2. Rosenwald: Creating a Positive, Proactive, and Joyful Climate

3. School Climate School Climate is the communication of its norms, beliefs, and values through various behaviors and interactions and their effect on others, with the primary focus being on students. School Climate is driven by and reflected in the daily interactions of staff, administration, students, support staff, and the outside community.

4. Climate is demonstrated through collegiality, communication, decision- making, trust, expectations, ideology, leadership, recognition, celebration, support, and experimentation. Climate should directly reflect the school’s mission statement through its focus and actions. www.schoolofeducators.com

5.  School Culture is over a period of time…the history  Climate is now, it’s the perceptions/emotions being evoked www.schoolofeducators.com

6. Definition of Culture In short, Terrence Deal, author and professor at Vanderbilt University, explains, “It is the way we do business here and clarifies what is important and what is not.” www.schoolofeducators.com

7. ACCIDENTAL vs INTENTIONAL CULTURE Accidental Culture Intentional Culture 1. Activities are based on assumptions. 1. Activities are research-based. 2. Academic goals deteriorates to a wish list. 2. Academic goals are credible. The focus is on results. 3. Mission and goals are ignored. 3. Mission and goals are used as a blue print for school improvement. 4. Decisions are dictated and developed by few. 4. Broad collaboration: decisions are widely shared www.schoolofeducators.com

8. A Toxic School Culture Is full of Taters www.schoolofeducators.com  Dictators  Commentators  Agitators  Spectators

9. Positive School Culture/Climate  Mission IS about student and teacher learning  Rich sense of history and purpose  Core values of collegiality, performance, and improvement centered around quality, achievement, and learning for ALL students  Positive and Proactive Approaches for staff and students www.schoolofeducators.com

10. Positive School Culture/Climate  Stories that celebrate successes and recognize heroines and heroes  Physical Environment reflects pride and joy  Widespread sense of respect and nurturing www.schoolofeducators.com

11. Why Is School Culture Important? What research tells us: “Positive learning can only take place in a positive culture. A healthy school culture will affect more student and teacher success than any other reform or school improvement effort currently being employed.” -Gary Phillips www.schoolofeducators.com

12. T O C HANGE Y OUR S CHOOL’S C ULTURE  Promote your mission, vision, values and goals.  Bring your staff together to find best practices.  Sustain the culture through communication.  Persist.  Confront problems. www.schoolofeducators.com

13. A Final Thought “Self-renewing school cultures are collaborative places where adults care about one another, share common goals and values, and have the skills and knowledge to plan together, solve problems together, and fight passionately but gracefully for ideas to improve instruction.” -Robert Garmston & Bruce Wellman www.schoolofeducators.com

14. Coming together is a beginning, Staying together is progress, Sharing together is SUCCESS!

15. WE ARE ALL IN THIS BOAT TOGETHER www.schoolofeducators.com