December 3-7, 2012 Listed in alphabetical order
ADMINISTRATORS
Strengths
• “By name and by need” vision
• AP and IB programs
• Being innovative
• Budget process is very transparent
• Community values education
• Culture is slowly changing administratively from one of “ We are the experts – full speed ahead”
to one of “community engagement to determine direction”
• Diversity
• Early intervention services
• Emphasis on the whole child
• Excellent special education services
• Extremely well-educated community
• Focus on collaboration
• Frequent meetings with stakeholder groups
• Graduation rate
• Great principals
• High performance levels
• High quality, dedicated and professional staff
• Improved relationship and effectiveness within the Leadership Team
• Incredible leaders
• Leadership training for both initial development and on-going support
• Lots of resources are available
• Many successful partnerships with community and business groups
• Meeting the needs of children across the curriculum
• Open door policy of administration
• Passionate about excellence
• PLC approach embraced and used by most of the staff
• Principals are able to operate independently and are not micro-managed
• Principals feel supported by cluster leaders
• Progress made on closing the achievement gap
• Relationships with principal associations
• Reputation
• Resources of Fairfax County (must be kept)
• Respect for colleagues
• Serving the needs of all students
• Strong academic core with a focus on learning
Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates Page 30
• Strong professional growth opportunities
• Superintendent concentrates on data
• Superintendent meets regularly with principal associations leaders
• System follows latest research and best practices
• Technology resources
• World-class school system Challenges/Concerns/Issues
• Better than most but not good enough
• Board/Administration relationships and conflict impact the morale and performance within the system
• Budget that is tightening
• Closing the achievement gap
• Coherence and alignment in decision-making
• Communication needs – community often gets out in front of issues before the Division
• Culture is very insular – “Fairfax size it” means that the system often feels it can do it better than others – relatively little time and effort is devoted to learning from other systems
• Decisions are made at the Leadership Team level without adequate input from building administrator and staff
• Discipline committee may be challenging
• Disconnect between secondary and elementary needs when implementing new programs
• Division leadership is very high-school focused
• Division spends way too much time and energy dealing with the noise
• Enrollment growth
• Enrolment and staff projection often do not match
• Expectation that we have to do it all as needs grow and resources diminish
• Expectations often exceed resources
• Facilities are awful and in need a great deal of work
• FCPS has great difficulty staying focused
• FCPS is changing from a suburban system to an urban system
• Great ideas but staff is burning out
• Hierarchical structure causes communication and implementation challenges
• Highly political environment
• Honesty needed about the real data on the achievement gap
• Imbalance between new initiatives, state requirements and county demands
• Implementation of new initiatives is sometimes not handled well
• Increasing diversity of learners
• Increasing polarization within the community
• Lose of our reputation for excellence
• Need for a feedback/reflection/organizational learning process and cycle
• Need for consistency across clusters – FCPS is eight separate systems
• Need for systematic school board member training
• Need for the board to work together within itself and with Division leadership
• Need to be more systematic and strategic in approach
• Need to work to update program of study – it is very outdated
• Need transformation in the ways things get done
• New teacher and principal evaluation requirements being imposed by state
• No one systematic considers how all of the initiative impact the average teacher
• Overcrowding on the west end of the county
• Political County
• Recruiting needs for staff
• Regulations for everything – sometimes helpful – sometimes problematic
• Relationship between the school division and the Board of Supervisors
• Retention of quality staff
• Right hand often does not know what he left hand is doing and everything falls on the teacher and school
• RtI is not being implemented effectively system-wide
• Size – slow to respond
• Some board members see themselves as watchdogs and/or advocates
• Strategic direction needs to be more clearly defined and systematically implemented
• Strategic planning need to focus the system on the critical few priorities
• Technology – access for low socioeconomic students
• The system is often reactive to relatively small vocal groups – 20 emails is sometimes perceived as the voice of the community
• Too many non-school based administrators
• Too many random acts of improvement – need alignment of efforts
• Too much going on, too many initiative – means that things do not get done well
• Too much time devoted to things that don’t matter
• Trust gap – between school board and leadership, between some community members and division
• Us vs. Them mentality between some board members and Division administration
• Very competitive environment between clusters and between schools – this often means that system does not learn from itself and professionals do not learn from each other
• Working condition survey confirms staff concerns about workload – this needs to be addressed Desired Characteristics
• Ability to keep up in a fast-moving community
• Ability to make tough decisions
• Ability to respond quickly and proactively to issues and changes
• Able to define the non-negotiables in the system and align the system around priorities
• Acknowledges problems and mistake – takes action to address them
• Adept with the budget and has a good head for finances
• Advocate for all students and staff
• Assembles and manages strong leadership team
• Awareness of and appreciation for diversity
• Bilingual
• Builds capacity within the system
• Builds cohesiveness and trust within the system
• Builds trust quickly with all stakeholders
• Calm
Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates Page 32
• Charismatic
• Cheerleader for what FCPS does well
• Clarity about when input and collaboration is needed and when decisiveness and direction is needed
• Collaborative
• Consider the views of others
• Cool under fire
• Courageous leadership, when needed
• Decision maker, when needed
• Deep understanding of teaching and learning
• Demonstrated record of success in closing the achievement gap
• Directive and decisive, when needed
• Does the right thing for the right reasons
• Elementary school experience
• Extroverted
• Fights for what s/her believes in
• Focuses on the critical few initiatives
• Forward thinking
• Genuine
• Global perspective
• Good communication skills
• Great relationship builder
• Has building level principal experience
• Has experience in working in large system
• Has moved a system from “Good to Great”
• Honors and supports teachers
• Influencer
• Innovative
• Insightful and analytical
• Instructional leader
• Knows 21st century learning, current trends, and best practices
• Knows principals and staff
• Knows what is happening throughout the system
• Likes kids and teachers
• Listener
• Media savvy
• Methodical regarding process
• Minimal ego
• Open to school-based input
• Personable
• Politically savvy
• Respectful of all of good work that has been done and the quality that is in place
• Risk taker
• Seeks input before making major decisions
• Seeks to build community partnerships
• Self-sufficient
• Sense of humor
• Sensitive to and highly respectful of the diversity in the system
• Smart
• Strategic thinker
• Strong fiscal leadership
• Strong management skills and knows what it takes to implement well
• Strong skills in building effective board – superintendent leadership team
• Student centered
• Synthesizes issues, problems, and interest to create solutions
• Systems thinker
• Tech savvy
• Totally transparent
• Understand the legislative process
• Understands the effective timing of issues
• Unflappable
• Values autonomy at the school level
• Values collaboration
• Visible in the school
• Wants to come and stay
• Works well with Board of Supervisors to secure financial resources for the Division
Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates Page 34
BOARD
Strengths
• Academic achievement measures are strong
• Arts programming
• Belief that traditional approaches to education work the best
• Board members express their views and beliefs and then come together after a decision is made
• Business community understands the needs of the system
• Central office administration works well as a team
• Change in approach from a site-based philosophy to one of common expectations for all students – Every child by name and by need
• Collaboration for internal stakeholders has improved
• Community members are informed and able to organize around issues of importance to them
• Data systems hold everyone accountable
• Division addresses the needs of whole child very well in all areas
• Diversity – Division is now a minority majority school system
• ELL services
• Excellent curriculum
• Families and companies move to Fairfax County due to its schools
• FCPS attracts talented staff to work here and they stay for the long term
• FCPS is a microcosm of the nation
• FCPS tries to be innovative
• Full day kindergarten for all students
• Good relationship between school board and county supervisors
• Good relationship between superintendent and county executive
• Great reputation
• Has dealt with the financial challenges fairly successfully with minimum impact on the classroom
• High expectations from parents and community
• High quality staff - works very hard and achieves great results
• High standards
• Innovative and cutting edge instructional practices
• Leadership team is strong
• Lots of energy in the system
• Lots of pride in the community about its schools
• Preschool initiatives
• Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
• Staff believes in the vision and values of the system
• Strategic Governance is working well and critical to moving forward
• Strong special education programming
• Students – they do amazing things
• Superintendent has developed a good relationship with the business community
• Supporting students by providing certificate career education classes without charges
• System works hard at trying to meet children at their own level
• Teachers working at the juvenile detention center
• Variety of offering and programs to meet the needs of a diverse student population
• Very diverse system that achieves strong results – high graduation rates and making progress on closing the achievement gap
• Very well educated, engaged and supportive community
• Vision is based on common expectations and experiences for all students
• Weighted formula for funding
• Wonderful teachers – the priority is to have a great teacher in every classroom
• Working to ensure that every child is reaching his/her potential
• World language programming Challenges/Concerns/Issues
• “Me” generation is back and challenges doing things for the common good
• Achievement gap persists
• Administration sometimes has a tin ear to concerns and issues
• As curriculum needs keep increasing what gets eliminated from the curriculum
• Asian-American expectations for the school system that desires a more competitive academic focus
• Believe if “they” don’t want it to happen, it won’t happen
• Board is often on the defensive regarding issues
• Budget
• Change in general societal attitudes with greater emphasis placed on meeting my needs and wants
• Chaotic random acts of improvement
• Cluster offices have too much control over instructional approaches – need more consistency among schools
• Communication is not as effective as it could be
• Community expects information and data on what needs to be done, why it should be done, and what impact is expected. Then follow-up information is needed to demonstrate what has been accomplished and what improvements are needed
• Community friction over where and how resources should be spent
• Critical need for more thoughtful and deliberate planning
• Difference in the needs of various sections of the county
• Discipline approach is a concern to some parents
• Disconnect between central office and general staff
• Division approach and response to issues sometimes causes some of the problems
• Division does not use expert research and data to make decisions
• Division lacks a customer service focus
• Failure to communicate well over issues
• Find the ways to meet each child where they are
• Focus
• GenX expectations for the system
• Greater need for meaningful public engagement
• Growing diversity
• Growing Latino population
• Half-baked ideas are often pursued – FCPS puts the cart before the horse
• Has had to make significant financial cuts at the same time as student needs continue to increase
Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates Page 36
• High schools require children to stay in AP class all year if they start the year in the class
• Highly competitive and test prep attitudes on the part of some parents
• Inconsistency among the schools
• Increasing the number of schools providing G/T services has created the belief that other schools will lose services
• Individual student growth measures needed to determine how well the system is serving students and making progress
• It is very problematic when ideas go to the public before being shared with the Board
• Keeping your eyes on the prize – small, vocal minority consume time and energy of staff that should be devoted to priorities in the system
• Kindergarten readiness and early childhood education needs
• Lack of organizational operating philosophy or framework
• Lack of transparency and openness
• Lack of trust in institutions in general
• Long range planning for facilities
• Maintaining equity in an era of ever-increasing competing interests
• Management of concerns is not always effective – need a more proactive approach to preventing problems from occurring
• Meeting differing student needs within the same classroom
• Meeting the needs of high performing students as well as student who need special assistance and support
• Meeting the needs of talented students
• Morale issues
• NCLB has been harmful to public education
• Need accurate long-term enrollment projections
• Need for strategic planning
• Need to acknowledge and change directions when mistakes are made
• Need to be stronger on instructional issues
• Need to change high schools to a later start time
• Need to change national policies on education that focus on test results and limited accountability
• Need to confront the brutal facts in the organization
• Need to develop a better relationship with county supervisors
• Need to develop a predictable and repeatable community engagement process
• Need to implement 4Cs and 21st century learning skills curriculum and assessments
• Need to proactively address concerns
• Need to reduce spending levels – Can not continue to ask the county for more money
• Need to reestablish summer school
• Online textbook decision and implementation
• Open and honest information provided to Board when questions are asked
• Overall management concerns
• Planning-Policy-Budget all need to be in alignment and focused on priorities
• Rationalization and obstacles are often placed in the way when problems are brought to the Division
• Reactive nature of board and division to many issues
• Rollout of AAP changes has been very challenging
• Rollout of initiatives is often poorly planned – system lacks good follow-through
• Serving students with disabilities
• Site based decisions cause some problems in the system when principals interpret regulations, policies and decisions differently
• Size cause significant problems for communication
• Size of the system makes it difficult to implement change quickly and effectively
• Some advocacy is focused on the needs of a subgroup rather than the needs of all students
• Some County Supervisors are asking for more transparency
• Space and facility concerns – use of trailers
• Strong desire to attend Thomas Jefferson High School on the part of many families
• Student enrollment growth
• Students coming into the systems with increasingly demanding needs – special education, poverty, and ELL
• System can be slow and cautious regarding change
• System is sometime afraid of internal dissent
• System lacks a leader who brings everyone together
• System-wide communication needs to be improved
• Thomas Jefferson entrance requirements
• Transparency and integrity of data provided
• Treating all students fairly
• Trust and accountability issues with leadership
• Trying to include more children has watered down advanced academic programming
• Vocal advocates in community on limited issues
• White flight
• Workload concerns from staff are legitimate issues Desired Characteristics
• Ability to delegate
• Ability to energize parents for collective good
• Ability to inspire teachers
• Ability to plan and manage a comprehensive communication strategy and understands the use of various communication tools
• Ability to think ahead and anticipate issues and problems
• Ability to work with different personality types
• Analytical
• Articulate and speaks well on his/her feet
• Balance between collaborative and decisive styles – listens to and engages people but be able to make a decision when necessary
• Behaves in a way that people feel s/he is on their side and is fighting to the meet the needs of their child
• Believes in a board/superintendent partnership to create a strong leadership team
• Believes in assessing students in ways other than just high stakes testing
• Believes in FCPS Strategic Governance model –understands the structure and how to use the data
Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates Page 38
• Believes in traditional approach to education
• Builds a sense of pride in the school system
• Builds a strong division leadership team
• Builds trust quickly
• Can relate to different demographic groups
• Capable of leading the Division in closing the achievement gap
• Cares about kids and services to children rather than reputation
• Cares about later start times for high schools
• Collaborative leadership style that seeks out smart people and holds them accountable
• Comfortable around students and legislators alike
• Comfortable with well-educated stakeholders who may challenge decisions and approaches
• Communicates regularly with board, staff and community
• Communicates well with younger parents – someone with the voice of youth
• Continually has a sense of the pulse of community
• Courageous
• Demonstrated success in closing the achievement gap
• Does not experiment with innovations that might be harmful
• Embraces cultural understanding
• Engages children and families
• Experience in a large system
• Experience in school district over 40K students
• Experience with diverse students populations
• Experienced in running a large system
• Exudes energy and honesty
• Facilitates and synthesizes board discussions
• Facilitates true public engagement process
• Focus on critical thinking and 21st century skills
• Focuses attention on the critical few initiatives
• Focuses on both strengths and opportunities for improvement
• Forward thinker
• Global perspective
• Good business management skills
• Great communicator
• Great manager
• Grounded in what is best for children – let’s the Board know when they are going in the wrong direction.
• Has the backbone to focus on priorities and to prevent non-priority issues from consuming too much time and energy within the system
• Hires people who may not always agree with him/her
• Honest
• Honest
• HR experience
• Humble
• Innovative
• Integrity
• International experience – knowledgeable about world languages
• Is transparent and accountable for what works well and what needs to improve
• Knows and understands key research on the learning process and best practices
• Knows when to say no to the Board and the community
• Lacks a big ego
• Life-long learner
• Listener
• Listens with the desire to understand
• No excuses – focuses on solutions
• Non-traditional candidates such a university provost or business leader should be considered
• Open and flexible
• Open and transparent with information
• Open to hearing and addressing concerns
• Open to input that contradicts his/her beliefs
• Open to new ideas from board members
• Patience
• People/interpersonal skills are essential
• Planner – detailed and long-term
• Politically astute – can see around the corners
• Proactive to reaching out to constituents who are not normally engaged
• Proven track record of success in instruction improvement and community outreach
• Provides direction and guidance to the Board
• Provides direction and guidance to the Board