1. Developing Positive
School Culture

2. Welcome Superintendent Facilitator Welcome & Why Important
Overview / Agenda
Enduring Understandings
Guiding Questions
Targeted Objectives
Introductions

3. Proposed Norms & Expectations
Stay focused and fully engaged
no competing conversations please
Participate to grow
share openly and monitor your listening
Be a learner
create your own meaning and application
Get your needs met
ask questions that benefit the group
personal questions on breaks
Housekeeping
silence cell phones
handle business later
share ONE point …then next person
Introduce today’s proposed norms
FACILITATOR: you may want to add some explanation as provided below
NOTE: see management notes for other options
Demonstrate trust - Be trustworthy & trusting of others (this is a safe environment, do not judge one another, things stay in the room, do not use things discussed today against someone in the future)
Demonstrate healthy conflict - Listen to one another (listen to others with an open-mind to first understand their perspective). Share what is on your mind (do not assume another person’s perspective is the right answer, there are many right answers, and do not go silent …we need to hear your thoughts)
Demonstrate an growth mindset (this means being open to continuous self-improvement) - Engage in dialogue to develop new ideas (we know that adults learn through talking it out) Ask questions to learn and clarify
Share ONE point …then next person (this is an agreement that each person will share just one idea at a time, this enables everyone to be able share – no one person dominates)
Silence cell phones
After a brief discussion ….ask group to raise their hands to indicate that they are willing to accept the proposed norms for today. Emphasize “Share ONE point” …this norms allows everyone to have opportunities to add to the dialogue

4. Ice Breaker
“Positive Name”-Use Positive Descriptive Adjective Sheet to create your Positive Name
Example: Maria Ramirez
Positive Name:
Radiant Ramirez or Marvelous Maria

5. Defining School Culture
Overall physical and psychological atmosphere in a school: behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that have worked well in the past and are taught to new members of the community
Deal and Peterson (2009)

6. Elements of School Culture
Norms, Values and Beliefs that underlie thinking, feeling and acting
Symbols and Artifacts that Communicate Meaning
Stories that Herald Values
Cultural Network
Rituals, Traditions, and Ceremonies
“Culture is “the way we do things around here!”
Deal and Peterson (2009)

7. Chart Paper Activity Section 1- List Positive Names of group members
Section 2- Values
Section 3- Symbols
Section 4- Stories (History)
Section 5- Culture Network
Section 6- Ceremonies
Section 7- Reading your School’s Culture
Section Formative Assessment

8. Norms, Values and Beliefs
3 Questions to determine your school communities’ values
1.) What makes a good day?
2.) What makes a good week?
3.) What makes a good year?

9. Symbols and Artifacts that Communicate Meaning
Communicate values
Reinforce culture
Build success through commitment
Symbolize the mission

10. Symbols at your school
How does your daily work symbolize what your school considers important?
How do the symbols connect to students and parents?
Important Message

11. Stories that Herald Values
Identify a story (history) that represents what your school values that has been or should be passed on the new staff/students

12. Cultural Network: Culture Shaping Roles
Anthropologist
Historian
Visionary
Symbol
Potter
Poet
Actor
Healer
*Segment 3 will cover in more detail

13. Toxic Culture Shaping Roles
Saboteurs
Pessimistic Storytellers
“Keepers of the Nightmare”
Negaholics
Prima Donnas-Prima Donalds
Space Cadets
Martyrs
Deadwood, Driftwood, Ballast
Resource Vultures
*Segment 3 will cover in more detail

14. Examine your Culture Network
How can you best use your positive members?
How can you help members change?
How can you protect the culture from toxins?

15. Rituals, Traditions, and Ceremonies
Reinforce Values
Build Culture and Community
Recharge Motivation
Communicate Purpose
Celebrate Small/Big Successes

16. Elements of Ceremonies
Banners, Flags
Processionals
Speeches
Clothing and Location
Symbols and Artifacts
Special Visitors
Symbolic Rituals
Songs and Music
Mottos, Slogans, Recitations
Food and Drink

17. Unsuccessful Ceremonies have……
Lack of Purpose
No Energy or Spirit
Inappropriate Words or Stories
Unpopular Symbols
Meaningless Rituals
Negative Meanings
Poor Planning
Dispirited Activities

18. Examine your school’s Ceremonies
From the beginning to the end of the school year, what are your ceremonies?
What are the strengths of your ceremonies?
What are the weaknesses of your ceremonies?

19. Reading your School’s Culture
List 5 adjectives to describe your school.
Think of a song that respects your school’s culture.
Create a metaphor about the culture of your school.
One interesting fact about your school?
Who are legends at your school?
How are newcomers welcomed?

20. Closure/Formative Assessment
3-2-1 Activity
-Write down 3 important terms you remember from this development
-Write down 2 ideas/thoughts from this development
-Write down 1 question from this development
(write in last portion of your chart paper-in section 8)

21. School Culture
Putting together the pieces of
school culture
Segment 2

22. Positive Name
Marvelous Marvin

23. Ice Breaker Charlie Brown Cartoon Clip
-What is the importance of students feeling important and connected to teachers/school? -How does student connection impact student achievement?

24. School Culture Video Clips
Educational Leader from Australia
Principal’s perspective

25. Article: “Positive or Negative”
Window Notes Activity- Divide a piece of paper into 4 parts and label as follow:
-(1) facts/details
-(2) feelings
-(3) questions
-(4) ideas

26. Closure/Formative Assessment
Summarize Activity- using 10 words or less form a thought or sentence that summarizes what was covered during the development

27. School Culture
Toxic School Cultures
Segment 3

28. Positive Name
Fantastic Frank

29. Ice Breaker Totem Pool Activity
Historically a totem pole was carved for several reasons: (1) to honor a deceased elder who made an impact on a community, (2) to show the number of rights and names a person had acquired over his/her lifetime, and (3) to document an encounter with the supernatural
Today you will design a group totem to discover your group’s strengths/weakness that can impact a school’s culture
© AZ Board of Regents, BEST Professional Development, All rights reserved, 2012. 

30. Totem Pole Activity (continued)
Using the given art supplies and animal characteristic list, create the animal that best describes your moral and performance characteristics
Form a group totem pole to include each person’s animal
As a group reflect out loud what is represented within your staff’s totem
pole
© AZ Board of Regents, BEST Professional Development, All rights reserved, 2012. 

31. Toxic Culture Shaping Roles
Saboteurs- always find a way to sabotage, ruin any new ideas/programs/positive activity
Pessimistic Storytellers- remind everyone of every failure; reduce staff commitment
“Keepers of the Nightmare”- retell of the challenges that occurred during change when implementing new ideas/programs/curriculum
Negaholics- always refer to the “Good Old Days”; negative gossip often takes place out of school leaking into the community

32. Toxic Culture Shaping Roles (continued)
Prima Donnas/Prima Donalds- want what is best for themselves; want things to revolve around them “Needy”
Space Cadets- have no idea what is going on and do not think through things; use important times to ramble about nonsense
Martyrs- any contribution they make they have to be constantly thanked; act like everything is a personal strain
Deadwood, Driftwood, Ballast- do as little as possible; are just there, have done little that is new in many years
Resource Vultures- take from others and do not give back

33. Shaping a School Culture: The role of school leaders
Anthropologist- probes for current set of norms/beliefs that define the current culture
Historian- seeks to understand normative past of the school
Visionary- collaborates with other leaders and the community to define valued-focused picture of the future of a school; vision is continually evolves
Symbol- affirms value through routines, behavior, attitudes, dress

34. Shaping a School Culture: The roles of school leaders (continued)
Potter- brings in staff who have the same core values, shapes and is shaped by the heroes, rituals, traditions, ceremonies symbols a school
Poet- uses language to reinforce values and maintain the school’s positive image
Actor- improvises and remains calm/professional during a school’s unpredicted dramas, challenges, tragedies
Healer- encourages during transitions and change and provides support during conflict and loss

35. Closure/Formative Assessment
Half of participants will retrieve their animal from the group totem pole as well as one random animal to form groups of two
Share with your partner two things you learned from the development
A few groups share out loud with the whole group what they learned

36. School Culture
Impact of positive school cultures; Responsibilities of principals, teachers, and students in establishing a positive school culture
Segment 4

37. Positive Name
Splendid Sara

38. Ice Breaker Goofy Video Clip
- What responsibilities did Goofy (teacher) portray/embed within his classroom’s culture?
- What responsibilities did the students in the video clip portray regarding their commitment to their classroom’s culture?

39. Benefits Of Establishing/Maintaining A Positives School Culture
A study done by Kannapel, P. J., & Clements, S. K., with Taylor, D., & Hibpshman, T. (2005) to discover the differences between high/low performing schools discovered……
Most notably the high performing schools shared the common theme of scoring high under the school culture section, noting the following variables as crucial to student success and being in place…..

40. The belief that all students can succeed at high levels
High expectations
Collaborative decision making
Teachers accept their role in student successor failure
Strategic assignment of staff
Regular teacher-parent communication
Caring staff and faculty
Dedication to diversity and equity

41. Article: School Climate Research Summary
In small groups individually read through the article and use the provided chart paper/markers to list as a group 5 benefits of having/maintaining a positive school culture
Share with the whole group what your group wrote down
Center for Social and Emotional Education (2009)

42. 0-4 scale (0-none/4 too a great extent)
Rate your school’s level of implementation of the responsibilities in shaping a positive school culture.
0-4 scale (0-none/4 too a great extent)
Choose a strength/weaknesses for each of the 3 roles (principal, teachers, students)
Share with the group your strengths/weaknesses identified based on your ratings for each of the 3 roles
Protective School (2000)

43. Video Clip Dr. Kris Bosworth (Protective School Culture Project)
Write down 2 points/thoughts that stood out
Share with a partner/share a couple with whole group

44. Closure/Formative Assessment
Alphabet Summary
-Example:
A- artifacts