Introduction
Education is one of the most important economic aspects that should be taken into account in order to improve the living standards of a particular economy. To achieve this, it is paramount for educational institutions to be very effective. Most educational institutions are aimed at instilling sufficient knowledge to students so that they can succeed in life. To attain this, there are a number of aspects which learning institutions should take into account.
One of these entails setting and following a curriculum. The curriculum enables the learning institutions to evaluate the progress of the students. Additionally, every learning institution should have sufficient resources such as books and other learning materials so as to enhance improve the students’ performance. However, one of the factors limiting my schools ability to attain its objective is related with the fact that it does not have a curriculum.
This makes it difficult to assess the actual progress of the students. Additionally, the school does not have adequate resources such as proper classroom materials, workbooks and materials for other activities to support the students in their learning process. This paper details the action plan that will be undertaken to deal with the identified needs.
Implementation of the action plan
Developing the school curriculum
It is relatively difficult to improve the performance of the students without following a set curriculum. Curriculums are very important in the operation of learning institutions. This arises from the fact that their operation should contribute towards improvement of different stakeholders who include the students, environment and the community. Therefore, schools have a responsibility of improving the students’ value systems, attitudes and their thinking capacity.
Currently, the school does not have a curriculum. This limits its ability in inculcating knowledge to the students. In order to deal with this challenge, a school-based curriculum will be designed. The curriculum will clearly outline the selected content that will be considered in the learning process. It will also outline the expected learning experiences aimed at changing the students’ behavior.
A team composed of six individuals will be developed to develop the curriculum that the school will use. To ensure that the school curriculum is effective, the team will take into account a number of components. Some of these are outlined below.
National goals- In designing the curriculum, the school will liaise with curriculum developers within the Ministry of Education. This will aid in ensuring that national goals of education are taken into consideration. Officials from the Ministry of Education will instruct the team on the national goals that must be incorporated in the curriculum.
The education system of a particular country is influenced by the country’s political environment. As a result, it is paramount to ensure that the national identity of the country is taken into account. Additionally, the Ministry of Education will provide the curriculum development team with a list of options with regard to subjects that the school should incorporate in the curriculum. This will serve in ensuring that the subjects considered are those that contribute to the students’ success in their future careers.
The learner-The team charged with the responsibility of developing the curriculum will also take into account the students’ physical, emotional and mental needs. The justification is that students have diverse learning ability in accordance with their level of study. Complexity of the learning process increases with the student’s level. Therefore, it is important to take into account the learner.
Resource availability and the school environment- In process of selecting what to include in the curriculum, the school will evaluate the resources it has. This will safeguard against incorporating subjects which it might not have the necessary resources.
The school environment also plays an important role in the designing of the school curriculum. Consideration of the school environment will aid in the determination of how the environment can best be exploited in order to enhance the student’s learning process.
Actions taken to ensure that the school has adequate learning resources
To improve the students’ performance, the school administration will ensure that adequate resources are supplied to the students. One of the ways through which this will be attained is by establishing a library. In order to cut the cost of building a library, the school will renovate and modify one of its buildings to meet the standards of a modern library. To achieve this, the school administration will seek the support of various parties.
This decision is justified by the fact that establishing the library will be a huge capital investment. As a result, a substantial amount of finances will be required. To ensure that the school does not experience financial constraints that may limit its daily operational efficiency, the school through the Board of Governors and the Parents Teachers Association will organize a fundraising ceremony.
Some of the parties from whom the school will seek assistance include the parents, the business community, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) and the government. One of the factors that will motivate the business community to participate in the fundraising to establish the library is associated with the fact that businesses have a social responsibility in their operation. For example, by participating in the event, the business community will improve their public image.
In addition to providing the necessary finances to establish the library, these parties will also provide other forms of assistance. For example, some of the participants who will be contacted include companies that specialize in publishing books. These companies will assist by supplying some of the books that are incorporated in the school curriculum. In an effort to ensure that the school library is well equipped, the school will also seek donor funding from various stakeholders to aid in the stocking of the library.
In the process of establishing the library, the school will also outsource the services of architectures who are experienced in designing modern libraries.
The architects will ensure that the interiors of the library are designed to meet the needs of the various users. For example, they will ensure that the library has the capacity to hold learning resources of all disciplines. Additionally, they will also ensure that the library is sensitive to the physically challenged students. Such considerations will ensure that the library meets the intended purpose.
Other participants in the establishment of the library include companies that specialize in Information Communication Technology. These companies will aid in the automation of the libraries operation thus making it possible for the librarians to serve the students more effectively and efficiently.
Additionally, the ICT companies will aid in the implementation of a reliable security system. Despite the fact that establishment of the library will be aimed at ensuring that the students access the necessary resources, the issue of security cannot be overlooked. Jurkowski (2010, p.139) asserts that loss of library resources such as books and other reading materials has been a major concern for many libraries. However, emergence of technology has made it easier for schools to secure their libraries.
The ICT companies will aid in the installation of an electromagnetic system. The system will entail embedding a minute metallic strip on books and other learning materials such as magazines, CDs and DVDs. The electromagnetic system will be connected to an alarm system. This will aid in deterring students from taking the resources out of the library without the necessary authorization. The resultant effect is that the resources of the library will be preserved.
The library will play a vital role in the provision of information that will aid the students’ succeed in an environment characterized by a high rate of social and economic dynamics. Additionally, the teachers will also have an opportunity to access reading materials that they can use to supplement the curriculum.
The school will also seek the support of various organizations that support education. Some of the organizations that the firm will seek include those that deal in the provision of classroom instruction materials for various subjects. Examples of such materials include projection equipments.
These equipments will make it easier for both teachers and students to make projections in class. The ultimate effect is that the performance of the students will be greatly improved. Previous studies conducted reveal that there is an increased use of various curriculum materials by teachers in their work. This has played a critical role in the improvement of student performance.
Assessment/ evaluation system- Every learning institution should be committed at ensuring that it instills sufficient knowledge to students. To attain this, it is critical for a well designed curriculum evaluation system to be incorporated. Glatthorn and Jailall (2008, p. 163) are of the opinion that comprehensive evaluation of the curriculum should be conducted throughout its development. Failure to do this may result lead to lack of seriousness for both the students and the instructors.
In line with this, the school will develop an evaluation system that will be used in the determination of whether the curriculum contributes to improvement of the student’s performance. The evaluation system will be developed by the school head in collaboration with the teachers.
Different forms of evaluation will be conducted. The evaluation system will entail conducting assessments on the various subjects. The evaluation will also assess whether the curriculum enhances the students’ thinking and reasoning capacity, recalling and inference to deal with real-world problems in a realistic manner.
The evaluation system will also be used in the determination of whether the curriculum imparts sufficient practical knowledge on the various subjects taught. With regard to this, some of the aspects that will be taken into account include the students’ collaboration ability, teamwork and their moral character. To attain this, the school will ensure that the students understand the intended learning objectives so that they can concentrate towards achieving them.
One of the assessment tools that will be integrated in the curriculum entails use of standardized tests. From the onset, the school will ensure that the students have a comprehensive understanding of what is expected of them. The teachers will outline the learning intentions, their relevance, rules, standards and penalties associated with assessment (Good & Brophy, 2008).
Despite the fact that standardized tests have certain limitations such as being inaccurate and biased, the tests will be incorporated in evaluating the curriculum for a number of reasons. Firstly, the tests will aid in the assessment of the students’ performance by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the student. For example, it will be possible to identify students experiencing learning disability and retardation (Farrell, 2003, p.54).
Undertaking such tests will aid in the improvement of the school’s learning environment. This means that the school will be transformed into an all inclusive learning environment that accommodates all the students. Through these tests, it will be possible for the school to enroll students in the appropriate instructional programs that will lead to improvement of their performance. Through these tests it will be possible for the teachers to identify areas of improvement.
By evaluating the action plan, it will be possible for the school to ensure that it
Timeline for implementation
It is the school’s objective for the students’ academic performance to be improved within the shortest time possible. As a result, it will be ensured that adequate learning resources are in place within the shortest time possible. A timeline within which the action plan will be implemented has been formulated. The gnatt chart below illustrates the various activities that will be conducted in ensuring that the resources are availed and the duration they are expected to take.
Instructional resources
Instructional resources are some of the most critical considerations that will be taken into account in an effort to improve the student’s performance. Instructional resources enhance the teachers’ effectiveness in their teaching process in addition to improving the students’ understanding of the subjects being taught (Paris, 2008, p. 60).
The school will ensure that it selects instructional resources that are in line with the expected learning outcome. It will also be ensured that the instructional resources motivate the students in addition to presenting them with a unique learning experience in accordance with the lessons goals and objectives.
For the school’s curriculum to deliver optimal results, different types of instructional resources will be taken into account. Some of the resources that will be taken into account include the school personnel, parents and industry participants, institutions of higher learning such as universities, business people, community agencies and advisory groups.
These parties will play a critical role in motivating the students. Instructional resources will also include tangible resources such as teaching equipments, furniture, classroom materials and technology. The school administration will also allocate sufficient resources for staff development.
In an effort to ensure sufficient instructional resources, the school’s administrators will liaise with the publishers. In addition to workbooks and textbooks, publishers also assist schools with other instructional materials such as charts, learning kits, videos, and games. The school will also consider the internet as an instructional resource. Some websites act as instructional resources by supplementing information outlined in the school’s curriculum.
Instructional technology
The school is committed towards improving the performance of all its students. To attain this, effective instructional technology will be integrated. Some of the technologies that will be considered include computers, videos and visual tools such as projectors, audio recording systems and teaching boards. Other forms of technology that will be integrated in the learning process include gaming, social networking and simulation.
A technology such as simulation will contribute towards improvement in the student’s thinking and problem solving. To increase the students’ accessibility to information, the school will ensure that the computers are connected to the internet. Comprehensive training on how to use the technologies implemented will be conducted. This will aid in maximizing their utilizing.
Parent and community involvement strategies
The success of the students is dependent on the involvement of both the parents and the community. Previous studies conducted reveal that involvement of the parents and teachers influence the performance of students in a number of ways. Some of these include reduction in the rate of dropouts and increasing school attendances. To increase their involvement, the school will incorporate a number of strategies.
Some of these strategies include liaising with the community leaders, improving the degree of relationship between the parents and the community and developing trust. Additionally, the school will also identify possible barriers such as communication barriers and culture that may limit the parents and community involvement. The school will ensure that the teachers are conversant of the prevailing cultural differences and how they impact education. This will aid in the formulation of strategies to deal with the challenges experienced.
How to deal with possible challenges that may impede implementation of the action plan
The issues of deviation with regard to implementation of action plan cannot be overlooked. Such deviations may result in failure of the action plan achieving the intended purpose. To prevent this, a number of measures will be incorporated. Firstly, to ensure that an effective curriculum is implemented, the school will conduct a continuous evaluation of the curriculum to determine its effectiveness and relevance.
The school will also conduct continuous monitoring of the curriculum. To identify possible gaps within the curriculum, a comprehensive audit will be conducted by officials from the Ministry of Education. The officers will also aid in evaluating the effectiveness of the curriculum evaluation system.
The school will also incorporate a strict timeframe within which implementation of the action plan should be conducted. This will aid in ensuring that the students start to accrue the benefits of the action plan within the shortest time possible.
Implementing instructional technology within the school may not result in attainment of the desired objective if proper training on how to utilize the technology is not conducted on both the teachers and students. As a result, the school will formulate a training program to aid in maximization of the technology implemented.
The school will also ensure that it motivates the teachers to adhere to the school curriculum in addition to using the various instructional technologies. It will also be ensured that instructional resources are improved. The ultimate effect is that these measures will lead in the school being effective in imparting knowledge that will enable the students to succeed.
Reference List
Edutopia. (2012). How to teach with project based learning: A professional development guide. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/
Farrell, M. (2003). Understanding special educational needs: a guide for student teachers. New York: Routledge.
Glatthorn, A. & Jailall, J. (2008). The principal as curriculum leader: Shaping what is taught and tested. London: Sage.
Good, T., & Brophy, J. (2008). Looking in classrooms. San Francisco: Allyn and Bacon.
Jurkowski, O. (2010). Technology and the school library: A comprehensive guide for media and other educators. Lanham: Scarecrow Press.
Paris, J. (2008). Cliffnotes praxis II: Educational leadership. New York: Wiley.