Issues can become muddy if we don't have role clarity. Now we know that role clarity will always have some gray areas, but in general if we understand what our role is, we have a better chance of doing a good job.
When problems occur, a first question can be, What is my role in this situation?
This happened recently when a parent reached out to me with a question related to a child's therapy. Although I was aware of the therapy, it was outside of my role and deep knowledge. I forwarded the question to people who are in charge of that, and they quickly and satisfactorily answered the question. Clear role clarity helped with that situation.
As I think about this, I realize that it's important to discuss who does what and when with any worthy initiative because if there's confusion, our collective work won't be as good if we don't clear this up right away. Role clarity is an issue that needs to be attended to regularly in schools because schools are always changing to meet the changing needs and research related to good learning and teaching.
Summer is a good time to review your role and responsibilities. Where's there's confusion, it's good to find out what the truth of the matter is. This is one more way to enrich and better collaboration and the work we do together.
