The Scenario
The new superintendent of Newark Unified Schools in Newark, California, asked Karen Allard, the assistant superintendent, to plan his first District Administrative Leadership Retreat. It was an opportunity for every school site and district administrator to come together after the summer break and to meet for the first time as a leadership team with the new superintendent. Retreat outcomes included building a strong leadership team and establishing a strong foundation for a successful school year.
Strategies
Allard chose two strategies to use during the meeting. The first strategy was Greeting Circle from the Building Community category to reconnect members of the administrative team and to welcome the new superintendent into the community. The assistant superintendent proposed several topics for the greeting circle: favorite streaming or TV series, summer vacation experiences, or recommended movies. The second strategy used was Force-Field Analysis from the Making Decisions category. The purpose of this strategy was to gather information to share with the new superintendent about administrators’ perceptions of what was advancing and hindering the district’s current initiatives and overall success. In addition, an adaptation of the strategy encouraged administrators to propose ways to address the hindering factors.
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