School Leadership Teams - 2010P

Philosophy:

It is the intent of the Board that parents have an opportunity for effective representation at the school site with regard to issues that impact the improvement of student learning; therefore, the Board encourages each School Leadership Team (SLT) to discuss the role of parents and the percentage of parent representatives on the team.  It is the expectation that, in time, each SLT will have a balanced representation of stakeholders.

Responsibility:

The School Leadership Team shall have a written charter which includes:

1. purpose and priorities of the SLT
2. the membership of the SLT
3. the membership selection process
4. the term/length of its membership
5. the assigned roles within the SLT
6. the school’s decision-making process
7. operating principles
8. meeting schedule

The SLT shall develop School Learning Plans focusing on:

1. the analysis of performance data
2. the Washington Assessment of Student Learning
3. the assessment of adequate yearly progress, as stipulated in state and federal law.

The goals of the School Learning Plan must be clear, specific, measurable, and focus on student learning.  The School Leadership Team shall be responsible to develop, monitor, and evaluate a Parent Involvement Plan, which is integrated into the School Learning Plan.  SLT members shall encourage collaboration among all stakeholders in developing and monitoring the School Learning Plan.

When requested by the Board, the SLT shall prepare and present areport to the Superintendent and Board of Directors to include:

• the School Leadership Team’s charter;
• a copy of the School Learning Plan and/or Literacy Plan;
• an evaluation of the progress made on the School’s Learning Plan;
• a statement explaining the connection between the SLT’s accomplishments and student learning; and
• a summary of training provided the SLT in support of the team’s effectiveness/impact on student learning

Membership:

The SLT is encouraged to establish a rotation system for members so that no more than one-half of the SLT is composed of new members within any school year.  SLTs shall be composed of a balanced representation of stakeholders of the school and shall reflect the diversity of the school and the community.

Roles:

The SLT shall consider the following:

1. Clearly define the SLT’s role in designing and monitoring the site decision-making process and the School Learning Plan; strengthen communication among stakeholders; increase shared involvement in the work of the school; and shall communicate, when requested, to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) opinion and feedback gathered with regard to current issues coming before the Board or issues of concern within the school community.
   (See Policy 1131 and Procedure 1131P)
2. Oversee the development of the school’s decision-making process.  This process shall describe how issues are identified and addressed from one group to another for input, recommendation, and final decision.  The process shall clearly demonstrate the place of the SLT in the school’s decision-making process.  Once established, the decision-making process shall be published and made available to all constituent groups.

Parameters:

The School Leadership Team is encouraged to:

1. Collaborate to develop vision/belief statements.
2. Develop a statement of purpose, focused on the improvement of student learning.

The School Leadership Team shall give substantial weight to the advice received from all stakeholders, continually collecting and reviewing such input to determine what is best for the continuous improvement of the learning of all students in the school.

District Responsibilities:

District responsibilities include the establishment of student achievement performance goals, the establishment of a District School Leadership Team Advisory Committee, the establishment of a support network for each school to enhance shared leadership through decision-making activities, and to provide training opportunities.  The district is responsible to support the work of the SLT through training and facilitation.

In addition, the district will provide each SLT with a copy of the SLT policy, procedures and an operations manual, and will annually review and update the District’s School Leadership Team Advisory Committee.

Date:     8/26/03