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Benchmark – Reviving the Professional Culture

Lana Rose

College of Education, Grand Canyon University

EAD-513: Shaping School Culture

Nesa Sasser

August 10, 2022

Benchmark – Reviving the Professional Culture

Summary

A strong, positive school culture will not just happen at Maynard High School. Positive school

cultures “are built over time by those who work in and attend the school and by the formal and

informal leaders who encourage and reinforce values and traditions” (Deal & Peterson, 2016).

As I start as the principal in July, Maynard High School will be planning for the beginning of its

second year in existence. Maynard High School is at its beginning stages, with only one school

year completed. While gathering information beginning in February to the end of the school

year, I compiled that there would need to be hiring plans, plus operational and organizational

realities needing addressing. The goal is for all stakeholders of Maynard High School to have a

sense of community and shared purpose.

There are going to be an immense of changes for the upcoming school year. One

difference is that Maynard High School will begin their second year serving 1,450 students while

adding the twelfth grade. The previous year the school educated students in ninth to eleventh

grades with a population of 1,100. Another change will be with staff. By the end of the first year,

seven teachers are leaving the core and essential classes. Not only will I be hiring to replace the

current positions, but nine new teachers are budgeted for the fall and a school counselor for the

twelfth grade. At the end of December, the principal and one of the three assistant principals

resigned. With all these changes, there are some issues with the school’s culture. Many of the

teachers did not receive their formal observation with their written evaluations, while many other

teachers did not get evaluated. Maynard High School has a standard curriculum not used by all

teachers. The unused curriculum may be because professional development is inconsistent with
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the plan. Also, after new information is presented, there is a lack of support for implementing

new curricula or strategies. Professional learning communities are absent without the expectation

or scheduled time for collaboration. Within a school community, getting the culture right is the

essential factor in the long-term success of a school. “Culture shift requires changes in mindsets,

norms, and attitudes and is as difficult and uncertain as it is essential” (Redding & Corbett,

2018).

New Mission and Vision

To be an effective leader for Maynard High School, I aim to provide high-quality

education, academic success, and well-being for each student. Reaching the goal of student

success is possible by developing, advocating, and executing a shared vision, mission, and core

values. As a new principal for Maynard High School, I need to approach all stakeholders

respectfully instead of communicating that everything they have been doing is wrong and change

will happen. Instead, I need to encourage cooperation. “Like any attempt to change people’s

behavior, shifting culture requires an understanding of what motivates behavior and facilitates

change” (Redding & Corbett, 2018).

First, I will meet with staff to eliminate their fear of change. Listening to and validating

the staff’s thoughts will help them cope with the change. After this, I will better understand the

beliefs and where the culture has come from. Throughout this process of listening, I will interpret

and determine cultural aspects that are positive, uplifting, and motivating but not ignore the

negative. Next, with more insight, I will develop a leadership team consisting of administration,

lead teachers from each department, a school counselor, and two-parent and student

representatives. Representing all the stakeholders provides an opportunity for collaboration and

inclusion amongst our supporters. Using the current positives, core values, and data from the
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previous year, a vision and mission began to be established. To begin, I would ask all the team

members to answer this question, “Do I understand what this organization values, believes in,

and hopes to be?” (Gabriel & Farmer, n.d.). Once all the data is examined, the school’s vision

and mission development begin. At a staff retreat, a gallery walk will take place for staff to give

input for adjustments to be made to revise the vision and mission before being finalized. “When

developing a vision, remember that less can be more; keep it short, and your staff will remember

it longer” (Gabriel & Farmer, n.d.). After everyone’s input was given and shared, the final vision

and mission was adopted and shared with all stakeholders. The mission of Maynard High School

is to provide a climate in which every student learns. The vision is “to realize the full impact of

an exemplary education system,” the Maynard High School “must have a clear and common

understanding of what it intends to become, as well as the characteristics of its buildings and the

role of the stakeholders involved in the effort. This vision statement intends to provide a platform

to guide discussion, decisions, and assessment as we work toward improvement” (Neola, 2019).

Short-Term and Long-term Outcomes

“Culture shared by all school stakeholders makes the actualization of both short-and

long-term objectives easier” (Lewis et al., 2016). Having specific goals will guide Maynard High

School to reach its mission and vision. Maynard High School Creating a new mission and vision

for Maynard High School with all stakeholders involved in the first short-term goal. Long-term

outcomes also pertain to the mission and vision statements by visually displaying the mission

and vision statements for all stakeholders to see. Also, refer to the mission and vision statements

for professional development and share the “why” for acquiring the new information. 

           Other short and long-term goals are pertaining to curriculum. First, an inventory of the

current curriculum will be conducted. A discussion with staff will elaborate on what is working
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and not working with the current curriculum. Next, each content area will look at the student

curriculum giving input to create a pacing guide. This pacing guide will be used throughout the

school year to keep all teachers on track with providing academic content to the students. This

will create peer collaboration. Each week during teacher-based teams, one hundred percent of the

teachers will bring ideas to share with others how the curriculum is used in the classroom to

increase student achievement. By collaborating, teachers use differentiated strategies to meet the

needs of all students. Professional development will be provided so staff feels more comfortable

about the best practices. “Student achievement increases substantially in schools with

collaborative work cultures fostering a professional learning community among teachers and

others, focus continuously on improving instructional practice in light of student performance

data, and link to standards and staff development support” (Lewis et al., 2016). The idea of the

outcomes will not only increase meeting the needs of all students to learn, but increase teacher

retention.

Collaborating for Data

Collaboration ensures students have opportunities for success. Having an open-door

policy will help me build relationships with all stakeholders. Before each professional

development on Wednesdays, we will begin sharing celebrations. Students Quarterly

Celebrations will be opened to share with parents and community members. All teachers will

create and post in the hallway Data Walls celebrating all core classes and behaviors, which

includes attendance. Fellow staff members and students from other classes will do a gallery walk

to view all the celebrations of growth. Also, parents will see Data Walls during Parent-Teacher

Conferences or visiting the building for other reasons.

Each month, the assistant principals and I will observe teachers. This will make sure all

teachers are getting observed. Teachers will get feedback on strengths and areas of need. There

will also be peer observations. Maynard’s policies and procedures will be followed to help

ensure each student’s safety. First, the policies will be introduced to the staff, students, and

community members. Then, not only will the expectations and policies be heard, but practiced

too. Parents and community stakeholders are invited to volunteer in various programs such as

tutoring or mentoring. The collaboration I have with students, staff, parents, and community

members will show the mission and vision of Maynard High School are supported and what

guides our school to make the right decisions for all students.

Productive Family Relationships

As a leader of Maynard High School, I will thoughtfully use methods to build and sustain

positive relationships with students’ families and caregivers. As I mentioned before, having an

open-door policy will show my transparency and gain trust by listening and being credible

through my actions. At the beginning of the year, we will have an Open House for students and

families to see the school, meet the teachers and staff, and get any questions answered. During

Parent-Teacher Conferences, a survey will be available for families to complete. Our Building

Leadership Team will take the information to look at and plan moving forward. Maynard High

School will begin a parent-teacher organization to collaborate ideas to improve the school for our

students. Family Nights may include game nights, banquets, or quarterly celebrations throughout

the school year. The students and families will see me visible at all of the events and

communicate with them. “When schools collect input from stakeholders and then share findings

as well as actions taken based on that input, barriers of mistrust begin to break down” (Redding

& Corbett, 2018).

Productive Community Partnerships

“Partnerships are essential for helping students achieve their maximum potential, and

while parent and community involvement has always been a cornerstone of public schools,

greater recognition and support of these collaborative efforts is needed” (AIR, 2011). The

community has an enormous impact on our school, and students also affect the community. After

graduation, our students will be productive citizens in our community. One of my primary goals

at Maynard High School is to build community relationships this year. The community is invited

to board meetings to be informed of what is happening at our school and how it could impact the

community. Around our mission and vision statements, our school will have WRAP (Wellness

Recovery Action Plan) to support the needs of our students and families and plan for their

wellness. Different organizations are invited to represent their agency and listen to the family’s

needs. By putting a plethora of photos and information on the Facebook page for Maynard High

School, the community can see all the wonderful things happening at our school!

Public Advocacy

To be the best advocate for students, families, and the community, I need to be informed.

I will join NASSP (National Association of Secondary School Principals) to be more

knowledgeable about the changes in education. Next, I will stand up to act for Maynard High

School to improve education for all. Eventually, I can invite a member of Congress to shadow

me during a school day, which then can influence how the policies are made in the future.

Finally, I can connect with other principals, share my advocacy story, and listen to their stories in

return. Also, I will present at a board meeting Maynard High School’s celebrations and concerns.

A presentation can be given to Parent-Teacher Organization on what we are working on,

achieved, goals, and needs. Another way to advocate is to invite the media to have a press release

about the amazing experiences the students are having.

Rational

"Effective educational leaders help their schools to develop or endorse visions that

embody the best thinking about teaching and learning. School leaders inspire others to reach for

ambitious goals" (Gabriel & Farmer, n.d.). When making any decisions, plans, or changes, I keep

the students’ needs at the forefront. The students are the main priority. My goal is to

collaboratively create mission and vision statements with stakeholders to incorporate the beliefs

with every decision made, professional development attended, and relationships built to increase

the successes of all the students. The relationships I build will be with trust and credibility. This

will take time, transparency, and honesty. The mission and vision statements and our short-term

and long-term outcomes will establish student-centered environment that promotes social justice

within the school. By having the teachers working together on pacing guides for the curriculum

and seeing differentiated and improved lesson plans, this helps our students’ achievement

growth. As I model building relationships, the staff is building relationships with their students

which supports social justice in the positive learning environment.

As an effective leader for Maynard High School being approachable, accessible, and

welcoming to families and members of the community is establishes a student-centered

environment that promotes social justice within the school. The students benefit from having

positive, collaborative, and productive relationships with their families and community members.

Keeping the communication between the school and community members creates productive

relationships and gains resources for our school. By advocating for the students and staff, I

ensure these students get the help and resources they need to engage in a positive learning
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experience. The positive culture at Maynard High School believes and treats students fairly,

respectfully, and with an understanding of their culture.

References

AIR. (2011). Family-School-Community Partnerships | Safe Supportive Learning. Ed.gov.

https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/training-technical-assistance/education-level/early-

learning/family-school-community-partnerships

Deal, T. E., & Peterson, K. D. (2016). Shaping School Culture. In bibliu.com (Third Edition). Jossey-

Bass. https://bibliu.com/app/#/view/books/9781119210221/epub/OPS/titlepage.html#page_5

Gabriel, J. G., & Farmer, P. C. (n.d.). Access Denied. Www.spps.org. Retrieved August 10, 2022, from

https://www.spps.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?

moduleinstanceid=96343&dataid=78044&FileName=Creating%20a%20Mission%20and

%20Vision.pdf

Lewis, J., Asberry, J., Dejarnett, G., & King, G. (2016). The Best Practices for Shaping School Culture

for Instructional Leaders. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1120644.pdf

Neola. (2019). School board policy manual: Lima City Schools. Go.boarddocs.com.

https://go.boarddocs.com/oh/lima/Board.nsf/Public?open#

National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2015). Professional Standards for Educational

Leaders National Policy Board for Educational Administration FORMERLY KNOWN AS ISLLC

STANDARDS. https://www.npbea.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Professional-Standards-for-

Educational-Leaders_2015.pdf

Redding, S., & Corbett, J. (2018). SHIFTING SCHOOL CULTURE TO SPARK RAPID

IMPROVEMENT A Quick Start Guide for Principals and Their Teams.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED592993.pdf
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