Irma Torres

Grand Canyon University

    EAD-529: Case Study: Developing Professional Capacity

   Dr. Sonja Rice

                                                     December 7, 2022

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Case Summary

I am a principal in a K-8 with a student enrollment of more than 1,400 and over 100

certified staff members. I am focusing on the teacher evaluation tool. In my second year, a grant

was given to the district by an outside organization to improve the teacher observation

procedure, and my staff and I created a new evaluation tool. In my third year, I committed

myself to learn how to use the new observational instrument.My instructional team and I began

to observe negative downward trends in staff scores, focusing on instructional delivery. The

teams start to link the teacher 's need for professional development to create a positive change in

instruction and increase student achievement.

Issues to Resolve

1. Teachers need to increase their evaluation tools.

2. Teachers need professional development.

3. Students need to have better direct instruction.

Stakeholders Involved

1. Teachers

2. Students

3. Administration

4. Parents

5. School Board

Related Laws and Court Rulings

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a law that states “all students in America be

taught in high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and careers” (US
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Department of Education, 2015). Due to this regulation, instructors and schools are held to

higher standards. For children to succeed and be ready for their future careers in society, our

instructors and schools must be effective.

Related District Policies

Waukegan District Policy #5210 states, teachers are encouraged to incorporate innovative

methods and techniques of teaching with the approval of the building administration. All

instructional methodologies, however, must be research-based and maintain the integrity of the

curriculum and instructional materials.(Waukegan Community District. 2014).

Possible Solutions

1. Continue seeing the decrease in teacher evaluation.

2. Create a needs assessment on professional development and send them to teachers.

3. Review evaluation tools with staff members.

4. Create a professional development learning cycle.

Chosen Solution

I would choose solutions #2 and #4. Professional development is a clear solution to help

teachers with their instructional delivery and teacher efficacy. In order to choose the best

professional development, I would need to send out a needs assessment.

Action Steps
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I would create a needs assessment to survey the staff on what areas they require more

support, while delivering instruction. Once I have gathered that information, I would sit down

with my instructional team and analyze the data. I would find needs that all teachers wrote they

need support in. My team and I would create a professional development learning cycle that

includes a timeline of implementation. The timeline will also include a coaching learning cycle

with the building instructional coach.

After professional development, there will be an exit ticket to evaluate its effectiveness of

it. The principal and the leadership team must evaluate professional development in order to

ascertain teachers' perceptions of its efficacy. Evaluations will also take into account instructors'

opinions of the impact they feel professional development has had on them. To improve future

training decisions, feedback is crucial. The factors of effective learning will be incorporated into

professional development as a result of the evaluation feedback, ensuring that student learning is

increased.

Potential Moral and Legal Consequences

States are required by ESSA to hold schools responsible for kids' academic progress. This

means that each state must have a strategy in place to identify underperforming schools. Given

the situation, it is unclear if we are an underperforming school, however, if we were to become

one we would have to show our plan in place for quality instruction. We can get into legal

problems with the state if we are negligent. Morally we want our teachers to be able to deliver

clear and effective instruction so that our students can feel successful in their learning. We want

our students to succeed therefore, teachers must use best practices.

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Rationale

The mission at the school is, “ We are committed to helping our students succeed in

today’s global society through academic, social, and emotional growth. Hyde Park consists of:

students, families, school staff, and community members who work cohesively to educate our

students. We will continue to provide a safe environment in which to inspire critical thinkers

and life-long learners” (Hyde Park, 2022). Therefore creating a professional development

learning plan that addresses teachers' needs will help with instructional delivery while fulfilling

the mission statement.

According to Franciso (2019), teachers with high self-efficacy will be able to show a

higher level of student engagement, implement higher instructional strategies, and improve

classroom management. For that reason, professional development needs to be in place to help

teachers increase their self-efficacy in instructional delivery in order to benefit the student's

engagement.

The principal and the leadership team must evaluate professional development in order to

ascertain teachers' perceptions of its effectiveness. Evaluations will also take into account

instructors' opinions of the impact they feel professional development has had on them. To

improve future training decisions, feedback is crucial. The factors of effective learning will be

incorporated into professional development as a result of the evaluation feedback, ensuring that

student learning is increased.

After the professional development, there should be a timeline available. This will help

with the implementation of a new skill. There should also be a learning cycle programmed to be

directed by the building’s instructional coach. Lastly, the news skills should be addressed and

talked about during PLC’s,.

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References

Hyde Park Elementary (2022). Parent-Student Handbook. Waukegan, Illinois

Francisco, C. D. C. (2019). School Principals’ Transformational Leadership Styles and Their

Effects on Teachers’ Self-Efficacy. Online Submission, 7(10), 622–635.

Waukegan Community School District No. 60. (2014). Instructional Methods

             (5210).    https://intra.wps60.org/GetFile/BoardPolicy/5210~En

U.S Department of Education. 2015. Every student succeeds (ESSA).