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Creating a Positive School Culture

Creating a Positive School Culture. Jennifer L. Crawford University of New England. “ School culture is not a static entity. It is constantly being constructed and shaped

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Creating a Positive School Culture

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  1. Creating a Positive School Culture Jennifer L. Crawford University of New England

  2. “School culture is not a static entity. It is constantly being constructed and shaped through interactions with others and through reflections on life and the world in general (Finnan, 2000). School culture develops as staff members interact with each other, the students, and the community. It becomes the guide for behavior that is shared among members of the school at large. Culture is shaped by the interactions of the personnel, and the actions of the personnel become directed by culture. It is self-repeating cycle. To introduce change would necessitate an interruption of this cycle”. Elizabeth R. Hinde

  3. A Brief History of HDHS From 2004 – 2011 we had five principals, five assistant principals and three superintendents • In the Spring of 2011: • We were identified as a consistently underperforming high school • The high school principal and superintendent of schools demanded that the teachers union agree to a long list of contractual concessions or else they would fire the entire staff and only hire back less than 50% • There were over 20 physical altercations between students during the 2010-2011 school year • We applied for, and received, a School Improvement Grant • A new associate principal was hired • In the Summer of 2011: • The principal abruptly resigned the first week of July • Mandatory, unpaid summer workshops were held for the teachers. Each teacher was obligated to attend one of four three day sessions. These sessions were one of the contractual concessions demanded in the Spring. • I was hired to be the dean of students, a one year position that had been created to allow the principal and associate principal the time to focus on curriculum and instruction. The dean would be responsible for student behavior management and attendance. I had been teaching at HDHS for over ten years. I had once before taken a similar one year interim administrative position. • The associate principal, district administrators, a team of teachers and I attended a three day conference about PLCs. The Dufours were the headliners for the conference.

  4. In the Fall of 2011: • The superintendent announced he was resigning for health reasons the opening day of school. • A part-time interim superintendent was appointed • The associate principal was named the interim principal • It was decided that no additional administrators would be hired for the high school • In December of 2011: • The superintendent appointed the interim principal the permanent principal of HDHS • I was appointed associate principal effective July 1, 2012 (the dean position was granted funded and a change mid-year would have been fiscally difficult to manage.) Our Task: Move HDHS from a underperforming, unsafe school to a positive, inclusive Learning Community.

  5. STEP ONE: Rebuild the Team Bryk and Schneider (2003) discuss the absolute necessity of relational trust in schools; my school had reached a point where there was almost none. Constant administrative turn-over and redirection had created an atmosphere of distrust and isolation. We utilized the mandatory summer sessions to determine a focus.

  6. STEP TWO: Determine a Focus As a school community we identified three areas of focus: Student Behavior Management - What do we need to do differently to oversee student behavior? Student Achievement - How do we raise expectations and improve student learning? School Culture - How do we make this a positive environment? Our Decision: Positive Cultural Change Had to Come First

  7. STEP THREE: Create a New Model for Our Interactions We determined that the way the members of our school community interacted needed to change. We determined that the way we treated each other as members of our community mattered. We began the process of cultural change by developing our Rights and Responsibilities. During the mandatory summer sessions we developed the HDHS Rights and Responsibilities as the cornerstone of our new culture of a Learning Community

  8. HILLSBORO-DEERING HIGH SCHOOL • PERSONAL • RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES

  9. STEP FOUR: Bringing the Student Body on Board Our opening day revolved around the roll out and discussion of the Rights and Responsibilities. We began with an all school assembly introducing the entire staff and explaining the new focus for the school. Students had multiple opportunities to process and discuss the Rights and Responsibilities, including small home room groups and class meetings. Large posters of the Rights and Responsibilities in the school colors were hung in every classroom, office and hallway in the building.

  10. STEP FIVE: The Involvement of All Stakeholders • The principal and I began regular meetings with the Student Voice (student government) • The Student Voice chose school rules and procedures to rework and role out to the student body (cell phone use and dress code) • The faculty created a Faculty Voice • The principal and I began holding monthly Parent Advisory meetings • PLCs were developed to address the agreed upon areas of focus • An incentive program for NECAP testing was implemented. The program educated the students about the importance of the testing, incentivized participation and rewarded performance. • A group of faculty members worked with the DOE and the Danielson Group to create a new Teacher Effectiveness and Evaluation Plan tied to Student Learning Objectives.

  11. STEP SIX: Efforts to Sustain the Positive Change The Challenge Program was brought to the school and the entire student body as well as much of the staff and many community members participated.

  12. STEP SEVEN: Monitoring Progress Year prior to changes (2010-2011) Students involved in physical fights: 32 Students in possession of a weapon: 9 Global Failure Rate: 14.9% Statewide ranking based on NECAP testing: 79/83 Year changes implemented (2011-2012) Students involved in physical fights: 3 Students in possession of a weapon: 3 Global Failure Rate: 10.6% Statewide ranking based on NECAP testing: 53/83

  13. NEXT STEPS: Sustaining and Improving • Continued emphasis on our Rights and Responsibilities • Establishment and monitoring of our school-wide Student Learning Objective to reduce the global failure rate by at least 10% from last year’s rate. • Continued involvement of Student Voice in the establishment of school rules and procedures • Concerted efforts to increase the number of participants in the Parent Advisory • Continued efforts to build and sustain teacher leadership

  14. A firm commitment to consensus creates a strong and successful school culture. As Dufour, Dufour, and Eaker (2008) so aptly point out in Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work, if a school leader cannot convince a small key group to help lead the way to change then there is no hope of bringing a whole organization forward. Consensus building has been a key component of the work we have done to build and sustain our positive school culture.

  15. References Bryk, A. S., & Schneider, B. (2003). Trust in Schools: A Core Resource for School Reform. Educational Leadership, 60(6), 40-44. DuFour, R., DuFour, R., & Eaker, R. (2008). Revisiting professional learning communities at work. Bloomington, NY: Solution Tree Press. Hinde, E. R. (2004). School Culture and Change: an examination of the effects of school culture on the process of change. Essays in Education, 12.

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