DR. CAROL A. STACK came to Jefferson as the school's 13th principal in 20 years. The school was reportedly the worst middle school in the district until Carol took over, successfully developing and maintaining positive and cooperative relationships between the school and the community. Her results prompted the school superintendent to say that under previous principals, he never would have sent his children to Jefferson, and now he would be glad to do so.

Carol came to Jefferson with three major goals: to improve academics, better the school climate, and increase parent participation. Most agree she has achieved all three. Under her leadership, the school was selected by the U.S. Department of Education as a "School of Excellence" (1999-2000).

Carol is passionate about sharing her experiences with others, and in addition to her full-time duties at Jefferson, she serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois, and teaches a course called, "The Principalship."

Prior to arriving at Jefferson in 1996, Carol was principal at Danville High School, and Assistant Principal at Champaign Centennial High School, both in Illinois. As a teacher, Carol has taught middle and high school German, and served as a high school athletic director.

She has strong professional interests in the areas of principal leadership and professional development, school improvement and reform initiatives, and secondary education issues.

Carol holds a B.A., two Master's Degrees, and her Ed. D. degree. She is a member of several professional organizations, including NMSA, NASSP, and the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform.

As an outstanding educator, Carol has given national presentations and received numerous awards. She was selected as Illinois Middle School Principal of the Year (2000-2001) and was a finalist as NASSP's National Middle-Level Principal of the Year. Carol also received the State of Illinois' "Woman of Achievement Award" (1999-2000).

Somehow, she finds time to volunteer as well, and is actively involved in community organizations including the local Rotary and Women's Clubs, the Urban League of Champaign County and the University of Illinois Alumni Association.

• Communicate a vision for student success very early on. Continually articulate that vision throughout the year, and have a plan as to how to reach that goal. Staff need to see how high the bar is raised, what the expectations are, and what needs to be done to get there. With all the initiatives a school typically undertakes throughout the year, it's easy to lose track of the goal(s). Utilize faculty meetings, school improvement days, etc. to keep staff focused on how "all the pieces of the puzzle fit together"! I've used a PowerPoint presentation and overhead transparencies at selected times during the year to visually show staff our goals and plans and to keep everyone on track.

• Look at how the school collects data, in which areas, and how that data is used for planning purposes. What guides the initiatives being undertaken at the building level? It's important to ensure that it's not simply a process of doing what's the latest "buzz/fashion," or a "gut feeling" that the school needs improvement in a particular area. As a potential "school to watch," it becomes extremely important to collect data, formally and informally, specific to the areas of academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, and social equity, as well as looking at the organizational structures and supports currently in place. There is no other way to be able to accurately assess the strengths and areas needing improvement relative to these critical elements without having data for analysis and reflection.

• Look at how each initiative undertaken at the building level is tied into the school improvement plan. It's easy to go off track quickly. There are so many good workshops and opportunities for staff to grow professionally that it's easy to "take on one more thing." Before you know it, there's so much going on in the building that things can quickly become disconnected. Again, a visual presentation at selected times during the year to the entire staff keeps everyone "on the same page." We also ensure that staff development has a direct tie-in to the school improvement plan. Our staff indicate on their professional leave requests how the request builds on the school improvement initiatives in the building.

• Continually reaffirm to the staff the great things they are already doing and give them the latitude and flexibility to try something new and different. Staff members need to know that their efforts are appreciated. We encourage staff to be risk-takers, to try new ideas, and expand their knowledge and skills. They'll be much more likely to do so knowing that the administration already recognizes and appreciates their contributions and efforts. We have found that using the word "pilot" to try a new idea seems to reduce the anxiety level and provide a comfort zone for teachers that tells them "experimentation" is OK!

• Open your school/classrooms to external critical friends for feedback/input. We constantly talk about the need for accountability as well as the need for continuous school improvement. A great way to achieve both is having professionals in the field with specific expertise come in to provide feedback through observing teaching practices in the classroom and reviewing our supports for students. When we applied for the School of Excellence Award twice, the School to Watch program, and our state's own recognition program, it was never about "recognition and awards." Rather, each was viewed as simply an extension of our continuous school improvement efforts and our curriculum renewal process.

  Our students and our teachers are extremely comfortable with visitors in their classrooms and throughout the building because of the number of critical friends we welcome into our school. In this day and age, with the public so focused on standardized test scores, it has been refreshing to be able to discuss our accountability for providing a quality education by pointing to the external groups that visit and review our school throughout the year. It doesn't happen overnight, but slowly the staff reaction moves from one of a bit of anxiety and apprehension about having such visitors come into their classrooms to one of being proud to showcase their kids and what they are doing!

During the 1999-2000 academic year, Principal Stack faithfully documented her experiences at Jefferson through MiddleWeb's Middle School Diaries. View index of entries.

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