Another feature I plan on contributing to my blog is my plans for the school I will build one of these days. Here I will try to explain some of the features that will be part of that school.
The first one is getting rid of as much of the bureaucratic central administrative structure. I see too many good teacher become deans, principals, and supervisors. It is my opinion administrators do almost nothing to influence the lives and education of the child. It is the teacher's in the classroom that make the different nine times out of ten. Here is my plan.
There will be managers of different specific areas but the teachers will run the major administrative functions of the school by working in various committees. The managers and the committees will work together saving money and time. The managers would be preferably teachers with experience but some are not required. Here is one example.
There will be an Evaluation Manager. It is their job to observe and evaluate every teacher in the school multiple times a year. These evaluations along with other evaluations from department chairs, colleagues, parents, and students will form a better picture of a teacher's strengths and weaknesses. The Evaluation Manager will then present to a rotating committee of faculty who should and should not be rehired during for the next school year. Also if there is a special circumstance the committee can be called to release a teacher prior to the end of the year. The teacher evaluation committee will not know exactly what teacher it is since the evaluation information will all be anonymous, with each teacher getting an ID to represent them at these meetings.
There will be an Discipline and Attendance Manager that keeps track of said records. If a student is sent to the discipline office. They fill out the paper work, set up appointments for conferences on behavior problems, dishes out disciplinary consequences, if needed, as well as other things that will fall into their domain. If there is a student that needs to be suspended or expelled then the discipline committee will be called to discuss the issues and give the student their due process.
The hiring of teachers will be handled primarily by a committee of teachers, specifically the Department Chairs, to search for and interview possible candidates. Budgetary items will be the concern of a Finances Manager and his staff.
Those teachers who serve as committee members will be compensated in some way out of the school's budget. They would either receive a stipend or an hourly rate for their work. Managers would be a salaried position at the school.
So what does everyone thing of my idea? Will it work? Give me your critiques.
