received through a recent parent survey on the negative impact of costs associated with our experiential learning programs that go swimming and skiing. In response, I have supplemented school budget line items to increase a needs-based scholarship fund that was instituted last year. This is the only assignment in EDL530 that addresses this Element but the change enacted demonstrates my increasing competence in this area. 

 

QUALITY STANDARD II

Principals demonstrate inclusive leadership practices that foster a positive school culture and promote safety and equity for all students, staff, and community.

ELEMENT A: Principals create a professional school environment and foster relationships that promote staff and student success and well-being.

ELEMENT B: Principals ensure that the school provides an orderly and supportive environment that fosters a sense of safety and well-being.

ELEMENT C: Principals commit to an inclusive and positive school environment that meets the needs of all students and promotes the preparation of students to live productively and contribute to the diverse cultural contexts of a global society.

Throughout EDL530, there are multiple assignments that address QS II, Elements A, B, and C. The first of two that I have chosen isthe EDL530 M1 Critical Thinking assignment. In this assignment, I reflected on and shared my beliefs and values (and biases) and how they impact my ability to be asset- and strength-based in my approach to education. I discuss how my values are culturally responsive, and how, at the Crestone Charter School (CCS), we depend on the cultures of connection, management, and response; these are based on the 5Rs of Restorative Practices in Education (RPE). QS II, A and B, describe a supportive and professional school environment that promotes success, safety, and well-being. The CCS cultures of connection and management, and RPE do just that, they are not blaming or shaming, but rather solutions and care-focused. QSII C comes in because RPE is a life skill that will help students in future life struggles as it is a way to work with all people in our (their) lives.  

The second artifact I have chosen to demonstrate my competence in QS II, A, B, and C is the EDL 530 M4 Critical Thinking Assignment. In it, I perform a demographic analysis of the CCS student body, including exploring concepts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) including Fund of Knowledge (Funds of Knowledge Alliance, n.d.), Social Capital (Koch, S, 2020), Future Smart (Hansen, J, 2021), and humanizing classrooms (Watson, A, 2020, and Jaynes, M, 2022). Recently, the N-word and the homophobic f-slur were used openly at school. At CCS, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression) diverse populations are empowered and supported as inclusive, equitably integrated members of the learning community. This extends further to the local community through the CCS mentorship program, creating a broader experience base and support network. When this falls short, Restorative Practices, with diverse facilitators, is an established, in-school tool to correct and repair dehumanizing behaviors. CCS is developing systems as we strive to be a culturally responsive school, and this artifact shows my competence in these areas of creating a supportive and professional school environment that promotes success, safety, and well-being among students and staff.

 

ELEMENT D: Principals create and utilize systems to share leadership and support collaborative efforts throughout the school.

ELEMENT E: Principals design and/or utilize structures and processes which result in family and community engagement and support 

In the EDL 530 Syllabus, Elements D and E are not listed in the syllabus as covered in this course, however there is a single assignment that is ascribed to address these elements. My EDL530 M6 discussion Post describes the recent Whooping Cough Outbreak response at the Crestone Charter School. The response was built on three years of weekly updates to parents from the school, two-way communication surveys, parent nights, show and tell events, open houses, and more that have helped build credibility, rapport, trust, and family engagement. Now in my fourth year at CCS, I have begun to establish community credibility, connection, and trust that I will support equitable, inclusive, and responsive parent and family engagement as CCS shifts further from traditional school-centric approaches to community-centric approaches. This artifact is important because it demonstrates how developing this rapport over time, listening to the needs and wisdom of the community, and collaborating with staff inside and outside the school pays off when issues are pressing. It demonstrates a distributive leadership model by enlisting the expertise of other staff in and outside the building, to come to a consensus concerning this outbreak.

 

QUALITY STANDARD IV

Principals demonstrate professionalism through ethical conduct, reflection, and external leadership.

ELEMENT C: Principals build and sustain productive partnerships with key community stakeholders, including public and private sectors, to promote school improvement, student learning, and student well-being.

As described in the reflection above, I regularly use parent input and outside experts such as the District Nurse and County Health Department whenever needed. The discussion post assignment EDL530M7 is listed as an assignment that addresses QS IV Element C but it does not specifically do so. The other assignment that is ascribed to this is the EDL 530 M3 Critical Thinking assignment. In it, I describe the need for a rewrite of the District Title IX non-discrimination policy, and subsequently, the CCS’s Gender Guidelines Policy which is used to guide Title IX implementation. This rewrite process is further described in the EDL530M7 Sonia Leadership Goalsetting and Action Plan PDF. For this initiative, I align the CCS Gender Guidelines and District Title IX policy with District Policy-makers, my Governing Council, including teacher and student input. These key community stakeholders provided valuable feedback and helped create guidelines that promote school improvement and student well-being, demonstrating an understanding of QS IV, C.

 

References

Funds of Knowledge Alliance. (n.d.). The Funds of Knowledge approach. Funds of Knowledge Alliance. Retrieved October 5, 2024, from https://fundsofknowledge.org/the-funds-of-knowledge-approach/ 

Joshi Hansen, U. (2021). The Future of Smart: How Our Education System Needs to Change to Help All Young People Thrive. Capucia Publishing.

Jaynes, M.A. (2022). "They're not little kids, they're tiny humans": Liberating and humanizing students through culturally responsive pedagogy [Master's thesis, University of Oklahoma]. https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/336905/2022_Jaynes_Molly_Thesis.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y 

Koch, S. (2020, August 28). What is social capital, and how can educators help students build it? multibriefs.com. http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/what-is-social-capital-and-how-can-educators-help-students-build-it/education

Watson, A. (2020, September 13). How to humanize your classroom so kids are known, valued, respected, & safe. Truth For Teachers. Retrieved October 6, 2024, from https://truthforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/humanizing-the-classroom/