• Superintendent Entry Plan

    Dr. Robert Glass

    Bedford Central School District

    view the Entry Plan in PDF form

     

    Introduction: A Collaborative Inquiry Approach

    With deep respect for Bedford Central School District’s storied reputation for educational innovation and leadership, a large part of my role as incoming superintendent is to build a foundation for success rooted in a deep, systematic, emergent understanding of the district’s strengths and challenges. Such an approach stands in stark contrast to the presumptuous practice of retrofitting past solutions to the present context.

    This entry plan is designed to engage the entire educational community by beginning to build enduring relationships across a broad cross-section of school district stakeholders to understand as much as possible about Bedford’s past, where it stands today, and where it aspires to arrive in the future. By asking key questions in a systematic, transparent way, and holding follow-up meetings to present and discuss initial themes and findings, this entry plan will form a foundation for action planning that is crucial for my first several months as incoming superintendent. This plan is based on the values of equal access to information and is designed to engender trust through the following activities:

    • Learning about the key events, issues and concerns that influence, or have influenced the district
    • Learning about the values, norms expectations and goals of the school community
    • Leading us in a collective examination of this information that results in defining initial priorities
    • Developing an action plan to achieve our priorities

    Timeline of Key Phases: Overview

    2022 Entry Plan Timeline graphic
    1. Personal interviews, focus group interviews and site visits with various stakeholder groups to gather data (May-October, 2022) Interviews/visits will be somewhat sparse in the spring and summer due to schedule limitations, with the majority of interviews being conducted once school begins in the fall.
      1. Initial interviews- (May-June 2022) with current and newly-elected Board of Education members, current Superintendent and Central Office Team members. This is the group that is most accessible and can provide an initial system overview to jump-start my global understanding of the district.
      2. Interviews with all other groups- July-October 2022 in various sequences as schedules allow. Follow-up interviews to complete any partial initial interviews, as well as interviews of any non-interviewed or newly-hired district-level administrators.
    2. Use of the ThoughExchange survey tool to administer one or more surveys to gather input from a larger number of stakeholders (July-October, 2022)
      1. First Survey- June through August to gather initial feedback on themes
      2. Second Survey- may be used October through November, 2022, to get input on possible action steps
    3. Overview of Entry Plan at Board of Education Reorganization Meeting (July 12, 2022)
    4. Data Review Meetings as practicable with each individual group where I reflect and verify with the group the themes gathered from the data (September-October, 2022)
    5. Update on Initial Themes at October, 2022 Board of Education Meeting
    6. Action planning meetings with each internal group where we will discuss some possible action steps based upon the data and themes gathered (October-November, 2022)
    7. Overall presentation of Themes and Action Steps from across the system to the community at a Board of Education Meeting (early December, 2022)

    Timeline and Key Phases: Expanded Description

    Personal or Focus Group Interviews to Collect Data: Interviews will use the same set of questions for each person or focus group within each of the following groups:

    Some questions will be similar or identical across groups to help understand comparability of thoughts and responses. Individual responses will be confidential.

    Data Review Meetings: Following the interview phase, I will compile the data gathered from individual members of each specific group and organize it into themes. This information will be shared with each group at a subsequent meeting or in written format with the intent of feeding back to the group my understanding of the data and initial themes. I will ask each group to verify whether my hearing of the data squares with what they intended to convey, and provide an opportunity to fill in any gaps as we work together to figure out what the data mean and how to use the themes to ultimately inform action planning.

    Action Planning Meetings: Following the meeting to share initial data and themes, I will prepare some potential action items and bring the group back together to review and provide feedback on these potential action items.

    ThoughtExchange Surveys: I will offer all groups an initial ThoughtExchange question with the hope that it will greatly expand the number of people who may contribute ideas to the process. The initial question would be: As Bedford’s new superintendent, what are the most important things I need to know to support you and make this a successful year? In addition, the ThoughtExchange tool may also be useful in selectively exploring in more depth some of the initial themes surfaced through interviews, and or gathering feedback on emerging/potential Action Items

    Initial Presentation: An initial presentation to the Board of Education and community (at an October, 2022 Board of Education meeting) will provide an initial overview of major emerging themes across all groups.

    Final Presentation- A final report to the Board and community (at an early December Board of Education Meeting) will emphasize cross-group information about system strengths, growth areas, goals, obstacles to achieving them, actions needed to overcome the obstacles, and recommended action steps.

    Entry Plan Organization

    This plan indicates for each group listed below a set of Objectives, Entry Activities and Interview Questions:

    2022 Entry Plan Groups to Be Interviewed graphic

    Students

    Objectives

    1. To learn more about student perceptions of their school experience and how well it is preparing them for their future, particularly at the secondary level
    2. To learn more about the structures available for student scholarship and engagement, and leadership
    3. To get to know some of the student leaders at each school

    Entry Activities

    1. Conduct interviews with focus groups of student government leaders at each school as applicable and appropriate
    2. Administer Thoughtexchange survey to all secondary students

    Interview Questions (Focus Groups)

    1. What do you see as the most satisfying aspect of your school experience?
    2. What are the district’s greatest strengths? What about the district is most cherished and must be preserved and built upon?
    3. What is your assessment of the overall program of the schools? How adequately do you feel the district is preparing you for success in your future?
    4. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we overcome the obstacles? Where are our opportunities?
    5. Describe what you would consider to be a good relationship between the student body and the administration/superintendent. How do you think this could be maintained or enhanced?
    6. What is most important to preserve in the schools? What is most important to change in the schools?

    Faculty and Staff

    Objectives

    1. Begin to develop relationships with a broad number of individuals across the system
    2. Learn about the daily experience, aspirations and concerns of individuals in various roles and levels

    Entry Activities

    1. Conduct interviews and meet with individuals and groups as appropriate to better understand their work and the items of greatest importance. Examples include department/grade level/employee group team meetings or other identified groups. This could be done via site visits or by scheduled focus group discussions.
    2. Administer ThoughtExchange survey
    3. Schedule and hold a Data Review Meeting or publish data summary to gather feedback in person or via Google Form. Clarify and discuss overall data patterns gathered from the administrator interviews

    Interview Questions

    1. Please give me a brief biographical sketch to help me get to know you.
    2. What do you see as the most satisfying aspect of your current assignment? About working in this school system? What do you see as most constraining in your current assignment?
    3. What are the district’s greatest strengths? What about the district is most cherished and must be preserved and built upon?
    4. What is your assessment of the overall program of the schools and of the staff in the district?
    5. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we overcome the obstacles? Where are our opportunities?
    6. What should I know about the history and the current nature of the relationship between the Association and school administration?
    7. What is most important to preserve in the schools? What is most important to change in the schools?

    Principals and Assistant Principals

    Objectives

    1. To identify key issues at the school building level
    2. To understand relationships and patterns of interaction between principals, superintendent, central office and community
    3. To understand and help coordinate work on system wide tasks
    4. To understand school building goals and aspirations

    Entry Activities

    1. Conduct interview with each principal (1-2 hours)
    2. Schedule a site visit to each school (1-3 hours) during which a portion of time is dedicated to a brief overview of school goals/data
    3. Attend administrative team meetings whenever possible/appropriate
    4. Administer ThoughtExchange survey
    5. Schedule and hold a Data Review Meeting to feedback, clarify and discuss overall data patterns gathered from the administrator interviews
    6. Schedule and hold an Action Planning meeting to discuss some possible steps based upon the data. This could possibly be incorporated into an existing administrator meeting or at the retreat

    Interview Questions

    1. Please give me a brief biographical sketch to help me get to know you.
    2. What are the accomplishments you look at pride upon as a principal?
    3. What goal would you most like to achieve in your building and what makes achieving it difficult?
    4. What is the current state of working relationships between superintendent/principals, principal/principal, central office/principals and system/community?
    5. What are the district’s greatest strengths? What about the district is most cherished and must be preserved and built upon?
    6. Please assess your building in terms of programming and personnel.
    7. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we overcome the obstacles?
    8. What individuals or groups influence the system? How is that influence achieved?
    9. What would you most like to see preserved in your building? In the system?
    10. What would you most like to see changed in your building? In the system?
    11. What responsibilities are the principals’ alone? What responsibilities are shared with other administrators?
    12. Are there areas of decision-making that are unclear? A discussion of these questions would cover, but not be limited to, your role in curriculum, staffing, budgeting, maintenance, student services, etc.

    Association Unit Leaders: BTA, CSEA, BASA

    Objectives

    1. Learn about each association, its aspirations and concerns
    2. Understand and agree upon preferred format/pattern for each association to communicate and collaborate with the superintendent/central office

    Entry Activities

    1. Conduct interviews with the officers of each association (1-2 hours)
    2. Offer to schedule and meet with other groups within each association as appropriate to better understand their work and the items of greatest importance. Examples include department/grade level teams, assistant principals, or other identified groups. This could be done via site visits or by scheduled focus group discussions.
    3. Administer Thoughtexchange survey
    4. Schedule and hold a Data Review Meeting to feedback, clarify and discuss overall data patterns gathered from the administrator interviews
    5. Schedule and hold an Action Planning meeting to discuss some possible steps based upon the data. This could possibly be incorporated into an existing administrator meeting or at the retreat for the BASA group.

    Interview Questions

    1. Please give me a brief biographical sketch to help me get to know you.
    2. What do you see as the most satisfying aspect of your current assignment? About working in this school system? What do you see as most constraining in your current assignment?
    3. What are the district’s greatest strengths? What about the district is most cherished and must be preserved and built upon?
    4. What is your assessment of the overall program of the schools and of the staff in the district?
    5. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we overcome the obstacles? Where are our opportunities?
    6. What should I know about the history and the current nature of the relationship between the association and school administration?
    7. Describe what you would consider to be a good relationship between the association and the superintendent. How do you think this could be maintained or deepened? What ground rules, etc.?
    8. What is most important to preserve in the schools? What is most important to change in the schools?

    Parent/Family Association Leadership/Membership; Organizations & Educational Foundations

    Objectives

    1. To learn about the key people and organizations that support the schools within the system
    2. Understand and agree on patterns of communication, along with key events to support and attend throughout the year
    3. Know more about the aspirations and future vision of each organization, and to understand opportunities to deepen partnerships

    Entry Activities

    1. Attend a Parent Presidents Meeting
    2. Attend various PTA/O functions within each school
    3. Attend a PTA/O meeting at each school
    4. Attend a SEPTO meeting
    5. Meet with Educational Foundation President/Executive Board; attend a meeting if possible
    6. Ask interview questions at the meetings above or through other focus group meetings as appropriate
    7. Administer Thoughtexchange survey
    8. Schedule and hold a Data Review Meeting with the Parent Presidents group to feedback, clarify and discuss overall data patterns gathered from the interviews

    Interview Questions

    1. What should I know about the history and the current nature of the relationship between the parent organization and the school and/or district?
    2. What are the district’s greatest strengths? What about the district is most cherished and must be preserved and built upon?
    3. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we overcome the obstacles? Where are our opportunities?
    4. Describe what you would consider to be a good relationship between the Association and the school/district. How do you think this could be achieved and/or maintained? What ground rules, etc.?
    5. What is most important to preserve in the schools? What is most important to change in the schools?

    Board of Education Members

    Objectives

    1. Review and agree upon ground rules and procedures for meetings and Board/Superintendent collaboration
    2. Review and confirm my entry plan approach to arriving at a recommendation for initial goals/action plan
    3. Establish potential items and a potential calendar for ongoing Board development

    Entry Activities

    1. Conduct one-two hour interviews with each Board member- Each Board member provided options of in-person, virtual or phone call depending on their preference
    2. Administer Board Member questionnaire- anonymous
    3. Administer Thoughtexchange survey
    4. Schedule and hold Executive Session for Data Review Meeting with Board to feedback, clarify and discuss overall data patterns gathered from the interviews and questionnaire
    5. Schedule and hold an Executive Session for an Action Planning meeting to discuss some possible steps based upon the data

    Interview Questions

    1. Please give me a brief biographical sketch to help me get to know you.
    2. Why did you seek election to the Board? What do you hope to accomplish as a Board member?
    3. Please give me your own assessment of the district’s instructional program. To what extent do others in the community hold these views?
    4. How do you assess the effectiveness of school personnel?
    5. What do you see as the most important needs of the staff?
    6. What are the district’s greatest strengths? What about the district is most cherished and must be preserved and built upon?
    7. What do you see as the two or three most important school system needs to be addressed by the Board? By the staff?
    8. What groups and individuals have major influences on the schools?
    9. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we overcome the obstacles?
    10. What are your expectations of me as superintendent?
    11. What do you see as the role of public schools? How do you see our schools in relation to that role?
    12. What is most important to preserve in the public schools? What is most important to change?
    13. Describe a difficult decision you had to make. What was the issue? How did you reach a decision? What did others think? Would you do anything differently now?

    Central Administration & Professional Service providers (legal, architectural, etc)

    Objectives

    1. To understand the key issues and tasks each central office person will work on this year
    2. To collaboratively develop strategies and timelines for accomplishing tasks in each administrative area
    3. To understand the norms, values and procedures that govern the workings of the central office

    Entry Activities

    1. Conduct interviews with individual central office team members; 1-2 hours each
    2. Conduct briefings with individual central office team members; 1-2 hours each
    3. Attend central office administrative meetings in the spring of 2022 whenever possible/appropriate
    4. Attend site visits for various central office functions whenever possible (e.g. facilities, technology, special programs, etc.)
    5. Offer to schedule and meet with other groups as appropriate to better understand their work and the items of greatest importance. Examples might include Instructional Coordinators, Maintenance, Technology or Special Education personnel. This could be done via site visits or by scheduled focus group discussions.
    6. Administer Thoughtexchange survey
    7. Establish a BCSD calendar, email to begin integrating communication channels
    8. Schedule and hold a Data Review Meeting to feedback, clarify and discuss overall data patterns gathered from the central office interviews
    9. Schedule and hold an Action Planning meeting to discuss some possible steps based upon the data
    10. Engage in planning and helping lead the administrative retreat

    Interview Questions

    1. Please give me a biographical sketch to help me to get to know you.
    2. What would you most like to accomplish in your position?
    3. What do you see as the key issues in program, personnel, and school-community-relationships?
    4. What is the nature of the relationships between the superintendent/central office. Central office/principals and central office/community?
    5. Who are the people and groups active in the schools? How do these people influence the schools?
    6. What are the district’s greatest strengths? What about the district is most cherished and must be preserved and built upon?
    7. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we overcome the obstacles?
    8. What is most important to preserve in our public schools? What is most important to change?
    9. What has been or is most difficult for you in your position?
    10. What changes, if any, in working relationships or job structure do you see as necessary?

    Briefings

    1. Please describe your job in terms of scope and responsibility.
    2. What are your most pressing short-term tasks?
    3. What are your most pressing long-term tasks?
    4. Please describe recurring tasks in your area.
    5. What special projects are you undertaking?
    6. What tasks must be completed prior to the opening of school?

    Community Religious, Civic, Business Leaders

    Objectives

    1. To know and learn more about the governmental/municipal/community leaders and organizations that support the community and the schools within them
    2. Understand and agree on patterns of communication, along with key events to support and attend throughout the year
    3. Know more about the aspirations and future vision of each leader and organization, and to understand opportunities for deepening partnerships

    Entry Activities

    1. Interview governmental/municipal elected officials and leaders
    2. Interview leaders of civic groups, service organizations, business and faith community
    3. Administer ThoughtExchange survey
    4. Make individual contact as able and appropriate to feedback, clarify and discuss overall data patterns (this may be challenging as there could be many individuals and not much opportunity to meet as a whole group).

    Interview Questions

    1. Please give me a brief biographical sketch to help me get to know you.
    2. In what ways do you have contact/interact with the schools?
    3. Under what circumstances do you discuss the schools with other people?
    4. What are the district’s greatest strengths? What about the district is most cherished and must be preserved and built upon?
    5. What is the image you have of the schools? How do you see the schools relative to other school systems?
    6. What are our system goals? Are they on target? What stands in the way of achieving them? How could we overcome the obstacles? Where are our opportunities?
    7. What do you see as the role of public schools? How do you see our schools in relation to that role?
    8. What groups in the community have an influence in the schools?
    9. How well do you think the schools communicate with the community?

    Media

    Objectives

    1. Get to know members of the local media who cover and communicate school events
    2. Understand and establish patterns of communication and mutual expectations

    Entry Activities

    1. Schedule meetings and interview members of the local media

    Interview Questions

    1. Please give me a brief biographical sketch to help me get to know you.
    2. In what ways do you have contact/interact with the schools?
    3. How well do you think the schools communicate with your organization?
    4. Where might the district be able to increase its ability to tell its story to the greater community?

    Municipal & Governmental Officials

    Objectives

    1. Develop relationships with local leaders
    2. Understand the vision, roles, functions and challenges within each municipality.
    3. Understand the patterns and relationships that exist or that might eventually be created between each municipality and the school district

    Entry Activities

    1. Meet with each municipal leader individually in person or virtually according to their preference (approximately 1 hour)
    2. Accept invitations to facility tours that may be offered
    3. Seek out interviews or meetings with any additional community leaders/roles who may be mentioned in initial meetings

    Interview Questions

    1. What should I know about the history and the current nature of the relationship between the municipality and the school and/or district? What partnerships currently exist?
    2. What are the district’s greatest strengths? What about the district is most cherished and must be preserved and built upon?
    3. What are your organization’s goals? What is going well? What challenges exist?
    4. What synergies or opportunities might exist in the future between your organization and the district?
    5. Describe what you would consider to be a good relationship between your municipality and the school district? How do you think this could be best achieved/ex[pedited?

    Goals and Action Plan Report to the Board and Community

    By early December of 2022, I will present to the Board of Education and the Community a report that highlights the themes synthesized through months of gathering cross-constituent views. My hope is that this inquiry-based report focuses on maintaining what the district cherishes most, while at the same time highlighting agreed-upon areas where growth-potential exists.

    Accordingly, the report will identify:

    • Areas of perceived strength that must be preserved
    • Opportunities for growth, including:
      • Potential goal areas
      • Obstacles to goal attainment
      • Actions and a potential timeline of steps required to overcome the obstacles and make progress toward potential goal areas

    These findings will help guide the initial work of the administrative team, but will importantly be cross-referenced with actions already underway through the district Success Plan so that it can inform any future strategic work that may be contemplated by the district.

     

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