I interviewed Carrol A. Thomas of Beaumont ISD. He has been the Superintendent for 15+ years. He invited the Deputy Superintendent of BISD to sit in on the interview. He is a very knowledgeable and caring individual. He was very informative. Despite how he is portrayed by the media, he is an enjoyable and informative individual. Throughout the interview, I placed an asterisk by responses that were intriguing to me.
The first response that grabbed my attention was the attributes of a good Superintendent. He said that he/she should be supportive. The Superintendent should allow and encourage individuals to take risks. Every employee should know the philosophy of the Superintendent. He stated that the best use of power is when you don't have to use it. If you have the power over the people, then they will only do what you make them. You should always use your power to do good by motivating and encouraging people.
Competency 5 examines the importance of the Superintendent planning and implanting strategic planning that enhances the teaching and learning, ensures alignment of the curriculum, curriculum resources and assessment; uses the current accountability system; and promotes the use of varied assessments to measure student performance. Based upon this competency, I asked Dr. Thomas how he accomplishes such a wide range of strategic planning. He responded by saying that student performance is what we are judged by. To ensure that everyone is aware of this, he sends all central office personnel to schools twice a year to observe and assess the teaching and learning process. They must then report to Dr. Thomas what was seen. The main purpose is so that every department knows what is going on in the schools. He also believes that nothing is good unless student performance is up. Every job in every department should focus on student performance. Curriculum should be based on instruction. He recognized early on that our district has different learners. He implemented the Reteaching Policy. It forces the teacher to reteach the unsuccessful learner in a different manner. He feels as though this is the most
important policy the board has ever passed.
Competency 7 discusses the importance of the Superintendent implementing a staff evaluation and development system, and selecting appropriate models for supervision and staff development to improve the performance of all staff members. This prompted me to ask Dr. Thomas how he addresses these issues aimed at improving the performance of all staff members. He responded by saying that the evaluation performance instrument should mirror your job description. Your job description should be clearly defined. Evaluators are taught how to evaluate. The evaluator should always give the person feedback through informal and formal ways. He believes that you should be candid, honest, open, and provide constructive criticism. You should always voice your concerns with those that you have a problem with, and always confront the person you have a problem with.
The next response that was interesting to me was the response to the following: How should Superintendents approach the management of everything from budgets to technology applications? Dr. Thomas believes that instruction is the number one priority. In Beaumont ISD, more money is spent on instruction through grants and Title funds. He also believes that schools should be safe and orderly. To ensure this he implemented the BISD Police Department. You must also be knowledgeable and always trying to improve, ask a lot of questions, stay in the loop, report the facts, and you must be productive at what you are currently doing.
He gave additional experience, learning, and advice that can help me, as a student, to develop an effective internship. I will forever remember the response listed below:
- Be a student of your profession.
- Model superintendents that are known to be successful.
- Be able to analyze and make good decisions.
- Work smart and not hard.
- Common sense is better than research.
- Look, analyze, and adjust
- Leaders are effective in what he can get people to do.
- Create situations where employees can believe and support you.
- Superintendents work harder than anyone else.
- Don't get complacent.
- Be a risk-taker and make sure that you have a chance to succeed.
- Do a great job where you are right now.
5 comments:
I loved reading your interview. I worked for Dr. Thomas in North Forest and have nothing but respect for him. I liked his answerabout being supportive and taking risks. I also agree that everyone should know the Superintendent's vision. When there are no suprprises things seem to go so much smoother.
I agree with Mr. Webster's comments about the superintendent's vision. That was one thing that stood out in my interview. "We must be on the same page" is a phrase that kept coming up. I can't think of anything more detrimental to collective success than a lack of common ground.
I was pleased to see Dr. Thomas' comments on the importance of the job description. We will be talking specifically about the job description during conference # 2 of our Internship Observation Conferences.
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