FCPCS Representatives Attend and Present at Florida Charter School Governance Conference The 2024 Florida Charter School Governance Conference was held last weekend at South Tech Academy in Boynton Beach. It attracted many representatives of FCPCS member schools, who participated in dozens of professional development seminars. The Governance Conference is organized by the Florida Charter Institute and is geared toward Florida charter school leaders and governing board members. The Conference focused on multiple topics that impact charter school operations and governance. It included high-quality breakout sessions that were accessible in person or virtually. One of the professional development seminars was presented by Sherard Parker, Director of Member Services for FCPCS. He spoke on “Evaluating a Principal or Executive Director.” Parker’s presentation delved into the purpose and scope of evaluations for charter school principals or executive directors. Much of the presentation was based on Parker’s 25 years of professional experience, including his focus on contract compliance and provider network expansion. The comprehensive Principal and Assistant Principal Evaluation System available through FCPCS is designed to assist supervisors and evaluators of school principals or executive directors in assessing the performance and effectiveness of their school leaders. The goal is to provide feedback and guidance to help them increase their capacity and effectiveness in leading their charter schools toward excellence. The focus of the evaluation is to monitor and ensure school administrators are achieving the leadership standards set forth by the Florida Department of Education, in accordance with the State Board of Education Rule 6A-5.080. It's critical the Principal or Executive Director is evaluated at least once a year according to the standards outlined in the Florida Educational Leadership Standards under Rule 6A-5.080. At the time of hire, the Principal or Executive Director should be provided with the tool to be used during their evaluation. Evaluators should have informal and formal discussions with the Principal or Executive Director throughout the year. The FCPCS Principal and Assistant Principal Evaluation System is based on extensive research on multi-dimensional school leadership, and represents skill sets and knowledge bases needed for effective school leadership. In addition to the presentation by Sherard Parker of FCPCS, other workshops ranged from “Effective Governing Board Meetings” to “Setting Up Financial Systems for Success” and many more valuable topics. Representatives of FCPCS member schools took advantage of frequent networking opportunities during the full-day Conference. They met with other leaders of Florida’s charter school movement and spoke with various education professionals. Feedback was excellent from FCPCS members who attended the 2024 Florida Charter School Governance Conference. FCPCS wants to thank its many member school representatives who participated this year. |