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6302 Benchmark Final Project – Caitlin Feltman PADLET PDF

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EDUC 6302 Final Benchmark Reflection - Caitlin Feltman

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But like many organizational leaders, principals may get stymied when they actually try to describe the elements that create a positive culture. It's tricky to define, and parsing its components can be challenging. Amid the push for tangible outcomes like higher test scores and graduation rates, it can be tempting to think that school culture is just too vague or "soft" to prioritize.

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Motivation, success, and feeling valued are what drives individuals, at any level and in any profession. In the school setting, it is critically important that we celebrate and recognize the outstanding things that our school community accomplishes, both inside and out of our buildings. Here are some of the main contributors to creating, building, or sustaining a positive school culture.

Invest in People, Build Relationships

Relationships are perhaps the most important part of establishing a school culture that is perceived as and breeds caring. When people feel valued, staff and students alike, they are likely to work harder, stay the course, and enjoy their work. When students feel liked and respected by their teachers, they find more success in school, academically and behaviorally (Lewis, Schaps & Watson, 1996). It should be the goal of all staff in a school to foster and forward positive relationships with students and among peers. This can become contagious, and can become the mantra of a school building; one which promotes and celebrates kindness among all.

I am a proponent of investment in people. The dividends to be had when a building becomes a place where people want to come to work, want to work hard, and transfer those feelings to students, is powerful beyond measure. "Programs are only as good as the paper they are written on without the people who implement them. A school culture doesn't exist because of a program. It exists because of the people within the building. That includes aides, secretary, food service, teachers, administrators, parents and most importantly students (Whitaker, 2011)." A building (or classroom, or district) where this culture exists is a strong foundation for positive experiences and learning to take place.

Have a Shared Vision

Another component of creating or sustaining a positive school culture is having a consistent, shared vision for your school. School staff and students need to feel that they are being treated in the same manner as everyone else, regardless of their differences. Generating school and classroom rules, expectations, and having leadership that will follow through consistently with discipline and consequences can create a sense of trust and support; for staff to feel as though they are supported to do their jobs well, and trust among all school constituents that the rules are followed and enforced consistently.

Along these lines, consequences for bad choices should be developed with the input of school stakeholders, and should be fair relative to the offense. Being too firm, or the opposite, can elicit a lack of trust from students and parents. Aligning your discipline processes, procedures, and consequences to infractions in a fair and consistent manner can have the ability to serve its purpose while building character in students as they move forward after the incident. Balance, follow through, and consistency are key components to this process in order for it to have its greatest effect.

Be a Role Model, Set the Tone

As is best practice in instruction, modeling is key to understanding with anything in school buildings. Therefore, it is important to model these behaviors. School leadership and staff alike should lead by example. Students notice and can learn from our behaviors and the way we handle ourselves in daily situations. Be a role model! Show students how to be kind, caring, and that you value them. The return on that investment can be a group of students who are respectful of all; their teachers, school staff, and most importantly, each other.

Think about how you handle things and reflect on what the messaging of those choices have for students. Are you modeling the behaviors you want to see in students if put in a similar situation? You, as an educator and a role model, set the tone of your classroom and your school building by showing and modeling how you want your students to behave and react to situations on a daily basis. Showing kindness, caring, and acceptance are powerful and lasting characteristics for students to observe and ingrain.

Praise and Celebrate

What do leaders do when these things are happening? How do we sustain this or build on it? We need to praise appropriately and celebrate victories; large and small. Recognition is one way in which people feel valued. As a school leader or teacher, there are a variety of ways to do this. Hand-written notes, creating a certificate, a bulletin board, a phone call home, or a school or class newsletter are all avenues that can recognize students and/or staff and make them feel appreciated. Ignoring these things do nothing in terms of appreciating people, and can portray a lack of caring and respect. The power of praise in changing student behavior is that it both indicates teacher approval and informs the student about how the praised academic performance or behavior conforms to teacher/school expectations (Burnett, 2001). Supplying students with positive feedback and showing them that you care speaks to the first portion of this process, building relationships and the investment in people.

There are many contributors to creating a positive school culture and atmosphere. While these are certainly not exhaustive or all-inclusive, they can provide some practical ideas to institute or model in your school buildings. A positive school climate, many argue, is directly correlated to school success. When students feel safe, supported, respected, and valued in their environment, the foundation is set for them to learn and achieve their best.

Matthew Younghans is the Principal of Little Tor Elementary School in the Clarkstown Central School District in Rockland County, New York. Little Tor is a K-5 school building of approximately 290 students. Matthew was chosen as the 2016 SAANYS/NASSP New York State Assistant Principal of the Year, is a member of the 2017 ASCD Class of Emerging Leaders, and is pursuing his Doctorate in K-12 Administration at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.

ASCD is dedicated to professional growth and well-being.

Let's put your vision into action.

ASCD empowers educators to achieve excellence in learning, teaching, and leading so that every child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

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The Steps to Creating a Positive School Culture - ASCD

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Motivation, success, and feeling valued are what drives individuals, at any level and in any profession. In the school setting, it is critically important that we celebrate and recognize the outstanding things that our school community accomplishes, both inside and out of our buildings.

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Jun 11, 2019 - I feel like I was JUST trying to figure out what to get my students for the end of the year, and here we are- it's already time to head {Ba...

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The education leaders section of the ISTE Standards supports the implementation of the ISTE Standards for Students and the ISTE Standards for Educators, and provides a framework for guiding digital age learning. This section of the standards targets the knowledge and behaviors required for leaders to empower teachers and make student learning possible. They're focused on some of the most timely, yet enduring, topics in education today - equity, digital citizenship, visioneering, team and systems building, continuous improvement and professional growth.

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The ISTE Standards for Education Leaders support the implementation of the ISTE Standards for Students and the ISTE Standards for Educators and provide a framework for guiding digital age learning.

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Noble Ingram is an Editor with Educational Leadership magazine.Learn More

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How Leaders Create Safe Environments for Trauma-Affected Students

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School leaders aim to foster supportive learning communities for all of their students, but those who are experiencing trauma might have especially acute needs. The best way for leaders to create safe

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Written by Alicia Betz, reviewed by the EducationCorner.com Team

You've probably seen the viral social media posts of faculty writing inspirational quotes on bathroom stalls, teachers having secret handshakes with students, or principals joining the dance team for the talent show, but what does it really take to create positive culture like this in schools? Also known as climate, the culture of a school is imperative to its success. The culture of a school is arguably even more important than the academic curriculum, as when students have a positive feeling toward their school, they tend to achieve better. This can be explained simply by examining Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Maslow's theory proposes that we need certain essential needs to be met before we can go on to achieve more. Before anything else, physiological needs, such as food, water, warmth, and rest need to be met. After that, safety needs must be met. Next, people need to meet psychological needs, such as belonging and self esteem. Once all of these are fulfilled, then we can reach our full potential.

By creating a community culture in schools, these prerequisite needs can be met to allow students to achieve their full potential in both academics and extracurriculars. How exactly though can schools make this happen? A culture of community doesn't just happen. It takes careful planning and daily practice to effect change and maintain a positive school climate.

According to Joe Sanfelippo and his hacking leadership philosophy, the culture of a school comes directly from the leader, and it makes sense. If the leader of a school doesn't care enough to devote time and money to students, why should anyone else?

Even if they don't like to admit it, students follow the example of leaders, so it's the responsibility of principals, teachers, and parents to set the tone for the students. To be most effective, this influence needs to come from the top down with principals and other administrators setting the tone for the importance of community and culture. They also need to be receptive to new ideas brought forth by school community members. Just as important as verbally setting the tone, though, is leading by example. Principals and teachers need to actually walk the walk to encourage parents and students to participate in the school community.

Kent D. Peterson and Terrence E. Deal outlined 3 key things leaders should do to create culture: read the culture, uncover and articulate core values, and fashion a positive context. When new leaders step into a position, it is easy for them to fail when they don't first read the culture; you can't make a complete 180 overnight and if you try, you'll likely face resistance. Once a leader understands the values already in place, then they can work to improve upon them and the culture. Peterson and Deal suggest engaging in some of the following activities: celebrating accomplishments of staff, students, and community; recognizing efforts; observing and engaging in rituals and traditions; and keeping the focus on students.

In their book How to Create a Culture of Achievement in Your School and Classroom, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Ian Pumpian explain that the culture of a school is so important that it should actually be a second implicit curriculum. Although implicit, this culture shouldn't be a secret, rather it should be part of an ongoing dialogue between administration, teachers, parents, and students. According to Fisher et al., the culture can successfully develop with a combination of "actions, traditions, symbols, ceremonies, and rituals that are closely aligned with [the] vision" of the school.

Typical school leaders aren't the only people who can contribute to the community of the school, however- parents play a huge part as well. Simply by being present in the school, parents send the message to students that education is important. Superintendent of Surrey School District in British Columbia, Jordan Tinney, recounted an example of a time he saw parents completely transform the culture of a school. The hallways were beautifully decorated with flowers and lanterns for Chinese New Year and when he inquired about the beautiful and welcoming decorations, he found that they weren't created by students or teachers, but by parents.

You can't underestimate the impact of a welcoming environment and collaboration from all angles. Administrators are busy managing the day to day workings of the school; teachers are busy planning lessons, teaching lessons, and grading work; and students are busy juggling school, work, play, sports, dance class, etc. Sometimes it is the parent who steps in and makes all the difference to help everyone in the school take a break and come together. Parents who want to be involved but aren't sure how will find that there is plenty to be done if they simply ask. This doesn't just have to come in the form of the PTA or a class parent; even at the high school level, teachers, clubs, honor societies, and sports can benefit from parent involvement.

Another important aspect of community culture is teacher communication and collaboration. Students notice when their teachers aren't on the same page. Classes and teachers need to work together to make the school community come together. School culture is lacking when each individual class does its own thing as disjointed parts. Cross-curricular activities among classes and simple knowledge of what is going on from one class to the next helps to bring everything together.

PIa-Maria Niemi found in her study "Creating A Sense of Membership in Basic Education: The contributions of Schoolwide Events" that school wide events both promote and reflect the culture and community of the school. The atmosphere and connectedness of these events help students feel as though they belong. It goes without saying that when students are excited about events at school and feel like they belong, they will be more likely to come to school and contribute to the culture on a daily basis.

Niemi also notes that students should have a say in how the community is formed and what events take place. Doing so gives them ownership and makes them more likely to buy into the activities. Then when these activities take place, students feel like they belong.

Another important aspect of the community culture is that "togetherness" doesn't just have to come from whole school activities. School leaders can make students feel like they belong via smaller groups and activities as well. There should be a club, niche, or "spot" for every student, whether it be the National Honor Society, art club, or debate team. If there isn't a spot for a student to fit in, they should be encouraged and supported to create one.
Following are some practical tips and ideas about how to create a community culture from all angles:

Celebrate students and teachers and their achievements with awards and recognition, such as student and teacher of the month

Keep staff informed on student achievements both in and out of school- a quick "Hey! Congratulations on earning your Eagle Scout!" can make a student feel seen and accepted

Set aside instructional time occasionally for culture building activities, such as pep rallies and assemblies

Create special days for everyone to participate in; some ideas include:

Dress like you're 100 for the 100th day of school

Read-a-thon during banned book week

Field trips

Homecoming activities for the whole student body, not just the homecoming court

Have a pie baking and/or eating contest on Pi day

Spirit days

Red ribbon week

Field days

Last day of school picnic

Help staff feel valued and make them enjoy coming to work by recognizing them and providing community building activities, such as

Featuring staff stories in the school newspaper

Hosting and planning themed lunches

Choosing a school-wide staff Halloween costume theme

Planning activities and special thank you's for teacher appreciation week

Providing time to collaborate during professional development days

Surprising teachers with breakfast and coffee on a Monday morning

Giving teachers opportunities to celebrate and share victories in their classrooms

Develop a social media presence to share accomplishments, activities, and updates with teachers, students, parents, and the community at large

Encourage local businesses and community members to support and donate time and resources to the school- often people do want to help and be involved, they just don't know how

Post student achievements, such as college acceptances and projects in the hallways and on bulletin boards

Create community based reward incentives, such as tokens to use at a school carnival or event

Give "gotcha" awards- teachers or administrators give these to students when they catch them being a positive school community member

Staff can work together to choose criteria for giving awards

Students can be recognized on announcements, on a bulletin board, by calling home to parents, by being given a small prize, etc.

Hand out door prizes randomly to students, faculty, and staff throughout the year

Interact and play with students during recess

Play upbeat and positive music over the intercom system before and after school

Carve out time on Monday morning to let students talk about their weekend

Hand out vouchers for free entry to school sports, plays, or other activities as rewards and incentives

For teachers and administrators, simply be present

In the hallways

As chaperones at dances

At sporting events

At art shows, competitions, plays, etc

Plan special events after school hours, such as daddy daughter dances, art shows, or family fun night

Team up with a different level school (high school with elementary school, for example) and pair up students as mentors, pen pals, or tutors

A lot of these ideas are simple and often quick and easy to plan, but they are invaluable in bringing everybody together. And again, making these things happen comes back to leadership. It's not difficult but somebody needs to step up, and that person needs to be supported and backed by the administration. Whether they realize it or not, leaders truly set the tone for the organizations they represent. If a community member thinks their idea will be immediately shot down, they're not even going to try.

Creating a community culture takes just that, a community. From administrators to teachers to students to parents, no one group can do it alone.

Administrators need to set the tone for and define the community culture. They also need to support efforts by all members to facilitate culture building activities. Teachers need to communicate with one another in collaboration; they also play a big role in planning culture building activities. Students should have a say in what their school culture looks like to encourage participation and foster belonging. Parents also play a vital role, often stepping in to fill in the gaps and help students recognize the importance of the culture and their education. By working together and communicating, all of the moving pieces of a school can work together to create a positive community culture.

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How to Create a Community Culture in Your School

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Written by Alicia Betz, reviewed by the EducationCorner.com Team You've probably seen the viral social media posts of faculty writing inspirational quotes on bathroom stalls, teachers having secret handshakes with students, or principals joining the dance team for the talent show, but what does it really take to create positive culture like this in schools?

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All Posts

How do you want teachers and students to feel when they walk into school every morning?

Are your teachers dreading coming to work in the morning? Do students walk into the building with their heads down, trying not to interact with others?

Or are your teachers excited, starting each class with enthusiasm? Do you hear laughter in the hallways when students are coming in? Having a positive school culture has an impact, not just on the attitudes of students and teachers, but on the entire learning experience.

You, as a school leader, have a vital role in creating a positive school culture.

What is 'school culture'?

Culture, ethos, atmosphere, climate...

What do these words mean for your school?

Basically, a school culture consists of the underlying influences and attitudes within the school - based on the norms, traditions and beliefs of the staff and students.

How important is school culture? In short, the prevailing atmosphere in your school will affect everything that goes on inside its walls.

This goes beyond the student body: it also involves how teachers interact with each other, their students, and the parents.

Toxic vs. positive school culture

A toxic school culture has been described as a place where "staffs are extremely fragmented, where the purpose of serving students has been lost to the goal of serving the adults, where negative values and hopelessness reign." ( Realizing a Positive School Culture, 1998)

Anthony Muhammad -- a high school principal and the author of Transforming School Culture: How to Overcome Staff-- describes a toxic school culture as an environment where school staff "fails to figure out what's needed to cultivate the characteristics necessary for student growth and learning."

Obviously, this is not a good environment for any school.

On the other hand, a positive school culture is a place where your efforts are translated into positive experiences for both staff and students. Success, joy, and accomplishment are all main features of a positive school culture.

When your school has a positive culture, teachers are excited to work because they see the bigger picture, and students are in a better position (mentally and emotionally) to learn.

How School Leaders are Involved

What is your role in creating a positive school culture?

our role as a school leader can be defined in three basic steps:

Read the culture of your school: Analyze and understand the current culture of your school. This means observing the attitudes of teachers in the classroom and in staff meetings, and understanding the general feeling of students towards the school and the staff.

Identify which aspects are toxic and which are positive: Write down the aspects of your school that improve the atmosphere and those which cause negative feelings in teachers and students.

Reinforce positive elements: From that list, pull out the positive aspects of your school culture, and include other values, attitudes, or qualities that you would like to see in your school. Then, take action to reinforce those positive qualities and create a positive school culture.

What are some specific ways to reinforce a positive atmosphere in your school?

11 Proven ways to build a positive school culture

1. Create meaningful parent involvement

Generating clear, open communication with the parents of your students can help you avoid misunderstandings and remove feelings of mistrust or hostility.

To involve parents in your school culture, give them a platform for feedback on classroom activities or school programs. Ask them about their hopes or concerns regarding their children's education. Go beyond parent-teacher meetings and organize workshops where teachers and parents can discuss homework, study skills, and tests.

Involving parents in school activities in a meaningful way also helps foster positive feelings between the school and the parents. You can ask parents to be on event committees or to participate in school fundraisers.

Developing educational programs for parents can also help involve them in their children's schooling, and thus build a more positive atmosphere in your school.

For example, Hollibrook Elementary in Spring Branch, Texas, developed a "Parent University" to get parents more actively involved in the school -- helping build trust and rapport between the school and the families of the students.

2. Celebrate personal achievement and good behavior

This means more than the occasional "good job."

Complimenting kids helps them to feel that they are cared for individually. Both you and your staff play a huge part in this aspect of your school culture.

One way to generate more positive reinforcement from your staff is to set goals for the number of compliments each member has to give during the day or week. Encourage them to give specific compliments that highlight what each individual student has done well.

An example of a ceremony recognizing students for outstanding achievements -- in this case, Waresboro Elementary recognized 17 students for excellence in "scholarship, responsibility, leadership, and service." Image source: Waresboro Elementary School

Celebrating the achievements of your students can be done on a larger scale as well.

For example, Joyce Elementary School in Detroit started holding an honor ceremony for students. Here, they presented medallions for students and praised specific achievements. This event includes not only school members, but hundreds from the community.

3. Establish school norms that build values

Your school and classroom rules should be clear to all students, and should be well-regulated.

However, this doesn't mean that you need to establish rules for every possible situation.

Instead, create school norms that focus on building positive values in your class. This helps kids to learn, not just what they should and shouldn't do, but why they should or shouldn't do it.

For example, instead of creating specific rules about chewing gum, use of water bottles, or electronic devices in the classroom, you could create a classroom rule that states: "Be respectful of the people around you."

To help students apply these norms, there should be consistency across the entire school building, inside and out.

4. Set consistent discipline

When rules are not followed, discipline must be administered. However, broadening the range of discipline methods can help encourage a positive school culture.

Instead of constantly putting out fires, trying a more proactive approach to discipline. Giving a student detention after bad behavior teaches him that he did something wrong. But giving him a task that helps correct the wrong teaches him what he should've done instead.

For example, imagine one student started a fight. His discipline could include having to write a letter of apology to the student he hurt, and then to take a shift as "hallway monitor".

Having students work to correct their own wrongs helps encourage them to take responsibility for their actions.

Getting your teachers to internalize the subtle and tactful arts of classroom management consistently is critical for a school culture of mutual respect and adherence to rules -- both by teachers and students.

Also, it's essential that all discipline is presented consistently across the school. When all students are treated equally and bad behavior is disciplined in the same way in different classrooms, this helps removes feelings of mistrust among students.

5. Model the behaviors you want to see in your school

You have a list of qualities and values that you want to see in your teachers and students.

But how well do you present those same aspects of your school culture?

All changes have to start from the top. That means when you interact with teachers and students, you need to be an example of the behavior that you want to see in your school.

6. Engage students in ways that benefit them

When in school, your students are learning more than just secular instruction. They're also developing their social skills, and learning how to become successful adults.

Schools that help students develop essential social skills are preparing them on an even deeper level for their future after graduation.

One way to engage students and develop these types of skills is through social-emotional learning (SEL). Throughout the day, encourage teachers to include activities that help students develop qualities such as empathy, reliability, respect, concern, and a sense of humor.

In the research brief Social Emotional Learning in Elementary School, researchers found that SEL programs helped students make more ethical decisions, maintain positive relationships, set and achieve goals at school and at home, and manage their emotions. These programs promoted achievements at school, and reduced substance abuse and emotional distress.

7. Create rituals and traditions that are fun for students and teachers

The school day - and school year - should be punctuated with time for fun. This helps students engage with each other in positive events and builds morale in school.

For example, one school created a weekly event called 'Fabulous Friday', which opened students up to a variety of fun activities. Why not create your own version of Fabulous Friday?

Using technology in the classroom -- as a reward or simply to supplement learning -- is a cost-effective way to introduce positive rituals for students on the level of the individual classroom.

For example, you can create special rituals and traditions for the first day of school, or for the first day of a new month.

Creating appropriate times to have fun and laugh breaks up the day and gives students a chance to relax in between learning. This helps them become more refreshed when returning to the classroom.

8. Encourage innovation in the classroom

Innovation in the classroom starts with you - the school leader.

When talking with teachers, encourage them to try new methods of teaching. You can even set up regular meetings to discuss new research on teaching methods or new teaching tech, and how these can be implemented in your school.

These meetings will help the whole teaching staff to brainstorm and implement new ideas, bringing teachers into the process of building your school culture.

For example, why not try game-based learning?

Students playing Prodigy - a game-based math platform - on their tablets

Particularly popular for improving results in topics like math, video game based learning has been shown to heighten the level of interest, concentration, and enjoyment of educational materials among students.

And teachers tend to agree: in one study by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, almost 80% of K-8 classroom teachers surveyed agreed that digital games have "improved student mastery of curricular content".

Plus, it's fun!

9. Professional development for teachers

Students are not the only people in your school who should be learning. Helping your teachers to develop their skills will encourage a positive school culture by giving them the ability to improve their craft.

For example, the Mooresville Intermediate School in North Carolina pairs each new teacher with a mentor at the beginning of their career at the school. This helps teachers to be fully aware of school policies and rules, and gives them specific instruction in how the school uses tech in the classroom.

Supporting new teachers in this way can help promote a consistent atmosphere across your school.

Also, it's good to make sure that you as the school leader are aware of what your teachers think and feel in their work. Set up regular times to ask for feedback, hear out concerns, and get suggestions for improvement.

10. Maintain the physical environment of your school

Surprisingly enough, the physical surroundings of students and teachers has a huge impact on the culture of your school.

The HEAD Project(Holistic Evidence and Design) took evidence from over 3,700 students in 27 diverse schools. They found that the physical space where students are learning can account for a 16% variation in the learning process over a school year.

What aspects of a classroom have the most impact?

The novelty, stimulation, and freedom of movement students enjoy in a flexible seating classroom setting positively impacts behavior, according to educational researcher Sheryl Feinstein's book From the Brain to the Classroom.

It was found that half of the learning impact came from light, temperature, and air quality. The other half of learning impact came from factors such as individualization of the environment and color of the room. For example, the ideal classroom was found to have light-colored walls with one accent wall of a brighter color.

Adopting a policy that allows for flexible seating in classrooms is one step school leaders are taking more frequently.

Adjusting these seemingly insignificant factors isn't difficult, and can result in an increase in student engagement and improvement in learning.

11. Keep tabs on your school's culture, and make adjustments when necessary

Unfortunately, creating a positive school culture isn't just a matter of following a checklist. As a school leader, you need to stay informed of what's going on in your school, and understand the attitudes and atmosphere that permeate the hallways and classrooms.

As we mentioned above, starting the process of improving your school culture involves analyzing the current situation of your school. This analyzation process should become a regular part of your schedule.

Set aside time every few months to analyze your school culture. Keep on the watch for the specific factors that indicate a positive school culture, and keep using the steps above to reinforce those aspects. Also, be aware of any negative factors that have started to seep in, and take decisive action to remove those.

Above all, take time to listen to feedback from both teachers and students in order to understand the experience that they are having in your school.

Conclusion: Building a positive school culture will take time and effort, but it's worth it

If you've already started efforts to build a positive school culture but aren't seeing the results you expected, don't worry.

Changing the attitudes of all the staff and students within your school won't be an overnight process. However, it will be worth the wait.

Remember: this change process starts with you. So, make an effort to mimic the behavior and attitudes that you want to see displayed in your school.

Keep working patiently at building a school culture that fosters positive action, and your students will be better prepared to learn better and become more successful now and into the future.

Try Prodigy Math Game - the engaging, curriculum-aligned math platform used by over 50 million students, teachers and admins.

Culture, ethos, atmosphere, climate...

Plus, it's fun!

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11 Real Ways to Build a Positive School Culture

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All Posts How do you want teachers and students to feel when they walk into school every morning? Are your teachers dreading coming to work in the morning? Do students walk into the building with their heads down, trying not to interact with others? Or are your teachers excited, starting each class with enthusiasm?

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With foresight, intentional action, and reflection, principals can shape the shared values of their school

Building from an understanding of what makes a good school culture, the next question a leader will ask is, How do I get started in this work? With connections and consistent messaging in mind, principals have a unique power to shape their school's culture. Ebony Bridwell-Mitchell, an expert in education leadership and management, has articulated six areas of focus for principals - guidelines that can support you as you try to sustain, or change, the culture in your building.

Six Steps to Shaping a School's Culture

1. Look in the mirror. The leader is the main role model for an organization. Everything a leader does - her statements and philosophy, reactions to key events, energy and interaction style - influences culture in a powerful way. If you want a collaborative staff, ask colleagues for advice early and often. If you want teachers to hold students to high expectations, reaffirm your own belief not only in young people but also in your staff.

2. Select staff wisely. The teachers and administrators you hire will enter your school with their own beliefs about education and expectations about what it will be like to work at your school. When hiring and mentoring, ask questions that help reveal whether those beliefs and expectations align with the ones you want your school community to hold. Those beliefs and norms will only grow stronger in a tight-knit community.

3. Teach what you'd like to see. Create formal trainings and space for honest conversation about the attitudes, norms, and practices that are core to being a member of your school community. Use those trainings and other professional development to model the beliefs and behaviors you desire. Offer rewards (praise, written notes, community celebrations) for students and staff when they demonstrate those behaviors.

4. Broadcast your vision. Every formal communication you have with your community should reflect and reinforce the culture. In every memo to staff, letter to parents, or address to students, make sure to:

highlight the future and what your school has the potential to achieve;

use data and facts to reduce ambiguity about your vision;

appeal to people's emotions, values, and the deeper needs that motivate them;

stay positive, grateful, and idealistic, which is an important counterweight to any negative messages students or staff might receive;

use collective statements ("we are," "we will") to increase a feeling of belonging and collective identity.

5. Make your vision tangible. Mottos, symbolic objects, special traditions, and the design of physical space can all help reinforce your cultural vision, especially when the meaning of these tangible artifacts is consistently communicated. For example, regular celebrations of student and staff success is a reminder of what's important. It also inspires continued commitment to shared values.

6. Restructure social networks. Culture is spread through connections. So figure out which people or groups are isolated from the community and figure out how to encourage greater interaction with others who are committed to the school culture. This way, everyone - not only you - helps your positive message spread more quickly and clearly.

Everything a leader does - her statements and philosophy, reactions to key events, energy, and interaction style - influences culture in a powerful way.

Questions Every School Leader Can Ask

As a leader, ask yourself: What fundamental beliefs do you want community members to hold about the work they do?

As a leader, ask yourself: What do you want community members to value as being right or wrong, good or bad, just or unjust about the work they do?

As a leader, ask yourself: What expectation should everyone have about the appropriate or desirable way of operating; what agreed upon rules should guide behavior?

As a leader, ask yourself: What actions and attitudes do you expect to consistently observe?

As a leader, ask yourself: What will be the tangible evidence of beliefs, assumptions, values, norms, and behaviors?

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With foresight, intentional action, and reflection, principals can shape the shared values of their school Building from an understanding of what makes a good school culture, the next question a leader will ask is, How do I get started in this work?

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I analyzed the article titled The Learning-Centered Principal by Richard DuFour. This article showed me the importance of the skill of being a forever learner. It showed me that it is important to grow and re-evaluate your thinking when needed. I learned that adapting in the academic environment is key to success. With this in mind, I selected this image to represent growth - growth as leaders and leadership skills.

Article: https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/the-learning-centered-principal

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I can summarize the most universally accepted conventional wisdom regarding the fundamental role of the contemporary principal in a single phrase: The principal must serve as the instructional leader of the school. For more than 30 years, research has described the principal in this way. The National Association of Secondary School Principals (2001) defines its mission, in part, as "strengthening the role of the principal as instructional leader." State legislatures have mandated that principals serve as instructional leaders, and school districts have written their job descriptions for principals to include a reference to instructional leadership. But allow me to offer a radical proposal: The focus on the principal as instructional leader is flawed.

Confessions of an Instructional Leader

When I entered the principalship a quarter century ago, the research on effective schools warned that without strong administrative leadership, the disparate elements of good schooling could be neither brought together nor kept together (Lezotte, 1997). I heeded the message and embraced my role as a strong leader with gusto. I was determined to rise above the mundane managerial tasks of the job and focus instead on instruction-I hoped to be an instructional leader. I asked teachers to submit their course syllabi and curriculum guides so that I could monitor what they were teaching. I collected weekly lesson plans to ensure that teachers were teaching the prescribed curriculum. I read voraciously about instructional strategies in different content areas and shared pertinent articles with staff members.

But my devotion to the clinical supervision process at the school was the single greatest illustration of my commitment to function as an instructional leader. I developed a three-part process that required me to be a student of good teaching and to help teachers become more reflective and insightful about their instruction.

During the pre-observation conference, I met with teachers individually and asked them to talk me through the lesson I would be observing in their classroom. I asked a series of questions, including What will you teach? How will you teach it? What instructional strategies will you use? What instructional materials will you use? During the classroom observation, I worked furiously to script as accurately as possible what the teacher said and did.

During the postobservation conference, the teacher and I reconstructed the lesson from my notes and his or her recollections. We looked for patterns or trends in what the teacher had said and done, and we discussed the relationship between those patterns and the lesson's objectives. Finally, I asked the teacher what he or she might change in the lesson before teaching it again. I then wrote a summary of the classroom observation and our postobservation discussion, offered recommendations for effective teaching strategies, and suggested ways in which the teacher might become more effective.

The observation process was time-consuming, but I was convinced that my focus on individual teachers and their instructional strategies was an effective use of my time. And the process was not without benefits. As a new pair of eyes in the classroom, I was able to help teachers become aware of unintended instructional or classroom management patterns. I could express my appreciation for the wonderful work that teachers were doing because I had witnessed it firsthand. I observed powerful instructional strategies and was able to share those strategies with other teachers. I learned a lot about what effective teaching looks like.

In Hot Pursuit of the Wrong Questions

Eventually, after years as a principal, I realized that even though my efforts had been well intentioned-and even though I had devoted countless hours each school year to those efforts-I had been focusing on the wrong questions. I had focused on the questions, What are the teachers teaching? and How can I help them to teach it more effectively? Instead, my efforts should have been driven by the questions, To what extent are the students learning the intended outcomes of each course? and What steps can I take to give both students and teachers the additional time and support they need to improve learning?

This shift from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning is more than semantics. When learning becomes the preoccupation of the school, when all the school's educators examine the efforts and initiatives of the school through the lens of their impact on learning, the structure and culture of the school begin to change in substantive ways. Principals foster this structural and cultural transformation when they shift their emphasis from helping individual teachers improve instruction to helping teams of teachers ensure that students achieve the intended outcomes of their schooling. More succinctly, teachers and students benefit when principals function as learning leaders rather than instructional leaders.

From Teaching to Learning: One School's Story

Clarify the essential outcomes of the course and the outcomes of each unit of instruction within the course. A school's teachers cannot make student learning their focus until they know what each student needs to learn. The Stevenson teacher teams examined state curriculum guidelines, the recommendations of professional organizations, and competencies assessed by such tests as the ACT and SAT to clarify the essential outcomes of their courses. Teams limited themselves to 8-10 such outcomes per semester. In effect, teams narrowed their focus and reduced their curriculum by eliminating nonessential content.

Develop two common assessments per semester and specify the standard of mastery for the assessment as well as for each subtest within the assessment. Once a team had agreed on what students should learn, its members turned their attention to the question, How will we know whether students have learned the essential outcomes? Teams developed at least two common assessments each semester to give to all students enrolled in the course. Typically, teachers teach, test, and hope for the best. Stevenson teachers established standards of mastery for these common assessments and for each subtest within a common assessment. They set a bar for student performance and then worked to ensure that each student could make it over that bar.

Analyze results and develop strategies for improvement on the basis of the analysis. The common assessments provided the teachers with valuable information. They saw how successful their students were in meeting an agreed-on standard compared with all the other students in the school who were attempting to meet the same standard on the same test. A teacher whose students struggled on a particular subtest could turn to the team for ideas, strategies, and materials to improve student learning. A teacher with expertise in helping students master a particular concept could share that expertise with colleagues. Finally, the team assessed the performance of the entire group of students, celebrated areas of high performance, identified areas of concern, and developed and implemented action plans to improve the performance of all students.

As principal, I played an important role in initiating, facilitating, and sustaining the process of shifting our collective focus from teaching to learning. To make collaborative teams the primary engine of our school improvement efforts, teachers needed time to collaborate. Teachers, accustomed to working in isolation, needed focus and parameters as they transitioned to working in teams. They needed a process to follow and guiding questions to pursue. They needed training, resources, and support to overcome difficulties they encountered while developing common outcomes, writing common assessments, and analyzing student achievement data. They needed access to relevant, timely information on their students' performance. They needed help writing specific and measurable team improvement goals that focused on student learning rather than on their team activities. They needed encouragement, recognition, and celebration as they progressed. They needed someone to confront those individuals or teams of teachers who failed to fulfill their responsibilities. All of these tasks fell to me, the principal. Staff members' consensus to transform our school into a learning community did not diminish the need for effective leadership in the school, but the focus of that leadership shifted from teaching to learning. In fact, I am convinced that a school cannot make the transition to the collaborative, results-oriented culture of a professional learning community without a principal who focuses on learning.

A focus on learning affects not only the way that teachers work together but also the way that they relate to and work with each student. Because a desire to ensure student learning drove the team planning process, Stevenson teachers and teams focused on the percentage of students achieving mastery rather than on the average score of the group. This attention to individual student mastery enabled us to identify specific students who were having difficulty acquiring the intended knowledge and skills. The staff then worked together to build an intervention system that provided struggling students with more time and support during the school day.

We assigned a faculty advisor to every incoming student to monitor his or her learning. Counselors met with freshmen every week. We issued academic progress reports in each course every three weeks. When we identified a struggling student, his or her advisor and counselor worked together to develop a plan of response. First, the advisor and counselor might assign the student to daily tutoring sessions with an upperclassman mentor. Next, they might move students who continued to struggle into small-group tutoring sessions with a certified teacher. Sometimes they placed students in small study halls with 8-10 other students in which a supervisor monitored their homework daily. Struggling students were also enrolled in special classes that focused on study skills, note taking, time management, and reading in the content areas.

This systematic response to those who were not learning made it clear to both students and staff members that we expected all Stevenson students to learn. Time and support varied-the expectation that all students would achieve the intended outcomes of their courses remained a constant.

From Instructional Leader to Lead Learner

Educators are gradually redefining the role of the principal from instructional leader with a focus on teaching to leader of a professional community with a focus on learning. One of the National Association of Elementary School Principals' six standards for what principals should know and be able to do calls on principals to put student and adult learning at the center of their leadership and to serve as the lead learner (2001). The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium, a program of the Council of Chief State School Officers, has also identified six professional standards for principals, one of which calls for the principal to bean educational leader who promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth. (1996, p. 12)

By concentrating on teaching, the instructional leader of the past emphasized the inputs of the learning process. By concentrating on learning, today's school leaders shift both their own focus and that of the school community from inputs to outcomes and from intentions to results. Schools need principal leadership as much as ever. But only those who understand that the essence of their job is promoting student and teacher learning will be able to provide that leadership.

References

Council of Chief State School Officers. (1996). Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium standards for school leaders. Washington, DC: Author. Available: www.ccsso.org/pdfs/isllcstd.pdf

Lezotte, L. (1997). Learning for all. Okemos, MI: Effective Schools Products.

National Association of Elementary School Principals. (2001). Leading learning communities: Standards for what principals should know and be able to do. Alexandria, VA: Author. Available: www.naesp.org/llc.pdf

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I can summarize the most universally accepted conventional wisdom regarding the fundamental role of the contemporary principal in a single phrase: The principal must serve as the instructional leader of the school. For more than 30 years, research has described the principal in this way.

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Module 1 Reading Materials - Summary Assignment 

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Module 1 Reading Materials - Summary Assignment 

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The article I have chosen to summarize is Leadership Through Crisis by Avis Williams. This article discussed the conflicts that Williams Faced as a superintendent of Selma City Schools in Alabama.

Avis came into the district with a plan to make a change within the student body. The district faced low graduation rates and students struggling to keep up academically. Avis designed a five-year plan to help grow the district and student body and create higher student growth and achievement.

Unfortunately, in the middle of this plan, COVID hit. This created a different need with online learning and heavy violence issues once school returned to in-person teaching. Avis and her team constructed a new plan that catered to their current needs.

Eventually, Avis was able to reimplement the original plan that focussed on the four areas of need addressed when Avis first joined Selma schools in 2017. The bonus was the new plan added a fifth area of need that focused on the areas of need that were discovered during COVID.

What I found most important throughout the article was that Avis and her team realized they need to, and continued to, listen to teachers, parents, and students. They are taking into consideration the needs of all of the members of their community and adapting as needed. I feel this is very important because as a teacher I do not currently feel like my district has effective communication between the district (or even schools) and the community members.

Avis continued to answer to a different kind of call to duty by bringing joy into her community and focusing on mental and behavioral health inside and outside of academics. She realized how important communication is between the community members and the school and established multiple different outlets for communication to help cater to student development and mental health.

Williams, A. (2021, August 7). Leadership Through Crisis. https://www.ascd.org.

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We create practical, timely, affordable professional learning to help educators and instructional leaders provide students with a modern, equitable, and quality education.

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At this time I do not have any questions or concerns! :)

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The assignment I am most excited about for this course is the Benchmark Final Project. I am eager to design and create an interactive project that would correlate to my campus.

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I am 31 and work as a second grade teacher in Klein ISD. I am also a mother of four and a photographer. I am so excited to be starting my masters program and continuing my education into leadership.