Decorah Administration Lecture

In one of our many lectures for Ed Psych this semester, we were able to hear the thoughts of two administrators from the Decorah Public Schools. We heard from the Decorah Middle School principal, as well as the Activities Director from Decorah High School. It was definitely interesting to hear their perspectives on a variety of things in education.
One of the most interesting things that struck me from their lecture was the fact that neither of them had planned to be in the administrative position that they currently held. Both had started out as teachers, and somewhat "fell" into the position of principal or Activities Director. Both administrators shared their real love of teaching in the classroom, and also the benefits of being in their current position. They both wished that they could have spent more time in the classroom, or coaching, but could not given the responsibilities of their new position. It was great to hear that they both loved teaching so much.
They also spoke about how the administrative position is much different work than teaching in the classroom. They have different responsibilities, like communicating with the entire student body or all the teachers, as well as more disciplinary responsibilities.
Both the administrators were also very much in favor of "No Child Left Behind", which somewhat differed from other perspectives in the education system. They thought that with research based instruction, teachers and students were better educated, and students could be taught what they really need to know, in a way that is proven to work. My thoughts were that as leaders in their respective schools, they had to lead by example, and embrace the hand of testing that was given to them.
Again, as I look at different people's perspectives, one thing that pops out to me as a future teacher is the vital role of communication.

Here is an article that talks about the administrtion's role in support of NCLB. It proves that the high stakes testing issue has many sides, components, and topics to have discussed: http://p8.hostingprod.com/@www.principalspolicyblog.org/blog/2007/07/despite_negative_feelings_admi.html