The Refusing of the NSF Grant: Case Analysis Report

Summary of the case

One of the major functions of the school principle is to organize the activities so that it is possible to meet the demands of teachers, students, and their parents. In the case under consideration, the problem is that the duties of the leader are divided between two people, the principle and the superintendent, and the activities of the both are not always coordinated.

After a huge grant from the National Science Foundation was received and it was stated that the fields of math and science only could be improved, the vast majority of parents support the idea offered by NSF. They truly believe that their children have appropriate skills in the above-mentioned spheres and should have more chances to develop their abilities.

Still, the superintendent finds it more important to focus on reading and writing because there are so many students who do not known English properly and cannot grasp the material the way it should be. All this information is published in the article, so that the representatives from the press and parents are aware of the situation and in need of clear explanations and evaluations of the grant and students’ abilities.

Problem identification

The problem of the case is: a considerable amount of people (journalists and parents) are waiting for some clear explanations of why the school cannot accept the multimillion dollar grant from NSF, and why the importance of curriculums which are based on reading and writing is more crucial than the one science and math curriculums.

Specific information and categorization

To succeed in categorizing the case according to people, place, and program, it is important to understand what is expected from each person and identify the reasons of misunderstandings which appear between people.

People: the principle, who is responsible for the development of the process, the superintendent, who makes decisions about how it is possible to use the grant and what skills of students are better to develop, the parents, who take care of their children education and understanding of the matter, and media workers, who provide appropriate spread of information.

Place: Simpson Elementary School where students from 30 different countries are able to get education.

Program: Simpson’s program aims at integrating students with poor English-speaking skills, and NSF grant helps to gain successful results in the sphere of math and science.

Prioritization of information

As it is a well-known fact that teachers may vary in their preparedness, their development needs may vary as well (Ubben et al., 2003). In the case under analysis, it is very important to identify the needs of the teachers who have to introduce new material to students in a considerable amount, the needs of parents who want to choose the best options for their children, and the needs of students because students is a kind of human hope for better future, and the way of how students comprehend new material will influence their future achievements.

Questions and answers

1. To succeed in speaking before the press, it is necessary to evaluate the conditions under which the grant is provided and the reasons used by the superintendent to refuse an idea of the grant.
2. If there are some questions from the school staff, it is necessary to listen to all of them carefully, make notes, and support the idea of inquiry to understand better the appeared school problem.
3. I will not contact the superintendent in order to prove that new decisions will be made independently without regarding the opinion of the superintendent who provoke more than 30 parents to be dissatisfied with the program supported.
4. Yes, it is very important to continue focusing on math and science curriculum in spite of the decision offered by NSF. It is possible to find some financial support from parents who are eager to promote their children and help to develop appropriate skills.
5. It is obligatory to inform students about the impossibility to fund the program in the most moderate manner. Students should understand that there is still some hope to succeed in the chosen sphere, and mutual efforts and ideas should be implemented within the shortest period of time.
6. It is necessary to inform all people involved into the science and math curriculum about the challenges appeared and to think about some other ways to continue educate students. The only right decision that should be made is personal awareness of the conditions under which people have to work.
7. One of the possible ways out is to rely on deposits possible and continue financing the curriculum only under more strict conditions. Parents may be also involved into this activity so that their children may continue education in accordance with their demands and knowledge.
8. One of the most important steps to be taken is the development of good relations with parents. Parents are those who make decisions and may influence the educational process. It is better to admit that new changes should help to improve the situation and to make them believe that there will be some other chances to change the NSF decision and continue math and science curriculum.
9. The development of good relations with the community is one of the primary steps to be taken. New ideas for school development should be offered; attention to improvements of educational conditions should be paid; evaluation of new rules and purposes should be offered; and, finally, the denial of previous conceptions should be underlined.
10. If the principle supported the position of the superintendent, the staff, parents, and community could hardly comprehend the decision. The superintendent supports some radical ideas which refuse the possibility to focus on science and math as well as be able to improve reading and speaking abilities.

Reference List

Ubben, G.C., Hughes, L., Norris, C.J., & Hughes, L.W. (2003). The Principle: Creative Leadership for Effective Schools. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.