School Leadership TeamsWednesday, March 12, 2014

Madelene Chan Community Superintendent D24Juan Mendez Superintendent Queens High Schools

DLT District 24Eleanor McNamee District Family Advocate D24

Dr. Pedro Rivera, Division of Family and Community Engagement

Establishment of SLTSLT Team CompositionSLT RolesScheduling of MeetingsSLT Governance SourcesBest Practice Advice

School Leadership Teams

First establish a PA/PTAPrincipal, UFT Chapter Leader and PA/PTA leaders draft

by-laws, each constituent groups elects/selects their members

Technical assistance can be obtained from the Community/ High School Superintendents or the Division of Familyand Community Engagement

Team must first amend/adopt the by-lawsSchools with multiple sites will have one SLT;

subcommittees

Establishing the SLT

•Chairperson Selection of one member Ensures that the voices of the team are heard, have

information to guide planning, schedules meetings, focuses team members on the most important issues

•Secretary Sends meeting notices and minutes, maintained at the

school with copy to PA/PTA•Community and Citywide Education Councils

Act in a liaison capacity with SLT’s: attending meetings as observers/presenters and participating in SLT committees and sub-committees when invited

SLT Roles

•Minimum of one per month during the school year

•Held on school/DOE premises

•Mandatory members in attendance•Principal, UFT Chapter Chairperson, PA/PTA President, or their designee.

•Notice consistent with open meetings law

MEETINGS

Identify only a few priorities which can be implemented successfully and will produce high-impact results.

An effective CEP focuses on a few high-leverage approaches and aligns its resources (staff, budget, etc.) accordingly.

The plan is only the beginning: Treat it as a living document and plan to adjust along the

way. Keys to achieving desired results:

Careful implementation Detailed follow-through Continuous evidence-based monitoring of progress: Review

of student performance data

Collaboratively develop the school’s CEP concurrent with the school based budget (SSB)

Principal provides Galaxy Table of Organization, Public/SLT View; summary reports can be provided

Assure that the CEP is aligned to the school budget; principal submits a justification of alignment for the SLT to respond to.

If consensus is not met, then follow the superintendent resolution process:

SLT submits their justification within 5 days; the Community Superintendent responds within 10 days (A2 form) cite evidence

revision of SSB and CEP according to the Community Superintendent determination.

Budget and CEP Alignment/Resolution Process

Consensus Decision Making/Problem Solving

•Must use consensus-based decision making process as primary

means of making decisions. For Example:

The group has spent two meetings discussing goal and it is now time to make a decision. Before the meeting, prepare a chart that explains the consensus scale:

1 finger -- "I can say an unqualified yes to the decision. I am satisfied that the decision is an expression of the wisdom of the group."

2 fingers -- "I find the decision perfectly acceptable." 3 fingers -- "I can live with the decision even though I'm

not especially enthusiastic about it." 4 fingers -- "I do not fully agree with the decision and

need to register my view about why. However, I will not block the decision because I trust the wisdom of the group."

5 fingers -- "I do not agree with the decision and feel the need to stand in the way of this decision being accepted."

Teams must develop methods for collaborative problem solving and solution seeking, including conflict resolution strategies.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE?Be clear. Attack the problem, not the person.

WHAT OPPORTUNITY CAN THIS BRING?Work on the positives, not the negatives

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE IN THEIR SHOES?Do they know you understand them?

DO YOU NEED A NEUTRAL THIRD PERSON?Could this person help you to understand each other, yet build your own solutions?

HOW CAN YOU ALL WIN?Work towards solutions where everyone's needs are

respected.

•The District Leadership Team and/or Superintendent assists with issues where consensus is difficult or consultation with the school principal is not productive

•C-30 Level I Committee: All SLT members must be consulted prior to

the appointment of any principal or assistant principal candidate to the school

SLT members are eligible to serve on Level 1 C-30 Committees; if not available, the Chairperson of the C-30 should offer the officers of the school’s PA/PTA the opportunity to serve.

•School restructuring Plans Superintendent consultation required for any

school restructuring plans School closure or significant change in

utilization: SLT participates in joint public hearing held at school (A-190)

•Multiple School Campuses SLT’s meet at least 2X per year to discuss

issues of mutual concern

SLT Relationship to School Entities

SLTs are governed by: New York State Education Law (Section 2590) Chancellor’s Regulation A-655 New York State Commissioner’s Regulation

100.11 SLT Bylaws

SLT Governance

Eleanor McNamee, District 24 District Family Advocate emcnamee@schools.nyc.gov

Dr. Pedro Rivera, Division of Family and Community Engagement

privera8@schools.nyc.gov