Escalating Excellence
Interested in improving your school? Then focus on cultivating a culture of excellence!
A growing body of research provides support that while a positive culture is intangible, it is also essential and tied to significant impacts on academic, behavioral, and social–emotional outcomes for students. My experience as a high school principal has shown me that when attention is given to creating and sustaining a positive school culture that a school can yield dramatic results in all other reform initiatives.
Specifically, I have seen faculty and staff thrive when immersed in a positive school climate. Teachers are more willing to implement new curricula and interventions when they perceive that they work in a positive school culture. Schools with positive cultures value diversity, encourage shared experiences and purpose, promote transparent, and unbiased norms and expectations, and provide opportunities for growth and achievement.
The following are practical strategies that have proven to be successful in raising the academic performance of our students and increasing the morale of our faculty and staff, resulting in a highly collaborative and positive school community.
Focus on People, Identify & Celebrate Your Purple Cows
School cultures don’t develop by accident.
The best approach to developing a culture is to recruit, attract, and retain the highest quality educators possible who meet the profile of the school you envision yours becoming.
In Leverage Leadership, Paul Bambrick-Santoyo presents seven principles or levers that great principles and other school leaders take to effectively transform their schools into greatness. These seven principles, or levers, enables continuous, about-face, and duplicable growth for schools and their leaders. More than half of a principle time is spent on things that does not transfer into student achievement and/or success. However, with purposeful emphasis on these seven levers, the exact time investment leverages more learning. School leaders plus the seven levers equal more student achieve, thus setting the school on the path for greatness.
It may be one of the most important tasks that administrators engage in creating a positive and effective normative school culture. Part of the normative school culture should be based on understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of other perspectives. In creating a positive culture of accepted behavior, students, parents, teachers, and community members will feel connected to the school. If members of the school feel connected with purpose, they will be less likely to engage in negative
Today, teachers strive for the creation of positive and influential learning environments for all students. Moreover, they aim at increasing children’s chances of succeeding. They constantly re-evaluate their teaching strategies for educational improvement of students. Teachers create supportive and respectful school environment that makes students strive for more prosperous and eventually rewarding lives. According to Deborah Tannen, the teacher’s encouraging and
According to former Indiana state superintendent of schools Dr. Suellen Reed, “We know from our research that there’s no turnaround school without a turnaround principal” (as cited in Gammil, 2007, para. 2), further supporting the fact that “school leaders have an essential role in cultivating a positive school culture in public schools” (Peterson and Deal, 2002, p.30). However, it is imperative to improve our understanding as to how principal leadership impacts the school culture in high poverty schools to ensure that all children receive a quality education, regardless of zip code, in an environment conducive to learning. The six measured factors are as follows:
To promote a positive ethos in the school through encouraging a shared understanding of the values which underpin our school ethos
Promote positive social connections between staff and students, among students, and between schools and home.
Measuring and trying to improve campus climate can be difficult and sometimes frustrating. There are many different facets, but when the media reports school leaders in a negative light, the school’s image is affected within the school and the local community. Educational leaders can listen to what people are saying. Some people think there isn't a problem and others feel they are not valued and respected. Cultural proficiency becomes a priority in addressing the concerns of a diverse student population. This can prompt a review of school climate (Developing a Positive School Climate, 2009).
Happy New Year! How are you? I just wanted to update you. I applied for jobs through Americorps and landing one in Pittsburgh with a Non-profit called Higher Achievement. We are an affiliate to a national program. Higher Achievement aims to help middle school scholars from the Hill District and Homewood areas, prepare for High School and for placement in advanced programs and or top tier schools. I was hired to help recruit mentors for the scholars and create programming for alumni of Higher Achievement. I told my supervisors about my interest in communications and they offered me the opportunity to be affiliate Brand Manager and of course I took it! I'm happy to be getting my foot in the door. I hope you're doing well and looking forward to
Apply principals of effective teaching based on educational theory, laws, county and school policy, and ethical practice in the comprehensive
As you can tell the world needs changes, so why don’t we just start with our school? Build rooms bigger, add a middle school, and a year-round school schedule all are proven to have positive effects, so let’s make our school positive. Let’s make the rooms bigger for more interaction. Build a middle school for more space. Finally, let’s change F.C.H.S. to a year-round schedule. All these topics have been proven to have positive effects. We’re going to be the next positive
That skill is important for a school leader because of enhancing a school’s climate seek to provide equitable opportunities for all students. However, supporting student engagement in learning is important to motivate all students and improve student learning.
In light of accountability requirements, fear of not meeting AYP (Annual Yearly Progress), and required school improvement plans, often the idea of “school improvement” is considered a negative attribute. Obviously schools do not want to be singled out or identified as in need of improvement. Teachers often take the same view towards the idea of improvement. We as teachers take very personal that concept of improvement; we often parallel the need for improvement to failure. However my belief is that effective schools are always in a school improvement process and effective teachers too also are constantly adapting their practice in a culture of continuous improvement and growth. Therefore it is important as an effective leader to build a community of trust and collaboration. I quote “We are all in this together. Once we know that we are, we’re all stars and we see that we’re all in this together.” (Disney High School Musical, 2006) These lyrics from a popular Disney movie put to light exactly the school culture where the goal is not personal but as a community to use data driven and research based approaches in reflection and growth that assist all stakeholders.
As an educational leader, I must have a vision and mission statement for the school that is known by the staff, students, and parents. The vision will address the needs of the students academically, emotionally, and socially. According to DuFour (1998), “ Those who seek to transform their school into a professional learning community as characterized by an environment fostering mutual cooperation, emotional support, personal growth, and a synergy of efforts.” The leader must implement a plan that will cultivate the success of all students. The mission will speak to the direction of the school community stating what the desire goals are. The building leader will lead by example. High expectations will be communicated and encourage by staff and students. The educational leader of a school must develop a culture of team work to create a climate that is student friendly. The vision mission and goals of the leader should be transparent. The establishment of common goals is the first step. Without common goals, sustainable progress will be impossible and thus everyone will have lower expectations. The students, parents, and staff should be commented to the goals of every child reaching their full academic potential. The school environment should speak to goal setting and high expectations for all students and staff.
Raising the bar for high school will benefit the students in later on in life. I do agree that they should be raise to help the student in education. For their own good in life.
The number one best way of improving the school from the inside is focusing on the small things first. Most people will have a different idea of the best place to start, but I personally think that the best place is the restrooms.