From Theory To Practice

IDEAS

From theory to practice

Careful planning makes the difference in implementing effective districtwide secondary programming

Vol. 39 No. 6

It is midyear. A high school principal calls a teaching staff meeting. The agenda has one thing on it: a new initiative the district has mandated. Knowing few details about the program and with no implementation plan from the district, the principal is brief. In reaction to the news, one hand raises in protest, then another. A dull murmur fills the room. The principal can feel and see the hostility on teachers’ faces. Neither the principal nor the staff should fear change, however. Without a plan or much interest from those responsible for the program, the initiative will likely limp along before fizzling out in the not-too-distant future. A new initiative will replace it, and the cycle of change (or lack thereof) will continue. A

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Authors

Lauren Segedin

Lauren Segedin ([email protected]) is a secondary literacy coach and former coordinator of the Specialist High Skills Major program at the Greater Essex County District School Board in Ontario, Canada.

References

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Leithwood, K., Louis, K.S., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. (2005). How leadership influences student learning. New York, NY: The Wallace Foundation.

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Levin, B. (2012). More high school graduates. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Segedin, L. (2013). Understanding how the implementation of the Specialist High Skills Majors programs in Ontario schools contributes to student outcomes (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). OISE, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Siskin, L. (1997). The challenge of leadership in comprehensive high schools: School vision and departmental divisions. Educational Administration Quarterly, 33(1), 604-623.