1. Culture & Climate Concerns
Hannah Enad
(LINK:

2. What is culture and climate?
“School climate refers to the school's effects on students, including teaching practices; diversity; and the relationships among administrators, teachers, parents, and students.
School culture refers to the way teachers and other staff members work together and the set of beliefs, values, and assumptions they share. A positive school climate and school culture promote students' ability to learn.”
- Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

3. FBISD: Elkins High School
Established in 1992
Surrounding Communities: Quail Valley, Lake Olympia, and Riverstone
Historically Competitive in Athletics & Academics
Current Enrollment of 2,302 students
34% African American,
33% Asian
15% White
15% Hispanic
.26% American Indian
1.38% Multiracial, and 1.36% other students
In 2015, the Houston Chronicle…
Student, Edgar Villafane
"I have a lot of good friends and teachers here," he said. "I've met people from a lot of different places. It opens your mind.”
Alum & Former Teacher, Latoya Jackson
“Elkins gave me a valuable perspective. It is definitely the most diverse school in the district, and going to a state school with an international flair, I was able to talk to anyone.”

4. Identifying & Researching the Problem
Personal Connections to the School Observations & Discussions Personal Experience with Students’ Mental Health The Campus Improvement Plan (LINK: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

6. Faculty & Staff Sample Survey
Survey Questions
Average Rating / Response
How would you rate the general attitude and morale of Elkins faculty and staff?
3.05/10
Do you believe faculty and staff are adequately and equally supported by leadership?
Yes – 0%
No – 100%
Rate the truth of the following statement from 1-10 (10 being very true)...
"This school is a good place for me to work and learn."
4.5/10
"The best teachers and staff are retained at this school."
"School administrators involve teachers in decision making and problem solving."
1.95/10
"School administrators and staff communicate with each other effectively."
2.38/10

7. How would you describe culture and climate at Elkins High School?
“Administrators are much more interested in implementing districts and procedures than they are about supporting teachers and good teaching. Hiring has also been implemented poorly, often resulting in unqualified and inexperienced teachers. As a result, good teachers have gotten tired and frustrated and have left the school.”
How do you believe culture and climate has affected student success at Elkins High School?
“There are students in my classes who have NEVER had a real math or English teacher--just permanent subs. This puts experienced staff under a huge amount of pressure to basically teach other teachers how to do their job, and students suffer. Exhausted, overburdened teachers are not as effective as supported teachers who are sufficiently trained and have reasonable workloads.”

8. How would you describe culture and climate at Elkins High School?
A1: One word: Horrible The school severely lacks any sense on support, camaraderie, and teamwork. everyone person has to fend for themselves in general. It is a very negative atmosphere, even for those who generally to not get ruffled easily or those who generally try to rise above tension. A4: Culture and climate at Elkins can improve. I feel that at times there can be a lack of communication where other times things will be overly communicated. Micromanaging is also a problem on campus, which translates to the staff feeling as if we are children instead of working professionals. I also feel that not only admin but also the forgets that both staff and students are human beings with real life struggles and problems that we all deal with on a daily basis. Being in a classroom has become less about teaching and more about crowd control. A6: It is a very difficult place to work. Staff does not feel appreciated or cared for by admin. There is a climate of "lead by fear and punishment". This does not make anyone better nor does it retain good staff. A12: The Culture is very bad at Elkins High School teacher/staff are leaving due to the lack of support and trust from the Admin team.

9. How do you believe culture and climate has affected student success at EHS?
A2: I feel that unmotivated employees are unmotivated teachers. A lot of good ideas die looking for support, and there seems to be a view that everyone should teach at the lowest level of team members. A4: I believe that things start from the top. If the staff is feeling underappreciated or overworked, so will the students. Last week during a club meeting, the students were stating that they feel no connections with any of their teachers as they have in previous years. The students feel the tension on campus. If staff is unhappy, students will be unhappy. A7: The quality of teacher is dropping as retaining good, particularly long tenured, teachers is becoming more difficult and hiring decisions don't seem strong. A8: It affects students success because there are not educators to fill positions. At this campus, we've had 4-6 vacancies since the year started. Teachers quit in the middle of a nine weeks. Then those students are left to fend for themselves. How can a student be successful when he/she isn't provided quality instruction?

10. Student Sample Survey Student Survey Questions Average Rating
How would you rate the general attitude and morale of Elkins students?
5.08/10
Rate the truth of the following statement from 1-10 (10 being very true) …
"Teachers at this school build strong relationships with students."
5.63/10
"Faculty and staff promote the success of all students."
5.25/10
"The best teachers and staff are retained at this school."
4.71/10

11. Student Survey Question Written Response
How do you describe culture and climate at Elkins in comparison to other high schools in the district? 
S3: “They don’t care. 95% of my teachers don’t like working at this school. Most of them are more preoccupied with not being written up than teaching in and of itself. Personally, i find it discouraging. Now everything is about attendance, reports, and having enough grades.”
S10: “Some teachers are very involved, however, some teachers do not care whatsoever about anything but being paid”
S21: “All the good teachers leave because this school sucks”
How do you believe culture and climate has affected student success at Elkins High School?
S8: “Poorly, [students] do not have a fun school to come to. If Elkins were to be a fun enjoyable welcoming place to come to I would be more likely and more willing to come to school to learn, unfortunately...it is not.
S10: “A lot because many people do not feel motivated to be as involved as they can into the school.”
S22: “We barely have teachers that actually understand the subject, we barely can have substitute teachers work here.”

12. Possible Plan of Action to Address the Problem of Practice
Involve all stakeholders in the community
Set a vision, make sure to include norms and expectations for all levels
Produce a method of accountability (surveys, open forums, etc.)
Culture Committee