Using Google Drive to Enhance Your School Improvement Plan

School Improvement Plans are designed to improve instruction and learning within a school. Since improving instruction and learning is our ultimate goal, the School Improvement plan should guide much (if not all) of what is done within a school.  Given its importance, it is essential that all stakeholders know exactly what is in their school’s plan. 

Google Drive is a simple solution.  Simply upload your School Improvement Plan to a shared folder within Google Dive and share the link with the staff.  This makes it easy for everyone to access.

While sharing the School Improvement Plan within Google Drive ensures access, we can take the idea much further by using the power of G-Suite to collaborate and share.  I suggest creating a sub-folder for each of the goals, activities, and strategies outlined within the School Improvement Plan and encouraging teachers to upload artifacts, related to each of the goals.  Artifacts could range from photographs to lesson plans, from presentations shared at Open House to welcome videos, from scholarly articles shared at a staff meetings to flyers for upcoming professional developments. One caution for uploading artifacts is to encourage staff to include a description that captures why he/she is sharing this particular piece.  Knowing exactly why an artifact was included is critical in terms of celebrating success and reflection on any possible misconceptions.

I also suggest having a sub-folder for miscellaneous artifacts. This “Unsorted” folder will provide a place for teachers to share artifacts, even when they are unsure of how (or if) it fits with the School Improvement Plan.   Sorting these artifacts as a whole staff (or as a School Improvement Team) will offer the chance for deeper reflection as they decide how the artifacts support the goal or if a new goal/strategy/activity needs to be added. If a specific folder remains empty, this is a good indicator that the staff may need additional professional development relating to this component of the Plan. 

In addition to collecting evidence supporting the implementation of the School Improvement Plan, Google Drive provides the opportunity for teachers to share snapshots of awesomeness that occur within their classrooms. Many times, teachers feel as if no one notices the good that they do.  Since the most awesome moments do not generally occur during a formal observation, it is up to us as teachers to document those amazing moments and share them with others. Many of us are already taking pictures and videos of students actively engaged in learning; thus, uploading them to a shared folder isn’t too much extra work.  

Taking pictures of your colleagues in action will provide additional evidence, while encouraging a fellow teacher. Make sure to edit the details of each image or video so that your colleague (and the whole school) knows exactly what impressed you about that specific moment.

No matter how you look at it, using Google Drive to house your School Improvement Plan just makes sense!

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I was fortunate to be surrounded by incredible educators, early in my teaching career. Educators who cared just as much about teaching me as they did about teaching the students in their classes.   

Early Lessons:

Many of the lessons from my first year of teaching were rather predictable, such as how to respectfully communicate with parents and how to hold a storybook at just the right angle. Some lessons were difficult, like how to admit when you’re wrong and how to apologize to child.  Some were unexpected, like how to determine if a child has lice, or how to react when a family of mice runs across your countertop.  Some were infuriating like how to prepare thirty energetic third graders to take a three hour standardized assessment, the results of which would not be received until the school year ended. Many were difficult – like determining the best ways to prevent bullying or knowing how best to resolve conflicts before they escalated. Some were inspirational, like how to encourage those around you and how to put a positive spin on unpleasant situations.  And some lessons were heartbreaking, such as how to know when a child is hungry and learning when to call protective services. 

The truth is no matter how wonderful the undergraduate training, most of the lessons and experiences that shape a great teacher happen during the first few years on the job. Perhaps it is this necessary learning that binds a new teacher so closely with her first few classes.  After all, there is much to learn, making both the teacher and the children, students.

On my first day of teaching, my mentor teacher pulled me aside and asked me to describe how I was feeling. I told her how excited I was and how grateful I felt for this opportunity to do what I love.  When I finished, she smiled and handed me an empty folder. She explained that teaching was challenging and there would come a day when my zeal would fade. She told me to fill that empty folder with pieces that would remind of the excitement and joy I felt on this first day.  She suggested that I keep adding artifacts to this folder that made me feel valued and happy.

She was right. There came a day when I didn’t feel “lucky” to be a teacher. And there were days when I felt “less than” and it was on those days that this simple file folder – no longer empty- revived me.  Much of what I placed in that folder, at first glance- may appear worthless. Take for example a single, dried dandelion, presented to me for teacher appreciation week; this tiny flower is worth more than any bouquet because of the genuine love with which it was given. Every component of this folder reminds me of my initial excitement, of colleagues who patiently shared their wisdom, and of children who left me better for having had the opportunity to be a part of their educational journey.

Dedicated to Kathy Baldwin, who once gave me an empty folder and to Noelle Douglas who helped me fill it.

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