Doing What’s Important
Outcomes
Department Chairs will be able to:
list and prioritize the duties involved in their job, and
evaluate strategies for fulfilling these job duties.
QuickTime™ and a decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
being Department Chair
Categorizing Duties
Setting the
budget
Tracking the budget
Scheduling
teaching
loadsScheduling students
Ordering textbooks
Ordering
supplies
Assigning year-end awards
Attending Academic Council meetings
Conducting Department meetings
Mediating
internal
relationship
s
Monitoring faculty
Advocating internally
External liaison
Serving as
role model
Being curriculum
leader
Mediating
CounselingCoaching
Observing classroom teaching
Interviewing for new hires
Representing Department for tenure
Managing departmental policies
and procedures
Integrating on-
going
professional
development
Graham and Benoit, 2004
Improvingteaching &
learning
Administrative
rolesLeadership
roles
Interperson
al roles
Resource development
Administrative Roles
Setting the budget
Tracking the budget
Scheduling teaching loads
Scheduling student tracks (honors, AP, remedial)
Ordering textbooks
Ordering or buying supplies
Year-end awards
Academic Council meetings
Leadership RolesConducting regular departmental meetings
Internal intermediary (faculty to principal & back; secretarial issues such as publishing Summer Reading or course descriptions annually)
Faculty monitoring (dress code, web presence, etc)
Internal advocate (defending the role of your Department/ competing for resources)
External liaison (calls from textbook publishers, other high schools, colleges, parents)
Role model
Curriculum leader
Interpersonal Roles
Mediator
Counselor
Coaching
Resource Development
Formal class observations (pre- and post -observation meetings plus write-ups)
Interviews
Tenure board duties
Managing Departmental policies/ handbook
Integrating on-going professional development
Prioritizing Duties
Urgent but not important
Urgent andimportant
Not urgent andnot important
Not urgent butimportant
Covey, 1990
Strategies
Better time management
Macro: keeping track of deadlines
Multiple calendars for multiple deadlines
School
Department
Personal
Micro: managing information and tasks as they come in.
Actionable?2-minute ruleNot responsible? Forward or delegate!If it’s a multi-step process,
Figure out the end productMap out intermediate stepsStart with the “Next Step”
Not actionable?Delete itArchive it
Allen, 2003
Karagos, 2006.
Better data management
Filing systems that work
Using the best tools for the task
Phone vs. email vs. personal meeting
Excel is under-utilized for lack of familiarity
Good for tracking budgets
Good for scheduling teachers
Good for scheduling students
Works CitedGraham, Steven and Benoit, Pam. “Constructing the Role of Department Chair.” Department Chair Services – Online Resource Center. 19 November 2004. American Council on Education. 26 May 2007. http://www.acenet.edu/resources/chairs/docs/Graham_Constructing.pdf
Covey, Stephen R. The seven habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change. New York, NY: Fireside, 1990.
Allen, David. Getting things done: The art of stress-free productivity. New York, NY: Penguin, 2003.
Karagos, Stefanos. “GTD Wallpaper” Anabubula.com. November 29, 2006. http://anabubula.com/node/22
Contact Information
Eric E CastroSaint Ignatius College PreparatorySan Francisco, [email protected]://www.siprep.org/faculty/ecastro
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