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Transforming School Culture
The document outlines strategies for transforming toxic school cultures into collaborative environments, emphasizing the importance of trust, shared decision-making, and positive relationships among staff. It categorizes teachers into various roles and discusses approaches to address resistance to change and enhance collaboration. Effective change requires strong leadership, community involvement, and a focus on creating a positive, student-centered culture.
In this document
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Introduction to transforming school culture, emphasizing collaboration and reflecting on a supportive culture.
Identifies the challenges schools face due to culture, and types of teachers affecting change.
Evaluation methods for understanding the current school culture and its characteristics.
Outlines the contrasting aspects of toxic versus healthy cultures in schools.
Practical methods for changing a toxic environment, focusing on role modeling and celebrating success.
Techniques for dealing with negative influence among staff and building a collaborative culture.
Highlights elements ofstrong school cultures linked to student achievements and attributes of positive environments.
Describes the modern roles of school leaders and teachers in fostering collaborative cultures.
The importance of rituals and celebrations in creating a positive school culture.
Promotes shared responsibility among all stakeholders in developing a positive school culture.
Encourages reflection on personal actions needed to contribute to school culture improvement.
Citations of sources referenced throughout the presentation for further reading on school culture.
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More from North Carolina Association for Middle Level Education
Transforming School Culture
- 1. TRANSFORMING SCHOOL CULTURE NORTH CAROLINA MIDDLE SCHOOL ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE 2013 LINDA HOPPING
- 2. EXPECTED OUTCOMES participants willlearn how to transform toxic cultures into collaborative endeavors participants will analyze their current school culture and begin the development of a plan to make it more collaborative
- 3. ESSENTIAL QUESTION What woulda middle school look like if the culture was inviting, supportive, and safe for all stakeholders?
- 4. HOW BIG ISTHE GORILLA IN YOUR SCHOOL? In most schools, the 800 pound gorilla that impairs performance and stifles change is CULTURE.
- 5. CHANGE IN THEGULCH trailblazers pioneers settlers stay at homes saboteurs
- 6. THREE LEVELS OFCHANGE Procedural Structural Cultural Leading School Change
- 7. RESISTANCE TO CHANGE • teacherswho have seen similar changes fail • new teachers who lack confidence to try something unfamiliar • lackluster teachers who throw a wrench in the process in an attempt to derail it
- 8. FOUR TYPES OFTEACHERS Believers “Tweeners” “Yes we can” “I don’t know” School Culture Survivors Fundamentalists “Get me through the “No way” day” Transforming School Culture, Anthony Muhammad
- 9. WHERE ARE YOURTEACHERS? Believers Tweeners ? Survivors Fundamentalists
- 10. FOUR TYPES OFCULTURE collaborative contrived dictator/administration rules isolated Where is the culture in YOUR school?
- 11. RATE YOUR SCHOOLCULTURE A SINGING VERSION Toxic Healthy I Can’t Get No Satisfaction Stairway to Heaven Who Let the Dogs Out? Celebrate I Will Survive We Are the Champions 16 Tons Top of the World Take This Job and Shove It I Am a Believer Help! We Are Family Hard Day’s Night The Hero Is In You Wrong Again Send in the Clowns Lean on Me The Sounds of Silence Ain’t No Mountain High Enough Bridge Over Troubled Waters Imagine Rainy Days and Mondays One Moment in Time Empty Chairs at Empty Tables I’m A Believer
- 12. THE LOOK OFA TOXIC CULTURE negative values negative beliefs fragmented Toxic pessimistic staff destructive lack of negative integrity relationships and values Shaping School Culture
- 13. HOW DO YOUCHANGE A TOXIC CULTURE? • be a role model for the change • realize that the first impression when instituting change is all important • emphasize that the change is in the best interests of the students • instill an awareness of both the existing culture and the need for change • invite teachers to be part of the change • support positive cultural elements and staff
- 14. HOW DO YOUCHANGE A TOXIC CULTURE? • gather support of the superstar teachers and then bring the others along • pretend almost everyone is on board • focus on recruitment, selection, and retention of effective, positive staff • focus on eradicating the negative • meet on the negativity head-on
- 15. HOW DO YOUCHANGE A TOXIC CULTURE? • diminish fear and apprehension • rebuild around positive norms and beliefs • consistently celebrate the positive and the possible • develop new stories of success, renewal, and accomplishment • help toxic teachers make the move to a new school
- 16. TRICKS TO DEALINGWITH COMPLAINERS disperse their negative power do not treat them as a group realize they cannot influence the believers remember they complain EVERYWHERE Leading School Change
- 17. TRICKS TO DEALINGWITH COMPLAINERS redesign staff meeting arrangements meet with them INDIVIDUALLY to discuss plans for change do not put them in adjacent classrooms, common teams or PLC’s match them up with trailblazers and pioneers Leading School Change
- 18. Strong, positive schoolcultures result in increased student achievement and motivation Guiding Your School Community to Live a Culture of Caring and Learning
- 19. SHIFTING SCHOOL CULTURE FROM TO • teaching • learning • teacher isolation • collaboration • pass/fail mindset • elimination of failure • compliance • commitment • curriculum overload • guaranteed curriculum • general goals • specific goals • static assessment • dynamic assessment • independence • interdependence • planning to plan • planning to improve • time and staff fixed • learning fixed • learning for most • learning for all
- 20. BUILDING A POSITIVECULTURE “Trust is the glue that holds a collaborative culture together.” Skillful Leader II Absence Risk- of threat taking trust Collaborative Culture
- 21. common understanding adjust efforts common based on data commitment Successful Collaboration data to monitor efficiency and performance effectiveness
- 22. SHAPING A SUCCESSFULCULTURE focus on a student-centered mission and purpose strengthen positive elements of existing culture build on established traditions and values hire staff who share the values of the culture use history to fortify and sustain values and beliefs Shaping School Culture
- 23. POWERFUL, POSITIVE CULTURES collegiality experimentation highexpectations trust and confidence tangible support reaching out to the knowledge bases
- 24. POWERFUL, POSITIVE CULTURES appreciation and recognition caring, celebration, humor involvement in decision making protection of what is important honor traditions honest, open communication Butler and Dickson, 1987
- 25. TODAY’S PRINCIPAL • provides an atmosphere conducive to shared decision- making and collaboration at all levels • asks questions rather than providing answers • facilitates the process of school improvement rather than prescribing how it should be done • collaboratively explores alternatives to ineffective policies and practices rather than dictate the ones that will be used This We Believe in Action
- 26. TODAY’S TEACHERS • areactive leaders in the school learning community • participate in instructional discussions within learning communities that are centered on student success • are involved members of their teams • seek ways to make curriculum integrative, relevant, and challenging for students
- 27. TODAY’S TEACHERS • share instructional strategies to help meet individual student needs • discuss data with their colleagues and use it to inform instruction • share their expertise to help the school solve problems, make decisions, and set policy and direction This We Believe in Action
- 28. SCHOOL RITUALS ASPART OF CULTURE coffee and doughnuts schedule RITUALS attendance dismissal
- 29. SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS ASPART OF CULTURE Celebration is a key element in building and maintaining a positive, collaborative culture – embrace ALL partners in your celebrations
- 30. WHAT DO YOUCELEBRATE? PA I R , S H A R E W I T H A PA R T N E R
- 31. BUILDING A POSITIVESCHOOL CULTURE responsibility is everyone’s
- 32. TICKET OUT THEDOOR WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO AT YOUR SCHOOL?
- 33. BIBLIOGRAPHY Barth, Roland. (2001).Learning by heart. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Burgess, Jan & Bates, Donna. (2009). Other duties as assigned. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Clark, Sally & Clark, Donald. (2008). Leadership that makes a difference. Westerville, OH: National Middle School Association. Covey, Stephen R. (2008}. The leader in me. New York, NY: Free Press. Darling-Hammond, L. (1997). The right to learn: A blueprint for creating schools that work. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass. Deal, Terrence E. (1999). Shaping school culture: The heart of leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. DuFour, Richard & Eaker, Robert. (1998). Professional learning communities at work. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. Fullan, M. (1998). Leadership for the 21st century-Breaking the bonds of dependency. Educational Leadership, 55 (7), 6-10. DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., and Karhanek, G. (2004). Whatever it takes: How professional learning communities respond when kids don’t learn. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
- 34. BIBLIOGRAPHY Gibbs, Jeanne. (2007).Guiding your school community to live a culture of caring and learning: The process is called tribes. Windsor, CA: Centersource Systems. Muhammad, Anthony. (2009). Transforming school culture. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. Peterson, Kent D. (1999). Shaping school culture. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Platt, A., Tripp, C., Fraser, R., Warnock, J., Curtis, R. (2008). The skillful leader II. Acton, MA: Ready Action Press. This we believe: Keys to educating young adolescents. (2010). Westerville, OH: National Middle School Association. This we believe in action: Implementing successful middle level schools. (2012). Westerville, OH. Association for Middle Level Education. Whitaker, Todd. (2010). Leading school change. Larchmont, NY: Eye On Education.