1. Our Culture: What it means to be undefeated
Invictus High School PD
2/17/2017

2. Materials Standards Notecards Writing utensil PowerPoint Projector
Screen
Standards
4.1 Collaborate with Families and Other Community Members
Candidate applies an understanding of community relations models, marketing strategies and processes, data- based decision-making, and communications theory to create frameworks for partnerships.
Candidate involves families and other stakeholders in school decision-making.
Candidate collaborates with community agencies.
4.2 Respond to Community Interests and Needs
Candidate demonstrates active involvement within the community
Candidate uses appropriate assessment strategies and research methods to understand and accommodate diverse school and community conditions and dynamics.
Candidate provides leadership to programs serving students with special and exceptional needs.
Candidate capitalizes on the diversity (cultural, ethnic, racial, economic, and special interest groups) of the school community to improve school programs and meet the diverse needs of all students.

3. Why do you care?
Positive school cultures foster trust, collaboration, and improvement. Negative cultures foster distrust, isolation, and lack of change.
School culture influences
how people think, feel, and act.
Culture is a key determinant of staff
focus, commitment, motivation, and productivity.
All affect student learning!

4. Culture and Effectiveness
“At a deeper level, all organizations, especially schools, improve performance by fostering a shared system of norms, folkways, values, and traditions. These infuse the enterprise with passion, purpose, and a sense of spirit”(Peterson & Deal, 2002).

5. Elements of Culture
Norms, Values and Beliefs that underlie thinking, feeling and acting
Symbols and Artifacts that Communicate Meaning
Cultural Network
Heroes and Heroines
Rituals, Traditions, and Ceremonies
“Culture is the way we do things around here!”

6. Elements of Toxic Cultures
Negative Values and beliefs
No Shared sense of purpose
Negative Relationships.
Destructive individuals or groups.
No sense of trust or caring.
Few positive rituals or ceremonies to build a sense of community and hopefulness.
Deal and Peterson (2009)

7. Key WAYS THE CULTURE IS MANIFESTED
What hallways and classrooms look like.
Relationships among staff.
How newcomers are treated.
Relationships between staff and administration.
How students who are struggling are treated.
Relationships with parents and the community.
How staff collaborate to improve the school.
How successes and accomplishments are celebrated (Deal and Peterson, 2009)

8. Ceremonies and celebrations
Build Community
Shape the Culture
Revive Energy
What are your most meaningful ceremonies and celebrations? Share with those sitting around you. You have 3 minutes.
Whole group will discuss.

9. Ways of Reading Your Culture...
You have 5 minutes. On the notecard in front of you do the following:
List Six Adjectives to describe our school.
Think of a song that depicts your culture.
Create a metaphor… If my school were an animal, it would be a _____________ because_________________________.
Interview a school’s storytellers.

10. What is your culture Like now?
Pair Share! Partner up and share your thoughts on these questions.
What are the best aspects of your culture?
What are the less positive aspects of your culture?
What aspects are missing?
Prioritize what you would like to work on to improve your school culture.

11. MAPPING STRUCTURAL AND CULTURAL EVENTS OVER THE YEAR for staff and students, volunteers?

12. Survey
Complete this survey, it has been sent via to everyone.Be sure to comment on this PD and if it was helpful for you.

13. Survey Results

14. Action Plan Create Climate team for 17/18 school year.
Team will meet biweekly via Google Hangouts to discuss progress and aid each other in role fulfillment.
Must have one staff and one student rep from each campus.
Plan out 4 major staff and 4 major student events. Include projections of cost, needs, and deadlines by the April board meeting. (To be completed in afternoon PD.)
Assign roles for each event.
Begin collecting needed materials.
Present calendar at board meeting for approval.
If approved, move forward with contacting vendors and event coordinators.
If not approved, revise and repeat.

15. Resources
Adams, C.M., Forsyth, P.B., Miskell, R.C., & Ware, J.K. Self-regulatory climate: A positive attribute of public schools. The Journal of Educational Research (2016),  
Deal, T. & Peterson, K.,Shaping School Culture: Pitfalls, Paradoxes and Promises 2nd Ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.(2009).
Deal, T.E. &Peterson, K.D., Counterpoints.Vol. 408, Teacher Leadership: The "New" Foundations of Teacher Education—A READER (2011),
Kozol, J. (2012). Fire in the ashes: Twenty-five years among the poorest children in America. New York: Crown Publishing.
Lindahl, R. A. (2011). The crucial role of assessing the school's climate and culture in planning for school improvement. Educational Planning, 20(1),
Ponferrada-Arteaga, M., & Carrasco-Pons, S. (2010). Togetherness, coexistence or confrontation- The impact of school climate and culture on peer-to-peer social relations in Catalonia, Spain. Mediterranean Journal of Educational Studies, 15(1),