Handle rumors of pending fights

This assignment requires the submission of TWO documents. You will need to submit your paper which describes in detail your professional development session and you will need to submit the agenda for this PD. Your paper should be submitted in APA format including a cover sheet and reference sheet. Submit your agenda in the same format that you would submit to your Principal and to your colleagues.  Creativity in AGENDA is open to your preference.  Hint: What would a PD Agenda look like that would be enticing to you as a teacher.  

Scenario Below:

Congratulations!!!You have just been appointed as the new Assistant Principal (AP) of Diversity Middle School.  The student population resembles the United Nations–over ten languages are spoken by the students. Unfortunately, like many schools in Texas, the teacher population does not mirror the student population.  

  • Your teaching staff is not very diverse–90% are White of which 70% were born, raised and educated in Texas, the other 30% were born and educated in various regions of the US.  
  • Your student population consists of African Americans (30%), Mexican Americans (25%), Asians (5%), Indian/American Eskimo (15%), Latino (20%), Haitian (3%) and White (2%).  
  • There is a growing LGBT student population
  • 75% of the student population is economically disadvantaged; 80% are at risk; 35% are ELL and there is a 30% student mobility rate.
  • 65% of your teachers have less than 3 years of teaching experience.

Challenges at your new school

  • At the end of the prior school year, several teachers were seriously injured when attempting to break up fights between groups of students. Student tensions increased in the prior school year in May between student ethnic groups. Teachers were aware of the rumors that several groups of students were planning to fight and further rumors surfaced that students would be brining weapons to school.  Students arranged the fight on social media and further the fight was recorded and uploaded to several social media        sites by the students. The school board, superintendent and parents do not want a repeat of the prior year. Teachers are concerned about how to

o   Handle rumors of pending fights

o   Procedures for dealing with fights among student groups

o   Procedures for dealing with students who may bring weapons to

school

o   Strategies for dealing with conflicts due to student cultural

differences.

  • Due to a recent catastrophic natural disaster in Haiti, there has been an influx of Haitian students in your school.  They are having a hard time adjusting and are being bullied.
  • This is the first year that your school will have inclusion students (special education students) assigned to classes with regular education students.  Teachers and students are having a hard time adjusting.
  • After reviewing data on teacher perceptions in your school, the great majority of the teachers, over 90% believe students who are poor and minority face numerous challenges and they are not able to perform academically. Further teachers are opposed to mainstreaming via inclusion of special education students in their classes.
  • Teachers do not believe parents are concerned about their children’s education because they do not attend PTA events that are scheduled during the school day.
  • Parents have complained that many of the teachers are disrespectful to them when they conference with them about their children’s progress.  The parents believe that extreme bias exists in the school.  They firmly believe that the teachers do not understand their children or their culture.
  • LGBT students are being bullied and their absenteeism rate is very high.
  • Parents of Gifted and Talented students have indicated that they are not satisfied with the lack of academic rigor provided to their children.  They have requested that their children be educated in separate classes from the rest of the student population.
  • Teachers are struggling in making connections to students’ culture and to student parents.
  • Teachers are struggling with teaching students in their classes who are performing at different academic levels.

Your principal has charged YOU with the responsibility of planning the first Professional Development (PD) Session for teachers returning to school for the new school year. Your purpose will be to ensure that your staff are armed with the strategies needed to provide a culturally responsive school.  In completing this assignment, your paper must address the following in detail in a paper format (APA)

  • Location of PD.  Reason for the location
  • Day of the week will the PD be held. Reason for this choice
  • The length of each session
  • PD Activities
  • PD Resources (books, videos, articles)
  • Opening and Closing Activities of the PD
  • What are the topics, goals and objectives for each session? Why are you addressing these issues? Link to research
  • Who will be facilitating the session? Why have you chosen this person or organization?

It will be important that for each topic that you provide the issue that the PD Activity will address.  LINK this issue to research (you must use/provide citations).

PD Agenda

You will need to create an agenda summarizing the above information that you will present to your Principal, post on your school website and provide to your teachers.

You have received a $250,000 Professional Development Grant from an outside agency. Therefore, costs for this ONE day session is not an issue.  All of the money must be spent on this ONE day event. The answers from this assessment cannot be found directly in your text.  You will need to synthesize what you have learned in this class about diversity and administration. Keep in mind, that although you are creating this from an AP point of view, you should not forget your own experiences as a teacher who has experienced effective and ineffective PD. Remember to include how you would open the PD Session and how you would Close the PD Session.  

 

I look forward to reading your assignment. Think outside of the box!  Be creative!  Have fun!

 

Total 100 Points

20 Points for Creativity of Presentation of PD Agenda

40 Points for Content (Diversity of Topics)

30 Points for Quality (Authenticity (real world application) of the delivery of the content)