My Internship Plan

 District Leader INTERNSHIP PLAN – Remember this is a living plan and you may revise or add to your plan throughout the program as you and your site supervisors determine your professional development needs and the needs of your campuses and districts.

Activity # ____	TExES Comp.#___	Summary of Activity -	Resource Person	Projected Date of Completion
Activity # 1 (C)	2	Review and compare two different district vision statements and development process of the statements. Note strengths and weaknesses of statements and process used to develop them.	Darrell Becker	July 15, 2011
Activity 2 (C)	2	Serve on the SBDM Committee for my newly opened Campus. Keep a log of participation in the development process of the plan.	Tammy Becker	March 2010
Activity 3 (A)	5	Review current requirements for the campus under NCLB. Review the district’s data collection process and the data collected. Interview persons involved. Analyze data, interview persons, and compile a list of actions needed to meet NCLB.	Robert Meyer	December 2011
Activity 4 (B)	3	Prepare the staff handbook for a new campus in a Wiki Format. Survey several random staff members about the organization, clarity and intent and any solicit recommendations for improvement.	Tammy Becker	August 2011
Activity 5 (A)	5	Assess the leadership culture in the district to determine the frequency of use of top-down vs. consensus leadership	Dr. Kincannon	October 2011
Activity 6 (A)	5	Observe a district cabinet meeting and observe the leader behavior	Dr. Kincannon	July 2011
Activity 7 (A)	5	Read NSMA’s Turning Points. Analyze the curriculum of the district. Cite areas that align with or need change to meet recommendations of the book.	Ed Braeaur	December 2011
Activity 7 (H)	6	Go to APA website and Read “Learner- Centered Psychological Principals: A Framework.” Apply the 14 principals to understand the strengths and weaknesses in District instructional program. Provide my feedback to AS for Curriculum.	Ed Braeaur	March 2011
Activity 8 (A)	6	Analyze the district Middle School Schedule. Make recommendations to improve efficiency and meet student needs.	Kim Christy	June 2011
Activity 9 (B, C)	9	Conduct two classroom observations using the clinical supervision model. Also, complete the PDAS observation summary and compare the two approaches. Note the differences		December 2011
Activity 10 (F)	6	Compile a list of all forms of student recognition. Calculate the percentage of students who receive some type of recognition. Survey a broad spectrum of students, parents, teachers to elicit additional ideas of how to recognize students.	Tammy Becker	May 2012
Activity 11 (C)	8	Interview the persons responsible for assessing iPad apps for use in the new middle school. Describe and assess the process. Discuss concerns and recommendations for improvement.	Leland Albro	January 2012
Activity 12 (C)	5	Gather and analyze the campus TAKS/STAAR results. Assess strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations for improvement of student achievement.	Tammy Becker	May 2012
Activity 13 (C)	6	Work with the science department to plan a co-curricular GT field trip.	Dr. Fal	April 2012
Activity 14 (D)	6	Compile a list of all PD Activities for SBMS for 2011-2012. Note discrepancies and provide recommendations for greater involvement in PD by all faculty.	Tammy Becker	March 2012
Activity 15 (B)	10	Meet with principal of new MS with a 1:1 iPad initiative. Determine why the initiative was implemented. Survey participants in the initiative to determine their stage in the change process and suggest strategies to move the participants to the next stage of the change process.	Tammy Becker	February 2012
Activity 16 (C)	6	Compile discipline data for the first semester of the 2001-12 school year at the middle school level in Belton ISD.  Examine SPED classification, race, grade level, and gender.	Scott Moger	January 2012
Activity 17 (C)	9	Interview the Director of Health Services. Discuss the major goals, requirements and concerns of the student health program. (AIDS, abuse, sex ed.)	Pat Sleeth	August 2011
Activity 18 (A)	5	Review the TSSA Standards in Appendix A.6. Assess the level of compliance with these standards of administration in the school.	Leland Albro	September 2011
Activity 19 (A)	5	Review the procedures for opening of the school year at an established middle school campus and compare these procedures with the opening of a new campus. Critique the effectiveness of the procedures	Tammy Becker	September 2011
Activity 20 (B)	9	Meet with the director of maintenance to review job responsibilities and schedules of staff. Shadow the director of maintenance. Provide a brief report and summary of the meeting and shadowing experience.	Joe Peterka	October 2011
Activity 21 (A)	9	Interview the director of transportanion to discuss the current issues and needs for transportation. Discuss cost, maintenance, personnel, safety, training, student problems. Compile a summary of the interview.	Jackie Fields	November 2011
Activity 22 (A)	9	Interview the director of nutrition services to discuss current requirements, issues, and concerns of the program.	Cynthia Z.	November 2011
Activity 23 (D)	7	Meet with Executive Director of Human Resources to discuss the role of personnel department in creating PD plan for the district	Todd Schiller	March 2012
Activity 24 (B)	8	Interview the Executive Director for Finance stressing administrative responsibility, guidelines, training or other needs or concerns of the superintendent in budget management.	Eric Banfield	February 2012
Activity 25 (A)	4	Interview the District Director of Public Information to discuss the issues of comm-unication to and from the community to include community politcs	Judy Owens	December 2011
Activity 26 (D)	3	Observe a district SBDM Meeting to ascertain the role of parents in the process. Provide recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of their role.	Darrell Becker	January 2012
Activity 27 (D)	3	Meet confidentially with students of differing racial groups to assess their concerns and recommendations for creating a positive, culturally diverse climate in the district.	Scott Moger	February 2012
Activity 28 (B)	3	Interview a social worker who works with students of the district to discuss the needs of the clients and the role of the school in helping meet those needs.	Noemi Berumen	November 2011
Activity 29 (A)	7	Obtain a copy of the job description of the superintendent and the evaluation tool for the position. Analyze the correlation between the requirements and the performance standards.	Dr. Kincannon	January 2012
Activity 30 (C)	4	Review the board meeting minutes and agendas for the past 5 years. Note significant events, policy changes, and note recurrent themes that affect the district today.	Darrell Becker	December 2011
Activity 31 (A)	1	Draft a list of guiding principles for ethical behavior that I currently employ. Interview one school and one business leader to solicit the principles they employ. Compare and contrast the lists.	Todd Schiller	November 201
Activity 32 (A)	3	Acknowledges the accomplishments of others; promptly get back to others with concerns or needs; while leading meetings, shares responsibilities	Kevin Taylor	December 2011
Activity 33 (E)	4	Interview a board member about establishing a positive relationship with the superintendent. Interview the superintendent about relationships with the board members.	Dr. Kincannon	December 2011
Activity 34 (C)	5	Interview the Director of CATE to determine the major requirements, concerns, and goals and current and future plans to address these goals.	Scott Herald	October 2011
Activity 35 (A)	10	Conduct conflict resolution activity between two opposing groups in the district. Find the win-win solution.	Darrell Becker	April 2012
Activity 36 (A)	6	Survey a random sample of administrators, students, teachers and parents about the most pressing Current issues in teaching and learning. Assess the degree of importance and urgency of each issue.	Kim Christy Anderson	October 2011
Activity 37 (A)	7	Prepare a survey for central office administrators to compile a list of professional organizations, service organizations, state, local and federal agencies that provide expertise and service to the position.	Central office leadership team	April 2012
Activity 38 (A)	7	Survey the central office leadership team to compile a list of books, publications, training manuals, and district or state publications recommended for those in the office of superintendent.	Darrell Becker	April 2012

The Internship Plan is a brief, but specific, document indicating your overall approach to the Internship Program. Within this document, you will briefly identify the areas of activities you will approach and indicate which of the ten TExES Superintendent Competencies and Quality Indicators are used with each. You will also provide a brief description of the activities, your resource person to be used, and estimated completion date for the entire plan. As always, this is a living document and subject to update and change.

District action research plan – Students may wish to add an action research plan to their Superintendent Intern Plan. You may use the two Action Research templates (School or Professional Improvement – SIP/PIP) Template.

Superintendent Interview

On June 8, 2011, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Susan Kincannon, Superintendent of Belton Independent School District. She recently completed her first semester as superintendent. Prior to becoming superintendent, Dr. Kincannon served as the Deputy Superintendent in Belton ISD for two and a half years. Her assignment during the previous seven years was as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in the same district. Noting her experience here is important because it shows that she has enjoyed a unique view of the development of the leadership team and the development and implementation of the district’s vision and mission. She had modeled for her, has experienced, and has an understanding of the processes that have led the district from where it was ten years ago to where it is today. I think this uniquely qualifies her to lead the organization into the future. Being able to interview a Superintendent with whom I am very familiar helped me realize how important it is to participate in more regular conversations about our practice. Although I have at least weekly contact with the superintendent, an individual conversation explicitly about leadership with someone of her stature is rare. I gathered a lot of insight from her perspective but I also think that she was able to reflect on her practice to a level that the day-to-day beat of her busy position might not always allow. During the interview, I was struck by how often Dr. Kincannon mentioned communication and collaboration in answer to almost every question I posed. These skills are overarching to the position. Yes, the superintendent must have all of the knowledge of programs, laws, procedures, federal, state and local requirements. She must lift high the banner of the district’s vision and mission. She must be visible and accessible. But within the responsibilities of each domain about which I questioned her, the superintendent must have clear communication skills and must be able to reach out to and access a wide range of stakeholders and then must keep all stakeholders informed of issues and the direction of the district. She also talked about analyzing data often and asking tough questions about results in order to chart the course toward vision and mission accomplishment.

When I asked Dr. Kincannon her definition of leadership, she expressed her knowledge that leadership is complicated. “For me its about the ability to get things done. So it’s about, not only just having people follow you with the vision and the mission but the ability to organize people in an effective manner so that you can use the talents and strengths of people so that you can accomplish what you need to accomplish.” She also described the leadership process as very delicate.

In response to question 5 about Superintendent Competency 1, Dr. Kincannon emphasized the importance of consistency and systems. One example she mentioned was the district salary scale. She mentioned that there have been applicants who wanted to negotiate a salary that was outside the range of the published salary scale. To operate within the boundaries of the established system appears fairer to all employees. Another example is when a community flier is submitted for approval to be distributed, the superintendent might personally want to approve the flier for that organization but if it does not meet all of the requirements in our district guidelines for distribution, she has to work within the boundaries of the systems that we have set up and disapprove it. Dr. Kincannon also stressed the importance of honesty and always doing the right thing.

Since Dr. Kincannon is only in her sixth month as THE superintendent she has quickly been introduced to some of the negative aspects of the position. We are a district of 8500 students with one 5A high school, two middle schools, and eight elementary schools. Dr. Kincannon has spent over ten years in the district working her way up from principal to Superintendent. The district is one that has a small town feel and one of the negative aspects she mentioned was the size of the district. She described herself as very hands-on; she wants to know what is going on at all levels and across the district. She has a real desire to stay connected and thinks this would be even more difficult to manage in a larger district. As a principal, she remembers feeling very disconnected from her superintendent and wants to ensure that does not happen on her watch. She wants to be at all of the events and all of the meetings but management of a busy calendar and balancing home life with the hugeness of the job is a challenge.

I asked Dr. Kincannon about accomplishing wide-ranging strategic planning and she again talked about her team and communication. She mentioned Peter Senge’s book about systems thinking and his “discipline” about dialoging. She stressed the importance of examining data closely and having dialog. She also spoke about looking at other districts and learning how they are dealing with issues similar to ours. Finally, she talked about the district plan document and how she sends parts of it for review and input to a wide range of stakeholders. In this way, she is able to produce a document that has true collaboration as its basis.

Dr. Kincannon said that one of the most challenging parts of the superintendent’s position is competency eight: management of everything from budgets to technology applications or as she summed it up, “keeping up with what’s going on around you.” To deal with this, she gets regularly scheduled updates from departments and she constantly asks for more information. She brings the team together often and she keeps thinking of questions. She makes efforts to stay abreast of all the upcoming and hot button issues. She makes efforts to prioritize and finds herself studying everything from the infrastructure of technology to instructional best practices. She truly feels that although she does not expect to be the expert in each field, she wants to be an expert in each field. She has surrounded herself with a trusted team and she meets with them often but she, herself, has a need to know the details too.

I enjoyed conducting the interview with a superintendent and believe that much can be learned from reading the results of other students’ interviews. This experience has helped me uncover some of the areas in which I need to grow and gain experience before I can feel qualified to take on the responsibilities of a central office position. I look forward to having conversations similar to this interview with other central office staff.

Kevin Taylor's Draft Vita

Kevin A. Taylor

260 Meadow Glen Drive, Killeen, Texas. 76543

(W) 254-215-2502; (H) 690-7143; texktaylor7@gmail.com

Education/Certification

M.Ed.                                             Education Leadership, Tarleton State University,

                                                       Stephenville, TX, 2004

BA                                                  General Studies, Elementary Education focus,

                                                        Biology Specialization, University of Mary Hardin-

                                                        Baylor, Belton, TX,1996

AA                                                  General Studies, University of Maryland (Asian

                                                        Division), Pusan, Republic of South Korea, 1992

Superintendent’s Certificate   Texas, Expected Completion Date May 2012

Principal Certificate                  Texas

Teacher Certificate                   Grades 1 – 8, Elementary Biology, Texas

                                                       Grades 1 – 8, Elementary Self-Contained, Texas

Administrative and Leadership Experience

Principal, Henry T. Waskow High School,

Belton Independent School District,

Belton, Texas 2008 – Present

·  Increased number of annual graduates in this alternative high school of choice from 45 to 74 in three years

·  Decreased the drop out rate from 5.8% as reported on the 2008 AEIS report to 1.4% as reported on the 2010 AEIS report

·  Increased completion rate II from 88.1% as reported on the 2008 AEIS report to 96.2% as reported on the 2010 AEIS report

·  Expanded staff by requesting and justifying additional personnel

·  Led the instructional staff to markedly increase math and science achievement as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills

·  Designed and led all staff development activities

·  Evaluated all instructional staff using the Professional Development and Appraisal System and district developed classroom walk-through instrument

·  As district textbook coordinator, accountable for all textbook resources for the entire district

Coordinator, Disciplinary Alternative Education Program

Belton Independent School District,

Belton, Texas, 2004 – 2008

·  Established the first ever site based decision making team and campus improvement plan for the campus

·  Recruited community resources to establish mentoring and counseling services at the campus

·  Established standard operating procedures to ensure smooth transitions to and from the disciplinary program

·  Led the campus through a facility and staff expansion process based on district growth

·  Changed the program from a strictly disciplinary focus to an academic and instructional focus

Principal, Tarver Intermediate School,

Belton Independent School District,

Belton, Texas, 2003-2004

·  Established a gifted and talented field-based learning program at the campus that is still in use in the district today

·  Served as a contributing member of the district long range facilities planning committee resulting in a successful bond election to expand several campuses

·  Evaluated instructional staff using Professional Development and Appraisal System

·  Responsible for management of campus budget

Assistant Principal, Belton Intermediate School

Belton Independent School District,

Belton, Texas, 2002

·  Assisted in preparation for a successful DEC visit from the Texas Education Agency

·  Responsible for accountability of all campus textbooks

·  Responsible for all campus discipline referrals, arrival and dismissal procedures

Teaching Experience

Elementary Grade Two Teacher

Peebles Elementary School

Killeen Independent School District

Killeen, Texas, 2001 - 2002

·  Responsible for delivery of instruction for all subject areas

Elementary Grade Three Teacher

Peebles Elementary School

Killeen Independent School District

Killeen, Texas, 2000 – 2001

·  Responsible for delivery of instruction and academic success of 44 students in math and science

Elementary Grade Two Teacher

West Ward Elementary School

Killeen Independent School District

Killeen, Texas, 1996 – 2000

·  Chosen as an instructor for the Superintendent’s district-wide training effort on Daniel Goldman’s, Emotional Intelligence

·  Chosen as grade level leader during my second year of teaching

·  Recommended to co-lead a district wide reading initiative during only my second year of teaching

·  Trained a third of the district’s second grade teachers on implementation of balanced literacy during four separate half-day professional development sessions in the 1998-1999 school year

·  Recommended for and served as a trainer for the Texas State-wide second grade teacher reading academy focusing on balanced literacy strategies

Additional Training/Education

“The Art and Science of Teaching,” Marzano Institute, Albuquerque, NM, April 2010.

“Partnership for Higher Achievement,” Charles A. Dana Center, Belton, TX, 2003 – 2010.

“Professional Learning Communities,” Solution Tree, San Antonio, TX, July 2008.

Presentations

Taylor, K. (1999). Grade Two Reading Academy, Presentation at Region 12 Education Service Center, Copperas Cove, TX.

Taylor, K. (1998). Grade Two Reading Initiative, Presentation at Killeen Independent School District In-service Program, Killeen, TX.

Professional Affiliations

Textbook Coordinators’ Association of Texas, 2005 – Present

Texas Association of Alternative Educators, 2005 – Present

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2010 – Present

Awards and Honors

Henry T. Waskow Legacy Award, Henry T. Waskow Staff and Faculty, May 2011

Community Involvement/Service

Sunday School Teacher, Abiding Savior Lutheran Church, Killeen, Texas 1993 - 2010

National Guard Non-Commissioned Officer, Camp Mabry, Texas, 1998 – 2008

References

Available on Request

Transfer Theory and the Superintendent Certification

     The Lamar University requirement that candidates for the superintendents’ certification have at least one year of experience as a campus level administrator before enrollment in the course of study is rooted in a belief in the tenets of “transfer theory of learning.”  Transfer theory is the belief that learning is dependent upon an individual’s ability to apply knowledge and skills learned and applied successfully in one context to a slightly different context with some level of success. Originators of the theory believe that the transfer of knowledge and skills to a different context is the corner stone of all learning.

     An example of transfer theory in action is a young child who is taught to recognize their family poodle as a dog. Later when that same child is in the park and approached by another family’s cocker spaniel, the child says, “doggie!” Another example is when a student learns to throw and catch a balloon in a pre-k physical education class and uses the same skill to throw and catch a playground ball in kindergarten physical education. A more academic example is when a student learns that a noun is a word that identifies a person, place, or thing and correctly identifies that the word “cat” is a noun. Later, the same student uses their knowledge of words to identify the word “rabbit” as a noun.

     Essentially, the requirement for one year of administrative experience before enrolling in the superintendents’ course is rooted in the belief that in order to learn the concepts associated with serving effectively as a superintendent, one must have similar experiences on which to base construction of knowledge that will be used in district level leadership. For instance, a leader who has experience with campus level budget management will more easily be able to learn and understand the management of a district budget. A leader who has experience with the process of development of a campus vision will more readily understand the development process of a district vision. While the development of skills and knowledge needed to be a successful superintendent can probably be gained without experience at the campus level, those who do have experience with leadership in education should more easily be able to learn this set of knowledge and skills. The world of education is a uniquely and intensely human endeavor. The dynamics and intricacies of working with people, budgets, vision, resources, and instruction in the world of education are very different from leadership in other industries. To enter the role of superintendent without prior experience in education leadership would be similar to entering a military command without experience in military leadership.