Вы находитесь на странице: 1из 5

Future Directions Essay

What initially drove me to become an educator still drives me today, though my purpose
has evolved as I have grown and learned. Education has always been important to me. It has
always been something I have valued. Based upon what I gleaned from historical evidence and
what I witnessed throughout my life, I grew up believing that education was the only way I could
increase my life chances and maximize my opportunities for success. It worked. I have been
able to lead the life I want because of what I have gained through education.
In my opinion, education is the only true equalizer in this world. Thus, I have worked
tirelessly to build relationships and connections with students and help them see that education
was the means by which they could take control of their circumstances, break damaging life
cycles, and lead the lives they desire, despite their current situations.
As an educational leader, the concepts of equity, diversity and social justice are important
to me. Theoharis (2007) conducted research on a group of principals dubbed social justice
leaders. In the article, social justice leaders are defined as those leaders who make the issues of
marginalized students, based on areas such as race, gender, disability, etc., and elimination of
these issues, central to their advocacy, leadership, and practice (Theoharis, 2007). I consider
myself a social justice leader and agree that identifying as such requires more than just a belief in
ideals such as equity and inclusion, but the undertaking of work to ensure that actions are taken
to address such issues.
Further, as a leader, my goal is to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn at
high levels and have access to rigorous curriculum taught in highly engaging, relevant and
equitable ways. It is my belief that students need practice learning to think critically and
creatively and multiple opportunities to solve problems and work collaboratively. Such skills

will prepare them for the future, allowing them to better adapt to the ever-changing world in
which they reside.
There are many challenges facing California public schools, however, that prevents the
above from occurring. One of the most prominent is the achievement gap that exists between
students of various racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Second, to meet the needs of
21st century, districts and schools need highly qualified and effective leaders and teachers.
Lastly, schools need new strategies for addressing marginalized students and how they are
disciplined within schools.
There has been no shortage of research done on the achievement gap. Typically, the
achievement gap is framed in terms of how students of color, namely Black and Latino, compare
to white students. One of my mentors recently spoke about reframing the issue in terms of an
excellence gap as opposed to an achievement gap. One of his reasons being that in the San
Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD), even if Black and Latino students closed
the gap separating them from white students, they would still be underachieving. This is due to
the fact that although white students fare better than Blacks and Latinos in achievement data,
white students in SBCUSD dont fare as well when compared to Asian students in the same
district and/or more affluent white students from other districts. White students in SBCUSD also
do not perform as well as white students statewide. I had not thought of the issue in these terms
before and the idea of establishing a new norm and/or reframing the achievement gap issue
interests me.
Further, I do not believe that the achievement gap can be eliminated without addressing
and eliminating the issues that cause students of color and other marginalized students to not fare

as well in measures of academic success. In my opinion, ill-equipped and ineffective teachers


and leaders contribute to the continued existence of the achievement gap.
As stated above, districts and schools need highly qualified and effective leaders and
teachers to meet the needs of 21st century learners. One reason I believe the achievement gap
persists is because students dont have access to highly effective teachers who provide
marginalized students with access to rigorous and relevant curriculum, taught in engaging ways.
As an instructional coach, I worked with a lot of teachers who focused on students
deficits and as a result, taught to lower levels of cognition. Further, these teachers often did not
believe their students could even work at higher levels. These thoughts were subjective, as most
opinions were not based on data. My work with the teachers I coached consisted of addressing
attitudes that fostered cultures of low expectations, modeling how to use data to drive instruction
and determine student needs, demonstrating various ways teachers could differentiate to meet the
needs of different learners, and encouraging teachers to continue learning in order to keep their
skills updated.
My experiences as a coach really helped me see how important it is for students to have
effective teachers. How can students learn at high levels in classrooms where teachers have poor
classroom management? In classrooms where teachers do not spend a lot of time planning for
the outcomes they desire? In classrooms where teachers do not use data to make decisions about
what is best for student learning? I would be interested in researching and determining the most
effective ways to improve teacher quality.
On another note, my experiences as an instructional coach and my work with teachers,
demonstrated to me how important it is to have effective leaders. Many find it easy to blame
teachers for the ills of the education system. I posit that the lack of effective leadership is an

important area to study as well when looking at how to close the achievement gap.
Unfortunately, I have worked under several principals who were good managers of people and
buildings, but struggled to be instructional leaders. It is hard to help teachers become great, if
principals are not aware of what goes on in the classroom everyday or lack the skills to assist
teachers in becoming better. I believe that schools need effective leaders to affect change and to
sustain long-term change efforts and reform.
Currently, I work at a site that has experienced failed leadership. Before I came, the prior
principal had been there for 14 years and there was a revolving door for assistant principals.
During his reign, the school deteriorated year after year, becoming one of the lowest achieving
schools, not only in the district, but also in the state. The only charts the school topped were
those that dealt with negative student consequencesreferrals and suspensions, especially with
regards to students of color.
I could not believe the state of the school when I got there. Students were out of control,
no one brought materials, teachers did not care and felt helpless, and almost every one had given
up. It was a hostile environment. It took years for the district to do something about it. With a
completely new administrative team, the school is changing. Our goal is to demonstrate how
effective leadership can turn a school around and improve teacher quality. I am interested in
researching and determining which variables lead to effective school leadership and how those
variables can be scaled and applied to other settings.
Lastly, I am interested in researching and identifying new strategies for addressing
marginalized students and how they are disciplined within schools. As stated above, my current
site had the highest numbers of students referred and suspended. Since, Ive been there, the
numbers are already decreasing, but I feel the students I serve are still in need of something else.

I am interested in learning more about restorative justice principles and how they can be applied
at school sites. I have just begun looking into this and have not identified much literature that
describes how these principles work at schools. Most of what I have seen deals with courts and
the judicial system. I would like to research restorative justice principles further and even look
at how they can be blended with Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) research.
Our district has been implementing PBIS systems for the last six years or so. However,
our district is struggling to identify effective, district-wide supports for students in need of Tier 2
(small group) and Tier 3 (individual) interventions. These are students who require more than
the majority of students. I am interested in seeing if restorative justice principles and ideas could
help meet the needs of Tier 2 and students.
In closing, I know there are many challenges facing California public schools, especially
in the Inland Empire where we serve students of diverse racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and
language backgrounds. In addition, I know the challenges I have identified are vast and
complex, but I am committed to tackling them. I look forward to beginning the Educational
Leadership coursework, delving into the research, and learning the ways in which I can narrow
my focus. I know the training I will receive at CSUSB will prepare me for top tier leadership. I
am positive that my interests are well aligned with those of the program and I am excited to start.

Вам также может понравиться