Jim Ludlow Case Study

I aspire to be like Jim Ludlow, long-time assistant principal at Avon High School. His calm presence and quiet dignity force our administration team to put events, people, and decisions into perspective so that our school continues to focus on what is important, or rather, who is important - our students and staff. Although the requirements of this paper are to focus on a special education leader within the school or school corporation, it will often be impossible to do so because Mr. Ludlow has a holistic view of the school as a system; he does not limit himself to the departments, including special education, he oversees.

All students benefit as a result of Mr. Ludlow’s panoramic view of the school. Mr. Ludlow assumes as his responsibility

Mr. Ludlow is acutely aware of the increased demands placed on special education teachers and their students today and certainly compared with the 1980s, when he was a classroom teacher: for example, he worries about special education students taking assessments they have no chance of successfully completing. He blames the legislative meddling in education for this over assessment. He decries paperwork required by special education teachers to complete - on time and accurately (despite a plethora of minute details) - intimidates even the most skilled professional. Mr. Ludlow was surprised by the question, “Why is it that the field of special education teachers has a lower drop-out rate than that of a classroom teacher” because when he was a younger special education teacher, he became concerned that he would face the “burnout” he observed among more veteran teachers with whom he worked. He became afraid of facing that burnout so earned his administration license so he could remain working in a school should the time come for him to leave the classroom. Interestingly, he was hired for the position of assistant principal in charge of special education not because of his sped teaching experience but because of the experience provided him by his two years performing manual labor. When he hires, Mr. Ludlow assumes the college or university has prepared the candidate to teach the content, whether special education or general education. So Mr. Ludlow looks beyond a candidate’s content-area knowledge base, seeking that varied experience and those people skills that allow teachers to build relationships with