OM 529 - Human Resources and Organizational Potential

This course is organized around the implementation issues accompanying the new Massachusetts Education Standards for Administrators. Aspiring principals participate in the supervision and evaluation process from the beginning of the year-long practicum by observing teachers, writing draft snapshots and observations using low inference data,
and participating in regular classroom walkthroughs with their mentor principal and coach. Both of these supervising adults provide feedback and guidance on the products stemming from these activities and there are additional opportunities and experiences focusing on the aspiring principal’s development of other key skills related to staff capacity building: identifying and articulating effective teaching strategies, providing feedback to teachers in regards to instruction, curriculum, and assessment, investigating professional development resources for teachers who need support, mastering the art of strategic conversation, and guiding an ongoing dialogue with teachers about such issues as accountability, closing proficiency gaps, intervention strategies, differentiation, and other data-informed topics that will improve instruction and student outcomes in the individual teacher’s classroom. In addition, aspiring principals learn adult conflict management skills by participating in role plays and fish bowl activities as administrator and teacher. The practice and rehearsal embedded in these activities prepare aspiring principals to look for and respond to the hidden emotions and frustrations of staff members, thereby reducing the conflict management issues that so often occur among faculty and administrators.

(Cr: 3