Amy Alzina Superintendent | Creating a High Performing School and District

Amy Alzina Superintendent of the Cold Spring School District shared this article.

Amy Alzina serves as the Superintendent and Principal of the Cold Spring Elementary School District in Montecito, California. Dr. Amy Alzina stands out due to her leadership skills in public school education. 

One of her main accomplishments is creating a collaborative student-centered team that works tirelessly to have every child achieve both academically and socially-emotionally. 

Dr. Amy Alzina has dedicated her work to improving student learning outcomes, which embraces a whole-child approach to teaching and learning. 

Dr. Amy Alzina is a graduate of Concordia University, where she earned an Educational Leadership Degree Ed.D. She also has a School Administration M.A. and Teaching M.A. degree from Pacific University. Amy Alzina also graduated from Westmont College with a B. A. (Bachelor of Arts) degree majoring in Liberal Studies and minoring in Kinesiology.

“Every Great Leader was first a Great Teacher.” .” A favorite line Dr. Amy Alzina likes to quote from John Wooden because it resonates with all educators. 

There are four tenants Dr. Alzina believes must be prioritized in order to ensure student success: 

A Relentless Focus on Student Learning

All across the nation, high-performing schools/districts have one common characteristic: prioritizing student learning above any other initiatives. 

Schools should have a clear student-centered vision and mission to ensure every child has every chance to be successful each and every day! External noise and distractions should be filtered to propel student learning. 

The Cold Spring School District often reviews measures put in place weeding out the ones with minimal returns. 

Dr. Amy Alzina adds that “Schools and their leaders should work together to eliminate programs that don’t produce results and instead focus exclusively on improving student learning through research-based programs. Every practice put into action should be evaluated to measure its impact on student learning. 

As witnessed in other high-performing schools/districts across the country, blended learning combined with technology, together with personalized learning, is the best way to improve education. The critical link between teachers and students serves as the strategic alignment of resources and leadership that champions these connections. 

Amy Alzina, Superintendent and Principal of Cold Spring Elementary, adds that student performance data, focusing on high-quality instruction, and responding to students who need assistance are fundamental aspects that lead to high-performing schools/districts. 

Leveraging Time & Resources 

Superintendent Amy Alzina and other educators continued studying other high-performing schools/districts. They discovered that the one thing that remains constant is well-performing institutions properly leverage their time and resources. 

Teachers and students work together to create a tailor-made curriculum that works best for their classes/lessons. During the planning stages, they prioritize their strengths and refine their focus. They consider their priorities and use them to create a working schedule.

To find success in their planning, teachers and students should answer these questions:

• Can they create time for peer-to-peer engagement to practice and assess student learning?
• Can they set up a time for students, who understand the curriculum, to engage their minds further?
• Can they create ample time for reading and mastering critical math standards?
• Can they create extra time to help struggling students? 

Embracing A Balanced Assessment Approach 

The Cold Spring School District ensures teachers adopt formative instructional practices and develop and utilize short-cycle/common assessments.

Maintaining a balanced assessment system remains the most efficient way to guarantee that curriculum and standards translate into student learning. Principals and Superintendents should frequently monitor student learning to assess whether educators are passing the right knowledge to their students. 

Accountability Through Growth Measures 

Having value-added information is a vital aspect for turning the Cold Spring School District into a high-performing school district. Superintendent Amy Alzina advises that having value-added information is a key component in ensuring students achieve great knowledge. 

Besides championing critical thinking, teachers and leaders use the information to uncover any issues, as well as determining tangible solutions. They also use this information to expand their knowledge concerning student learning. 

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