Strong Leadership Helps Teachers
The administrative team at Vanguard Learning Center sets clear expectations for teachers and works to ensure that all teachers meet those expectations. The team spends a great deal of time in classrooms monitoring teaching and learning. Team members look for evidence that strategies discussed at weekly staff development meetings are being implemented. They also check for evidence that the Vanguard Non-negotiables (PDF) are being followed.
As spelled out in a list of 17 clear expectations for teachers, the non-negotiables are not meant to cover everything, but do make explicit some of the basic things that administrators want to see from Vanguard's teachers. A few examples:
Write clear and concise objectives on the board daily for each subject taught.
Turn in weekly lesson plans in a timely manner.
Display current student work on boards.
For teachers who may have difficulty implementing the non-negotiables, there are safety nets in place at Vanguard. New teacher support meetings take place every week. The school has a formal mentoring system whereby every teacher has a mentor. And an informal "buddy-buddy system" encourages the kinds of exchanges whereby the teacher next door might assist a less experienced teacher in a nearby classroom. In these various ways, the leadership at Vanguard ensures that all of its teachers, whether novice or credentialed, are able to meet the expectations of serving all students well.
This school is featured in the video series, "Closing the Gap: Meeting the Achievement Challenge in California." For more information go to Closing the Gap Video Series
Vanguard Learning Center, Compton Unified School District
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