Educational Leadership Comprehensive Program Review by Kendall Apple

kapple1_ — 2025-04-14 17:47:20 UTC

The writing results attached are from a data analysis course. As an aspiring instructional leader the ability to simplify and analyze data is a must. This artifact was so applicable to my growth as both a graduate student and professional because it really gave me the opportunity to conduct research on my own while having to present data in a way that would appeal to potential stakeholders. The artifact includes every step of the process that was involved while also simplifying results. The writing results provide steps that anyone could replicate if they wanted to conduct the same research. I learned so many different ways to process and present data in a way that makes sense for both analyzing and viewing. This class as a whole was so helpful to becoming an administrator. As a teacher we of course dissect and organize data, but to do so i in such a professional way was a new experience. The writing results themselves required an extreme attention to detail which is also an important skill for an administrator to have especially when dealing with student learning data. This assignment relates directly to the Human Capital administrator standard. As an administrator we are expected to be able to observe and coach teachers of all experience. By ensuring that these new teachers are being observed and supported we are pushing for higher level instruction which leads to a higher level of learning.

kapple1_ — 2025-04-14 17:48:18 UTC

As an instructional leader we are going to be training our staff on best practices when choosing an instructional strategy. Knowing how to research these instructional strategies and understanding how to analyze the data within the study is extremely important to the success of a school. For this assignment, we were to identify all the different types of research that we would be conducting within the course. We also had to design our own definitions of key terms and phrases that we would regularly use throughout the course when performing research on different topics. This assignment relates to the administrative standard, leading learning. One of the key points of this course was research that correlates with high quality instruction which is one of the most important facets of becoming a successful administrator. Researching, collaborating, planning, and implementing are all integral aspects of ensuring a school is achieving high quality instruction. Principals are in charge of bettering themselves through reflection and professional development. If they themselves are familiar with best practices then they are able to model for their staff when regularly visiting classrooms. Principals should have a lard presence within classrooms to build a trusted rapport with both staff and students. The more familiar teachers are with having their administrators visit their classes the more relaxed and natural they will be in their presence. This is important because it gives principals a transparent view of what is taking place within classrooms in their school.

kapple1_ — 2025-04-14 17:50:09 UTC

Ethical and legal principles was arguably the most difficult course taken within this graduate school program. This artifact was our cumulative final for the course. We were completing a “scavenger hunt” where we provided different types of law and court cases to different scenarios given within the assignment. By being able to identify the type of law being discussed and tie it to an applicable court case, we were able to demonstrate understanding of the ins and outs of educational law and why rulings currently are the way that they are. This assignment heavily relates to the administrative standard of Ethics, Equity, and Diversity. All of the court cases discussed within the scavenger hunt were ones that deal with these topics within special populations. It was interesting to see how many things are different now within public education when it comes to servicing all different types of children. Legal aspects of public education can be daunting and unfamiliar, but as an administrator it is imperative that we know how to correctly guide both ourselves and our staff along the right path. One of the harder parts of this assignment was being able to correctly cite administrative codes, laws, and court cases. Understanding how to navigate this public information will be so beneficial to my growth as an educator in the future should a situation ever arise where I need to reference something along those lines.

kapple1_ — 2025-04-14 17:50:47 UTC

This assignment was one that appeared intimidating when it was first assigned. I was able to identify an achievement gap with our students that are of a lower socioeconomic status. I assembled a collaborative team of teachers who were willing to dig through the data with me and come up with solutions on how to best close that achievement gap. The collaboration that took place during this assignment was so extremely beneficial for me as a current teacher and even more so as a future administrator. The idea of leading my peers through a meeting of this nature definitely put me outside of my comfort zone, but once again I am so glad that I had a reason and opportunity to do so! This was an assignment that I really felt was applicable to being an administrator. It relates to many administrative standards, but based on the solutions and discussions that were had during, I feel as if school culture was the most prominent one. We created a shared vision and goal on how we wanted to assist this particular group of students. By being able to implement the strategies planned and discussed, I was really able to get some hands-on experience of what it would be like to be an administrator performing an activity such as this. My current principal really liked what we came up with and plans to put certain aspects into place for the upcoming school year.

kapple1_ — 2025-04-14 17:51:22 UTC

For this assignment I was tasked with creating a comprehensive communication plan for a secondary campus. We were to use pseudonyms in order to respect the privacy of our district and employees involved. Our objective was to show that as an instructional leader we can come up with a communication plan that reaches the goals set in place by our campus and district. Being an administrator means being able to communicate effectively with all audiences. The idea of this assignment really aligns with the administrative standard, Strategic Operations. The safety and every day operation of the building is part of being an effective administrator. It is also extremely important to be able to implement a crisis emergency plan. This assignment explored how to cover all the bases of an emergency and crisis plan. These things are more important than ever considering the state of the world we live in. Parents’ number one priority when sending their children to school is always going to be how safe their child is. As administrators we want to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes down to communicating and student safety. We were also able to really dissect communication with both internal and external stakeholders and why both groups are important. Having a good sense of community and support is part of running a successful school. The most beneficial part of this assignment was the ability to sit down with and interview a current principal within our campus and hear their thoughts and ideas pertaining to a comprehensive communication plan.

kapple1_ — 2025-04-14 17:52:59 UTC

This assignment was a simple one that I enjoyed because it is something that I could see myself using in the future. We were to create a research based professional development session as someone within the session would actually see it. Normally we present the project to an audience, but for this one it was to be created as if actual teachers would see it. I think supporting teachers that are new to the profession is one of the most important things a principal can do due to how hard it is to find good teachers today. Professional development is a topic that has a lot of negative feelings and opinions surrounding it. It is so important for administrators to make professional development targeted, beneficial, and worthwhile. If a teacher is actually able to be interested and take something away from a professional development session then it was already more successful than most. This assignment aligned well with the administrative standard, human capital. By providing these new teachers an ongoing professional development program an administrator would be able to observe and offer feedback in real time. By coaching and mentoring these young teachers through the challenge that is early education, we are setting them and our campus up for success. They feel supported and we are able to retain effective teachers who have learned to give high quality instruction.

kapple1_ — 2025-04-14 17:53:54 UTC

For this assignment we were to perform an equity audit on our campus. The purpose of an equity audit is to ensure that equity-focused leadership is being emphasized within a school. We were to find longitudinal data on the last three years for our campus. I downloaded TAPR reports along with school report cards to really get a better understanding of the state our campus is in. The TAPR report showed me so many things about my campus that I had never actually considered about our staff before. I was able to see the demographics of our students and staff as well as how many years of experience our teachers had. By comparing the success of our students and the overall information of our staff it was really interesting to see where we were successful and what areas were identified as an area of need. By being able to analyze the data and put it into a report that was easily accessible and understood, it helped me understand how much administrators truly deal with data within their schools in order to achieve high quality instruction and outcomes. An assignment like this falls under several different administrative standards, but the one that sticks out to me the most is leading learning. By assessing classrooms, instructional practices, and giving feedback the principal would be able to do their best to lessen the achievement gaps from specific populations. As an administrator we want all of our students to succeed, not just the ones that are supposed to.

kapple1_ — 2025-04-14 17:55:19 UTC

This was an assignment that I put together for my second observation in my practicum course. My current campus is only in its second year of being open, and I am very interested in bringing a program called EMBARK here to our staff and students. EMBARK is an awesome program that essentially lets local businesses come to our school and set up office for the week to work remotely. The businesses are able to present to different classes and talk to students who may be interested in their line of work. It is a very cost effective program due to the fact that the businesses are choosing to come and talk to the students as opposed to us having to pay them. It is beneficial to the school, the students, and the community because it provides so many different avenues for them to collaborate and work together. This project relates to the administrative standard of executive leadership. Forming relationships with internal and external stakeholders is an integral part of being a successful administrator. We want the community to understand the awesome things that take place within our school while also giving our students the opportunity to connect with important community members. Students have said that they enjoy learning about different jobs before entering college because they are able to explore different options. This can be helpful if it is a job they have never heard of before or even if it is something they decide may not be the best fit for them.

kapple1_ — 2025-04-14 17:56:11 UTC

This assignment was one of the earlier ones from the capstone course. It deals with essentially every administrative standard because that is what the assignment was about, connecting the standards to the dispositions within the graduate program at Angelo State. The purpose of this assignment was similar to the creation of this portfolio. As an administrator it is important to be able to follow a code of conduct that is set by the state. We want to model to our teachers and students that we are trustworthy and able to lead to by example. The pillars of the program for Angelo State are commitment, integrity, diversity and inclusion, community, and significance. These all go hand in hand with school culture, executive leadership, leading learning, human capital, strategic operations, and ethics, equity and diversity. There are so many similar ideals between the two groups that it makes me feel confident that the program I chose to pursue is extremely applicable to my future career path which I am extremely thankful for. The assignments and dedication it takes to complete an assignment like this coincides with the dedication it also takes to further your education and one day become an administrator. Within the assignment we had to tie our experiences within the program to being an administrator. The program being so applicable made the connections simple to make.

kapple1_ — 2025-04-15 19:37:15 UTC