K-3 staffing for 2013-14

 At last week's internal step-up tour for parents of current K, 1, and 3rd grade students, a great deal of interest was expressed in how we're creating staffing assignments for the K-3 classrooms in 2013-14. In response to a suggestion made at the Q+A at that event, I want to share our process for this, which I outlined to faculty in a letter in late October (which you can see by clicking on these images).

Our first goal is to create strong teaching pairs that will ensure the academic, social and emotional success of all children; our second goal is to ensure institutional stability through this change; and our third goal is to make all faculty feel that their input and reflection was heard and considered in this process. Our intention is to begin talking with faculty about tentative placements before we leave for winter break, finalize those in early January, and announce that to our parents at that time.

Over the last two weeks, I have been meeting individually with each K-3 faculty member for an hour+ conversation. I've asked each teacher to bring a completed Faculty Gifts and Challenges reflection tool to the meeting, which we go over in depth (see the images in this post for details on that device). This tool is neither evaluative nor supervisory; it is a structured way to have each teacher reflect on his/her practices, and areas of relative strength and opportunities for growth. I ask questions and probe for more information based on what the teacher says, but I do not offer an alternative/contradictory view of anything said, as my goal is to try to understand how each faculty member views him/herself when looking through this lens.

The second half of the discussion is forward-looking: each teacher discusses the pros and cons s/he sees to teaching in each of the grade configurations next year (K, 1/2, and 3), and ranks the options in preference order. That conversation is then repeated, with the other K-3 staff at the center of the conversation - what are the pros and cons of working with each of the other faculty members, and who are their preferences?

So far I've interviewed six of the eight faculty, and I have enjoyed all of the conversations. It's rare and precious to spend an hour talking deeply with a faculty member in this way - our conversations are usually so targeted to student and parent needs, curriculum and instruction, or administrative tasks, that being able to simply check-in with each teacher in this way has been a very special experience.