Standard 3: Cultural Leadership
School executives will understand and act on the understanding of the important role a school culture's plays in contributing 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 "re-culture" 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 and the people in 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.
A. FOCUS ON COLLABORATIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT:
THE SCHOOL EXECUTIVE UNDERSTANDS AND ACTS ON THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE POSITIVE ROLE THAT A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT CAN PLAY IN THE SCHOOL’S CULTURE.
THE SCHOOL EXECUTIVE UNDERSTANDS AND ACTS ON THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE POSITIVE ROLE THAT A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT CAN PLAY IN THE SCHOOL’S CULTURE.
True Colors Presentation
I presented the True Colors Professional Development to the staff of Southwest Elementary School. The goal of the presentation was two fold. First, it allowed teachers to understand who they are as an individual. Secondly, it helped teachers discover how different types of individuals can work together as a PLC. The overall question was: how can we utilize our different personality types as a whole school, in grade levels, and with our students? Teachers were then put into groups to create posters representing the needs and wants of their personality colors. These posters were then shared as a group for full understanding of each concept. These concepts were applied to their PLC's and teaching profession throughout the school year. The artifact below is the presentation that was used at the faculty meeting for the True Colors Professional Development.
I presented the True Colors Professional Development to the staff of Southwest Elementary School. The goal of the presentation was two fold. First, it allowed teachers to understand who they are as an individual. Secondly, it helped teachers discover how different types of individuals can work together as a PLC. The overall question was: how can we utilize our different personality types as a whole school, in grade levels, and with our students? Teachers were then put into groups to create posters representing the needs and wants of their personality colors. These posters were then shared as a group for full understanding of each concept. These concepts were applied to their PLC's and teaching profession throughout the school year. The artifact below is the presentation that was used at the faculty meeting for the True Colors Professional Development.
B. SCHOOL CULTURE AND IDENTITY:
THE SCHOOL EXECUTIVE DEVELOPS AND USES SHARED VISION, VALUES AND GOALS TO DEFINE THE IDENTITY AND CULTURE OF THE SCHOOL.
THE SCHOOL EXECUTIVE DEVELOPS AND USES SHARED VISION, VALUES AND GOALS TO DEFINE THE IDENTITY AND CULTURE OF THE SCHOOL.
Colors Presentation Part II Faculty Agenda
This is the second part of the True Colors Professional Development. Each PLC came back and shared how they used what they had learned in the first part of the True Colors PD and what it did for their PLC. Many PLC's showed a new found connectedness. Some teachers even took the True Colors idea into their classrooms by sharing it with their students and having them take the test. We not only saw a change in the culture of the teachers, but a change in the 5th grade student culture when the students created personal colors posters and displayed them in the hallway. The artifact below is the agenda from the faulty meeting where we discussed how the True Colors concepts were used in the teachers PLC's.
This is the second part of the True Colors Professional Development. Each PLC came back and shared how they used what they had learned in the first part of the True Colors PD and what it did for their PLC. Many PLC's showed a new found connectedness. Some teachers even took the True Colors idea into their classrooms by sharing it with their students and having them take the test. We not only saw a change in the culture of the teachers, but a change in the 5th grade student culture when the students created personal colors posters and displayed them in the hallway. The artifact below is the agenda from the faulty meeting where we discussed how the True Colors concepts were used in the teachers PLC's.
Leadership Learning Network (L2N) Presentation Board
This is a presentation I created about the success of our True Colors Professional Development for a district leadership meeting to explain what we were able to accomplish at Southwest Elementary by implementing the True Colors Professional Development. I was the representative for the group explaining our training and its effect on our staff to the whole network. The artifact below is a picture of the board that I created for the district leadership meeting.
This is a presentation I created about the success of our True Colors Professional Development for a district leadership meeting to explain what we were able to accomplish at Southwest Elementary by implementing the True Colors Professional Development. I was the representative for the group explaining our training and its effect on our staff to the whole network. The artifact below is a picture of the board that I created for the district leadership meeting.
C. ACKNOWLEDGES FAILURES; CELEBRATES ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND REWARDS:
THE SCHOOL EXECUTIVE ACKNOWLEDGES FAILURES AND CELEBRATES ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE SCHOOL IN ORDER TO DEFINE THE IDENTITY, CULTURE AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SCHOOL.
THE SCHOOL EXECUTIVE ACKNOWLEDGES FAILURES AND CELEBRATES ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE SCHOOL IN ORDER TO DEFINE THE IDENTITY, CULTURE AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SCHOOL.
Southwest Data Presentation
As part of a staff meeting, I created a PowerPoint presentation showing the success of Southwest Elementary School over the past few years. With my Principal, I co-facilitated the presentation of our success, and acknowledging the great strides forward we have made as a school in the areas of student proficiency and growth. This presentation also shows some of the failures at Southwest Elementary School. Areas that we need to keep improving on and opened up discussion about how we can make those improvements. The artifact below is the presentation that I created to show the staff.
As part of a staff meeting, I created a PowerPoint presentation showing the success of Southwest Elementary School over the past few years. With my Principal, I co-facilitated the presentation of our success, and acknowledging the great strides forward we have made as a school in the areas of student proficiency and growth. This presentation also shows some of the failures at Southwest Elementary School. Areas that we need to keep improving on and opened up discussion about how we can make those improvements. The artifact below is the presentation that I created to show the staff.
Staff Acknowledgements
The administrative team acknowledges and celebrates staff members at every faculty PLC meeting. At one of these meetings, I acknowledged the instructional assistants for all the hard work that they do. We brought each instructional assistant up to the front and described all the amazing work that each one does for our school. As a thank you, the administrative staff facilitated a lunch for all the instructional assistants. This acknowledgement continued the cultural growth of the family atmosphere we have at Southwest. The instructional assistants were now more willing to go above and beyond their job descriptions which impacted our students. This included proctoring during testing and filling in for classes when substitutes were unavailable. Below is a photo of our celebration at the faculty meeting.
The administrative team acknowledges and celebrates staff members at every faculty PLC meeting. At one of these meetings, I acknowledged the instructional assistants for all the hard work that they do. We brought each instructional assistant up to the front and described all the amazing work that each one does for our school. As a thank you, the administrative staff facilitated a lunch for all the instructional assistants. This acknowledgement continued the cultural growth of the family atmosphere we have at Southwest. The instructional assistants were now more willing to go above and beyond their job descriptions which impacted our students. This included proctoring during testing and filling in for classes when substitutes were unavailable. Below is a photo of our celebration at the faculty meeting.
D. EFFICACY AND EMPOWERMENT:
THE SCHOOL EXECUTIVE DEVELOPS A SENSE OF EFFICACY AND EMPOWERMENT AMONG STAFF WHICH INFLUENCES THE SCHOOL’S IDENTITY, CULTURE AND PERFORMANCE.
THE SCHOOL EXECUTIVE DEVELOPS A SENSE OF EFFICACY AND EMPOWERMENT AMONG STAFF WHICH INFLUENCES THE SCHOOL’S IDENTITY, CULTURE AND PERFORMANCE.
Higher Order Thinking Questions
For my problem of practice, the 4th grade teachers and I met to discuss using higher order thinking questions and create intervention groups during a 45 min part of math instruction. During this process I gave a short professional development to the 4th grade teachers about creating higher order thinking questions. I helped the 4th grade team create groups and coached them in creating higher order thinking questions. This empowers teachers to push their student thinking to the next level. I shared a handout with to them to guide in the creation of these questions that can be used during their lessons. I monitored the implementation of this strategy during walkthroughs and modeled the use of them while teaching classes. The document below was used in collaboration with teachers, to empower them to take ownership of the implementation of this model into their classrooms.
For my problem of practice, the 4th grade teachers and I met to discuss using higher order thinking questions and create intervention groups during a 45 min part of math instruction. During this process I gave a short professional development to the 4th grade teachers about creating higher order thinking questions. I helped the 4th grade team create groups and coached them in creating higher order thinking questions. This empowers teachers to push their student thinking to the next level. I shared a handout with to them to guide in the creation of these questions that can be used during their lessons. I monitored the implementation of this strategy during walkthroughs and modeled the use of them while teaching classes. The document below was used in collaboration with teachers, to empower them to take ownership of the implementation of this model into their classrooms.