Case Study: Cullman City Schools

Improved Essays
In today’s educational setting there are various major issues that constantly need to be addressed and dealt with. Often times these issues are so vast and so severe that the idea of even where to begin is almost unfathomable. These issues range from academic concerns, to financial concerns, and continue with personnel and staffing issues. Many school systems face such dire problems, that it is almost impossible to resurrect their institutions to get them on the right path to success. By possessing the ability to recognize the most pertinent issues facing a school system, administrators can develop a plan of action and then implement that plan to hopefully create positive change that can have a lasting positive impact on the school. An …show more content…
The issues that appear to be consistently of concern when interviewing various stakeholders included the current and long-term budget, inconsistent leadership, and a lack of a long-term plan to address the much needed renovations of the facilities within Cullman City Schools. Upon further research and investigation, it is determined that with the complete renovation of Cullman High School, added to the various previous building projects, Cullman City Schools is facing an exponential budget strain. Also, the quick turnover in leadership, such as having three superintendents within the last four years shows the lack of consistent leadership for Cullman City Schools. Another, major issues of concern for most individuals is the lack of a unified vision that focus on upgrading or constructing new facilities on the middle school and elementary campuses. The aforementioned issues seem to be of great concern for a great number of individuals who are involved with Cullman City Schools. Most individuals feel that the system lacks a clear plan of action to make sure that these issues are resolved in an effective manner. Cullman City Schools lies within a community of residents whom have always maintained high expectations for the local school system and are very much involved in the decision making process that affects the children of the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Lower Merion School District provided laptop computers to high school students as part of a one to one program. The program allowed the students to bring home a laptop computer provided by the school district. Unbeknownst to the students or their parents the laptop computers were all programed with spyware that gave the school district access to the computers’ webcam. The goal of the one to one program was to increase the connectivity between home and school for students. The access to computers enabled the students to access online programs and activities that relate to the information that the students learned in the classroom during the day.…

    • 1663 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The distinctive knowledge gained through the shadowing experience and interview with my school 's principal is invaluable and I am grateful for the principal 's graciousness in allowing me the opportunity to explore the complexities of school leadership. I was able to observe the principal 's style of leadership, planning with the school 's leadership team, and collaborative processes. I was also able to indirectly observe, conflict management, application of state and district mandates, and parent and community involvement outreach.…

    • 1180 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Todd Whitaker provides techniques for principals to evaluate their personal leadership style against highly effective principals in his book, What Great Principals Do Differently. Dr. Todd Whitaker states that this book is about what great principals do that sets them apart. Clarifying what the best leaders do, and then practicing it ourselves, can move us into their ranks (Whitaker, 2009). The goal of a great leader is to help teachers understand and improve their practices and to gauge the effectiveness of their instruction. Educational leadership is constructed with knowledge acquired from many sources, and self-evaluation and experience help solidify leadership.…

    • 1059 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    ELAD542 M2 DISC Applying the ISLLC Standards and the 11 Top Ten Most Wanted Strategies for school culture by Sorenson & Goldsmith, to transform the Earl Roloff Elementary School, in Combes Public School System, into a model school using a $150,000 grant will be a worthwhile challenge! When the new superintendent demonstrated a collaborative leadership style by forming a Principal interview team that included both veteran and new teachers to choose the new principal, it well-received; therefore, as the new principal, following through with a similar collaborative style would likely be successful. In my perspective, the principal needs to develop a strategic plan that creates a shared vision and goals with a variety of stakeholders, provides professional development for the staff to achieve those goals, and reaches into the community to develop partnerships and positive relationships.…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If these solutions are well organized and implemented, we have the ground to believe that CPS will be survived. Parents and students will be able to look for schools that maintain high quality through these difficult…

    • 1425 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hillsborough Essay Please explain why you want to teach and/or work in Hillsborough County Public Schools. Limit response to 200-400 words. I am looking forward to relocating to Hillsborough County for many reasons. My move to Tampa is driven by many factors. I have discovered that living near to family has become very important to me.…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The article is a useful as it relates to planning for change, because the demands place on school administrators today requires some input and involvement from all school employees. The article suggests several approaches to get teachers and staff on board with improving the school and acceptance of change by allowing teachers and staff to become more involved in responding to the challenges many schools…

    • 1173 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Greenville R-2 Case Study

    • 1322 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Kinder has had a tremendous impact on how the Greenville School District operates, before he was hired as a district administrator the schools culture was organized in a traditional top-down autocratic leadership style. The previous administrator made all the decisions with little to no input from the professional staff, parents or community stakeholders. The culture was one of employee disconnect with low rates of job satisfaction, high rates of professional absence and large numbers of employment turn-over each year. Under Mr. Kinder’s tenure the district has initiated professional learning community policies and he has worked hard to establish the collaborative culture now in found within the district. Teachers are not simply told what will be done, but rather they are the ones making the plans and implementing changes from within.…

    • 1322 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the case study of Rancho Solano, it is found to be full of circumstances where human resources lost control of the situation. When Rancho Solano a private school in the Arizona area, lost focus, deceived parents and later closed multiple locations mid school year, they constructed a detrimental future for the school. Lack of financial and demographic planning in part of school board authority, left employees, teachers, parents and students scrambling to find adequate alternatives for employment and education. If school officials loose perspective on the importance of the students, our rising generation we all suffer. As the Rancho Solano case study is dissected, many opportunities for improvement present themselves.…

    • 1225 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Answers and Solutions of Public Schools The question of why the American public schools are failing and what are some solutions to help fix that problem, is asked everyday not only by the school board or the students but as well as the parents. This research paper is a way of finding out why American public schools are failing and how can it be fixed. A lot of unanswered questions surrounding public schools as far as why public schools are failing is, why valuable funds are being wasted, who is accountable for the teaching of the students, the teachers or the student?, and is school as safe as it’s supposed to be? All of these questions make you wonder how it can be fixed and does it really affect how public schools are failing. Although finding out why the American public schools are failing and what can be stopped, the real solution is to help find a ways to improve American public schools from failing to rising above for success.…

    • 1031 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Change in our communities, businesses and education is inevitable. Education of our youth has predominantly been provided by our government along with non-profit and profit private schools, which co-exist within our educational system. Since 1954, the Bayer and Freesmeyer’s families have owned and operated a group of non-profit schools, known as the Rancho Solano Private Schools (RSPS). In 2007, RSPS was sold to the Meritas International Family of Schools, a for profit Illinois-based organization, (Oke, 2011). The mission of the organization was to broaden the curriculum at Rancho Solano along with the original nine schools, operated by the Meritas organization by incorporating an international focus in the curriculum.…

    • 1820 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Whom It May Concern: It is with mixed emotions that I write this letter of recommendation for Mark Porter for the position of Superintendent of the Orange County Public Schools. Mark is an exceptionally gifted individual and deserves an opportunity to pursue his career goal of leading a truly major public school system. At the same time, his advancement will leave a huge leadership vacuum on the South Washington County Public School's management team. I am a 12-year veteran Board Member of that District. It is no exaggerating to say it will be nearly impossible to find an individual as talented.…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Thank you for affording me the opportunity to review your budget proposal for the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The purpose of this memorandum is to provide information regarding the implementation of a new district-wide budgeting system. As requested, I have assessed the current CPS centralized budgeting system and evaluated the desirability of implementing an equity-driven, student-based planning and budgeting policy, better known as the Weighted Student Formula (WSF). Based on the information provided, I researched the issue and developed some suggestions. Policy Options Funding basic education is an investment toward educational attainment.…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    M8 Discussion In Case Study 1, “Who Needs Lesson Plans” the Buchanan Elementary School, in which almost 90% are students of color, 82% are economically disadvantaged, and the school has the largest percentage of non-proficient students in the district regarding state mandated achievement testing originating from the NCLB Act. The majority of the teaching staff, 11 out of 17, has only taught at Buchanan Elementary, with an average age of 53. Moreover, the energetic superintendent has only been with the district for 5 years, and the current principal of the Buchanan Elementary School replaced their beloved principal, who was coerced into retirement due to his inability to meet performance goals set by Superintendent Mark Simon. As a result, the…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Over the course of my seven years teaching high school social studies, I have had the opportunity to learn about the evolving roles and responsibilities of a school administrator from three amazing principals. Henry Kluttz, Kelly Withers, and Angelo DelliSanti have been excellent models for anyone aspiring to be an administrator. Having recently started my own journey towards this leadership role, my knowledge of what makes a great principal has grown exponentially. Having the opportunity to interview a pair of veteran elementary school principals through this assignment has been an eye-opening experience. Having spent the entirety of my teaching career at the high school level has left me with a limited understanding of how an elementary school functions.…

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics