I often have conversations with educators about how pivotal a role the administration in any building plays in that building’s climate. It is also true that the climate of a building and the working environment of the adults doing the educating greatly impacts the education that children receive. Because that is the real work– the act of interacting with, challenging, guiding, and encouraging students is the only work in the building that really matters– the administration and the structure of that administration is something that I have given a lot of thought to as it pertains to my dream school.
I don’t mean to say this to insult any administrator that I know or have had in the past, but there will be no full-time administrators in my building. I know that this raises more questions than I even have the experience to answer, but I am confident that all of the issues that it causes will be handled by these mechanisms that we will put in place, as well as others which I may not have yet considered:
- A full-time behavior specialist who acts as a dean of students. This individual will handle students who are in crisis, as well as administering consequences that are time-sensitive during classes.
- A full-time bookkeeper who manages the school budget, issues and pays invoices, organizes fundraisers, and handles payroll
- A full-time office manager who organizes the daily schedule, including meetings and substitutes, and handles incoming calls. She also manages student and teacher attendance and lateness.
- A council of teachers that makes decisions regarding hiring, job performance, and school policy. This is a more detailed process than I will outline here, but I promise a full post on this in the near future, because this council of teachers is essential to the building.
- The Student Rights Committee outlined in the post Student Bill of Rights.This committee will be comprised of both teacher and student members and will serve as an honor board in upholding the social contract that is inherent in the bill of rights. Students and teachers can both choose to bring issues before the SRC.
- Content Area Instructional Coaches who support teachers in professional development, introducing new pedagogy, and troubleshooting issues (either self-identified or identified by the council of teachers).
I know that the separation of power in this way will be a struggle at first, but having teachers make decisions for the school as a whole in tandem with other educators is the best way to assure that the most mutually beneficial solutions are sought. I know that there will need to be a headteacher who will act as a tie-breaker in situations where consensus is difficult, but that person will take all viewpoints into account and will be transparent about the decision that is reached.
