School Culture: Three Important Systems Anthony S. Muhammad, Ph.D.

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Two Forms of Change Technical–structural (skill) Cultural (will)

Will and Skill Culture Pedagogy

High Will and High Skill Low Skill High Skill Low Will

Healthy School Culture “Educators have an unwavering belief in the ability of all of their students to achieve success, and they pass that belief on to others in overt and covert ways. Educators create policies and procedures and adopt practices that support their belief in the ability of every student.” —Kent D. Peterson in Cromwell, 2002

School goals guide behavior. Prescriptive Commitment Belief in all students School goals guide behavior. Reflection Analyze data Confront brutal facts. Prescription Collaborative Disciplined practice

The Will to Lead Aligning the Philosophy Managing Frustration Creating a Culture of Collaboration Institutionalizing Cultural Health Hollie and Muhammad, The Will to Lead, the Skill to Teach (2011)

3 Systems that Support Cultural Health Communication Systems Systems of Celebration Mentoring Systems for New Teachers (Tweeners)

Communication Systems Human relationships rely on formal communication Informal communication can destroy human relationships Communication must be two-way Communication system must be responsive

Stephen Decatur Middle School School administration and teachers made a pact to only discuss frustrations through their formal communication system School administration and union reps designed a simple form for all staff members to use to facilitate a cooperative negotiation Twice per month, school administration and union reps conduct a “Decatur Collab” The general notes are emailed to all staff and specific feedback is given to the concerned parties

Complete Action Plan Section #1 Action Planning Complete Action Plan Section #1

Authentic Celebration We celebrate what we value “Authentic” vs. “Staged” celebrations Celebration is for all stakeholders (students, staff, and parents) Creates platform and context for Believers to comfortably operate and control language Creates welcoming atmosphere for Tweeners who become more likely to be Believers

Intentionally Inviting Symbols

Intentionally Disinviting Symbols

Innocuous Symbolism

Complete Action Plan Section #2 Action Planning Complete Action Plan Section #2

Support System for Tweeners Traditional “mentor” system has been a failure Comprehensive, multi-faceted system works best Avoid ‘toxic’ teams Administration must remove the ‘wall of silence’ and encourage communication about struggles Create opportunities to connect with school on many levels Skill development and capacity building are essential

Complete Action Plan Section #3 Action Planning Complete Action Plan Section #3

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