I have been asked to implement a new appraisal system as a principal in a new school. I will use human connections as the basis of the new system to ensure that there is trust and excellence mindset that will contribute to the quality of learning experience and results in the school.
This meeting will be important to me because it is the first opportunity to interact with staff members in the school. My main goal for this meeting will be to establish a relaxed environment for members of staff to allow them to share their concerns, ideas and personal goals. In this meeting I will ask members to narrate some of the best things that they think the school has done in the past. It will be a positive meeting, mostly, and the focus will be on the bright side of the school history and the activities that teachers and other members of the staff enjoy most. To avoid the tenseness of a first meeting, I will focus on laying the foundation for trust by getting vulnerable through sharing my personal story, hobbies and weaknesses in a manner that shows the members of staff that I am ready to unlearn and learn new ideas in the process of developing the new appraisal (Westerberg, 2017).
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"School Management".
For me, sharing is an important element of forming human connections and I will make the meeting less formal by allowing staff members to share drinks and bites as we discuss some less important matters like their backgrounds and biggest fears while raising their children especially when it comes to schooling. By doing that, the meeting will achieve teacher-parent tangency, a factor that provides a strong perspective to schooling as a human experience and the need for human connections and trust in the process. Towards the end of the meeting I will take a more formal approach and explain to the staff members the need for a new appraisal system and the particular concerns that led to the review of the existing system and the main differences between it and the new one. I will reiterate the importance of participation in the development and implementation of the new plan and I will ask teachers to nominate colleagues to a working group that will represent their interests. The aim will be to transfer ownership of the program to the staff members and encourage them to view it as an internally developed program that is not imposed on them.
The success of every project depends on the ability of team members to contribute to the attainment of the main goals and objectives. The following guiding statements will help members of staff to stay on track and avoid distractions that may frustrate the process of implementation (Brinkerhoff et al., 2012). First, the process will be based on effective relations between different stakeholders. Second, the appraisal will be anchored on a determination to achieve the highest levels of education, possible, while enjoying the process. Third, upon full implementation of the new program, teachers will not only feel pride in their achievements but also, they will discover that the line between personal and organizational goals is blurred. Lastly, the spirit of the new appraisal program is that of perpetual harmony and sense of community.
Staff members nominated in the first meeting will convene for the first time to discuss the new proposal and establish a pathway that will be followed to come up with a workable plan. Leadership will be an important aspect of this process and I will take a pivotal position as the chairman in the first meeting. Subsequent meetings will be chaired by members of the working group in a rotational manner to help the team approach the project from different perspectives. I will suggest the following goals for the group;
Establish a log of some of the best practices that have been implemented in schools around the world
Provide a list of the best options that can be followed by the school with a keen consideration of the school mission and vision
Make an appraisal draft with specific recommendations for approval by school board
Provide a tentative schedule for the implementation.
Basically, my role will be to clarify the need for a new appraisal system and the importance of borrowing from best practices. Tasks such as the search for successful appraisal practices will be given to sub-groups in the working group with weekly updates that will be compared with the school vision and mission. I will take charge of the meetings that will create an implementation schedule to ensure that the formulas adopted are consistent with the requirements and needs of the program.
The new process will be centered on three vital goals which include good relations, individual determination, and communication. In consultative meeting, all members of staff will be given an opportunity to give their views and recommendations for review before the system is approved. A special focus will be given to the ability of the new appraisal system to meet the unique needs of the school and staff members.
The new system should be ready for implementation after the first year of extensive consultations. The process will start with a one-week orientation program to set the platform for the appraisal system. My focus will be taking all members of staff on board and solving any challenges that may arise at the early stages of implementation. I will make the process as clear as possible and explain the rationale for choosing goals and plans that are included in the appraisal program.
