2005 Assistant Principal of the Year Congratulations to our best...

Lori L. Batts Mardela Middle and High School-Wicomico County

Lori L. Batts, Assistant Principal at Mardela Middle and High School, Wicomico County was named the 2005 Maryland Assistant Principal of the Year at the recent Assistant Principals' Conference at the Richlin Ballroom at the Comfort Inn in Edgewood, Maryland. Batts earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications at Towson State University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Masters degree in Public Administration from Salisbury University. She is presently in the dissertation phase of her doctoral studies at the University of Delaware.    She began her teaching career as a science teacher in Dorchester County at Maces Lane Middle School in 1994. She became an assistant principal at Parkside High School in Wicomico County in 1998. She moved to Mardela Middle and High School in 2003.    To improve the teaching and learning environment for special education students Ms. Batts worked with a small group of teachers to study ideas in how to restructure thedepartment, even out caseloads, and provide more service hours in the day. They focused on looping. The teachers would follow their students throughout the four years of high school. Research has shown that looping eliminates many behavior issues, results in a reduced drop out rate, and increases grade point averages. Parent satisfaction increases with this program as well as the reduction of down time at the beginning of the school year in getting to know new students.    A number of teachers were resistant to this change and monthly meetings were instituted to review issues, discuss research, and work out the problems what could be foreseen. The leadership was rotated so that each person was able to develop the agenda and lead the group discussions. The looping program was instituted after three years of collaborative work. And added benefit for the special educator is the increased knowledge of the subject objectives for Maryland student graduation as well as more time spent in the classroom.    A second project deals with increasing minority enrollment in Advanced Placement courses. She has collected the needed data and found that the real issue is one of support and guidance beginning in at least the middle school years. Parents and students seem to lack the communication and knowledge about advanced placement classes and the benefits for the college bound student. Contact her for more information as this projects unfolds.    Ms. Batts sees herself foremost as a teacher. She has had the opportunity to return to the classroom to teach tenth grade civics students about the differences in their first amendment rights and the reality of school law. She has also been a guest teacher in graduate and undergraduate classes on special education law and diversity in the classroom. When asked what she teaches, she replies, "Good decision making." She was surprised to be visited by a graduate with her parents the day after graduation. The young lady had been suspended a number of times during her school career but she told Ms. Batts that she had learned more in her office than in the four years in all of her classes. She is now enrolled in college and working with the homeless in Washington, DC. Success comes in many forms.    A special educator at Parkside said, "Mrs. Batts artfully balances compassion for each student as a valued individual with the logistical concerns of meeting those individual needs in a large high school. Mrs. Batts demonstrates instructional leadership by encouraging those around her to be creative and ambitious in planning for students. She lends her deep understanding of educational theory to encourage her teachers to differentiate instruction to bridge the gap for struggling students to academic success."    She has been a member of NASSP/MASSP since 2000 and a member of the Assistant Principals Committee since that time. She is a member of Phi Delta Kappa, and the American Legion Auxiliary Post 269.