Case Study #3
ELCC Standard 3:
Candidates who complete the program are educational leaders who have the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by implementing a continuous organizational improvement approach to developing and managing the organization, operations, and resources as prescribed in Georgia law, rules and regulations and in a way that contains costs and maximizes benefits for students, parents and tax payers.
Title: “ A Principal’s Efforts to Maximize School Safety”
Questions:
1. How does the principal identify and analyze safety risks that could have a negative effect on teaching and learning?
2. How does the principal manage resources, processes, and systems to maintain a safe learning environment that supports teaching and learning?
Relevant Standards:
(3.1) Manage the organization by effectively and efficiently analyzing and organizing resources, processes and systems to support teaching and learning and organizational effectiveness.
(3.2) Manage operations within the structure of Georgia public education rules, regulations and laws through implementation of a comprehensive organizational development process.
(3.3) Analyze and organize resources, processes and systems to support teaching, learning, and organizational effectiveness.
(3.5) Provide and maintain facilities that support teaching and learning.
Situation:
In recent years, school leaders across America have been forced to take a hard look at the safety of their schools. This case study is based on one principal’s leadership activities over time as it relates to maintaining a safe learning environment for teachers and students. The principal of this local high school in a rural area is very experienced and has been the school leader for many years. The following case study examines this principal’s approach to analyzing and managing the school to make it a safe environment for teaching and learning.
In response to the Columbine tragedy of 1999, the principal led the school through the development of a detailed emergency management plan (school safety plan). To develop the new plan, a committee of school administrators, teachers, parents, community members, and law enforcement was formed. This committee designed a new, detailed plan that clearly described emergency procedures, teacher duties, communication procedures, and community assistance in the event that an emergency situation should occur. Each year, the committee re-evaluates the emergency management plan and makes changes as necessary. Also, all faculty members meet twice per year to review and discuss emergency plan procedures.
The threat of weapons in school is real. To manage for this risk, the principal provided professional development training to teachers to help them learn to visually screen people for weapons. The officer modeled ways that people try to conceal weapons in their clothing and gave teachers several tips on what to look for when screening people for weapons. As a result of this training, the principal suggested that we modify our student dress code. A dress code committee was formed to research this issue. As a result, many changes were made to the existing student dress code that made it more difficult for students to conceal weapons. After collaborating with law enforcement, our principal decided to have local officers conduct random, unannounced “lock-down” checks. “Lock-down” is an emergency procedure where teachers are required to lock their classroom doors, not let anyone enter or exit the classroom, and get students away from windows and doors. During “lock-down” checks, the school, classrooms, and parking lot is swept for weapons and drugs by law enforcement and drug dogs.
According to the principal, a more recent threat to a safe learning environment has been gang activity. The principal manages risk for gang activity in a variety of ways. First of all, the student dress code is revisited each year and changed if necessary to reduce gang-related dress. The school principal communicates regularly with law enforcement, community members, and local board of education members to stay abreast of gang activity. The school principal also meets on a regular basis with the school leadership team to keep them informed of potential gang-related activity and indicators to look for in school. As an example, the principal discussed how he recently received information about the potential for gang violence at school. To deal with the threat, the principal held a faculty meeting to make everyone aware of the threat and reorganized teacher duty stations to provide more supervision in areas where gang violence was most likely to occur.
This principal believes that the establishment and maintenance of a safe and orderly learning environment is the key to effective teaching and learning in school. To establish such an environment, the principal encourages teachers and staff members to consistently enforce school rules and regulations. The principal also models his beliefs by being involved in the day-to-day management of the school and consistently enforcing all school rules and regulations. For example, the principal maintains his presence in the school by “being seen” in areas of the school where safety and order are most likely to breakdown (Ex. lunchroom, break areas, bus area, etc.). According to the principal, maintaining a safe-learning environment for teaching and learning is a fluid, continuous process that involves analyzing risk and constantly managing school and community resources to reduce school exposure to these risks.
Answers to Questions:
1. How does the principal identify and analyze safety risks that could have a negative effect on teaching and learning?
The principal takes a very proactive stance in regards to analyzing potential risks to the learning
environment of his school. As a result of tragedies that occurred in other schools across the
nation, the principal collaborated with teachers, parents, law enforcement, and other community
stakeholders to create a detailed emergency management plan so that staff members would be prepared to act in an emergency situation. This emergency management plan has not become a static, outdated manual because the principal and the safety committee constantly re-examine it to ensure its continued effectiveness each year. The principal also analyzes potential risks by staying in close contact with local law enforcement and other community members. This close communication allows the principal to stay abreast of possible threats to the students and teachers in his school. The principal does a good job of not only communicating with others outside of the school, but also relaying important information to his leadership team members and to the faculty at large. By staying informed of recent trends in regards to weapons concealment, drug use, gang related activities, and other potential threats the principal has been able to inform and organize his staff on how to prevent and handle threats to safety.
2. How does the principal manage resources, processes, and systems to maintain a safe learning environment that supports teaching and learning?
The principal does an effective job of creating a safe learning environment at the school by efficiently managing the resources at his disposal. In response to professional development training delivered by police officers, the principal organized a dress code committee to evaluate and produce a new dress code for the school. The principal realized that the old dress code was incompatible with the new threats from weapons concealment and gang-related dress, so he wisely adopted a new policy for students to follow. The principal deters students from bringing drugs or weapons to school by conducting random “lock-down” checks on a regular basis. The principal also demonstrated his ability to use incoming information regarding threats to school safety in an efficient manner by reorganizing teacher duties and responsibilities throughout the school in response to a gang violence threat. The principal maintains continuous enforcement of school rules and regulations as a top priority for the teachers in the school. The principal also uses his physical presence throughout the school, especially in high-risk areas, as a deterrent for possible problems that may arise. The principal’s effective use of information, staff, students, and various community resources has allowed him to minimize safety risks for teachers and students and create a safe environment for teaching and learning.
Evaluation of the principal’s leadership style:
I would rate this principal’s leadership style as “Proficient”. Making students and teachers feel safe at school is a major priority for this principal. The principal uses new information to continually develop and improve the safety of his school. For example, the emergency management plan is re-evaluated each year to determine if anything needs to be changed. The principal organized staff development activities to help staff members identify possible security threats in the school. The principal promotes collaboration between teachers and community members by forming committees to study potential safety risks and create new policies (such as the student dress code) to make the learning environment safer for everyone.
Most importantly, the principal shows his sincere interest in establishing a safe learning environment by engaging in leadership activities which improve the security of the school. Instead of avoiding high-risk areas, he personally monitors them to make his presence known by both teachers and students. In formal and informal conversations, he stresses the importance of consistently enforcing school rules and policies. He encourages teachers to make their school a safer place by involving them in committees, training them to identify suspicious behavior, and informing them of recent news that may have an effect on the safety of the school. By identifying potential safety risks and managing school and community resources effectively and efficiently, this principal promotes a safe-learning environment for teaching and learning.