School Administrative
Professional Certification Program
Core Curriculum

Please click on the session name below to "jump" to that class description.

Building and Maintaining Relationships
Business Communications
The Business of Schools: What They Do and How They Do It
Crisis Management/Safety Issues
Customer Service
Data and Record Keeping
The Leader In You
Marketing Your School
School Law for the Secretary
Time Management and Productivity

Building and Maintaining Relationships

In this session, participants will learn strategies and skills for building healthy relationships with peers, supervisors, parents, and community, including:

• Getting organized
• Tools for handling differences in communication styles
• How to give and receive feedback
• Characteristics of the various generations at work and the implications for the workplace
• How to constructively address controversial issues
• How to be an effective gatekeeper

Business Communications

Learn practical techniques for effective job-related communications, including:

• Grammar and business writing techniques you will apply to your own communication samples
  • e-mail, memo, and letter applications
  • e-mail etiquette
  • how to get your point across clearly and concisely
  • editing and proofreading tips
    
• Verbal Communication
  • As the front-line interface with customers
  • How to deal with the unhappy customer
  • Developing desk references that guide you through particular situations
    
• The importance of body language in face-to-face communication

The Business of Schools: What They Do and How They Do It

In this session, participants will learn:

• How schools are financed
  • Basic definitions
  • Legislative process
    
• The legal framework for schools
• School Board and administrative functions
• Business office functions
  • Business and finance
  • Transportation, food services, and facilities
    
• Basic budget processes
• The political environment

Crisis Management/Safety Issues

Participants will learn techniques and apply them through role play when identifying and addressing safety/security concerns of both students and staff, including:

• Promoting and maintaining a positive school climate
• How to respond in an emergency
• Collaborating with law enforcement, first-responders, and local agencies
• Non-violent intervention strategies/conflict resolution/ mediation
• Dealing with aggressive students
• Managing stress in a dangerous situation

Customer Service

This session will provide a foundation for quality customer service. Participants will learn:

• How to understand customers’ expectations
• How to deal with many different customers, from challenging parents to complaining students
• How to improve communication with customers with effective questioning, listening, and responding skills
• How to resolve customer problems and complaints
• How to present yourself and your organization in a professional manner
• The importance of customer service in a schools-of-choice environment
• Effective use of voicemail

Data and Record Keeping

Participants will be provided an overview of:

• Requirements for payroll/personnel records, automated file maintenance, and related retention procedures
• Privacy issues related to payroll and the rules in accessing personnel records
• Different systems in place that track students including SRSD, MEIS, REP, and special education.
• The importance of each system, and how these systems are used within the school district

The Leader In You (online class)

For today’s administrative professional, the pressures to take on increased responsibilities are greater than ever, and often require the use of leadership skills. In this session, you will learn:

• About various leadership styles
• Characteristics of your own leadership style
• How to observe and understand individual differences in people
• How to set the tone for a productive workplace
• The importance of being a good role model
• Decision-making skills
• How to look at your work and life goals and find ways to maintain your balance
• The importance of ethics
• How to be recognized as both a doer and a thinker

Marketing Your School (online class)

Participants will learn:

• The importance of being an ambassador for your school district on or off the job
• The importance of keeping the community up-to-date with the school district's goals and challenges
• Techniques and factors that are considered by public relations specialists when marketing a school district to their community
• The various forms of communication (i.e., web site, newsletter, video) that can be used to deliver information to the school community
• Appropriate and practical ways to use the different avenues of communication

School Law for the Secretary

Increase your understanding of school law issues that affect your responsibilities on a daily basis. This session begins with a general overview. You will then select a track for either a central office or building level secretary that provides more comprehensive information relevant to your specific position. In these tracks, you will learn:

• Central Office Secretary
  • About the legal requirements of school districts in regard to the Open Meetings Act, FOIA, the filing, writing and releasing of school board minutes, and other elections documents
  • Tips for developing an agenda and review sample policies that deal with these issues
• Building Level Secretary
  • About the legal requirements of administering medicine to children
  • Releasing students to non-custodial parents or third parties
  • Student discipline
  • Photo/videotape policies
  • Military recruiters
  • Tracking student grades, schedules, and absences
  • How to handle questions about school records and student files

Time Management and Productivity

This session will help participants effectively handle the numerous tasks they must perform in a well-run office. Participants will learn:

• Principles of time management
  • How to deal with multiple projects and deadlines
  • Setting priorities
  • How to work with multiple bosses
  • Using multiple calendars
  • How technology can help you manage your time
    
• What you can do to create a more productive work environment
  • The importance of attitude
  • When — and how — to ask for help
  • How to reduce stress levels in the workplace
  • The importance of creating and utilizing a network of peers