The Commission on Lutheran Schools exists to guide and assist WELS congregations in advancing the gospel of Jesus by providing resources, training, and personal assistance for starting and strengthening Lutheran schools. In keeping with its purpose, several events were hosted this past summer to address teacher growth, leadership training, and support for schools.
WELS Ministerial Growth and Evaluation
The Growing Educators in Ministry committee, made up of WELS college, high school, elementary, and early childhood educators, met in the WELS Lutheran Schools offices to continue their work on new formative and summative professional growth models for teachers in our WELS schools. The Lutheran Schools office has been pointing to a 2018 launch of its redesigned team ministry process. Great progress is being made in what is now termed the ‘WELS Ministerial Growth and Evaluation Process.’ A learning-focused teacher growth model, including the WELS teaching standards and ministry development plans, is part of the annual formative cycle of teacher growth. A teacher evaluation cycle, featuring rubrics and a reporting function, is also under development. While the new process and its materials are being piloted, members of the development team are poised to share the components at district and federation teacher conferences. Contact the Lutheran Schools office for further information.
Training Future Leaders
The October edition of Forward in Christ magazine highlights a Lutheran Schools program designed to identify and train future leaders in our schools. This summer, fifteen men and women completed the Leadership Candidate Training program, a one-year cohort designed to provide training for future school principals and early childhood directors. Three of these men have already accepted calls and are now serving as school principals. While identifying candidates and providing training are critical, it’s also vital that our congregations provide our school leaders the appropriate time to successfully navigate through the complexities of responsibility expected of the 21st-century Lutheran school principal or early childhood director. Candidates for the next round of training, beginning in June of 2017, are now being recruited. If you know of a classroom teacher who is willing to serve as a school leader, please share their name(s) with the Lutheran Schools office so they may be considered for training.
Schools Consultants Trained to Provide Support
Is your congregation seeking to expand its school ministry or thinking of starting an early childhood ministry? Is your school struggling and seeking support or input? The Lutheran Schools office provided training in June and September for 50 men and women from across the districts to serve as consultants. The goal is to have resources within each district so that opportunities and challenges can be quickly supported. Contact the Lutheran Schools office or your district coordinator for more information if consulting is desired.
