Upcoming concerns/challenges

As we face another school year, what concerns do you have? Are there any specific challenges you are going to have to face this year or in the coming years?

What are your thoughts on teacher supervision and evaluation?

Do you rely primarily on formal or informal data? For those of you in North Carolina, how do you feel about the new evaluation tool? Any concerns, excitement, etc?

In the News-Accountability and Trust

Robert Whipple believes it is important for managers need to hold employees accountable for meeting commitments. This sounds simple, but in the messy world it can be a conundrum. Th ereason? People have a tendency to justify their actions based on their personal rationalization. To the manager it may seem a lame excuse, but to the employee, there was no way the commitment could have been made. The technology for holding people accountable begins with the notion that it is expected behavior. Still, the manager needs to do this in a way that follows the Golden Rule. There is a fine art to holding people accountable and still maintaining trust with not only the employees in question but also their peers. What techniques do you use to manage accountability without trashing trust? Click the title to read the accompanying article or offer your own thoughts on the topic.

In the News- check it out!

Check out this article. Funds may be cut from three major change initiatives- Race to the Top, Teacher Incentive Fund, and Public Charter Schools. What do you think?