School Story
Principal Kassem:
Role Confusion and Disconnection
Emma Kassem is a new, first-time principal at Metro Middle School. Early in the school year, she observes that her special educators are exhibiting low levels of engagement and job satisfaction. To understand the issue better, she conducts a survey and discovers that these teachers feel underused and undervalued on account of systems enacted by the previous principal.
The special educators reveal that the previous principal positioned them to their general education colleagues as glorified aids, having them assist general educators rather than leveraging their expertise in specially designed instruction. They share that they were rarely recognized or respected for their thorough understanding of specific disabilities, or ability to connect with Metro Middle School students and families.
One such special educator, who has expertise in assistive technology, mentions that she once offered to provide professional development for all teachers on the topic of assistive technology, but the principal dismissed her offer in favor of a topic and consultant that he felt benefited more students. These types of experiences left Metro Middle School special educators feeling disheartened, devalued, and dissatisfied with their jobs. Principal Kassem is concerned that if she does not do something to remedy these prior experiences, it will lead to the attrition of her special education staff.
Unlock Strategies
Principal Actions
Determined to enhance the job satisfaction for her special educators, Principal Kassem starts the year by engaging in discussions and reflections with them to understand their strengths, skills, and areas of interest. After establishing a foundation of trust and respect, she remains available and committed to supporting her teachers. Simultaneously, she begins reviewing the IEPs of students with disabilities in her school that staff prioritized to better understand the specialized needs of her school population and how her teachers can help address these needs.
She provides opportunities for her special educators to participate in and lead professional learning to enhance their specialized skills and knowledge and to build the skills of their general education colleagues. She ensures that all teachers engage in these professional learning activities. To reinforce their newly acquired skills, she visits classrooms and provides feedback on their practice regularly. To allow all special educators the time and bandwidth needed to develop these new skills, she minimizes their nonteaching responsibilities by reducing their non-IDEA required administrative responsibilities.
Principal Kassem also practices distributed leadership by involving special educators in school policy development and decision-making processes. She identifies competencies that reflect highly effective teachers and makes it feasible for them to take on additional responsibilities, such as coaching new special educators and supporting the development of schoolwide strategic plans. Principal Kassem also works with district leadership to offer pathways for career advancement, including leadership roles, opportunities to lead professional development sessions, and serving as mentors with increased compensation. She redistributes the current responsibilities of her special educators, ensuring that they can focus on their new duties effectively.
Finally, Principal Kassem aims to formalize these leadership roles by the end of the school year and aims to continue engaging district leadership to identify options for providing additional compensation or incentives for special educators taking on these increased roles. By implementing these solutions, Principal Kassem empowers her special educators, leverages their skills, and respectfully demonstrates their value to the Metro Middle School community, resulting in a more supportive and effective educational environment.
Unlock Strategies
Toolkit
Empower and Utilize Expertise
Explore strategies that research and best practices highlight, along with short, medium, and long-term solutions, as fundamental to recognizing and valuing the specialized knowledge and experience of special educators.