Research

Leadership Workshop Helps Educators Develop Skills

Pensacola – Seven members of the Educational Leadership Department from the University of West Florida College of Education and Professional Studies conducted a workshop called the Leadership Assessment Center recently for the Santa Rosa County School District.

The workshop was designed to help participants evaluate leadership skills. About 55 people from the district attended the sessions, which were from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on three Saturdays during April.

Those who participated were given activities that required them to utilize leadership skills in simulated situations. UWF faculty members assessed performances in categories, such as planning, using time effectively, making decisions, working with others, communicating clearly and thinking critically.

“The real purpose was to have people participate in the activities, to assess their performance and share the results with each participant individually, as well as to share some collective information that could be used by the district in determining future professional development activities,” said Dr. Jim Dickson, UWF visiting professor of educational leadership who wrote the scripts for the scenarios.

The scenarios the small groups worked on included analyzing data about student achievement, determining staffing needs and participating in a panel discussion with the media about current issues in education on local, state and national levels.

UWF faculty who conducted The Learning Assessment Center are Dr. Jerry Johnson, Dr. Rebecca McBride, Dr. Jim Dickson, Dr. Sherri Zimmerman, Dr. Pete Payton, Dr. Janie Varner and Dr. Nicole Everett.

“Kudos to UWF,” said Conni Carnley, assistant superintendent for human resources for the Santa Rosa School District. “The feedback that I have gotten is overwhelming positive. Participants said this was the most rigorous but most rewarding leadership training they have ever been exposed to.”