Teachers Assist in Decision-Making Process
Teachers are an important part of the decision-making process in the district, and one way they help is through the District Leadership Team (DLT). The DLT is comprised of building and district level administrators and teacher representatives from each building. The DLT created a District Improvement Plan in order to address specific areas of need in the district. The plan is comprised of three goals, and each goal has specific action steps outlined to ensure goal attainment.
The first goal focuses on improving student achievement. Three times per year the DLT conducts curriculum visits throughout the district. Small teams comprised of an administrator and several teachers visit classrooms to observe instructional practices that maximize student learning and engagement, and the DLT compiles data from each of these visits. The goal is to continue to increase the percentage of research-based best instructional practices taking place in the classrooms.
The second goal emphasizes creating a positive and caring learning environment where students feel supported emotionally and academically. Through the DLT’s work, we have established a Mental Health Committee comprised of principals, school psychologists, a school nurse, our school resource officer, and several other district personnel. The purpose of this committee is to research programs and opportunities that can help address behavioral and emotional needs of our students to create a healthy and positive school culture.
The DLT's third goal focuses on helping students acquire the technical skills they need to be productive 21st Century learners. The DLT is encouraging teachers to incorporate the utilization of technology-based activities into their lessons and dedicating portions of the inservice days to offer opportunities for staff to learn about various technology programs they can use with students. A district technology committee has recently been established to plan and evaluate specific technology needs.
The complete District Improvement Plan can be found under the “District” tab on our the district web page at www.tecumseh.k12.oh.us. - See more at http://www.tecumseh.k12.oh.us/
By Paula Crew
Assistant Superintendent