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Under Construction: 
How Can We as Leaders Build Better 21st Century Teaching & Learning Structures in a Culture of Change?

Change is hard. Educational change is even harder. We are asking our teachers on the front lines to navigate major shifts such as Common Core, inquiry-based learning and technology integration, create rigorous, tech-infused projects that both engage and instruct and be able to demonstrate student mastery of concepts and skills. We have metrics for measuring traditional methodologies, but how can we measure the unmeasurables? How can you quantify someone's critical thinking? How do you know how much agency a student has? 

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"A tool is only as good as the mindset using it."

-Michael Fullan

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My research centers on how building-level leaders can best support teacher implementation of inquiry-based, tech-infused methodologies while simultaneously making data-driven decisions about how to structure teaching and learning within their schools. 

The keys are...
 
1) a clear understanding of what we're asking teachers to do 

2) clear messaging of expectations and outcomes and 

3) providing teachers with both a toolkit of assessments to evaluate student learning and ample professional development around utilizing those assessment tools. 

This capstone project serves two functions in that it both chronicles my personal journey and attempts to address these keys AND provides other leaders with a blueprint and toolkit for tackling this challenge within their own organization.   

Building Blocks for Success