STANDARD THREE: Cultural Leadership
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.
There are many forms of constant collaboration within the school, listed below from largest groups to smallest groups:
There are many forms of constant collaboration within the school, listed below from largest groups to smallest groups:
- Full Staff Collaboration: Full Staff Professional Development on a system-wide technique or initiative (every Friday and every other Tuesday).
- Department Collaboration: Department Specific Professional Collaboration within departments (ELA, History, Math, Science, and Electives: Typically every other Friday)
- Grade Level Collaboration: Grade Level Specific Professional Collaboration within Grade Level Teams. This collaboration specifically involves cultivating the culture of the grade level team (every Friday)
- Instructional Coaches Meetings: Instructional Coach-Specific Collaboration with the IC team to continuously plan for upcoming professional developments and increase capacity to develop teachers systematically (every Monday).
- Full Leadership Team Meetings: Leadership-Specific Professional Collaboration about the most important items to accomplish for the upcoming weeks as a school, from PDs to events to increasing morale, etc. (every Monday and Friday)
- DOO/DOS/IC/GLC "Standing Meetings" with Principal: Individualized meetings between Principal and IC to engage in the most appropriate individual collaboration and development between leaders and their teachers (once a week)
- Teacher "Standing Meetings" with Instructional Coaches: Individualized meetings between ICs and Teachers to engage in the most appropriate individual collaboration and development of teachers. This includes internalization of upcoming lessons, practice of "sweet spot" action steps, and data analysis of taught material that was under 80% master on a formative assessment that needs to be retaught (1-3 times a week).
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.
As a school we spend time in the first week defining "who are are" and "how we operate" as a team. We read as a full staff two books whose concepts shape much of what we value as a school: The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni and Leadership and Self Deception by the Arbinger Institute. We use these values to adhere to our operating norms that we follow and ground our decisions in as an organization. While I led the full staff review of these concepts in depth, I also led new staff members through a more extensive professional development on these ideas in order to fully understand what it means to be an "HC teacher". |
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.
Each Friday, we close out the week by celebrating a "Wildcard" teacher spotlight of the week. I first announce who the teacher is, and give the entire staff 3 minutes to "spread rumors" about the great things that teacher did that week by walking around the room and sharing with others. We then spend 3 minutes sharing as many out loud as we can to the full group. I then celebrate weekly teacher attendance, and any other accomplishments that happened that week. After Q2 Benchmarks, I included the celebrations of which teachers met or achieved their Q2 Benchmark Goal, and which teachers' data was higher than this time last year. |
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.
After the school building closed due to the CO-VID19 pandemic, I formed a Curriculum Committee with a group of curriculum experts at the school to create the plan for what distance learning will look like at the school. The committee has planned for specific contents, schedules for teachers and staff members, and the needs involved to train teachers on how to deliver virtual education that is simple, will yield high participation, is engaging, and builds connection with students.
After the school building closed due to the CO-VID19 pandemic, I formed a Curriculum Committee with a group of curriculum experts at the school to create the plan for what distance learning will look like at the school. The committee has planned for specific contents, schedules for teachers and staff members, and the needs involved to train teachers on how to deliver virtual education that is simple, will yield high participation, is engaging, and builds connection with students.