Standard Three: Cultural Leadership
School executives will understand and act on the understanding of the important role a school’s culture contributes to the exemplary performance of the school. School executives must support and value the traditions, artifacts, symbols and positive values and norms of the school and community that result in a sense of identity and pride upon which to build a positive future. A school executive must be able to “reculture” the school if needed to align with school’s goals of improving student and adult learning and to infuse the work of the adults and students with passion, meaning and purpose. Cultural leadership implies understanding the school as the people in it each day, how they came to their current state, and how to connect with their traditions in order to move them forward to support the school’s efforts to achieve individual and collective goals.
Preparation through Text, Training and Professional Development
Text/ Readings:
- How to Win Friends and Influence People (Carnegie)
- Reframing Organizations (Bolman & Deal)
- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey)
- School Culture ReWired (Whitaker)
- 18 Things Great Principals Do Differently (Whiatker)
- Leadership (Northouse)
Text/ Readings:
- How to Win Friends and Influence People (Carnegie)
- Reframing Organizations (Bolman & Deal)
- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey)
- School Culture ReWired (Whitaker)
- 18 Things Great Principals Do Differently (Whiatker)
- Leadership (Northouse)
Artifacts
3A. Focus on Collaborative Work Environment:
The principal/assistant principal understands and acts on the understanding of the positive role that a collaborative work environment can play in the school’s culture.
Social Studies PLC- Questioning
Narrative: Being at a smaller school, our Social Studies department only has one teacher per subject (World History, Civics, American 1, and American 2). With this individualized curriculum assignment, it made the typical PLC format tougher. Teachers did not have lesson plans, pacing guides, and Common Formative Assessments to compare. In effort to promote both an improvement mindset and a team feeling, I assisted in turning PLC session in to "Questioning your questions" sessions. We sat in a pentagon (I brought previous work from my classroom) and compared our assignments. The goal was to focus on what we were doing well in classrooms (and where there was room for growth) with the level of questioning for students. we used the "Last Word" protocol to examine work, and each teacher was allowed to express what they liked or would keep about assignments and which possible changes they would consider. Our Social Studies group bought in and provided engaging sessions examining both their practices and freely sharing positive feedback to each other to continue great practices and take steps towards growth on others. It was evident throughout the year that this department developed more trust and comfort with each other through these discussions.
Artifact: Electronic Communication about adding student work dissection to the Social Studies PLC.
3B. School Culture and Identity:
The principal/assistant principal develops and uses shared vision, values and goals to define the identity and culture of the school.
School Visits-
Narrative: In an effort to increase my knowledge (and understand best practices) of what schools are doing well, I visited a number of schools throughout the district and state. A number of the policies, procedures, and practices observed on these visits were documented and brought to our school improvement team. Specifically some of the student centered learning initiatives at schools such as Granville Central and A.B. Combs were brought before our team as possible initiatives to begin working on/ implementing during the 2018-2019 school year. All information was recorded in my personal journal and then converted to a document "Borrow Awesome", that detailed specific ideas that could be easily transitioned to our school.
Artifacts: Photograph of School Visits (AB Combs Elementary School)
3B. School Culture and Identity:
The principal/assistant principal develops and uses shared vision, values and goals to define the identity and culture of the school.
School Visits-
Narrative: In an effort to increase my knowledge (and understand best practices) of what schools are doing well, I visited a number of schools throughout the district and state. A number of the policies, procedures, and practices observed on these visits were documented and brought to our school improvement team. Specifically some of the student centered learning initiatives at schools such as Granville Central and A.B. Combs were brought before our team as possible initiatives to begin working on/ implementing during the 2018-2019 school year. All information was recorded in my personal journal and then converted to a document "Borrow Awesome", that detailed specific ideas that could be easily transitioned to our school.
Artifacts: Photograph of School Visits (AB Combs Elementary School)
3C. Acknowledges Failures; Celebrates Accomplishments and Rewards
The principal/assistant principal acknowledges failures and celebrates accomplishments of the school in order to define the identity, culture and performance of the school.
Celebrate Student Success: Benchmark Sundaes
Narrative: Student successes have been celebrated, on benchmarks, for years across our county. In most instances, as at LHS, students were celebrated for their proficiency only. In order to celebrate our student successes we began not only providing students with rewards for their proficiency and growth, we also took the time with staff to serve them ourselves. Along with our Math 1 teachers, I served ice cream, with toppings of course, to our students following their benchmark results. The following day I provided lunch to our teachers with notes reminding them of their valuable contributions to our students and school.
Artifact: Math Teacher Mrs. Lane, tweeting about celebration
3D. Efficacy and Empowerment:
The principal/assistant principal develops a sense of efficacy and empowerment among staff which influences the school’s identity, culture and performance.
"Caught You" Emails
Narrative: In an effort to provide more consistent feedback to teachers, I began a habit of sending individuals and groups "Caught You" emails. Our school lacked both an informal or formal system to provide teachers feedback of their classrooms. As noted earlier, I created a walk-through form for formal feedback. These emails were pieces of specific (informal) feedback concerning powerful pedagogy and relationship building strategies they were using in their classrooms. I used my iPhone to send instant emails as I exited teachers classrooms to share the "caught you" moment. Teachers knew when their lessons and/or classrooms were caught in the act of a powerful teaching in the moment and how much it was appreciated.
Artifact: Copy of "Caught You Email" and response