Opportunity

I have been very honored to still be involved in the interview process with the central administration of Alvin ISD. I am anxious to be an Assistant Principal on a secondary campus - my Alma Mater in fact. I am ready to expand my leadership role, further my experiences, and put into action all the other things I have learned and trained for. I feel God has me where he wants me to be.

Effective Administrators

An effective principal is an administrator who is actively engaged and involved with the success of the school and all its students. The principal needs to be knowledgeable, engaged in action research, diligent, inspiring, flexible, honorable, collaborative, determined, as well as, willing to take risks and make the difficult decisions when needed. The effective principal models life-long learning and promotes their plan for success while motivating others to join in the process. They are also good communicators that value the input of others as it is important for the principal to ask questions and encourage feedback from members of the school community. Moreover, the principal should interact with students, staff and parents on a regular basis. They are able to establish SMART goals and focus on reaching them in order to enable their school to reach the highest levels of success. Consequently, effective principals continually strive to improve the components of the TEA learning system so that the education on their campus does not become stagnant or left behind. Expectations and pedagogy are constantly changing. Therefore, an instructional leader remains effective as such if they stay current with the research and facilitate what is necessary to garner greater results by students and teachers. Likewise, effective instructional leaders utilize AEIS reports to develop an accurate picture of which areas in need of the most improvement.

Doing all this takes vision. Accordingly, one’s vision is the guiding light of leadership. Campus vision is just as essential in a principal’s responsibility of leading the school’s population in increasing student performance and forging everyone’s quest of continual improvement. Their vision sets the direction, purpose, commitment and focus of the campus. “Principals are effective not because of positional power, but because of the synergy that flows from positive relationships between the principal and teachers — and among the teachers themselves” (Rooney, 2008). A principal’s vision should combine personal values and beliefs about what is important in education with staff consensus to shape campus culture, as well as, improve student success. A fully shared vision incorporates collaboration between administration and teachers with a continued support from students’ families, community members and local businesses to serve our students.

If there is not a personal vision of leadership present, then there is no foundation to build upon. The principal must know what is to be achieved in a given time and who is responsible for various action, in addition to what resources are available. He or she must also have means to measure success. I believe that a leader must be flexible in establishing their vision because of the need to collaborate with staff. This flexibility allows more faculty members to feel like their ideas are important and will result in little impediment when implementing your personal vision. Ultimately, a principal’s vision gives direction and meaning to all educational stakeholders and without direction there would be no campus improvement.

Rooney, J. (2008). What Do We Believe?. Educational Leadership, 65(5), 88-90.

Following the AISD Path!

Aspiration is turning into reality as the check list is becoming increasingly shortened. With ILD, PDAS, and the TExES Principal Exam successfully completed, I am beginning the interview process now. Hopefully, the month of June not only completes my degree program at Lamar but also finds me a new home campus at Alvin ISD.

Texas STaR Chart

School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart is a teacher, campus, and district tool for planning and assessment that is aligned with Texas’ Long-Range Plan for Technology, 2006-2020. Furthermore, it is used to aid The NCLB Technology Reporting System in collecting data on the progress of school districts who receive funds from No Child Left Behind, Title II, Part D. Below is the presentation of the STaR Chart (last three consecutive years) specific to my campus.

Texas STaR Chart

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Texas Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020: Teaching and Learning

Teaching and Learning is a component of the School Technology and Readiness (STaR) chart, while also a vital part of Texas’ Long-Range Plan for Technology. Its purpose is to ensure that students are fully engaged in the learning process. For students to take control of their own learning and be successful, it is vital for them to be fully engaged in the processes of learning. To best accomplish this, the focus needs to be on individualized instruction rather than on the more traditional comprehensive (or shotgun) approach. Texas students come from diverse backgrounds that teaching should not be presented from one sole approach. Since some students may never even leave their communities, technology can bring our whole world to students' eyes, ears and fingertips. In this case, technology is the means to equalize the learning process for all students.

For proper implementation of Teaching and Learning, there are many objectives to accomplish and maintain. One requirement is for students to "have access to relevant technologies, tools, resources, and services for individualized instruction 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week." Another objective is for all learners to "use information and communication technologies to collaborate, construct knowledge and provide solutions to real-world problems and situations that are encountered." In addition, schools must assure students "use research-based strategies in all subject areas to improve academic achievement." One last aim of Teaching and Learning is for all learners to "communicate effectively in a variety of formats for diverse audiences" (p.16). Considerable improvement has evolved in these areas since the plan’s inauguration. Students have a far greater degree of access to technology and subsequent programs, while teachers have been well-trained in regards to integrating technology into the classroom. For many districts, scores on standardized testing have increased due to improved use of technology.

The national plan for technology improvement includes a seven-step process. It calls for stronger leadership and accountability, innovative budgeting, improved professional develop for educators, endorsement of online learning, augmented broadband access, complete transition to digital content, and a plan to routinely incorporate various sources of data. In addition, the plan establishes recommendations for individual campuses, districts, and the state as a whole. The State of Texas expects its school educators (and administrators) to be well-versed in technology and its applications, as well as, staying abreast with the most current trends and advancements. Therefore, teachers must understand and model technology to transfer these skills to their students. Consequently there is undoubtedly room for improvement in this area. To achieve this aim for each school district, five proposals are supplied for continual improvement.

Challenges with technology that impact Teaching and Learning include: curriculum alignment to ensures seamless integration of technology and instruction, additional time for thorough classroom observations, exploring the best practices, learning new curriculum strategies and implementing new methods of teaching and learning. Thus far, recommendations for Teaching and Learning have been set forth by the Texas Education Agency, The State Board of Education Certification, Regional Education Service Centers, Local Education Agencies, Texas Higher Education and contributions from parents, educators, administrators, and other members from the community and private sectors.


Texas Education Agency. (2006, November). Texas Long Range Plan for Technology 2006-2020. Retrieved from the TEA website: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/.

EDLD Instructional Leadership Web Conference

Hi Everyone,
It was great to represent EA 1200 at the web conference hosted by Dr. Abernathy.
Although this was my first web conference to attend through the Lamar program, I found it quite easy to log in and particpate. I also found it very helpful in answering questions pertaining to my coursework. The conference provided guidance and direction, as well as, a great opportunity to interact with professors, instructional coaches, and fellow colleagues. This was a fun learning experience too!I will definitely be attending another web conference in the near future.
Best Wishes - Mr. Ruby

Preparing Students for Tomorrow's Careers

Wow, who really remembers what life was like before the internet and emails? How did we function? So dependent have we become in such a short time. But this only shows the exponential ease, efficiency, and effectiveness paramount to advancements in technology. I am sure these same questions were asked about microwaves, television, radio, telephone, electricity, self-powered machinery, and so on. Anyway, it is virtually incomprehensible survive today without personal computers, internet, and email. In fact, besides our duty at our respective campuses, our coursework embodies specifically this point. What will the new advances be? We can only speculate about the near future due to its unpredictability as the rate of technology increases exponentially. We truly are preparing students for jobs that do not yet exist – and the only way to do that is to supply them with the skills we have acquired and those who travelled this path before us. Higher-level thinking skills and efficiency in problem solving will establish the elite in every generation.