Though the building principle is generally responsible for all of the teams and plans in their buildings, leadership on school-based teams is often shared. And so, it is critical for leadership teams to clearly define the roles of all team members. Team members will generally have equal and shared roles. In this tutorial, will examine five common roles of members on school-based leadership teams, and then we'll discuss some considerations about the general composition or makeup of a school-based team. Let's get started.
Let's begin by examining the role of the chairperson or facilitator of the school-based leadership team. The chairperson is responsible for keeping the team organized through tasks such as building the agenda with input from other members, communicating agendas and due dates to members of the team, sending out meeting reminders to the team, and also sharing the agendas, minutes, and progress from team meanings with the principal.
The chairperson also holds the responsibility for keeping the team on track. The chairperson holds other team members accountable for meeting deadlines and ensures that everyone is on task, both during meanings and between meanings. Finally, the chairperson is responsible for leading reviews of team progress and any resulting revisions. This means that a chairperson or facilitator must be a highly organized individual, and must hold the respect of the other members of the team. Some teams will have a designated co-chair or co-facilitator, who has responsibilities related to supporting the chairperson or working in the chair chairpersons absence.
Next, let's examine the role of the recorder, or secretary, of the team. The recorder takes minutes at all team meetings, and then shares those minutes after the meeting with all appropriate people. The recorder also makes sure that the notes are accessible after the meeting by everyone who might have need of them. The recorder needs to be a highly organized person who is skilled in capturing the important details of every meeting.
Next, let's consider the role of the timekeeper. The timekeeper makes sure that team meanings begin and end on time. The timekeeper's job between the start time and the stop time of each meeting, is to monitor the time being taken up by each individual agenda item in order to ensure that all agenda items can be addressed during the meeting.
Many members of the team may not have specific titles but still play critical roles in the implementation of the team's plan. A team member or plan implementer is assigned specific action steps in the team's plan. Team members may be the people who possess the highest level of expertise in the area of implementation, or they may be closest in literal or figurative proximity to the site-based initiative.
For example, in an initiative focused on aligning mathematics curriculum to the Common Core State Standards, it would likely be math teachers, math specialists, and a curriculum director who are carrying out most of the action steps in the plan. These team members are charged with representing the interests of their constituent group, and communicating what happens at team meetings back to the members of that constituent group. So these team members both carry out the specific actions in the plan and serve as a line of communication to their constituent group.
Finally, let's take a look at the role of team communicators. Team communicators are those team members who are responsible for sharing information with stakeholders. This would include both important information about the initiative in general and also information about the progress that is being made towards achieving the goals of the initiative.
Team communicators should be expected to be able to answer questions that come their way. To fulfill these expectations, team communicators need to be articulate and must have a positive rapport with other teachers, administrators, parents, and anyone else impacted by the site-based initiative.
We've learned about five different types of roles that are commonly assigned on school-based leadership teams. It's important to note that any of these roles can be assigned to members of any type of PLC, or other site-based team, regardless of the focus of the team or initiative. Finally, it's also important to consider the makeup of the overall team.
Here are some factors that you may wish to consider as you establish your team. What might be an effective team size to support this initiative? Which constituencies will need to be represented on the team? For example, constituent groups might include teachers, students, parents, grade levels, subject areas, and community members. What knowledge and skills will be required of the members of the team?
What will be the overarching purpose of the team? What types of relationships will be important among the members of the team? What time commitment will be required of team members? And, finally, what credibility must the members of the team have?
With your new understanding of the roles that might be assigned on a school based leadership team, and of the considerations you might keep in mind regarding the overall makeup of the team, now it's your tread to stop and reflect. Have you been assigned any of these roles on a leadership team? Which roles do you think you are best suited for based on your individual strengths and preferences?
As you reflect on how this new information can be applied, you may want to explore the additional resources section that accompanies this video presentation. This is where you'll find links to resources chosen to help you deepen your learning and explore ways to apply your newly acquired skill set. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.
(00:00 - 00:33) Introduction
(00:34 - 01:44) Chairperson/Facilitator
(01:45 - 02:11) Recorder/Secretary
(02:12 - 02:33) Timekeeper
(02:34 - 03:37) Team Members/Plan Implementers
(03:38 - 04:17) Team Communicators
(04:18 - 05:24) Team Composition
(05:25 - 06:09) Stop and Reflect
School Leadership Team Basics
This document from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina details the roles and responsibilities of the members on a school leadership team.
http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/oldeprovidenceES/SLT%20Documents/School%20Leadership%20Team%20Handbook%20Basics.pdf
Chapter 1: Planning and Preparing for Faculty Meetings
This chapter from Leading Effective Meetings, Teams, and Work Groups in Districts and Schools by Matthew Jennings reveals strategies for holding productive faculty meetings. The strategies include norm setting and the use of team structures.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107088/chapters/Planning-and-Preparing-for-Faculty-Meetings.aspx