Healthy School Culture
Sometimes it really is simple. What does a healthy school culture start with? What is the foundation of a healthy school?
Dr. Kent Peterson, author of Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership states it is all about the adults having a sincere belief in all of their students –
“Educators must have an unwavering belief in the ability of all of their students to achieve success, and they pass that belief on to others in overt and covert ways. Educators must create policies and procedures and adopt practices that support their belief in the ability of every student.”
As leaders and educators, we need to remember and reinforce that ALL students can be successful if we want our schools to have a culture that supports learning.
Community Forums: Non-Homestead Millage Renewal
We will be hosting three community forums to share information and answer questions about the November 5th Non-Homestead Operational Millage Renewal. The forum schedule:
Monday, October 28th – Saline District Library, Brecon Room at 7:00pm
Tuesday, October 29th – Brewed Awakenings Cafe at 9:15am
Wednesday, October 30th – My Favorite Cafe at 12noon
Instructional Tolerance
Last week, I had the opportunity to talk with leaders from some the top school districts in the United States (I argue the world) about issues related to developing 21st Century Skills. Over 100 districts from all over the country gathered in Chicago for the EdLeader21 Conference. For two and half days we shared ideas, discussed challenges and developed strategies – all focused on the 4-C’s – Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity and Communication.
Many of the districts represented are like Saline Area Schools. They have strong student achievement and by most traditional measures are seen as being “excellent” districts. However, we also share an interest in pushing for enhancing student opportunities related to the 4-C’s.
One concept that resonated with me was the need to give our staff – our talented faculty – permission to explore strategies and assessments that focus on developing the critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication skills we say we want. The term to describe this freedom/permission was called “instructional tolerance”.
It’s clear for Saline Area Schools to advance in the area of the 4-C’s we will need to develop the ability to allow for instructional tolerance as our staff shift from traditional/standardized assessments to rigorous and more authentic assessments.
Survey Says….
Last April, we conducted a district and site level climate survey. Over the last 6 weeks I have been able to share the results of the survey with the Board of Education on two occasions. We have discussed the feedback we received and a process to act on what we learned.
While the overall perceptions were good and very positive – we also received feedback regarding areas for us to focus our efforts for improvement.
Here is a link to the presentation from the September 24th meeting. I would also like to thank the parents, staff and students who took the time to fill out the survey last spring.
The Value of Field Trips
A recent report on the EducationNext website talked about an interesting study of school field trips. The researchers looked at 11,000 Arkansas students in grades K-12 – half of the students took a one-hour tour of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the other half remained in their schools. Several weeks after the field trip, students took a quiz that revealed :
- Students who visited the museum were able to recall a great deal of information about art & the artists whose work they saw.
- When shown a painting they’d never seen before, students who took the trip were better able to write critically about it.
- Field-trip students showed greater historical empathy – they could imagine what life was like in the past and could imagine what a figure in a painting was thinking.
- Students who had taken the trip were more likely to use a coupon to bring family members on a free visit to the museum.
Of course, this is one study and it had a specific focus on art museums. However, it reminds us that there is value in “experiential learning” opportunities. For Saline Area Schools – it also reminds me to thank our PTO/PTA groups that in many cases financially support our field trips.
Promoting Grit & Perseverance
One of the “new” skills that educational research is pointing to as a key indicator of success really isn’t a new skill at all. Grit… Tenacity…. Perseverance… are all attributes that can lead a student achieve success in school and in life.
Some of characteristics or dispositions of Grit include:
- Perseverance and Tenacity
- Deliberate Practice
- Ability to Delay Gratification
- Passion-Driven Focus
- Self Control and Self Discipline
- Long Term Goal-Oriented
- Stick-to-it-ness Under Difficult Conditions
- Consistency of Effort
Awareness of grit can raised by first, teaching students about grit and then by helping them reflect on their level of grit. This can occur through discussions, writing or journaling, or through some form of artistic expression – a series of drawings, photos, or videos about examples of when and how they experience sustained and deliberate practice, consistency of effort, and ability to delay gratification.
Grit can also be practiced through having students do long term project-based learning activities and/or working on long term independent studies based on their interests and passions.
The U.S. Department of Education released a report in February called Promoting Grit, Tenacity and Perseverance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century.
The report has good information, however, I feel like the attributes have always been critical. Many of us have had teachers, coaches, parents and mentors who have taught us that life is not about the challenges we face, it’s about our response to those challenges.
Humbling….
Community Conversation – September 17th
Saline Area School Community,
As we start the 2013-2104 school year, I would like to schedule the first “Community Conversation” meeting. Over the last six years I have had the opportunity to host several “Community Conversation” events to learn more about what interested community members see as the strengths of Saline Area Schools, and what areas they felt we needed to focus attention on for improvement. Through these conversations and other opportunities, I have learned a great deal about how many of you see our district and it has helped guide me, along with the Board of Education, as we move forward.
In an effort to continue this dialogue, I will be making time available on Tuesday, September 17th from 9:30am- 11:00am at My Favorite Cafe, 101 S. Ann Arbor Street. Please stop by, say hello and bring any thoughts about the district you feel I should know.
Thank you,
Scot Graden
Visiting Classrooms
I had the chance this week to be in each of the school buildings watching as the 2013-2014 school year got underway. It was a great chance to see watch the students transition from summer to school year. I was also proud to see how well prepared the staff was for the students. I was in and out of classrooms in each building, and even though the year was just getting underway I saw engaged students with teachers already setting the tone for a great school year.
I am making a renewed commitment to visiting classrooms and observing the teaching and learning that goes everyday in Saline Area Schools. I look forward to sharing more about what I see as the year goes along.
The picture above is from Mrs. Coughlin’s 5th grade classroom at Heritage. I stopped in to say hello and Mrs. Coughlin’s was moving around the room talking to her students about classroom rules, and where to find various items. I was impressed by her energy, as she had just gotten back from her son Patrick’s wedding. Patrick, a proud SHS alum, is in the Navy and was heading out to sea right after the wedding. Labor Day weekend can be a whirlwind in the life of a military/education family!
The Night Before the First Day of School
If you have been outside this evening, you can feel it in the air. The cool breeze reminds us that Fall has arrived. The 2013-2014 school year begins tomorrow morning. We will welcome 5,300+ students into our buildings – from students heading to kindergarten (with nervous parents anxiously watching) to members of the Class of 2014 (with teary parents wondering how they grew so fast). We are ready – our staff has been busy preparing to greet our students and quickly get to work.
I am looking forward to a safe and smooth first day to kick off a great school year! I will leave you with a poem about the opening of the school year…
Twas the night before school
when all through the town
the parents were cheering
it was a riotous sound.
By eight the kids were washed
and tucked into bed
when memories of homework
filled them with dread.
New pencils, new folders, new notebooks too,
new teachers, new friends, the anxiety grew.
The parents just giggled when they heard of this fright
and shouted upstairs “Go to bed! It’s a school night!”
Scot Graden's Blog 