Laura Young

Background

About Laura Young

I have been very fortunate over the past twenty-five years to work in public education and gain many valuable supervisory and leadership skills. The areas of my expertise are: Leadership – Experienced in leading, mentoring, hiring, coaching, and training individuals. During my nine years as an Elementary Principal I lead a diverse group of thirty-two staff members. I have mentored three different Middle/High School Principals throughout my nine years at Holgate Local Schools. All three of these individuals were new to administration. Hiring individuals is one of the most important jobs of leadership. Obtaining the ‘right fit’ for an organization to run smoothly is key. Training staff members in new initiatives is an increasing part of education. Training staff on progress monitoring and analyzing data was important to improve our state test scores and give staff members the common ‘language’ to speak to each other about students. Coaching is a daily task that is created by an open-door policy. When staff can stop in to share an issue, coaching can be delivered in a non-threatening manner. Data – Experienced in making decisions based on data and gathering and analyzing data. Being able to synthesize state test scores, progress-monitoring, or survey feedback is critical in making decisions. Every year when state test scores are released, my staff and I analyze the data to find the areas which need improvement. Analyzing the trends over time allow for discussions to occur and changes be made as necessary. Utilizing surveys has also been useful for me as an administrator. Finding out what my staff members think about a topic or getting feedback from a professional development activity are ways I have carried out surveys. Communication – Experienced in oral and written communication in many capacities. As an administrator I am expected to write monthly newsletter articles that are shared with the community. Additionally, I am expected to write and discuss a monthly report for the Board of Education. I am adept at creating and presenting informational and motivational communications to a variety of stakeholders. Culture – Experienced in fostering cooperation and collaboration to motivate employees. As an administrator I take full responsibility for the culture in my building. We create goals and action steps yearly to continue moving forward. Finding ways to help a diverse group of people agree on a topic takes creativity and innovation which have both served me well in running a school building.