Guidelines for developing a quick profile

This module has been peer-reviewed, accepted, and sanctioned by the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) as a scholarly contribution to the knowledge base in education administration. In addition to publication in the Connexions Content Commons, this module is part of a larger published Collection entitled Guidelines for Interns, Mentors, and Home School Principals, 2009-2011, and is also published in the International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation.

Guide for developing“Quick”And extensive profiles of the primary internship site

Purpose

New leaders must“size up”their sites quickly. Your task is to“size up”your site within the first 40 hours of your internship.

DIRECTIONS: Use this guide to develop a“quick profile”of the site in which you are doing your primary internship. The objective is to get to know the site and surrounding area quickly and well. You do not have to respond to all of the items. Use the items as prompts only. Add to this guide as needed. Your profile should be no more than three single-spaced pages. This means that you will interpret and make meaning of data in few sentences. I suggest that you write a summary paragraph for each of the components within sections. For example, write a paragraph that describes the community under Section I. Remember: The objective is to get to know the site and its environment quickly. Your knowledge and understanding of the site will be assessed during conferences with your mentor and university supervisor. You should continue to collect data in each section throughout the internship. Consider correlating your data collection with your courses.

Section i: characteristics of the site

Community

1. Describe the diversity of the community, including social, economic, and political diversity.

2. Describe any partnerships that have been established. Have they been effective?

3. Is there an active volunteer program? If so, describe how it operates and provide any indicators of success that you may be able to identify.

4. Do parents have specific opportunities for participation? Do other community groups have specific opportunities for participation? In what areas? Has the participation been successful? How (What is the evidence of success?)?

5. Is there a community service learning program for students? If so, describe how the program operates, and provide any indicators of success that you might be able to identify.

6. List the community agencies that work cooperatively with the school(s). Describe the nature of each of these relationships.

Students and families

• How large is the student population? Provide specific data in tabular form on ethnic and gender composition, socio-economic mix (free or reduced-price lunches), Title I enrollment, special education enrollments by category, gifted enrollment, and so on. How have these numbers changed over the past three years?
• Provide class size data in tabular form by grade and subject as appropriate. Describe any trends in the past three years.
• On average, what percentage of the students attends school each day? Have these rates changed significantly during the last three years? If so, indicate how they have changed and explain why.
• What has been the graduation rate for the past five years? At other levels, what has been the failure rate by grade?
• What has been the percentage of graduates going on to higher education and technical training for the past three years?
• Provide dropout data, and describe any programs designed to decrease the number of dropouts.
• What is the student transience rate? Has this number significantly increased or decreased over the past three years? What are the reasons cited for the transfer?
• How are students grouped? What is the process for determining groups? How often are placements reviewed?