EDUC 7004: Organizational Development
Question 1
In the U.S., State and Federal governments live in a world of adoption, not implementation (Fullan, 2016, p. 211). Besides, the implementation timeline is always no longer than the next election. In Tennessee State and America at large, elections are conducted every four years. The state government is obliged to work closely with the federal government to steer economic and social development into America at large. In particular, Tennessee works with a bicameral General assembly of parliamentary government, with a Senate and House of Representatives. The actual ways in which Tennessee State government work with the federal government is in serving the public, setting education budgets, recruiting teachers, and court mandates. Tennessee state works together with the federal government to build roads, provide education, fund education, and to offer other basic amenities to Tennessee residents. Besides, the Tennessee government cooperates with the federal government on shared interests, such as election preparations. Federal Government Issue grants-in-aid and block grants to Tennessee state government.
Question 2
In the education sector, nothing is more critical to reform than the selection, training, and development of educators and administrators. According to (Fullan 2016, p. 264), ensuring professional development for teachers and administrators has to be enhanced. To ensure that I am part of the training and development initiative, I will enroll and attend all workshops and training programs to gain the necessary skills, morals, and ethics for the teaching profession. The other area that needs reform is online safety. Since the digital world is gaining more popularity and use by both pupils and educators, schools are under pressure to engage learners digitally (Gibb, 2013). In this change, I endeavor to ensure that pupils are protected from the darker sides of technology, such as radicalization, illegal activity, and cyberbullying. Third, we need an efficient evaluation system. Students underperform due to the pressure of marks. In this change, I will pay more focus on classroom participation by a student as well as extra-curricular activities.
Question 3 (250 words)
In our school and district, we are going digital. Going digital in the sector of education is an expensive project, and thus prudent to request funding or grants from granting entities (Weston, Ferris, & Adam, 2017, p. 271). In respect to this, I will write a grant requesting funding for computers and other internet-related resources to facilitate this project and ensure that each pupil in the school benefits.
Grant funding for digital learning: Following the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, education in all Tennessee state schools has been paralyzed. Local schools are suffering, while those prestigious schools have already shifted to online learning (Fullan, 2016, p. 244). This grant proposal requests for funding to install the required system that will enable our pupils to benefit and continue learning just like the other rich pupils in our state and the country at large. As the person responsible for seeing this project achieved, we are looking for $35,000, which we believe would be a big start to seeing our local schools go digital, and learners benefit through online learning.
Entities able to provide the funds needed
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: A U.S. based private foundation that gives grant funding in areas of education, global health, health, and global development.
- American Honda Foundation: Gives grants ranging from $20,000 to $75,000 and focuses on education. AHF seeks to improve STEM education and literacy
Measurable Goals
- Inspire equitable access to digital learning and education for all learners
- Empower literacy skills, IT skills, and STEM education skills for the pupils
- Leaners will benefit from the funds within the next 14 days, and this will continue to foreseeable future
References
Fullan, M. (2016). The future of educational change: System thinkers in action. Journal of Educational Change, 7(3), 113-266.
Fullan, M. (2017). Educational change depends on what teachers think and do—it’s as simple and as complex as that—Tennessee: The University of Waikato.
Gibb, G. (2013). Reflections on the changing nature of educational development. International Journal for Academic Development, 18(1), 4-14.
Weston, C., Ferris, J., & Adam, F. (2017). Leading Change: An Organizational Development Role for Educational Developers. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 29(2), 271-277.