Interacting with the Larger Sociocultural Context
(K-12 Administrative Standard #6)
As a member of the Board of Directors at Hinoki International School, who also completed my Administrative Internship there, I continue to be amazed at the barrage of education-reform legislation and initiatives at the national, state, and local levels over the past decade or so. Due to the intercultural nature of our school, Hinoki must also contend with international issues, such as the availability of work visas for teachers from Japan and the culture-dependent responses of our stakeholders to natural disasters such as the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami and man-made disasters such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School murders.
STRIVING TO UNDERSTAND AND ADAPT TO EMERGING TRENDS
The state and national trend toward expansion of charter schools has helped make Hinoki International School's unique educational model possible. However, the relative newness of charter-schools to the educational scene in Michigan means that, while technically held to the same responsibilities as traditional public schools, there remains a lack of clarity about how best to implement those good intentions.
For example, the requirement that all teachers in a Michigan public school must hold Michigan teacher certification is a challenge at a school in which team-teaching by native speakers of two languages is required for our dual-immersion education model. Should Hinoki pursue "teacher permits" for those with teacher certification from Japan? Or is the new state legislation allowing "alternative certification" a better option?
ADVOCATING FOR STAKEHOLDERS AND INFLUENCING LEGISLATION
As a charter school, Hinoki is unable to levy any millages, and does not even have a geographic "district" to which it is tied. Our board members are appointed, rather than elected, by our charter-authorizer, Livonia Public Schools. With a significant proportion of Hinoki's stakeholders being citizens of Japan (even while residents of, and taxpayers to, Michigan), we have many stakeholders who lack the right to vote in local, state, and national elections.
I strongly feel that the pace of educational reform over the past three years of Hinoki's existence has rendered it virtually impossible to "anticipate and assess emerging trends" (NPBEA, 2011, p. 23). Even given my strong interest and experience in these matters (e.g, my doctoral dissertation was all about educational reform), it is about all I can do to try and keep current with the latest developments in (primarily state-government) policies, and share my understanding of them with the other members of the board, administration, and teaching staff, as we strive to develop the best possible Board Policy, Administrative Guidelines, and day-to-day procedures at Hinoki International School.
REFERENCES
Hinoki International School Board. (2012). Board policy manual. Retrieved from http://bpp.charterinstitute.org/hinokiinternationalschool/
National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2011). Educational leadership program standards: 2011 ELCC district level.
Retrieved from http://npbea.org/
O'Toole, J. (1995). Leading change: The argument for values-based leadership. New York: Ballatine Books.
Reeves, D.B. (2009). Leading change in your school: How to conquer myths, build commitment, and get results. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
STRIVING TO UNDERSTAND AND ADAPT TO EMERGING TRENDS
The state and national trend toward expansion of charter schools has helped make Hinoki International School's unique educational model possible. However, the relative newness of charter-schools to the educational scene in Michigan means that, while technically held to the same responsibilities as traditional public schools, there remains a lack of clarity about how best to implement those good intentions.
For example, the requirement that all teachers in a Michigan public school must hold Michigan teacher certification is a challenge at a school in which team-teaching by native speakers of two languages is required for our dual-immersion education model. Should Hinoki pursue "teacher permits" for those with teacher certification from Japan? Or is the new state legislation allowing "alternative certification" a better option?
ADVOCATING FOR STAKEHOLDERS AND INFLUENCING LEGISLATION
As a charter school, Hinoki is unable to levy any millages, and does not even have a geographic "district" to which it is tied. Our board members are appointed, rather than elected, by our charter-authorizer, Livonia Public Schools. With a significant proportion of Hinoki's stakeholders being citizens of Japan (even while residents of, and taxpayers to, Michigan), we have many stakeholders who lack the right to vote in local, state, and national elections.
I strongly feel that the pace of educational reform over the past three years of Hinoki's existence has rendered it virtually impossible to "anticipate and assess emerging trends" (NPBEA, 2011, p. 23). Even given my strong interest and experience in these matters (e.g, my doctoral dissertation was all about educational reform), it is about all I can do to try and keep current with the latest developments in (primarily state-government) policies, and share my understanding of them with the other members of the board, administration, and teaching staff, as we strive to develop the best possible Board Policy, Administrative Guidelines, and day-to-day procedures at Hinoki International School.
REFERENCES
Hinoki International School Board. (2012). Board policy manual. Retrieved from http://bpp.charterinstitute.org/hinokiinternationalschool/
National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2011). Educational leadership program standards: 2011 ELCC district level.
Retrieved from http://npbea.org/
O'Toole, J. (1995). Leading change: The argument for values-based leadership. New York: Ballatine Books.
Reeves, D.B. (2009). Leading change in your school: How to conquer myths, build commitment, and get results. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.