WVUSD: 2014-2015 Year-End Results
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Team members attended regularly scheduled Leadership Team Meetings, Leadership
Team Retreats, and the monthly Distinguished Speakers Series in Pasadena.
Additionally, principals attended Bi-monthly Principals’ Meetings with alternating
Professional Development focused meetings concentrating on developing Instructional
Leaders. Principals, as well as site and district administrators and Elementary Learning
Specialists (ELS), participated in trainings in such areas as Leading Change for 21st
Century learners and teachers in the Common Core, curriculum development,
instructional methodology, classroom observation and feedback, and technology. Various
resources were utilized including such books as, The Principal, Simply Better, If She Only
Knew Me, and True North. Furthermore, participants had the opportunity to apply
learnings through visits and discussions at school sites in surrounding school districts.
Several principals also led instructionally-focused Learning Walks for staff members and
facilitated discussions and classroom visits for parents and community members.
Principals set goals and designed action plans which aligned with district focus areas and
managerial competencies, periodically met formally and informally with a district-assigned
mentor, and developed and, along with their site administrative teams, presented a midyear progress check for our Board of Trustees. Furthermore, principals attended weekly
Cabinet Meetings throughout the year as a means for providing principal perspective on
district-wide issues and for their personal growth and understanding of district-wide
structure and processes.
Focused principal and site-leadership target groups were established to provide
leadership and managerial development including our Elementary Principals’ PLC, our
new principals’ cohort facilitated by principal coach Beverly How, a high school principals’
network serving participants throughout Southern California, and our ELS cohort group.
Principals also worked individually with internal and external mentors and coaches.
Leadership Team members also participated in a wide variety of personal and small
group leadership growth opportunities such as conferences, workshops, and academies
covering leadership development and all aspects of site and district management. Newly
hired site and district-level Leadership Team members made strong contributions and
were well-received. The district supported continuing education, including a variety of
Memorandums of Understanding and agreements to ease the time management and cost
burdens for employees.
Teachers were afforded increased district-level leadership roles in professional
development facilitation, committee work on a variety of topics such as benchmark
assessments and extra-curricular stipends, and curriculum decisions such as the
mathematics textbook adoption process. Teachers and classified staff served on school
site Leadership Teams and teachers were often asked to provide informational
presentations at school staff meetings. Teachers at various school sites led “learning
walks” throughout the campus and facilitated conversations in the role of an instructional
leader. Teachers served in the role of Elementary Learning Specialists (ELS) and were
able to provide direct instructional leadership to teachers. Staff members were able to
__________________
Walnut Valley Unified School District
27
__________________