STANDARD THREE: Cultural Leadership
Principals work to establish and maintain a positive culture in a school building. They celebrate successes and create pride amongst those in their building. This standard looks at a principals ability to understand and manage those in the building.
3A: Focus on Collaborative Work Environment
Professional Learning Teams:
The presentation linked to the right is designed to enhance the collaboration among staff members participating in a Professional Learning Team. It leads staff through a process of aligning PLT goals with schools mission and vision and has teams create a SMART goal for their PLT to guide them throughout the semester. This presentation is an example of how getting staff members on the same page and designing ways to intentionally work towards specific action steps will create a more cohesive school program. As a leadership time, having teachers establish these goals at the start of the year, sets the stage to acknowledge that collaboration and community are part of the culture. |
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Student Perception Survey Results:
Douglas Elementary used data gathered from a student survey to set goals for the year. One area of growth that was identified was to intentionally find ways for students and teachers to form strong relationships and connections. Using the data to the right, we decided our upper-grades would send several volunteer teachers to a restorative circles training and regularly do classroom circles with their students. We wanted our teachers to be able to focus on a collaborative work environment, where the students felt connected to each other and the teacher. While we were unable to collect the post-survey data due to COVID-19 school closings, based on anecdotal data from student interviews, it appears that students felt the circles gave their classrooms a sense of community and respect for one another. |
3B: School Culture and Identity
Culture Setter:
The start of the year is always a fresh start to re-establish the culture with a "pulse check" on the school community and staff. I created this slideshow to utilize during the first week of the school year to build staff excitement and buy-in. It includes a section where the staff will create a "hashtag" or theme for the school year. This presentation also addresses concerns from the previous year and looks ahead to what we hope to bring forth for the coming year. This is a way returning staff can remember what some key pieces of the school identity are, and builds new staffs knowledge of what type of culture we have and how we operate. I believe starting the year off by directly stating parts of our school culture and identity can set staff members off on a positive path. |
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School Culture:
School culture is something that has to be constantly addressed, reiterated, and tweaked based on current climate and needs of the school. This document walks through a year-long plan of how to enhance a culture in a school, and bring focus to key ideas identified by the school improvement team. This plan I created brings celebration and communication to the forefront. For this particular school these were two areas of school culture that needed strengthening. Being honest and forthright about what areas of culture are stronger and weaker than others, allows leaders to implement positive changes and stay steadfast in areas of strength. |
Dragon Buddies
This year, the counselor at Douglas Elementary and I collaborated to create an opportunity for students who have been identified as at-promise to connect more deeply with a staff member. This program was known as Dragon Buddies. I created events throughout the year where the buddies and their mentor got together and played games, did crafts, enjoyed experiences and felt connected to one another. The staff members also had monthly lunches with the students and invited them into their classrooms or workspaces to help. This program embodies many of the tenets that the Douglas Elementary holds dear, a living vision of the school's mindset and an opportunity to highlight the skillsets that many of our staff members hold. |
3C: Acknowledges Failures, Celebrates Accomplishments and Rewards
What would you do with an idea?
This year, our principal read the book What Would You Do With an Idea aloud to the Douglas Elementary Staff. As an administrative team, we purchased four of the eggs pictured to the left to be representative of the book. Each week teachers were awarded "idea eggs" if another staff member felt they had shown dedication, perseverance or had an innovative idea throughout the week. The four teachers who had been given the eggs the week before passed them on to the next deserving participants. This was a school-wide way to acknowledge the successes of our staff members and to create a culture of celebration. We participated in this celebration on Friday mornings to boost morale and end the week on a high note. |
Holly Jolly Trolley
This year at Christmas, I noticed that as a school, we had not put anything together to specifically shout out teachers hard work before winter break. I created the Holly Jolly Trolley pictured to the left. I stationed myself and the trolly at the main entrance where teachers arrive in the morning. Teachers and staff members were able to get a cup of hot chocolate with decorative toppings. They were also offered coffee or donuts to treat themselves for their dedication. This type of celebrating, creative, loud celebration of teachers is something that I enjoy and that comes naturally to me. I made sure to also send specific e-mails to teachers who I felt need a different type of connection and appreciation that week. As a school leader, I think it will be important to ask staff members what their "language" is when it comes to receiving recognition to ensure I've met the needs of all staff members. |
3D: Efficacy and Empowerment
Carpool:
This year at DES, a parent came to me advocating for students with asthma and the negative effects carpool exhaust can have on students and families alike. This parent found a cause that was close to their heart and meant a lot to them, and felt comfortable enough with our relationship to bring it forward. I listened to their parents concerns and asked what solutions the parent had already thought about. We brainstormed ways the parent could bring attention through the PTA and our science teacher's pollution unit. Instead of taking the problem from the parent, I involved the parent in generating solutions that were meaningful to her. She felt like a supported member of the Douglas family and volunteered for several initiatives after this.
This year at DES, a parent came to me advocating for students with asthma and the negative effects carpool exhaust can have on students and families alike. This parent found a cause that was close to their heart and meant a lot to them, and felt comfortable enough with our relationship to bring it forward. I listened to their parents concerns and asked what solutions the parent had already thought about. We brainstormed ways the parent could bring attention through the PTA and our science teacher's pollution unit. Instead of taking the problem from the parent, I involved the parent in generating solutions that were meaningful to her. She felt like a supported member of the Douglas family and volunteered for several initiatives after this.
Instructional Assistants:
This year, I had many informal meetings with instructional assistants. The relationships I forged with them by doing my share in the cafeteria allowed me to be a person they felt comfortable coming to with concerns. I stretched myself during many of these conversations to empower the staff member to create solutions for themselves to problems with my support. One of the things that came out of this was a cleaner cafeteria that staff members were happier to work in. One complaint we consistently got was that the brooms and dust-pans were not working well for our needs. A staff member found what she thought would be more appropriate, and I helped her advocate for space in the budget to purchase these. |
Phone-Tree:
One way to generate a sense of well-being among staff members would be to create a sort of "phone tree" for self-care and "check-ins". I would like to have a committee of people in the school who feel like one way they generate energy for themselves is by nurturing and caring for other people. These people would divide up staff members and throughout the year either send them e-mails, phone calls or stop by their classrooms to check-in on them. This would allow the staff members on the committee to feel needed and the other members of our staff to know their well-being is important to someone else. |