STANDARD THREE Cultural Leadership
School executives will employ the existing artifacts, symbols, and positive values of a building as levers for meeting the school goals of increased achievement and strong professional growth of staff and reculture if necessary for more analogous alignment.
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Standards 3A and B: This introductory presentation that I emailed to Combs staff in August 2019 was created to demonstrate my willingness to support the collaborative work environment already existing at Combs. I shared personal details to foster relationships, and past experience to establish myself as prepared for leadership. My core beliefs reflected the collaborative efforts at the core of my practice and a focus on team building. Basing this presentation on Combs' space theme for the 2019-20 school year also demonstrated my commitment to fully embrace the culture and values of Combs while with them. A school administrator must live a belief in collaboration through actions and words in order to see it as an integral element of a school. |
Standard 3B: For the important, culture-establishing first workdays, I created this Google slides to strengthen the message of a commitment to all students through outstanding and sensitive pedagogy. The former year's 5th Grade student leadership team chose outer space as this year's theme, which I also reflected in the visual elements of this presentation. The shared vision of excellence is a vein that runs deeply at Combs, and inspiration from notable leaders reinforced this through the quotes included. With such an established culture and leadership identity at Combs, sustaining a commitment to these is our unique challenge. The identity of Combs is one of preparing excellent leaders in a caring environment, and reminders of that through products like this presentation are important actions for the sustaining of efforts. Ms. Summers, being the talented leader she is, recognizes the junctures at which such products are powerful and needed. |
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Standard 3C: As marketing materials for our magnet programming, I created this one page document celebrating the accomplishments and rewards earned by the school and individual staff. Gathering the information for this was a wonderful collaborative effort with several staff as well as the WCPSS Magnet Office, and my overall knowledge of the magnet process grew through it. Besides providing excellent information to external stakeholders, viewing a list of accomplishments also provides concrete results for staff to see the fruits of their diligent efforts for students. These awards all required extensive staff effort to earn, and the detailed work of those completing the applications. Although internal pride sustains staff commitment for the long run, validating accomplishments is vital for staff to feel recognized for their current actions. |
Standard 3C: To celebrate accomplishments and acknowledge important contributions, I added recognitions to our weekly internal communication tool entitled "The Communigator" while responsible for its content with the regular assistant principal on sick leave. Other events recognized through this platform include those receiving National Board Certification, staff who are expecting grandchildren, and those who received teacher fellowships. Sustaining a culture of celebration is a focus at Combs and one that I aspire to replicate when in future leadership roles. A focus on the positive elements in life maintains optimism which is needed to balance the many other challenging elements of serving students. Celebrating staff also strengthens relationships, which then creates fertile ground upon which constructive feedback will thrive. It is the responsibility of a school leader to buttress staff morale, and recognizing accomplishments is one method to accomplish this. |
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Standard 3D: I collaborated on the creation of the agenda and inclusion and grounding activities for the teacher leadership committee at Combs, called the Lighthouse Team. It meets monthly in a distributive leadership model to empower all adults in the building. Agendas focus on collective decision making for school events and processes, with both staff and Instructional Assistants represented. Each grade level sends a regular team member whose responsibilities include presenting information and perceptions from them as well as disseminating information back to them. This committee enhances buy-in and reinforces the collaborative culture at Combs that focuses on the strengths and contributions of all, granting agency to all in the building. This comprehensive leadership committee empowers all staff to share their voice, and increases the feeling of personal efficacy as educational professionals. Covey's 8th Habit of Finding Your Voice is reflected in this integral structure that influences the identity, performance, and culture of Combs.
Standard 3A, B, C, and D: An academic outline of establishing school culture was submitted for ELP 595C, exploring theories and their application throughout a school year. Based on the text Transforming School Culture: How to overcome staff division by Anthony Muhammad, I outlined a plan starting with establishing a collaborative shared vision to support a shared culture and school identity. This plan respects the existing culture while adapting it to ensure equity and systematic communication processes. At the mid-year juncture, the plan then shifts to celebrating performance-based rewards and employing conflict resolution structures once fatigue sets in. Empowerment is important at this stage, as well, with administrative efforts cognizant of developing all staff and including their professional goals and talents to meet school needs. An alignment audit to ensure all processes align with the agreed-upon vision statement is undertaken to conclude this plan and as a reminder of the guiding principles of a school's efforts. |
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Standards 3A and D: As an element of my ELP 595C course on culture and collaboration, I created a structure to empower staff members to support the growth of an assigned peer from a different teaching assignment within the building. These Growth Partners leverage collaboration and accountability to sustain a continual growth mindset as a school year transpires. Staff are empowered to coach their peer, increasing capacity within a building which then strengthens overall capacity should an unexpected staff turnover occur. Teachers also grow their feeling of efficacy as they are transported into a support and leadership role instead of simply receiving such coaching. Administrators should act as resources and individually conference regarding growth at meetings such as post-evaluation conferences and during informal interactions at school. |
Standard 3B and C: Also created for the Culture and Collaboration class, this t-chart is an element of my first workdays plan to gain staff insights on the positive elements and needs for change. Staff input provides an invaluable insight into teacher perception on a school's culture and identity. A school culture founded on broad input and a collective focus will sustain it amidst the likely challenges and protect a positive climate in which working is a joy and learning blossoms. An ongoing positive climate must also celebrate accomplishments while transparently addressing failures that need to be strengthened. Honest and candid assessments like this model a productive growth mindset that removes judgement and shame from realities within a building. Only in such an authentic and trusting culture will true school improvement occur. |
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