Principals

Deb DeBlasio, Building Principal and Reading First Coordinator in New Castle Area School District proves that the key to successful professional development in the New Castle Elementary Schools starts with successful planning.

To get the staff buy-in to the online courses, Ms. DeBlasio sat down with each of her teachers and explained that this was a new initiative that was required by the Reading First grant and it would take a team effort. "I told them that I would make sufficient time for them to complete the course and I would provide planning time for them to begin the courses, plus any technical help they would need. I also explained to them that the courses would provide them with depth in the five essential elements of Reading First. I explained that it was a positive thing; that they will always be learning, that those that have computer skills will gain a knowledge base of the content and those who don't will learn both, a deeper knowledge base of the content and they will also learn how to use the computer!

According to Deb, the biggest concern among the teachers was the time that would be involved. The groups were split into two categories at New Castle. The new teachers were going to take the full courses, while the teachers who have been there more than one year were to complete their professional development by taking sections of the courses.

To calm the anxiety of the time commitment, Deb provided the new teachers who took the entire courses with "relief time" during the day, while substitutes covered their classrooms.

Deb explained that her role was mainly in planning, support and making sure her teachers were comfortable. "I was involved with the planning, setting up substitutes, providing assistance and support, and reassuring the teachers as they went along. Teachers in the early months of a school year are overwhelmed to begin with, so reassurance was key. I was there to help the coaches and the teachers the whole way," she said.

"As I talk to the teachers, I find that the discussion boards have helped them, it [has given] them good understanding about other teachers in other classrooms, and helped them adjust to some strategies that they could use in their rooms to meet the needs of their students."

Here are some tips from Deb on best practices that have worked in her school:

1. Provide teachers with ample time to complete the courses. We treated them to lunch and gave them entire days to complete their work while we made sure that their classrooms were covered.
2. Make sure that the teachers are comfortable with what they are doing, whether it is the technology or the course content or timing, etc. If they are not in a comfort zone, they are not learning effectively.
3. Know the content, and make sure the learners understand the content.
4. Have dialog, give feedback, talk to them and always see how they are doing, how they are feeling and what they are learning.
5. Celebrate by highlighting teachers in district-wide newsletters, giving them a sense of pride and accomplishment or any other venue that might be available.

As the first Reading First school in Pennsylvania to complete the Early Literacy: Guiding Principles course, Pine Grove and Rockland Elementary School principals Bob Horner and Joanne Kushner have demonstrated how leadership and support are key to the successful roll-out and completion of the courses.

Horner and Kushner showed their teachers what a great opportunity for effective professional development this represented, particularly as they are in a new Act 48 reporting period. Plus they explained how the job-embedded activities would allow them to utilize their new skills in the classroom immediately.

"Many of the teachers were already very excited and the coaches did a very good job explaining what the courses would be like and how beneficial it would be to them. We also gave the teachers the freedom to think and decide how their schedules were going to be organized and how much time they would need during each day of course work," said Bob and Joanne.

The two principals then played a supporting role to the coaches and learners by preventing and removing any obstacles to success that could potentially arise. Bob and Joanne wanted to deliberately step away so that truly independent professional relationships and collaboration could develop between the teachers and the coaches. "We wanted to encourage building that professional teamwork among the teachers, cheering them on as they go along," said Mr. Horner.

To underline the importance of the learning community, the schools used substitute teachers when the teachers were out of their classrooms taking the courses. This helped the learners by giving them sufficient time and access to technology to be successful as well as allowing them to feel comfortable that their students were being taken care of in their absence. This combination led to the teachers successfully and enthusiastically completing the course, according to Mr. Horner and Ms. Kushner.

Some Tips for Success from Principals Bob Horner and Joanne Kushner of Cranberry School District Elementary Schools:

1. Flexibility is important. Cranberry schools are small Reading First schools, and had to overcome many obstacles, but flexibility was the key to overcoming them.
2. If your situation allows for it, have the facilitators physically with the learners as well as virtually online. Facilitators were with Cranberry teachers all the time in the lab setting, which helped with their overall success.
3. Try to accommodate learning during school hours. Cranberry teachers took the course during school hours rather than having to do it after-hours. The Principals gave them sufficient time to complete their course work by using substitute teachers.
4. Know the course content so that you can better relate to your learners. Hire a subject matter expert whom the teachers know and respect to further support them and their success in the course.