Breaking Down the Role of the School Superintendent

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a school district is the school superintendent. The superintendent is essentially the face of the district. They are most responsible for the successes of a district and most assuredly responsible when there are failures. The role of a school superintendent is broad. It can be rewarding, but the decisions they make can also be especially difficult and taxing. It takes an exceptional person with a unique skill set to be an effective school superintendent. Much of what a superintendent does involves working directly with others.  School superintendents must be effective leaders who work well with other people and understand the value of building relationships.  A superintendent must be adept at establishing working relationships with many interest groups inside the school and within the community itself to maximize their effectiveness. Building a strong rapport with the constituents in the district makes fulfilling the required roles of a school superintendent a little easier. Board of Education Liaison One of the primary duties of the board of education is to hire a superintendent for the district. Once the superintendent is in place, then the board of education and the superintendent should become partners. While the superintendent is the CEO of the district, the board of education provides oversight for the superintendent. The best school districts have boards of education and superintendents who work well together. The superintendent is responsible for keeping the board informed of events and happenings in the district and also making recommendations about daily operations for the district. The board of education may ask for more information, but in most cases, a good board will accept the superintendent’s recommendations. The board of education is also directly responsible for evaluating the superintendent and thus, can terminate the superintendent should they believe they are not doing their job. The superintendent is also responsible for preparing the agenda for board meetings. The superintendent does sit in on all board meetings to make recommendations but is not allowed to vote on any of the issues. If the board votes to approve a mandate, then it is the duty of the superintendent to carry out that mandate. District Leader Assistant Superintendents – Large districts have the luxury of hiring assistant superintendents who specialize in one or two specific areas such as transportation or curriculum. These assistant superintendents meet regularly with the superintendent and receive their direct instruction from them, but manage the daily operations of their area. Small districts typically do not have assistants, so all the responsibility would fall on the superintendent.Principals/Assistant Principals – The superintendent is responsible for evaluating and making recommendations to hire/maintain/terminate principals/assistant principals. The superintendent has regular meetings with principals about specifics of the daily operations of their buildings. The superintendent must have principals/assistant principals that they trust fully to do their jobs because having an ineffective principal in a school can be disastrous.Teachers/Coaches – The amount of interaction between a superintenden t and the teachers/coaches in the district typically depend upon the superintendent themselves. This is a duty that primarily falls on the principal/assistant principal, but some superintendents, especially in smaller districts, like to have one on one interaction with their teachers/coaches. The superintendent will be the one who makes a recommendation to hire, maintain, or terminate to the board of education, but most superintendents take the direct recommendation from the building principal in this matter.Support Personnel – The superintendent is almost always directly responsible for hiring, maintaining, terminating support personnel. This is a primary role a superintendent. A strong superintendent will surround themselves with good, trustworthy people. While the superintendent is the head of the district, the support personnel are the backbone of the district. The administrative professionals, custodians, maintenance, security, kitchen staff, etc. play such a large role in the daily operations that it is essential to have people in those positions that are there to do their job right and work well with others. This falls on the superintendent of the district. Manages Finance The primary role of any superintendent is to develop and maintain a healthy school budget. If you are not good with money, then you will likely fail as a school superintendent. School finance is not an exact science. It is a complicated formula that changes from year to year especially in the realm of public education. The economy almost always dictates how much money is going to be available for the school district. Some years are better than others, but a superintendent must always figure out how and where to spend their money. The toughest decisions a school superintendent will face are in those years of deficit. Cutting teachers and/or programs is never an easy decision. Superintendents ultimately have to make those tough decisions to keep their doors open. The truth is that it isn’t easy and making cuts of any kind will have an impact on the quality of education the district provides. If cuts must be made, the superintendent must examine all options thoroughly and ultimately make cuts in the areas where they believe the impact will be the least. Manages Daily Operations Building Improvements/Bond Issues – Over the years the buildings in a district go through normal wear and tear. Also during this time, the overall needs of the district will change. The superintendent must evaluate the needs of the district and make recommendations as to whether to try to build new structures through a bond issue and/or make repairs on existing structures. There is a balance between the two. If the superintendent feels like passing a bond is a necessity, they must first convince the board and then convince the community to back it.District Curriculum – The superintendent is responsible for ensuring that the approved curriculum meets district, state, and national standards. This process typically begins at the individual building site, but the superintendent will have the final say as to whether the district should adopt and use the curriculum.District Improvement – One of the main duties of a superintendent is to be a constant evaluator. Superint endents should always be looking for methods, both large and small, to improve their district. A superintendent who does not have a vision for continuous improvement is not doing their job and does not have the best interest of the district in mind.District Policies – The superintendent is responsible for writing new district policies and revising and/or reviewing old ones. This should be a yearly endeavor. New issues constantly arise, and policies should be developed detailing how these issues will be handled.District Reports – States require superintendents to submit various reports concerning teacher and student data throughout the school year. This can be a particularly tedious part of the job, but it is necessary if you want to keep your doors open. Being proactive throughout the year and keeping up with this data as you move along will make completing these reports easier in the long run.Student Transfers – A superintendent makes the decision whether to ac cept or deny a transfer to potentially incoming and outgoing students. In order for a student to receive a transfer, both superintendents must agree to the transfer. If the receiving superintendent agrees to the transfer, but the outgoing superintendent does not, then the transfer is denied.Transportation – Transportation can be an enormous role for a superintendent. The superintendent is responsible for purchasing enough buses, keeping them maintained, hiring bus drivers, and creating routes that maximize efficiency. In addition, they must develop bicycle routes, walking routes, and snow routes. Lobbies for the District Builds Community Relations – A superintendent must build relationships with all members of the community. This includes parents of students, the business community, and those who live in the community without any direct ties to the school such as senior citizen groups. Creating strong ties with these groups will be invaluable when it comes time to try to pass a bond issue.Works with the Media – The superintendent is the face of the district in good times and in times of crisis. Superintendents in large markets will be in the news consistently and must advocate for their district and their students. An outstanding superintendent will seek out opportunities to partner with the media.Builds Relationships with Other Districts – Building relationships with other districts and their superintendents can be valuable. These relationships allow for an exchange of ideas and best practices. They also can be extremely beneficial in difficult times of crisis or tragedy.Builds Relationships with Politicians – A superintendent must lobby on their districts behalf on key political issues that will positively or negatively affect the district. Education has increasingly become more political, and those who neglect this aspect aren’t maximizing their effectiveness.

The Effects Of Media Violence On People - 1388 Words

The Effect of Media Violence on People Media violence impacts the physical aggression of human beings. It is one of the many potential factors that influence the risk for violence and aggression. Research has proven that aggression in children will cause the likelihood of aggression in their adulthood. Theories have evolved that the violence present in the media most likely teaches the viewer to be more violent. It is a risky behavior that is established from the childhood. Furthermore, media violence is a public health risk because it gives off a long term effect of aggressive behavior to a correlation of .20 to .30. Media Violence through television, video games, cyber bullying, and bad advertisements negatively influences adults and children. Compelling pictures that are exposed in to media violence increases risk for aggressive and violent behavior in the observer. There are different processes that occur for either short term effects or long term effects. The two different processes are distinct from the time-displacement effects that the engagement in the media may have on children. These time-displacement effects refer to the media mass and the engagement of the child. The exposure of media can cause short term effects due to 3 main processes. First is priming, it is the process through which spreading activation in the brain s neural network from the locus representing an external observed stimulus excites another brain node representing a cognition, emotion,Show MoreRelatedMedia Violence And Its Effect On Society1184 Words   |  5 Pagesbegun to examine the negative effects of media violence. There is a debate on whether negative effects directly derive from media violence. Because media violence has been proven to have a negative effect on society, this essay will argue that there needs to be more censorship on media violence. I will first examine the influence media violence has on mass shootings. Next I will discuss a study relating to dating violence, certain movies and shows encourage dating violence. In conclusion, I will suggestRead MoreThe Effects Of Media Violence On Children974 Words   |  4 Pages Nowadays, people have more ways t o access many kinds of media, like Internet, video game, television and film. It is generally believed that some of the bad information such as violent content in the media can have a negative effect on people, and it can end up causing some social problem. It is clear that children are more likely to be influenced by media violence than other age groups because of their world outlook and personality are not formed. Furthermore is if media violence does have someRead MoreMedia s Influence On The Youth Of America1454 Words   |  6 PagesMedia in the United States has a prominent role on the youth of America. A majority of children and young adults have access to internet, television, radio, newspapers, and video games practically any time they want. The violence in media, along with the availability of media are increasing, however the most predominant form of media for children is video games. Because of this, many are concerned with the effects on the youth. The violence in video games is a cause for aggressive emotions, thoughtsRead MoreThe Effects of Media Violence on Children Essay1367 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"I saw it on Television.† Television violence had a role in the childs behavior. Media violence can have a lasting impression on children, teenagers and adults not only through television, but also through video games. In the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in violent behavior in the United States (Merino 1). This is the result of exposure to violence. More than half of television programs and video games contain some type of violence. Perez Daly says, â€Å"’... children areRead MoreMedia Violence Essay1420 Words   |  6 PagesViolence in the Media and how it Affects Society The effect of media is profound and far-reaching. All over the world, the media influences our values and intrudes upon our deep-seated ideologies and beliefs. Indeed the media has been a powerful force in influencing people’s perceptions, and more importantly, their behavior as well. Business, politicians, and showbiz personalities pay huge sums of money to media firms in order create an image or change an existing one. Politics in particularRead MoreEssay on Media Violence: Censorship Not Needed1591 Words   |  7 PagesMedia Violence is a Menace, but Censorship Not Needed      Ã‚  According to John Davidsons essay Menace to Society, three-quarters of Americans surveyed [are] convinced that movies, television and music spur young people to violence. While public opinion is strong, the results of research are divided on the effects of media violence on the youth in this country. Davidson wrote that most experts agree that some correlation between media violence and actual violent acts exists, yet the resultsRead MoreThe Portrayal Of Television Violence1040 Words   |  5 PagesProject Outline The Portrayal of Television Violence in the U.S. Programs and Its Impact on Viewers Introduction Over the past one three decades, there have been cases of increased child violence as well as adult conflicts. Many theories have been developed to explain this growing trend in the society. Media violence has been one of the factors considered. There has been continuous research with regards to the relationship that exists between media violence’s and the behavior of the viewers. SomeRead MoreThe Effects Of Violence On Children Today1633 Words   |  7 Pagesof this paper is to critically examine research of how violence in the media affects children today. This paper critiques the research by W. James Potter and his article â€Å"On Media Violence.† Facts and personal opinions on the author’s beliefs regarding the affects of violence in the media will also be included. This article talks about how violence in the media is affecting our children today. We have become phlegmatic by the affect violence has on us, when regularly watching television shows, newsRead More Media Violence and Its Effects Essay709 Words   |  3 PagesThroughout decades, media have became one of the most powerful weapons in the world. As time passed, more and more varieties of media were shown, like television, magazines, and internet. From reporting the news to persuading us to buy certain products, media became the only connection between people and the world. But violence in media is shown everywhere, it is hard to turn on your media source and not find violence displayed on the screen, no matter its television, internet, print media, or even radioRead MoreMedia Violence And The Media Essay864 Words   |  4 PagesExposure to the media violence may be especially problematic in late adolescence. Television and other media play a major role in adolescent socialization a nd identity development by providing perspectives, values, ideologies, and behavior models (Arnett G., Roberts D. et al.). The socializing role of television in particular may be ampliï ¬ ed by the large amount of time young people spend with this medium. Speciï ¬ cally, 18- to 24-year-olds spend more time watching television and movies than younger

Psychology Healing and Spiritual Development

Question: Discuss about thePsychologyfor Healing and Spiritual Development. Answer: Introduction Though mindfulness has been applied for many centuries in healing and spiritual development. It use and study gained more significant recently in attempt to try and treat mental health counseling. Based on Goodman Calderon (2012) article mindfulness practice has had impressive outcomes such as reduced anxiety, depression, stress and increased compassion. Hence, its potential of being combined with other alternative counseling protocols and preventive remedial counseling. It is therefore advisable for counselors to focus on using the mindfulness practice as part of their practice when treating patients suffering from traumatic conditions. Based on the discussion provided in the article perhaps it would be vital to elaborate more on mindfulness and its significance. Goodman Calderon (2012) argue that mindfulness involves attention and awareness of present moment and also nonjudgmental acceptance. Therefore, when counselors apply this practice they should be aware of the present involvement which includes observing sensations, feelings and thought of traumatic patients through creating focus on their current movement. Additionally, when attending the mindfulness sessions it entails acceptance or the willingness to experience arrays of emotions without any judgment (Ivtzan Lomas, 2016). Thus, the recommendation by the article that regular mindfulness practice increases the viability to greater present centered awareness, thus this reduces distressing cognitive and emotional states which relate to trauma related triggers. Mindfulness also bares it significance when used in patients who suffer from trauma. Based on the example case provided in the article awareness and acceptance of trauma feelings serves as an indirect mechanism which deals with cognitive exposure. Thus, this tends to be valuable for patients with traumatic conditions as it decreases their experiential avoidance and escalates their levels of emotion regulation. Additionally, regular mindfulness practice is also purported to decrease the levels of physiological arousal (Murata-Soraci, 2014). The combination of mindfulness with other skills it also perceived to develop regulation in emotions which supports treatment and understanding of traumatic and its neuropsychological outcomes. Hence, to counselor mindfulness tends to customize their practice and address their new knowledge which leads to effectiveness. Therefore, it could be advisable for clinics to apply the mindfulness settings as a practice as it reduces stress and assists in c oping skills which include counseling outreach, prevention initiatives and psych-educational workshops. It is also recommended that there should be customization of mindfulness intervention to each client. For instance, for a trauma patient counseling it assists them in regaining sense of control which is critical, thus any intervention should have such a goal in mind (McCown, 2013). Interventions using mindfulness practice should also be culturally congruent ensuring that it makes sense in regards to client world overview, thus this draws strengths and cultural way in healing. Additionally, counselor educators can use the information gained based on their practice to train other counselor based on the mindfulness verge. Thus, this could have a critical role in the promotion of mindfulness as a treatment practice for patients suffering from traumatic conditions. Lastly, the authors of the article conclude that there is need of carrying out more research on mindfulness as it could play a significant role in trauma counseling. It could also help in understanding how stress levels and other traumatic conditions could be reduced. References Goodman, D., Calderon M. (2012). The use of mindfulness in trauma counseling. Ivtzan, I., Lomas, T. (2016).Mindfulness in positive psychology: The science of meditationand wellbeing. Murata-Soraci, K. (2014).Psychology of mindfulness. McCown, D. (2013).The ethical space of mindfulness in clinical practice: An explanatory essay. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

INTELLIGENCE Essays (606 words) - Intelligence, Psychometrics

INTELLIGENCE INTELLIGENCE Since the end of the nineteenth century psychologists were studding intelligence and they were trying to find the answer what is the intelligence and how it can be measure? Psychologists have made a huge progress in the development of measuring intelligence but a little progress in defining intelligence. I will first outline the main issue involved in defining intelligence. I will then go on to discuss the measurements of intelligence. Psychologists describes intelligence as the ability to learn, others as ability to adopt to the environment, and also some of psychologists considered that intelligence is a tendency to develop skills. Later, psychologists focused their attention to the fact that some people seem to be intelligent in some areas, but less in others areas. Then, they constructed theory, where intelligence is a composite of specific talents, named general abilities. As a significant factor of the personality, it was important to provide a test of intelligence. The first useful test of intelligence developed in 1905 by French psychologists Alfred Binet (1857-1911). This test was used to evaluate child learning abilities for example, to provide the word definition. Binet in cooperation with Theodore Simon, has modified the original test, changing it into a useful children and adolescents test. Is known as the Binet- Simon scale. Moreover, in 1916 the scale was revised by Luis Terman of Stanford University, called the Stanford- Binet intelligence scale. Terman developed the concept for comparing childs mental age with their chronological age by calculating the intelligence quotient( IQ). Secondly, theory of intelligent launched in England by Charles Spearman( 1863- 1945), who said that there is a general intellectual factor g , which is present in all types of intellectual activity. Spearman also identified special factor( s) to a different range of impact. Next representatives of this theory is J.P. Guilford( 1967) , who has defined 120 factors of intellect. Another set of intelligence tests called Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children produced by David Wechsler(1939). The revised forms of these scales are in wide use. Include two sub-scales, verbal which contain a verbal IQ-measure general knowledge, and performance which contain performance IQ. The total IQ is combination of verbal and performance scores. Nowadays there are two main ways of looking at intelligence. Theory of multiple intelligences- Howard Gardner (1983), who suggested that there are many intelligences and proposed seven types of intellectual abilities: linguistic, musical, logical- mathematical, spatial, bodily kinaesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal intelligence. According to Gardner, these types are completely separate. One the one hand, some people are genius in one particular ability, on the other hand they are poor in others. What is more, Gardner ignored the social influences on these separate intelligences, where some of psychologists consider that influence is important. Robert Sternberg (1985) defined intelligence as mental activity directed toward purposive adaptation to, selection and shaping of, real- world environments relevant to ones life. Sternberg developed the triarchic theory of intelligence. He identified three aspects of intelligent behaviour: contextual, experiential and componential. The first- contextual intelligence, it happens in the society and in culture. Second one- experiential intelligence, focuses on the role that experience can influence intelligence. Third, called componential intelligence which contain: ability to learn, identifying problems to find the solution and also mental ability such as making decisions. We can see that, from the beginning of research into the intelligence to the present day there are still controversial aspects about intelligence, there is no single definition of intelligence. Myers,D.G.(2007). Psychology, eight edition Vander Zander, J.W.(1993). Human Development, fifth edition