PSU Magazine Fall 2003

By Merlin Douglass '95 Problems, politics, and 16-hour days: welcome to the world of the school principal. herri Sims is proof that being a principal is definitely not for the 9-to-5 type. Sims simultaneously worked as a school principal in the eastern Oregon town of Ontario at the same time she was preparing for her education admin– istrator license at PSU in 2000. lt required her to fly to Portland for classes and then back to Ontario for work. 'Tm not a person who is easily discouraged. That's probably why they gave me the job," she says. "Yes, l could probably go somewhere else and make more money, but then l may be leaving the children in my district to someone who doesn't know what they're doing. That might sound egotistical, but that's the only way to reconcile the hard work. l'm glad l'm here to do it. " A selfless work ethic is just one of the qualities needed for this vocation. No longer the somber recluse or disci– plinarian of last resort, today's school principal must be a people person. Principals are called upon to inspire and support, work with troubled fami– lies and kids, interpret huge amounts of data on learning and the best teach– ing practices, and show up at least once a year to get hit in the face with water balloons to raise money for the PTA. All of this takes place in an envi– ronment of precious little money with which to deliver a knowledge base that's spiraling out of control to a student popu lation that grows more diverse with each passing day. lt'.s a credit to human endurance that anyone is willing to take the job. More than half of these special peo– ple drawn to this mission in the Port– land metropolitan area are products of Portland State University's Educational Administrative curriculum. lt includes a one-year initial administrator licen– sure program called Leadership 2000+. 14 PSU MAGAZI NE FALL 2002 The program is unique in the Portland area because it is the only one designed for small groups of students-ls to 25 on average-who study together and support each other during the year. Course material, developed from the competency standards designated by Oregon's Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC), is deliv– ered with a PSU twist. The standards focus on demonstrable skills such as analyzing data, managing resources , and communicating effectively, but PSU's program takes the focus a step further, stressing themes such as social justice, student diversity, school cul– ture , shared leadership, and the teach– ing and learning process. While the Oregon TSPC requires a 360-hour practicum, most PSU graduates will do twice that number of hours. ..raduates take the same dedica- 1:.1 Lion that enables them to get through the program and apply it on the job in schools throughout the state. Sims, for example, is now the direc– tor for school improvement for the entire Ontario School District. She and the districts five elementary principals are reinventing their schools. Their pro– grams are challenged by rural poverty, high numbers of English as a second language students, and a sense of isola– tion that pervades the education com– munity. Sims looks for new ways, such as holding breakfast book discussion groups, to provide teachers with the kind of support she hopes will make a difference in the classroom. "We can talk about the 16-hour clays," says James Hiu, assistant princi– pal at Milwaukie High School outside Portland, "or the lack of respect people in education sometimes believe that people with similar degrees do or don't