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Pub tables, collective efficacy and culture

6/17/2017

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      No matter what position you hold within a school system, you've "been there." You've been there when someone has suggested a new initiative or a change of some sort. You've been there when colleagues get excited about the suggestion; the energy and ideas abound and the culture is energized... and you've been there when grumbling ensues, and the culture feels "stormy" as concerns are shared. Any type of change can trigger insecurity feelings or ignite innovation energy.
      Two years ago, a colleague of mine (who serves our schools as a middle school principal in a state in the Western region of the U.S.) wanted to move his building to a block schedule as well as mastery-based grading approach within a year. (I know, WOW!) He created a leadership team, consisting of himself, his assistant principal, and representatives from each subject area and grade level. The leadership team spent a year studying both initiatives, conducting a comprehensive study of how time was used and how mastery-based grading practices were occurring within some classrooms in the school. They also reviewed the research on the use of time and mastery-based grading practices in middle level education, and then, they explored options for their setting. This information and their recommendations were shared with the rest of the staff. The following year, the teachers were energized as the school began implementing both initiatives.
   During the summer months prior to implementing both initiatives, the principal and assistant principal decided to surprise the teachers by giving the faculty room a makeover. Their purpose in doing so was to demonstrate value to the teachers as professionals by providing an updated, fashionable, corporate-like space in which they could gather and socialize. They brought in pub tables and comfy sofas, created a kitchen area with shiny new appliances, and painted motivational sayings on the walls. The space looked like it was created by a designer from HGTV! It was interesting to note the teachers' varied reactions as there was a bit of hullabaloo over this change.  
      The changes this staff experienced affected their school's culture. The status quo had been challenged on so many levels and yet, some changes were met with eagerness and other were met with uncertainty. Hmmmm...
     As your summer progresses, plans for the upcoming school year move to the forefront. As the planning unfolds, it is highly probable your system will be anticipating the implementation of some type of change. Those within the organization may embrace this change, while others… not so much! When a school system experiences change, the culture is going to be affected. This is because culture is not a static entity; it’s fluid and is developed by the people within the organization, the information they bring to the organization and the reactions or interactions that occur as a result (Finnan, 2000). The culture then sets the direction for the organization, covertly guiding the behavior of those within the organization. The actions of those within the organization then, shape the culture, creating a self-repeating cycle. To introduce a change, would undeniably interrupt this cycle (Hinde, 2004).
      When a school engages in any type transformation or improvement effort, care must be taken to nurture the culture. In the book, Rethinking Educational Change with Heart and Mind (1997) Hargreaves explains as a change is implemented, the organization will need to experience a reculturing, as opposed to a reformation.  Reculturing focuses on the shifting of the beliefs of those within the organization. When those within the school’s culture believe in the need for the change, they achieve a sense of shared ownership, which is a characteristic of a healthy culture. (Thus, the reason why the faculty room, not created by those within the organization, was met with controversy.)
      Additionally, when teachers possess efficacy or the belief that s/he is able to promote students’ learning (Hoy, 2000), change is implemented with success. When considering a school’s culture, collective efficacy is crucial. Dr. Anthony Muhammad explains that for this to occur, high functioning collaborative teams must focus on and coordinate efforts to agree on the actual desired result, how the team will produce that result, and they must actually work collaboratively to produce the result. (Thus, the reason why the block schedule and mastery-based grading approach was met with acceptance!)
     How have you implemented change in your educational organization while nurturing the culture? What type of experiences have you met with in developing collective efficacy? Share your challenges and success in the comments below, and/or come to Learning Forward PA’s Fall Institute in October. Dr. Anthony Muhammad, national expert on school culture will address these points and more! To catch that Early Bird special ($150.00!!) and find out more, click here. 
​
Regards,
Learning Forward PA
(Author: F. Miller)

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The Number One Leverage Point in Effecting Change: Your School Culture Matters

6/9/2017

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Welcome to the first blog post by Learning Forward PA.
We are happy to have you join us!

 
Think about the technical / structural changes that have been implemented in your school district over the past three years. Have they had a profound impact on practice? Why or why not?
 
Have you ever had the experience where you implemented a technical or structural change in your school, and in some school buildings it seemed to do well, and in other school buildings it seemed to fall flat on its face? It had nothing to do with the validity of the technical change.
 
Dr. Anthony Muhammad (@newfrontier21) will assert that the most likely reason for the failure of a technical or structural change is your school’s culture. He asserts, “Technical or structural change that is not supported by cultural change, will always be overwhelmed by the culture.”
 
“School culture is the is the set of values, norms, beliefs, rituals and ceremonies, symbols and stories, that make up the ‘persona’ of the school” (Deal and Peterson, 2002). Education World talked with Peterson about the differences between positive and negative school cultures and how administrators and teachers can create a positive culture in their schools.
 
For many schools, the school culture is not an area that is considered when a school tried to implement change. When is the last time you have assessed, or surveyed your school culture to determine whether it was “positive” or “negative?” A healthy school climate is the cornerstone to school improvement. However, it often goes unmentioned or unaddressed in school change and reform efforts.
 
Teacher leader Alex Kajitani, who travels the country working with schools to improve their culture, believes that the number one factor that determines whether a school culture is toxic or thrives is how staff members deal with their own conflicts when they arise.
 
Transforming the school culture is so important. You can have all the best strategies, all the best techniques, the best practices in the world, but if you do not get a positive, healthy school culture in place, none of that is going to make a bit of difference.
 
If you have assessed or surveyed your school culture and found it to be less than desirable, what steps are you implementing to positively effect change in your school culture?  Or, do you even know what steps to take to positively influence the state of your current school culture?
 
Dr. Muhammad set off on a research journey with 2 research assistants to conduct a research study of 34 schools from around the country—11 elementary, 14 middle, and 9 high schools—to identify the prevailing beliefs and assumptions of teachers working in the schools. From that research, he wrote the book “Transforming School Culture: How to Overcome Staff Division (Leadership Strategies to Build a Professional Learning Community).”  
 
In July 2017, Dr. Muhammad will be releasing the second edition of his book, “Transforming School Culture: How to Overcome Staff Division (Leading the Four Types of Teachers).”
 
Learning Forward PA (LFPA) is honored to host Dr. Anthony Muhammad at our annual Fall Conference on October 5, 2017, at Harmony Hall Estate in Middletown, PA. Between now and August 15th,  LFPA is running an “Early Bird Special” registration drive at the discounted registration rate of  $150.00. We invite you to join us!
 
Come learn about how important your school culture is to implement and effect change, and learn how you can build a culture that creates capacity for leading, learning, and implementing changes with profound impact on student learning. Even if your current school culture is “healthy” based on your most recent assessment and survey of your school, there are ways that you can bolster that positive impact even more.
 
We hope to have you join us at our annual conference, and we look forward to having you read (and respond) our next blog post.
 
Kind regards,
Learning Forward PA
(Author: D.Spangler)

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