Course Project 2:

RUNNING HEAD: STUDENT SUCCESS PLAN.

Student Success Plan

Thora Williams

Purpose, Theory, & Practice

ED 8009

Dr. L. Jenks.

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Diversity In Curricula meets the needs of students when intertwined with

vision,collaboration, professional development and

instructional practices

Research must be the foundation from which teaching and learning is practiced,

developed, and improved to show growth in students who are a part of the school community

(Cochran – Smith, 2004). The student success plan is managed, and engages all students

based on their unique learning styles, interests, and strengths. Accordingly, the

implementation of the plan must eschew communication between school, parents, and other

stakeholders within the community. This study incorporates the core components of the plan

which hinges on the creation of a new curriculum for the 21st century. To successfully

implement the plan, a vision is put into effect with evidence of instructional practices,

collaboration with others to meet the need of the diverse student population, and professional

development to ensure effective instructional pedagogy.

The plan employs a design around instruction through a new knowledge base

curriculum, which aligns multicultural education and cooperative practices as curricula reform

for a diverse population. Connecting with the curriculum and multicultural ideologies,

students internalize in practices to learn new concepts, while applying the same concepts to

problems or issues so that they in turn come to see the value of understanding how to teach

(Paul & Elder, 2011). The overall success of the plan defines and develops goal setting,

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academic, social/emotional growth, progressive pedagogy, and improved personal strengths

relative to integrity, honesty, fairness and ethical behaviors.

Vision

School changes succeed when all members of the school community work

effectively to meet the academic and social needs of all students and school people as a whole

(Ramirez, 1995). This learner believes that each child is unique and has the intellectual

capacity to succeed. Therefore, the vision and philosophy is one of high expectations for all

students, to enable them to achieve excellence in their pursuit of learning. The learner through

her vision strives to inspire students and colleagues with an instructional mode which engages

Socratic questioning, critical and higher order thinking skills, for depth and accuracy of

effective learning and discussions. There is a need for schools to shift from the traditional

form of education to a more progressive format of educating students from diverse

backgrounds. The intent is to provide a correlation of curricula, standards, and benchmarks,

geared toward the diversity of students on their academic journey.

Consideration is given to a curricular design that encourages a constructivist

model of teaching. Students take an active role in their learning, while the instructor gives

access to a curricula that fosters exploration within cooperative and collaborative groups for

fairness. All stakeholders have a belief in the vision, and need ongoing support for ultimate

outcomes. Participation is a matter of interest and will: Educators need to see a close

connection between what they value and the tasks at hand (Lambert, 2003). Successful

planning and a strong philosophy serves as the structure for the vision and purpose of school

reform. Ethical codes help in being specific toward the change. They encompass professional

competencies of integrity, honesty, and fairness in the discipline of education (APA,

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2002).Teacher and leaders must act ethically while performing their duties and as role models

display ethical behaviors. Consequently, teacher/leaders exhibit a resiliency, understanding,

and respect of the student’s ethnicity while coming to grips with ethical decision making that

best serves these students. There is value in a diverse school community, and so, to develop

and implement a new curricula, ethical principles must be integrated into the decision making

process for curriculum reform. Communication and positive dialogue is necessary among the

stakeholders so that strengths and contributions are utilized for the greater good of the

students. Research informs, that ethical leadership begins with one’s own individual morals,

values, and ethics as a starting framework (Duffy, 2006). Intrinsically, as the curricular

personnel, the learner desire to fulfill all obligations by executing fairness, consistency, and

honesty to reach all students during the implementation of the program.

Instructional Practices

Effective instructional practices is key to sound principles of learning theories

applied to the curricula design. Evidence to substantiate the effectiveness is defined through

pre and posttest, teacher observation, summative and formative evaluation and ongoing

assessments. Research indicates, that the preparedness of teachers who must carry out specific

linguistically informed instruction is an increasingly important issue in educational practices

(Cook-Moats, 1995).The two evidence based instructional practices obtained from this course

of study hinges on multicultural educational practices and cooperative learning. The

components and concepts of the methods are intertwined. They share academic goals, social

emotional growth, and in the process students learn to work in teams while being proactive

with peers. They become active participants, and knowledgeable problem solvers who are

accountable to themselves and others in their learning. Consequently, educators as facilitators

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and coach must help students to view their class principally as a place for active engagement

in a disciplined manner for successful performance (Paul & Elder, 2011).It is vitally important

that as facilitators, teachers build and create environments and experiences for the students to

become and authentic participants in the learning and teaching paradigm.

The use of multicultural educational concepts as a practice, is a requisite

condition for supporting all stakeholders to show sensitivity to diversity while using

alternative points of view. Educators must carefully define concepts such as multiethnic and

multiracial to delineate boundaries implied by those concepts (Banks, 2006).Ethical

considerations are necessary for justified decision making relevant to pedagogical practices.

Decisions are made based on ethical and logical principles unaffected by personal intents and

special interests groups associated with the school. Integrity, fairness, honesty, and ethical

behaviors play a significant role in the implementation of the restructured curriculum. Due to

the blending of the programs and the innovative opportunities for all learners,’ emphasis must

be placed on the ethical tenets and competencies to enhance the awareness of diversity in the

classroom. Educators must understand that their classrooms are political as well as

educational locations and as such, ethics is not a matter of individual choice or relativism but

a social discourse grounded in struggles that refuse to accept needless suffering and

exploitation (Giroux, 1991).Teachers as leaders must understand and be aware of professional

and ethical practices and the ways in which they perform within their classroom setting in

relation to fairness and honesty toward the students.

Collaboration

The rise of professional learning communities and the transforming of the

culture and systems is pivotal, and must be the key focus for change (Fullan, 2003).The

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principal stakeholders of the collaborative effort is affected by the coming together of all

members to frame problems and seek results. Skillful leaders work in a collaborative manner

to fully find efficient methods to promote success for all students. It is what people learn and

do together , rather than what any particular leader does alone, that creates the fabric of the

school (Spillane, Halverson, & Diamond, 2001).Collaboration accompanies a quality type of

instructional material, solid resources, standards of performance, professional development,

and improved leadership capacity. Managed and ethical programs have found that reflection,

inquiry, and dialogue are the three most critical dimensions for improving schools (Martinez,

2001).Leaders within their defined plan require that trust be in place for effective

collaboration among its members. However, with individuality comes ethical dilemmas and

understanding must be given to self as well as others. Ethical dilemmas show up in variant

ways in classrooms, and it is sometimes very difficult to separate the professional from

personal when making ethical decisions. Recognizing the professional code of ethics namely

integrity, fairness, honesty, and ethical behaviors serves as a guidepost for inclusion of all

students. Research implies, that collaboration and ethics in educational leadership serves as a

moral imperative for the profession, and the principles are in place to fulfill the best interest of

all students (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2005).Engagement in substantive dialogue through

conversations with stakeholders to assure student learning is a measure of collective efficacy

and wise collaboration for successful efforts.

Diverse Populations

School districts across the nation are experiencing growth in the number of

students of color who are a part of the school communities (Howard, 2001).The learner’s

school is an urban organization rich in diversity, and both socially and culturally viable. It

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accommodates newly arrived immigrants who are of a variety of ethnic groups. They come

from a wide range of culturally low to socioeconomic backgrounds, and comprise of

Hispanic, Asians, and predominantly African American students. Schools have an obligation

to meet the demands of ethnically pluralistic societies and the need for a new type of

education. Leading in reform are positive programs in curricula advancement, instructional

practices, and other approaches that seek to engage diverse populations toward diversity and

multiple learning challenges. Research posits, that the more distant a child’s culture and

language are from the language and culture of the school, the more at risk that child is prone

to becoming (Nieto, 2007).

The curriculum compels a cross cultural set of beliefs to improve student’s

relationships, while offering possibilities for academics and assuring high standards.

Considering, there is a gap between teachings and learning of diverse populations, it is

necessary for educational leadership to include ethics in the curriculum. The principles and

guidelines include integrity, honesty, fairness, and ethical behavior as central to the delivery

of theory and ideology. Leaders in societies whose governments are committed to certain

fundamental principles such as tolerance and respect for the fair treatment of all individuals,

can and should work to link laws and public policies for ethical guidance (Beak & Murphy,

1994b).A genuine commitment by teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders are

required to help students explore their cultural backgrounds as a learning tool for a successful

plan for all learners.

Professional Development

Regular opportunities and experiences for professional development over the

past years has yielded systematic growth and development in the teaching profession

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(Champion, 2003).However, professional development has evolved from merely in-service to

continuous preparation. Additionally, the tie in of professional development and learner

outcomes offer quality base new knowledge for learner success. Research suggests, that in

order for change in schools to be sustainable, teachers must be equipped to deal with issues

such as standards, assessments, and student performances (Tewel,1995).Knowingly, reflective

training helps teachers to surpass previous levels of performance to help diverse students

transfer knowledge and become critical thinkers. The learner engages in in a collaborative

professional development session with teacher teams, to form and apply inquiry, and self-

reflection as practice tools for academic, social and emotional learner success. The sessions

aim to balance individuals in their learning and growth to meet the objectives of the curricula

which requires ongoing analysis of instructional pedagogy. The professional development

sessions of multicultural education blended with cooperative learning activities includes the

following:

Introduction-collaborative teams—discussion ideas, beliefs assumptions-prior

knowledge using instructional curriculum draft.

Inquiry engagement—Socratic questioning-integration of diverse reading literature for

examination and critique—observations-demonstration of universal human

experiences with culture and diversity—going beyond the curricula to include

instructional pedagogy.

Coaching—management of the practices and clarification of what the objectives mean

in reference to the curriculum and within the classroom-teachers as students.

Reframing and Reflection—align the developed plan with the vision—establish

objectives through cultural competency –mediating beliefs of value, honesty, and

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integrity with ethical behavior as the highlights within the classroom. Reflect on

knowledge and content, revisit the draft for evaluation and assessment.

In order to implement effective professional sessions, an educator must be acquainted

with the structured plan, and the pedagogy that aligns with the format. The examination of the

practices that form the session, exemplifies principles of learning theories applicable to the

curricula design. Evidence of assessment must emerge showing gains both formal and

informal. The concept is evaluated in the following manner, through self-assessment,

colleague assessment, school assessment, and other training tools relevant to curriculum

design (Lambert, 2003).Collaboration, self-reflection, coaching, mentoring, and leadership

capacity raises staff member’s awareness of how to intervene collectively at their school. The

session also encourages staff to view their school as a whole, and they in turn work jointly to

accomplish the mission of ultimate student success (Lambert, 2003).Collaboration serves to

build communication among stakeholders for the benefit and success of all students.

Conclusion

Within the context of education, we learn together as a community, toward a shared

purpose, wherein there is confidence, value and worth in what we do (Lambert,

2003).Teachers as leaders are the ultimate providers of change reform, and the innovators for

a different way of instructional methodologies. Creatively, they bring balance using inclusive

pedagogy as one of excitement which challenges students in the learning process. In the

learners specialization of curriculum and instruction, the end results, seek collaboration and

restructuring of the curriculum by and with other stakeholders while learning from each other

for student success. The organization for professional development offers extensive learning

opportunities to promote an intellectually imbedded success plan. The plan affords the staff to

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look for evidence within the capacity of student learning, while planning and organizing for

new knowledge and instructional practices to serve a diverse population. It is no longer

feasible for schools to conform to a single way of teaching and learning for excellence. New

models are necessary to promote student success and inclusion of diverse groups under a

relative student success plan.

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References

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[Company name]

Thora Williams

[Date]

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