Organizational Leadership Flashcards
16.) A facilities audit of a middle school indicates widespread problems with the building’s internal systems and structure. The estimated cost of remedying the problems far exceeds the school’s annual allotment for maintenance and operations. Which of the following is the school leader’s most appropriate response to the information in the audit?
A.Discussing the feasibility of a bond election with the superintendent
B.Using the allocated funds to address only problems that affect student safety
C.Soliciting donations for the repairs from local civic organizations and businesses
D.Asking the financial officer to fund the repairs using district discretionary funds
A.Discussing the feasibility of a bond election with the superintendent
The superintendent determines spending priorities and is the appropriate person to approach the board with the possibility of a bond election.
28.) Mr. Washington is the school leader at Spring Garden Elementary School. Two days ago, an intruder armed with a knife entered the school building by one of several entrance doors in the school’s glass atrium. The individual was subdued by the school security guard but not before inflicting minor wounds to the guard and a nearby office worker. Mr. Washington convenes a meeting of the crisis management team to debrief after the incident.
Which of the following should Mr. Washington and the crisis management team prioritize in response to the incident?
A.Identifying a single visitor entrance door equipped with a buzzer system
B.Mounting magnetic lock systems on all exterior building doors
C.Hiring an additional security guard to patrol building entrances
D.Requiring that all visitors be escorted to their destinations by a staff member
A.Identifying a single visitor entrance door equipped with a buzzer system
Installing a front door buzzer system will give staff members more control over who enters the building and will allow staff to monitor visitors as they enter.
29.) Mr. Washington is the school leader at Spring Garden Elementary School. Two days ago, an intruder armed with a knife entered the school building by one of several entrance doors in the school’s glass atrium. The individual was subdued by the school security guard but not before inflicting minor wounds to the guard and a nearby office worker. Mr. Washington convenes a meeting of the crisis management team to debrief after the incident.
Following the incident, Mr. Washington composes a letter to the school community in which he identifies an outside counseling firm that is providing additional crisis counselors to the school. The primary reason the school leader communicates this information is to
A.verify that the counselors supplying services to students have appropriate credentials
B.inform parents of the support services that the school is providing to help students cope with the incident
C.acknowledge any external stakeholders for their contribution of time and expertise
D.protect the district from any liability arising from the incident
B.inform parents of the support services that the school is providing to help students cope with the incident
Identifying and communicating the key emergency support and their roles is an imperative part of responding to this type of incident. Parents must be informed of what has happened and how the school is responding.
30.) Mr. Washington is the school leader at Spring Garden Elementary School. Two days ago, an intruder armed with a knife entered the school building by one of several entrance doors in the school’s glass atrium. The individual was subdued by the school security guard but not before inflicting minor wounds to the guard and a nearby office worker. Mr. Washington convenes a meeting of the crisis management team to debrief after the incident.
Several teachers in the school hold certification in school counseling. Which of the following actions by Mr. Washington makes the best use of the teachers?
A.Training the teachers to act as additional crisis counselors when needed
B.Having the teachers hold a parent training night on posttraumatic stress disorder in children
C.Offering teachers stipends for counseling students before and after school
D.Appointing the teachers to the school’s crisis management team
A.Training the teachers to act as additional crisis counselors when needed
Assigning staff members with relevant training to the crisis response team shows that the school leader has a firm understanding of how to assign personnel to address the needs of students.
34.) Several middle school students have life-threatening breathing problems and require inhalers in emergencies. Which of the following procedures approved by the school leader best ensures the immediate availability of an inhaler when it is needed?
A. The school nurse keeps the inhalers, each labeled with the appropriate student’s name, in a locked cabinet in the nurse’s office.
B. Students are given permission to carry and administer their inhaler when they feel the onset of symptoms.
C. Additional nonnursing staff are trained to administer an inhaler, and the students are given a list of staff that can help in an emergency.
D. Emergency service providers nearby are provided with a list of students’ conditions to help them respond with an inhaler when called.
B. Students are given permission to carry and administer their inhaler when they feel the onset of symptoms.
Allowing students to carry an inhaler will make this treatment readily available if it is needed.
50.) A school that follows an inclusion model experiences an increase in students receiving special education services. To best meet student needs, the school leader should consider hiring which of the following additional personnel?
A.Educational diagnosticians
B.Guidance counselors
C.Instructional paraprofessionals
D.Resource room teachers
C.Instructional paraprofessionals
Since there are more identified students and the district follows an inclusion model, it is reasonable for the school leader to hire personnel to provide support within the general education classroom.
64.) Because of budget constraints, a school leader must eliminate some of the school’s extracurricular programs. When deciding which programs to keep, the school leader should first consider whether the program
A.overlaps in purpose with other programs
B.is popular with students
C.is economical to operate
D.contributes toward achieving the school’s vision
D.contributes toward achieving the school’s vision
All choices are important considerations, but none are relevant if the extracurricular program does not contribute toward fulfilling the school’s vision.
68.) Mr. Jackson is the school leader of Barnes Elementary School. On returning from a meeting in the district superintendent’s office, he is informed by Ms.Miss Alonzo, the assistant principal, that a strong thunderstorm had passed through the area at midday, resulting indirectly in a serious student injury. She recounts that she announced on the PAP A system that all teachers were to keep students indoors until notified that it was safe to resume outdoor activities, but Ms.Miss Aames, a third-grade teacher, took her students out for recess before the all-clear announcement was made. Ms.Miss Alonzo further explains that the custodial staff did not clean up the walkways and outside areas after the storm because they were setting up chairs for an evening music concert.
Mr. Jackson reviews the student injury report completed by Ms.Miss Alonzo.
INJURY REPORT
Name of Student: Clarence B.
Age: 8
Sex: M
Grade: 3
Teacher: Aames
School: Barnes
Date of Injury: 5/1
Time: 1:15
First Responder: Ms. Alonzo, Assistant Principal
Place of Injury: Playground
Nature of Injury: Fracture
Body Part Injured: Leg
Describe what happened: The teacher took the students to the playground for recess. The playground was littered with branches from the recent storm. The student jumped on a large branch, lost his balance, fell, and fractured his leg.
Parents notified: Yes X No ___blank
The student’s parents were notified by phone. His mother arrived on the scene at the same time as the ambulance.
Describe treatment and disposition:
The student was examined by EMT’s and transported by ambulance to the ER at Mountain Medical Center. The child was accompanied by his mother.
Ms.Miss Alonzo
Signature of School Leader
Based on the custodians’ actions following the storm, Mr.Mister Jackson should work with the head custodian on building which of the following skills?
A.Following oral instructions
B.Prioritizing tasks
C.Attending to detail
D.Multitasking
B.Prioritizing tasks
By prioritizing, the custodian could organize tasks so that the most important one is addressed first. Clearing hazards from the playground, as soon as it was safe to do so, would have enabled students to resume outdoor activities safely and may have prevented the injury sustained by the student.
69.) Mr. Jackson is the school leader of Barnes Elementary School. On returning from a meeting in the district superintendent’s office, he is informed by Ms.Miss Alonzo, the assistant principal, that a strong thunderstorm had passed through the area at midday, resulting indirectly in a serious student injury. She recounts that she announced on the PAP A system that all teachers were to keep students indoors until notified that it was safe to resume outdoor activities, but Ms.Miss Aames, a third-grade teacher, took her students out for recess before the all-clear announcement was made. Ms.Miss Alonzo further explains that the custodial staff did not clean up the walkways and outside areas after the storm because they were setting up chairs for an evening music concert.
Mr. Jackson reviews the student injury report completed by Ms.Miss Alonzo.
INJURY REPORT
Name of Student: Clarence B.
Age: 8
Sex: M
Grade: 3
Teacher: Aames
School: Barnes
Date of Injury: 5/1
Time: 1:15
First Responder: Ms. Alonzo, Assistant Principal
Place of Injury: Playground
Nature of Injury: Fracture
Body Part Injured: Leg
Describe what happened: The teacher took the students to the playground for recess. The playground was littered with branches from the recent storm. The student jumped on a large branch, lost his balance, fell, and fractured his leg.
Parents notified: Yes X No ___blank
The student’s parents were notified by phone. His mother arrived on the scene at the same time as the ambulance.
Describe treatment and disposition:
The student was examined by EMT’s and transported by ambulance to the ER at Mountain Medical Center. The child was accompanied by his mother.
Ms.Miss Alonzo
Signature of School Leader
Which of the following is Mr.Mister Jackson’s best action for reinforcing the importance of following established crisis management procedures?
A.Reminding teachers that following procedures during a crisis can mean the difference between life and death
B.Discussing the recent crisis at the next faculty meeting, pointing out the procedures that were not followed
C.Requesting that the superintendent schedule district-wide training on crisis management procedures
D.Soliciting teachers’ input in revising the portion of the campus crisis management plan that addresses shelter-in-place procedures
A.Reminding teachers that following procedures during a crisis can mean the difference between life and death
It reminds teachers that crisis management is not a routine exercise or a means of meeting state or federal requirements but a plan to save lives. Although crises are unlikely to happen in most cases, the consequences of not following crisis procedures are grave.
73.) An elementary school leader meets with the school’s leadership team to develop a plan to address problems that occur at afternoon dismissal. Teachers have difficulty directing student traffic, given the large number of students who are dismissed simultaneously into the hallway. Student traffic is bottlenecked at school exits, creating a safety hazard. Which of the following is the best action for addressing the dismissal problem?
A.Developing procedures for staggering dismissal times for each grade level
B.Using data-mining software to analyze the frequency of incidents during dismissal
C.Asking teachers to line up their students and escort them to the exits
D.Assigning pairs of teachers to stand alongside each exit to control students’ flow through the door
A.Developing procedures for staggering dismissal times for each grade level
Staggering dismissal times is an effective strategy for reducing the number of students in the same place at the same time and helps minimize confusion, anxiety, and safety concerns.
93.) When a school leader is deciding whether to permit a community group to use the school cafeteria, it is most important to ensure that the group
A.is not a religious organization
B.has insurance coverage in case of an accident
C.meets the terms of the district’s facilities-use policy
D.is headquartered within the boundaries of the school district
C.meets the terms of the district’s facilities-use policy
A facilities-use policy establishes eligibility and regulations for public use of school facilities by outside groups for educational, recreational, civic, or social activities. A school leader must ensure that the outside organization meets the eligibility requirements for and follows the regulations of the district facilities-use policy.
95.) A school leader in an urban high school observes that dropout rates have steadily increased over the last three years. Further investigation reveals that many students are dropping out because they are unable to retake the courses they have failed before they reach the high school age cut-off. Which of the following is the leader’s best action for addressing the situation for these students?
A.Creating an after-school tutoring program to assist students with homework and test preparation
B.Assigning students a graduation coach who notifies them when their graduation status is in jeopardy
C.Allowing students to earn credit for courses by passing an advanced placement test in the needed content area
D.Establishing an online credit recovery option that enables failing seniors to retake courses at their own pace
D.Establishing an online credit recovery option that enables failing seniors to retake courses at their own pace
An online credit recovery option provides students with a more efficient and effective method to retake courses they have failed over the course of a year.
101.) After a teacher requests supplies to build a weather station for the science club, a school leader agrees to purchase the supplies for the current school year. Which of the following is the best way for the school leader to proceed?
A.Asking the office manager to provide funds from the petty cash supply
B.Consulting the district-approved list of vendors of educational supplies
C.Instructing the teacher to buy the supplies, then submit a voucher for reimbursement
D.Initiating a competitive bidding process by posting a Request for Proposals
B.Consulting the district-approved list of vendors of educational supplies
State law requires districts to maintain a list of approved vendors.
103.) A high school holds parent conferences at the end of every grading period, sends home monthly newsletters, and maintains a school Web site. A survey indicates that parents do not think they receive pertinent information from the school in a timely manner. Which of the following actions will best improve school-parent communication?
A.Scheduling more parent conferences and sending the monthly newsletter by e-mail
B.Meeting with individual parents to determine their preferred form of contact with the teacher and the school
C.Adding a parent portal feature to the school’s existing student information system
D.Requiring teachers to make a predetermined number of parent contacts each month
C.Adding a parent portal feature to the school’s existing student information system
The parent portal added to the existing methods will provide real-time information and communication opportunities for teachers and parents.
114.) A school leader has been informed that a student has been diagnosed with clinical depression. Which of the following school personnel is most appropriate to consult for designing a plan to meet the needs of the student?
A.School counselor
B.School psychologist
C.School social worker
D.Special education teacher
B.School psychologist
School psychologists apply their expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior to help students succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally within a supportive learning environment.
