School Development Planning and School Effectiveness Criteria

As principals each year:

...we look at various aspects of our school as an organisation and develop/change some features of that organisation while leaving other aspects as they are;

...we assess some of the school effectiveness criteria too see how we are going.

My experience indicates that all this works on the basis of having a School Development Plan (SDP) covering a selected period of say 3-5 years.  The elements of the SDP describe our school and the school effectiveness criteria (SEC) are linked to the elements of the SDP.

I am in the throes of finalising a paper/treatise on the above matters.   It is a short and I hope readable pithy paper that gets to the heart of the matter.  As a principal you are under pressure and haven't the time in your busy days at the school to pour over complex academic papers about school development and school effectiveness.  This luxury is best enjoyed at in-service opportunities when you can be free of the daily hum of your working school.  My paper is a quick read and not too many trees will suffer if it is thrown in the bin.

The full details of what I have written about the SDP and the related SEC are too much for this blog.  I intend sharing some snippets for what they are worth and if they whet your appetite for more I would appreciate comments and any requests for more details.

Colleagues I have no tickets on myself but love being an educator and want to pass on my hard won experiences.  If they help well and good, if not so be it.  I hasten to add that as a Principal I learnt the hard way being placed in the position with little formal training.  Gradually experience and formal training shaped me further about principalship.  It was a lot of fun with at times soul searching about:

Had I done the right thing?

Would it work?

Was I expecting too much of staff and pushing them too hard?

Did my enthusiasm wear people out?

Was I wanting too much change too quickly?

Was I any good at inspiring needed change?

Was I listening to good advice?

Was I approachable for my staff?
Was I overtly recognising the good work of staff?

Above all:

Were the kids learning and being inspired to learn?

Did the kids feel safe and respected, even loved by their school?

It's a huge responsibility and can be daunting.  Confidence in one's ability is needed.

Enough for today.

Have fun my colleagues out there at the coalface. I say again that being a principal is a great gig!