School personnel administration: what is administration and who  (Page 2/2)

More about required field studies/activities

• The course requires five (5) independent field studies.
• Essentially, one every other week, with the fifth one given an extended period of time to complete and which will serve as the Final Exam.
• In addition to completing each field study, you will receive a peer review from one of your cohort members.
• Each member of the cohort peer reviews five separate field studies throughout the semester and must submit them on the same deadline that the field study is due.
• BOTH the student turning in the assigned field study and the peer reviewer receives a grade.
• The student's grade for the field study will be a combination of the instructor's review and the peer review.

Here are two formal traditional descriptions of personnel administration: (1) a graduate catalogue description of a course taught at the master's level and (2) a textbook definition of human resources.

Rebore's 8 dimensions

Rebore continues by stating that: "Unfortunately, many school districts still see the human resource function ONLY as the hiring of competent teachers. He further identifies eight dimensions of the human resources function, that are not discrete, isolated entities, but rather, integral aspects of the same function. Rebore uses these dimensions as the framework for his text." (p. 11).

• Establishing a Plan for Human Resources Planning
• Recruitment of Personnel
• Selection of Personnel
• Placement of Personnel
• Setting the Stage for Staff Development
• Performance Evaluation
• Compensation
• Collective Negotiations

Quite honestly and in fact, few principals recruit, select, and place personnel. Yes, fortunately most school districts allow the principal to select candidates for teaching positions, but these candidates usually have already been selected as personnel by the human resources department. Rebore's 7th and 8th Dimensions above Compensation and Collective Negotiations, are responsibilities of a superintendendent.

So, what am i saying?

We will not spend much time in this course focused on topics not realistically practiced by the principal. In my experience as both a principal AND superintendent, I have found other things more important to the understanding and practice of managing and leading personnel at the building level. These topics found below will form the basis for your course in Personnel Administration.

• Personnel Administration is about Relationships
• Promoting Collegiality
• Integrative Thinking
• The Ambiguity of Leadership
• Evaluating Teacher Growth
• Facilitating Creativity and Teamwork
• Making Meetings Meaningful
• Partnering with Parents
• Institutional Effectiveness and Strategy
• Dealing with Resisters and Saboteurs
• Leading from Below the Surface: Effective Induction Programs
• Grievance Policies and Termination Processes
• Legal and Policy Issues