Page 38 - EdViewptsSpring2019-web

Juggling It All to Achieve

Systemic Change

Dr. Kwame Morton Sr., Principal, and Ms. Allison Staffin, Assistant Principal,
Cherry Hill High School West

The job of the modern day voice, reflecting on student performance it is directly correlated with the expecta-

school administrator is an through grade coherence protocols, tions for achievement that they hold.
According to Quaglia and Corso (2014),
creating action plans to support student
extremely challenging one. achievement, and many other items too “Self-Worth occurs when students know
Daily unpredictable administrative de- numerous to name. The most effective they are uniquely valued members of
mands and a multitude of never ending administrators are those who create a the school community; have a person
priorities create a complex web of items laser-like focus on what is most impor- in their lives they can trust and learn
that commonly perplex school admin- tant… student achievement. from; and believe they have the ability to
istrator’s nationwide. The demand on There are countless anecdotes of achieve-academically, personally, and
one’s time can be exasperating! With so students feeling lost and invisible in the socially” (pgs. 23-24). This feeling of
much to do and so much to focus on, large, comprehensive high schools evi- value and acceptance is also reflected
the job can lead one to feeling caught denced across the State of New Jersey in the extensive Visible Learning study
in a quagmire of futility – accomplishing and throughout the country. Reform ef- conducted by Hattie (2011). Hattie syn-
much but achieving little. The typical forts have focused primarily upon struc- thesized over 800 meta-analyses that
administrator’s day may be filled with tural changes that have produced mixed included more than 150 million students,
meeting agendas, performing data results. Children, unlike widgets, are and he summarized his findings by rank-
mining, reviewing test scores and state complex human beings who all have a ing 150 influences from most impactful
reports, monitoring the implementation common set of needs, especially the de- to least impactful in producing learning
of the curriculum, identifying and provid- sire to be valued, accepted, and to be- outcomes (2011). Self-reported grades
ing professional development for staff, long. Students evaluate the behaviors of (i.e. student expectations) ranked as
improving pedagogy, managing student the adults who interact with them to de- the second most impactful influence on
behavior, facilitating the evolution of termine if the individual values and ac- learning outcomes (2017). Self-reported
student’s voices, relinquishing admin- cepts them. This has a pervasive impact grades directly reflect a student’s feel-
istrative authority to allow for teacher on a student’s feelings of self worth, and ings of self worth and can be influenced
by school staff members.

Educational Viewpoints -36- Spring 2019