From a reader responding to a comment
Actually I disagree with Parker being thrown in that mix (Raines Rribault and Jackson -cpg). We AREN'T in that situation, and I really believe that is because we have had stable leadership for the last 4 years. Great things are happening at Parker because our Principal respects our staff and is very supportive. Parker was the highest performing Title 1 school in the whole county, and one of the highest in the state as far as gains. We have very little turnover in staff and in general it is a good place to work. Our Dean's office takes care of business. We have an IB program that is blowing all of the other neighborhood schools out of the water. I really believe that Parker is a testament to what can happen when you leave a staff in place and allow them to do what they do best. And when you have an administrative staff that is supportive and encouraging.
Parker is a model that the district should allow other schools to follow. If we actually had parental involvement and even a portion of the money that schools like Fletcher, Mandarin, etc have I can't even imagine what we could accomplish.
I think we can all agree that the game of musical principals does not work for anyone. And being a bully principal who doesn't respect the staff doesn't work either. It all goes back to what this blog is all about: if you support your teachers and give them the tools they need to do their job, everyone wins.
Having said all of that, Parker also just got a new principal.
Actually I disagree with Parker being thrown in that mix (Raines Rribault and Jackson -cpg). We AREN'T in that situation, and I really believe that is because we have had stable leadership for the last 4 years. Great things are happening at Parker because our Principal respects our staff and is very supportive. Parker was the highest performing Title 1 school in the whole county, and one of the highest in the state as far as gains. We have very little turnover in staff and in general it is a good place to work. Our Dean's office takes care of business. We have an IB program that is blowing all of the other neighborhood schools out of the water. I really believe that Parker is a testament to what can happen when you leave a staff in place and allow them to do what they do best. And when you have an administrative staff that is supportive and encouraging.
Parker is a model that the district should allow other schools to follow. If we actually had parental involvement and even a portion of the money that schools like Fletcher, Mandarin, etc have I can't even imagine what we could accomplish.
I think we can all agree that the game of musical principals does not work for anyone. And being a bully principal who doesn't respect the staff doesn't work either. It all goes back to what this blog is all about: if you support your teachers and give them the tools they need to do their job, everyone wins.
Having said all of that, Parker also just got a new principal.
Why are schools like Stanton and Paxon allowed to keep their principals for years and years? Maybe if the rest of us were afforded that opportunity we could begin to see real change.
ReplyDeleteThat Principal at Douglas Anderson, Jackie Cornelius, has been at that school since 1988 and Principal since 1996. Her accomplishments are that of legend. That is what happens when you find a good one and leave them alone. Can you imagine if they moved her to Raines after 2 years to see if she could spin her 'magic' over there"
ReplyDeleteThat's what they did with Vincent Hall at First Coast. He could have been our Jackie Cornelius, but you can see what happened instead.