- All the previous year’s student achievement results (i.e., results of stan-
dardized tests) - A copy of the school budget for the current school year
- A list of suggestions for updating the CEP
- Tentative meeting dates for the school year
Everyone was overwhelmed by paper at this first meeting—except Ms.
Valletta. She generated most of the paper and was thoroughly familiar with
everything. This is the great advantage she has as principal. The principal is
the only team member who remains every year. All the others are usually
elected for one- or two-year terms. The longer a principal serves, the more
she is the only team member who knows the history of the leadership team
and is thoroughly familiar with all the relevant documents.
Knowledge is power, but there is an important corollary: Sharing knowl-
edge is the greatest power. So this first meeting, and to a large extent
all meetings, featured Ms. Valletta using her teaching skills to share her
knowledge of all aspects of the school. As team members changed each
year, her instruction was repeated year after year for a new audience.
At this first meeting, she volunteered to serve as chairperson and be
responsible for preparing and sending out meeting summaries, remind-
ing team members of meeting dates, and arranging for refreshments. She
reminded the team that she had secretarial support and could therefore
easily handle these responsibilities. All agreed. Serving as chairperson
helped her to implement a principle described in chapter 10, “Monitor the
Communication.”
Next, Ms. Valletta and her team looked at the school statistics. She ex-
plained what each item meant and what it revealed about the school. She
also provided the statistics on schools in the district similar to her own so
that the team could make comparative judgments. Members of the team
could immediately see where the school was doing well and feel proud of
these achievements. They could also see any challenges. For these, Ms. Val-
letta was proactive, providing explanations and plans for improvement.
All schools, even those with few if any statistical issues, have areas
they want to address in the coming school year. She pointed these out as
the possible focal points for future agenda items. She concluded this part
of the meeting by asking everyone to read all the statistical material before
the next meeting, when members could raise other issues or questions.
Lay the Groundwork 103