Author: morgannbarth

A longtime Connecticut educational administrator, Morgan Barth was involved in setting in place the state’s innovative Achievement First (AF) public charter school network. From 2004 to 2008, Morgan Barth engaged as a founding teacher with Elm City College Prep in New Haven, Connecticut, and instructed English language arts at the 5th and 6th grade levels. He supported a full range of school start-up activities, including curriculum design and students and family recruitment.

How U.S. News and World Report Ranks Top High Schools

A former principal of Achievement First Amistad High School in New Haven, Connecticut, Morgan Barth helped the program reach major milestones during his tenure. Morgan Barth was the principal when the school earned a top-20 spot in the U.S. News and World Report 2018 ranking.

The U.S. News and World ranking is based on six indicators:

– college readiness,

– college curriculum breadth,

– math and reading proficiency,

– math and reading performance,

– underserved student performance, and

– graduation rate.

College readiness is based on the number of AP or IB exams students pass. This number is divided by the total number of twelfth graders at the school.

In the college curriculum breadth, students who took and passed all four subject areas received full credit, while those who passed only two exams were given partial credit. The schools with the largest number of students who took and passed the tests scored higher.

Standardized test scores are used to measure a school’s math and reading performance. The school’s total assessment scores are compared within the state. A distribution of scores in the state is used to assess how the school fared against out-of-state schools.

Math and reading performance is assessed by looking at the demographic of the area and comparing math and reading assessments to make predictions. For example, one assessment looks at the number of students on free and subsidized lunches and then compares their performance in math and reading.

The underserved student assessment measures how low-income, black, and Hispanic students performed. This measure is compared to students who do not fall into any of these categories.

Finally, the report takes into account the number of students who graduate. This is believed to be an indicator of how well the school meets the needs of its students.

Transformational Leadership vs. Servant Leadership for Principals

A long-time school principal and former division director of the Turnaround Office of the Connecticut State Department of Education, Morgan Barth serves as a managing principal at ECM Holdings in Tennessee. Morgan Barth has an award-winning track record in leading and transforming educational institutions across a number of states.

Some school principals quickly adopt a servant leadership style in which their end goal is to serve the people they lead, that is to say, the students and teachers of a school. That type of leadership is useful in that it’s conducive to an environment of trust and empowerment. However, it may not be the best way to lead a school.

As important as it is to support the needs and interests of the students, a principal needs to take into account the needs of the school as an institution. A transformational leadership style encourages followers to achieve, but also works to align organizational achievement with individual efforts. Transformational principals are those that have a clear vision for their school and are able to articulate that vision to promote action in their followers.