BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK – A township school administrator is spending part of his summer learning how teachers can work together in order to improve the educational experience.
Irwin Elementary School Principal Greg McGann’s initiative is being funded with a $3,100 fellowship grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the Foundation for Educational Administration. McGann was one of just 21 principals in New Jersey chosen to receive the grant.
McGann, who just finished his third year as Irwin principal and his 13th year overall as a school principal, said he first wrote the grant application with a focus on staff development. And while the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA) liked the application, it asked that the grant be focused more on himself as a principal. McGann changed the application to reflect his own education and goals.
Through the grant, McGann will involve staff in a series of learning activities focused on improving instructional practices and managing faculty resources. To start things off, he recently attended an exhaustive three-day conference in Boston.
“It will take me awhile to sort through all the information I received in Boston,” he said.
What he was given there was information on how best to organize the research and information that is available to help teachers with various issues.
“The whole point is so that teachers work together and pool experience and resources and energy to help their kids do better,” McGann said.
The district had been using some of the ideas prior to the conference, he said, but the additional knowledge will expedite the process of getting teachers to band more closely together.
“This was timely for me because we’re planning for this school year,” he said last week, adding that teachers can help each other along by sharing experiences, knowledge and teaching tips.
“Teachers don’t get together as much as they could,” he said. “The question is, how can we bring them together in a more focused, collaborative way. It’s basically helping teachers work as a team to help kids learn more.”
McGann said the Boston conference was led by the Professional Learning Communities at Work Institute, and he was able to spend three days with the leading educators in this field of study.
In addition, McGann is taking a yearlong online course, and the grant money also paid for resource materials including books and videos.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jo Ann Magistro said she is “pleased and proud” that McGann has taken the initiative. She said the yearlong study will enhance the principal’s knowledge and expertise on how to develop a professional learning community, which she described as “a powerful staff development tool.”
“Dr. McGann’s experience will benefit all our schools. I cannot think of a better way for our staff to model lifelong learning to their students than through the creation of their own learning communities,” Magistro said.
The grant program, currently in its first year, is designed to support nontraditional, imaginative professional development opportunities that enable principals to grow as educational leaders and better impact their schools.