Standard+6

= Standard Six: External Development Leadership  = //A school executive will design structures and processes that result in community engagement, support, and ownership. Acknowledging that schools no longer reflect but, in fact, build community, the leader proactively creates with staff, opportunities for parents/guardians, community, and business representatives to participate as “stockholders” in the school such that continued investment of resources and good will are not left to chance.//

Related Coursework & Trainings

 * Community Internship at Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce & grant-writing
 * Community Schools Learning Lab conference, Seattle, WA
 * Developmental Projects: Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, and High School
 * Distinguished Leadership in Practice Assignment: "Creating a Strong Internal and External Stakeholder Focus"
 * Facilitative Leadership
 * IEL Federal Policy Institute
 * Internship Project / "Problem of Practice"
 * Internship site assets video
 * Legal Lesson Plan assignment
 * School Law & Finance course
 * School visits: KIPP: Gaston College Prep, Bertie Middle School
 * Social Justice workshop
 * Special Education workshops presented by the NC Department of Public Instruction

6A. Parent and Community Involvement and Outreach
The school executive designs structures and processes which result in parent and community engagement, support, and ownership for the school.

//Walk to School Day://In the planning of our annual Walk to School Day, I had the opportunity to engage Combs students, staff, and families, as well as the Athens Drive High School band, the local police department, a local church, NC State University, the Durham Bulls baseball club, and several local businesses. This event is a celebration of our commitment to health and wellness, and to bringing the community together for a wide variety of programs throughout the year. Principal Muriel Summers notes: //"// //Ms. Swanson took our annual Walk to School Day to a whole new level. Including athletes from NC State was meaningful. Her amazing organization, leadership, and inclusion of students made this a hugely successful event."//

  

//Combs Parent Summit//: In the fall of 2011, we hosted our annual Parent Summit, where parents and guardians are invited to the school to share input and feedback on a variety of topics, ranging from academics, to technology, to health and wellness. The data collected is used in our School Improvement Planning, as well as to improve all of our programming. 

//Magnet Recruitment:// Throughout the year, I have collaborated with our magnet coordinator and all of the administrative team to support all of our Leadership Magnet events, including recruitment. Magnet Coordinator Jodee Gupton says, //"Erin's involvement in magnet recruitment has been invaluable. Her warm demeanor and great communication skills really added so much to our Magnet Open House presentations."//

//NELA Cohort II Visit & Teach For America Panel:// In January 2012, I worked with a group of students to organize a presentation and student-led building tour for Cohort II of the Northeast Leadership Academy. In addition, Principal Muriel Summers, a group of students, and I collaborated to develop a presentation about A.B. Combs for the corps members of Teach For America - Eastern North Carolina. For this presentation, seven fifth-graders traveled to NC Central University on a Saturday to speak to the corps members - a great leadership opportunity for the students, and a great learning opportunity for the teachers!

//Community Internship//: During the summer of 2011, I had the opportunity to serve as an intern at the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce. I worked in collaboration with the Chamber staff, NC REAL, Halifax Community College, and Weldon High School to design a plan for the first Small Business Academy (SBA). Through the SBA, approximately ten high school students in Weldon, North Carolina are working to develop skills in entrepreneurship and ultimately to write business plans, under the mentorship of school staff members and local business leaders.  

6B. Federal, State, and District Mandates
The school executive designs executive protocols and processes in order to comply with federal, state, and district mandates.

Selected Experiences & Artifacts
//Federal, state, and district initiatives:// Throughout this year, I have worked with the administrative team to implement initiatives including district benchmark testing, our district-wide student discipline tracking system, and the NC Teacher Evaluation Instrument.

