Culture Shift

Small wins are the brush strokes that create a masterpiece. While celebrating the finished process, we overlook the work that led to its creation. Creating culture takes a series of small steps that must be reinforced to keep stakeholders engaged in this arduous work. So celebrate early, and celebrate often.

A team of stakeholders oversees school-home relationships that enhance student learning and operates with the clearly defined purpose of increasing student achievement.

To affect substantive change, those involved in the change process must share a collective belief that all students can learn at grade level or above and assume responsibility to ensure this happens. This belief must be embedded in everyday conversations and practice.

The School Leadership Team annually surveys school personnel, families, and students to gauge perceptions about the school, its effectiveness, and their place in it. In doing so, school leadership gains valuable insight into how the school is viewed and if those perceptions align with how the school is functioning.

A successful turnaround depends on many people working together to achieve extraordinary results. A strong school community attends to the culture inside and outside the school, gathering input from stakeholders and gauging perceptions about the school and the turnaround effort.

To build community, the School Leadership Team annually shares an analysis of climate surveys with the school community, including concrete actions it plans in response to the analysis.

Building a relationship with stakeholders is critical to establishing a strong foundation for a sustainable turnaround plan. Establishing trust with stakeholders is necessary for this foundation to be laid. Trust is reinforced when the school's leadership has open and honest communication regarding the effectiveness of the school. Trust is enhanced when leadership addresses constructive criticism from stakeholders and how the school will address their concerns. While it can be difficult to hear, constructive criticism helps to give us a new perspective and opens our eyes to things we may have overlooked or never considered.

Helping students to understand where they are in their learning can be challenging. However, this work has the potential for a huge payoff in creating a school culture where improvement and growth flourish. In a turnaround school, all teachers must work to build students’ skills in setting learning goals, applying learning strategies, and tracking their mastery.

Understanding students' interests will help in providing them with quality learning opportunities. Allowing them to explore areas they are interested in will make them more likely to engage with the learning process. In a turnaround school, all teachers help students explore possibilities, articulate their aspirations, and connect their learning to the pursuit of these aspirations.

In a turnaround school, students are encouraged to take a more active role in their learning and to develop the tools needed to self-advocate. To develop these skills, students are taught how to have open discussions with their parents about their successes and struggles. Allowing students to lead the conference process gives them autonomy, and deepens their capacity to advocate for themselves