Gilberto Martinez EDAD 501A Dr.

Allison October 3, 2012 School Vision and Governance Vision The vision of my high school will be to guide students to become critical thinkers, by reinforcing the development of consciousness via curriculum, mental health, and instruction. The goal is to have students exposed to a multiple perspective curriculum, so they can develop ownership for their learning and formulate their own arguments. Curriculum The curriculum and pedagogical practice will accesses and build on students prior knowledge and experiences. The more students can associate with the curriculum, the more they will be able to develop a sense of ownership for their learning. The delivery of this curriculum should be differentiated to meet the needs of our student population. Expectations should be high, but, as teachers, we have to make sure that students have access to the content. Therefore, it is essential that teachers access students multiple intelligences. The incorporation of Howard Gardners philosophy about the 8 multiple intelligences is important to allow for students to develop their own voice in our society. Teachers Teachers should plan lessons that access student learning by scaffolding their content. Social justice based thematic lessons should be created by teachers to validate student experiences and learning. For professional development at the beginning of the year, a tour of the community will be given, because it is essential for teachers to know where their student populations are from. At times, teachers are disconnected with the community and negate the experiences students face on a daily basis. Once teachers have an understanding and validate our students community, they can begin to incorporate those facets into our lessons. Teachers should not solely depend on the textbook as the primary source of information, but should gather auxiliary text to support their content area. Working out of the book and answering the questions at the end of the chapter, solely, should not be allowed or supported. Teachers need to be creative with their lessons to keep students wanting to learn more. We should not teacher to the text, but should prepare our students to critically analyze problems and develop solutions. They should constantly work in groups to foster the development of social skills and collaboration. Counseling The mental health and well-being of our students is imperative to learning; therefore, counselors will be required to lead group discussions with different student populations at least once a week. These discussions should be tailored around the needs and experiences of our students. In addition to leading group discussions, they are to guide our students to meet the AG requirements, so our students can transition to the university. It is highly recommended they visit classrooms and collaborate with teachers, so students can visualize the connections between learning and mental health. It also provides the opportunity for teachers and counselors to have conversations about the mental health of individual students. Community The community has to be an integral facet of the school community. At least once a month, community meetings with the principal are essential. During these meetings, community members will be given a forum to express their concerns and commendations about the school. These discussions should also lead to a partnership with the neighborhood council, make the

school a central location for community members, and allow for the development of community events on campus. We should also work on hosting community events, such as health fairs, community cleanups, and so on. The development of a partnership with the city we serve is also an essential facet of our school. Elected representatives should become an integral part of celebrating our students achievements by providing them with awards, internships, and so on. Since all communities have local businesses that our students utilize, it is essential to also have them celebrate our student achievements by donating prizes, providing fundraisers, and participating in our events. Parents Parents are an integral part of the school community and should be treated as such. Our school should welcome parents and create an atmosphere that fosters these relationships. Apart from hosting meetings which are required, such as ELAC and CEAC, meetings with the principal would be held. The more parents know about the school, the more they can support their child at home. We should also host workshops for parents, such as book clubs, civic duties seminars, invite our community partners to meet with parents, and so on. Apart from hosting meetings, back to school nights, open house, and parent-teacher conferences should develop a relationship and forum for teachers and parents. Our school will use the student-led conference model created by J. Comer, where students will showcase their work and where parents and their children will have developmental conversations about assignments and progress. Patents have to feel as if they are a part of the community and should have a stake in that community. I would also like to have more parents on campus as volunteers and tutors. What we negate in high school is career day, where parents come in to the school to discuss their careers. Even though our school consists of individuals who work jobs, instead of careers, they should be allowed to come in and discuss the reasons they want their children to succeed. Students The expectations for students will be high, because everyone will work hard to all for them to become active participants in their community and owners of their learning. The goal for our students will be for them to attend the university, graduate, and give back to their community. Many times, students graduate high school, move from their community, and forget about the struggles they faced when growing up. If we provide our students with an education that allows them to grow and become critical thinkers, then they should also be willing to become active participants in the development of the school. Every week, the principal will host meetings with students, possibly during their advisory, to discuss the direction of the school, their concerns, and for the development of school curriculum. Teachers should want to know what their students are learning in their class and should allow for students to support their own learning. The more student input that is given to the teacher, the more the teacher can learn about their students. Students should respect their school by keeping the campus clean and neat. Furthermore, they should be punctual to class, not because we expect it, but because they feel that it should be important for them to be there. We have to maintain high expectations, but we also have to support our students. If students have recommendations, they should be allowed to voice their concerns. Principal As principal, my main objective should be to foster and develop partnerships with all of the stakeholders. I want to make sure that everyone knows who I am and where I come from, so that my relationship can be developed with the different groups. I can try to memorize the names of most of my students, or at least all of our students should know who I am. I also consider myself a facilitator of learning, rather than an enforcer. The more I assist my teachers, students,

parents, and foster relationships with the community, the more successful our school can become. My vision is clear and we should not waver from our goal of creating critical thinkers.