Responses 2
Melvina discussion:
Change in schools is inevitable and successful change requires good communication. While a change can confer significant benefits and protections, the costs and efforts associated with it could be enormous. Implementation of some regulatory changes would mean a complete overhaul of the institution's operations. A significant flaw that would deter successful implementation of progress and the acceptance of change is defective communication. Some leaders always assume that people will adjust and be ready to get started with the new development once they announce the change. This is a pointless way to introduce change, hence forceful resistance to the change.
To stay ahead, school leaders are seeking better ways to implement significant changes without impeding student success. The key is effective communication and community engagement. Author Eric Sheninger said, "Success of any change, minor or major, begins with effective communication. Your entire staff and community need to know the what, why, where, and when associated with the change. Communication never ceases to be a prevalent component of this process" (Kominiak, 2017). Therefore, management should stop making announcements and introduce strategies. All stakeholders need to know about the change, how it will affect them and how they will adapt to the change. They want to know what's happening in their schools, and they want the chance to weigh in on major decisions.
Effective communication it means bringing every part of your community into the decision-making process, asking for their feedback, and showing them how they contributed to your school's strategy. It is imperative to understand that duties and functions associated with a new regulation are usually absorbed by staff who already perform other tasks. Therefore, school administrators should mind about the entire staff when enacting any change as the change affects the staff.
Reference
Kominiak T. (2017, May 8).Change. Trusted. Retrieved from https://www.k12insight.com/trusted/change-schools-community-engagement/
Thinking about the other discussion post this week, my mind wandered to the many concerns about Title IX, institutional compliance, and the changing guidance coming from the government down to the individual colleges and universities. Jenkins (2019), for example, discusses the challenging state of affairs for female athletes at institutions across the country.
Highlighting the overwhelming amount of work administrators face ensuring Title IX compliance, Jenkins (2019) states, "In theory, the Office for Civil Rights is in charge of ensuring that colleges meet Title IX’s equal-opportunity guidelines for athletics. But with the current focus on battling sexual misconduct on campuses, that office has shown little interest in holding universities accountable for gender inequity in athletics" (para. 14).
If I had a "magic wand" of sorts, I would alleviate the compliance aspect of higher education administration. It is difficult to say how this could be accomplished in any sort of global manner, as the answer may vary from institution to institution, but ultimately it would require additional administrators and funding dedicated solely to thoroughly understanding and ensuring compliance. In this "alternate universe" of sorts, I envision an institution that does not need to concern itself with how it will remain in compliance but instead be able to focus its resources and attention to educating its students.
Reference:
Jenkins, W. (2019, Oct. 23). Hundreds of colleges may be out of compliance with Title IX. Here's why. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www-chronicle-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/article/hundreds-of-colleges-may-be-out-of-compliance-with-title-ix-heres-why/