Positive School Culture- CARE Model

Tool 8.1 CARE Model: Planning Tool

Identify Concerns that must change (look to the future)
(Assign points to concerns from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important issues to consider.)
1. Stop Pessimistic Attitudes and Behaviors from Teachers
2. Prevent Negative School Culture and/or Climate
3. End Students Dreadful Feelings About Their School Environment Overall
Identify Affirmations that must be sustained (look to the present)
(Assign points to affirmations from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important issues to consider.)
1. Campus Educational Improvement Council- (CEIC) will need to help improve and sustain a positive school culture through collaboration, strategies, brainstorming, campus professional development, setting campus goals and objectives.
2. Professional Development- will continue to help teacher’s attitudes and behaviors improve and in turn motivate our students by modeling. The literature reading by Todd Whitaker’s book entitled, “What Great Teachers Do Differently: 14 Things That Matter Most” will be blogged by all teachers and will be use as a campus professional development through out the 2010-2011 school year.
3. Student Success Initiative- (SSI) will continue its goal to ensure that all students receive the instruction and support they need to be academically successful in reading and mathematics. This effort depends greatly on our schools, parents, and community members working in partnership to meet individual student needs. This will help with student’s perception of their school environment and sustaining a positive school climate.
SMART Recommendations that must be implemented:
(Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely)
(Assign points to recommendations from 1 to 3 in the order of the most important recommendations to implement.)
1. S.M.A.R.T. Goal: By May 2012, Valley View will maintain or increase TAKS scores for all core subjects with emphasis on the Science and Mathematics to meet or exceed Recognized status.
Objective: The percent of students meeting state standards will increase by at least 17% in the area of science and mathematics.
2. S.M.A.R.T. Goal: By the beginning of 2011-2012 school year, Valley View will have improved and sustain a positive school culture through an action research project conducted on campus.
Objective: The percent of teachers recognizing and supporting the action research project will increase by 100% and through the campus professional development literature reading by Todd Whitaker’s book entitled, “What Great Teachers Do Differently: 14 Things That Matter Most” and the blogs conducted by all teachers.
3. S.M.A.R.T. Goal: During the 2011-2012 school year, there will be a significant increase in parent participation in the student’s educational process measured by a 10% increase in the number of parent volunteers to improve student’s school environment and/or school climate.
Objective: By the end of the school 2011-2012 there will be significant increase in parent participation of the student’s educational process as measured by a 10% or higher attendance rate in parent meetings and a 10% or higher increase in the number of campus volunteers to improve student’s school environment and/or school climate.
EVALUATE – Specifically and Often
(Identify the best ways to evaluate the implemented recommendations.)
1. Data Collection/Analysis- Interviews, Observations, Questionnaires and Survey (To include Focus Groups and/or Documents if allocation of time is available). To be done first nine weeks, January and after spring break
2. Engaging in Reflections when Examining The School Environment- in order to make a positive difference. To be done first nine weeks, January and after spring break
3. Exploring Programmatic Patterns when Examining The School Environment- to implement and encourage a change from a negative programmatic pattern to a positive one. To be done first nine weeks, January and after spring break

Improving and Sustaining a Positive School Culture

Inquiry: What benefits will develop from improving and sustaining a positive school culture focused on teacher outcomes?

• Will it enhance teacher instruction?
• Will teachers take responsibility for each other?
• How does this impact teacher welfare?
• Do teacher’s attitudes transfer to the students?
• Will teachers take ownership and help sustain the positive culture?
• How will it impact the students?
• How will it affect the whole faculty and staff?
• How do we build cohesive and spirited teams?
• What kind of impact will it have on the administration?

Goal: The purpose of this action research project is to improve and sustain a positive school culture through building a cohesive and spirited team of teachers at our campus.

A description of the context or setting of my study is improving and sustaining a positive school culture. After meeting with my site supervisor and discussing what topic would be best for our campus, we agreed that a positive school culture was the direction that I should take. Our teachers on our campus need to build their cohesiveness. Working as a group towards one goal, which is increasing student performance.

An operational definition of my target population is the educators on our campus. Our sample size will be all the teachers on our campus. This will give us a better idea of what is lacking and what is needed to build cohesiveness among the teachers. Selection of my sample will be easy since it will include approximately 40 to 45 teachers.

In order to improve and sustain a positive school culture we will have to start with the administration. The administration needs to understand what is lacking from the teachers. Teachers can give their feedback to the administrators. A brief description of how I will conduct my research is by using 3 teacher surveys, 2 student surveys, 3 teacher interviews 2 student interviews, 3 teacher observations using team building activities, blog reflections on chapters read from the book by Todd Whitaker (What Great Teachers Do Differently), researched information, data and analysis. The 3 teacher surveys will be done the first nine weeks of the school year, January and after spring break. These teacher surveys will be done through the monkey survey with the help of the technology support personnel. The 3 teacher interviews will be done with a random sample of teachers and will be conducted the first nine weeks of school, January and after spring break. Teacher observations will conducted during in-services and early release days. These observations will be done during team building activities and a reflection will be done. The blog reflections will be done through out the school year by the teachers and the administrators. The technology support personnel will be assisting me with this set up. Teachers will be monitored and encouraged to comment one another during each reading assignment period. The 2 student surveys will be conducted through our focused advisory class. Student interviews will be done with a random sample. Both the surveys and interviews will be done the first nine weeks of school and the other one at the end of the school year. The information I receive from the students will be to give the teachers insight on the perceptions student have about our school culture and if any change occurs during the year. Data and analysis will be provided along the way with everything that is done with the teachers and students. All the results and findings will be collected and presented to the whole faculty at the end of the school year. My researched information will be on what, why and how a positive school culture is such a vital part of our school campus.

Wonderings and Questions

"I wonder...," "I think...," and "What if...," these are what a principal wonders and questions about real life observations and dilemmas that is experienced during this career as a educational leader.
There are nine different related areas of "Passion" that bring about wonderings and questions. These nine passions are as follows:

• Staff Development
• Curriculum Development
• Individual Teacher(s)
• Individual Student(s)
• School Culture/Community
• Leadership
• Management
• School Performance
• Social Justice

Each one of these nine passions overlap and can be researched through an action research to find solutions to these wonderings and questions that are flying around in the brain. An action research should always be aimed at improving student performance. Principals do not have to reinvent the wheel according to Dr. Johnny Briseno, Principal, Rancho Isabella Elementary, Angleton ISD. Dr. Kirk Lewis, Superintendent, Pasadena ISD told us action research projects need to to be what is practical and applies directly to student learning for the district and for the campus environment for three main reasons. These three main reasons are: you will be more interested in it, you will be more focused on the outcomes and students will benefit from practical research than theoretical research. Dr. Timothy Chargois, Director of Research, Planning and Development in Beaumont ISD also stated that action research needs to help increase student performance. His advice to teachers is you never stop learning. If you are green, you are growing but if you are brown, you are dying. Action research project is a learning, changing and reflection process that increases the wisdom and knowledge so that we can become lifelong learners.

Citation: Dana Fichman, Nancy (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Citation: "As per Dr. Arterbury And Dr. Jenkins of the Week 2 video interviews: Dr. Johnny Briseno, Dr. Timothy Chargois, and Dr. Kirk Lewis conference" EDLD 5301 Research-EA1201, July 2010

Action Research/Inquiry

What is an action research/inquiry? How can I as an individual use it? What is a Blog? These are questions that need to be answered. When I first heard of action research/inquiry, my mind was blown away. "Blog", what in the world is that? This was my brain's reaction thought at the beginning. Now I have learned what all of this is intended for and how it is going to benefit the researcher in the long run. An action research/inquiry can be done in many different ways and it is a method intended to increase knowledge of a particular topic or problem. We can justify our findings and increase our revelations through an action research project. We can use this method for data collection of student standardized test scores, field notes, interviews, documents, student work, digital pictures, video, reflection journals, surveys, literature etc. An Action Research starts a reflection of an initial plan, you act upon this plan, you monitor the plan, you evaluate the plan and then you share your results or findings. This then turns into a cycle that continues on with reflection of a revised plan, you act upon this revised plan, you monitor the revised plan, evaluate the revised plan and share the revised plan. This cycle is continuous until you reach perfection or close to it. This will help improve student achievement in our schools. An example of an action research/inquiry on how parent involvement increases student achievement, behavior and attendance can be posted on the internet as a blog. A blog is a way to post news for everyone around the world to read and comment. You then in turn receive ideas, strategies, methods, and solutions that work from other people all over the world. Administrators, teachers, parents, students and the community will all benefit from the wisdom and knowledge that this will bring. It starts with the administrator taking the time to create and believe in the benefits of an action research/inquiry and to reap the rewards. This will increase student achievement, student accomplishments, improve school goals and objectives. We will all learn from one another. What a great idea.