Distinguished

Leadership in Practice Assignment 3 ASSESSING CULTURAL LEADERSHIP IN PRACTICE By GONZALO M. PITPIT NELA Fellow Assignment 3.1: Collaboratively Assess Cultural Leadership in Your School Part One
CLAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 TOTAL Q1 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 4 3 5 2 4 4 4 2 4 3 3.765 Q2 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 5 2 4 3 5 4 4 2 4 1 3.706 Q3 3 5 2 4 4 5 4 3 2 4 4 4 4 4 2 4 1 3.471 Q4 4 5 4 4 3 4 4 4 2 4 3 4 4 4 2 4 3 3.647 Q5 4 4 4 5 4 4 3 3 3 5 3 4 4 5 1 4 1 3.588 Q6 4 4 4 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 4 4 1 4 1 3.412 Q7 4 5 4 4 4 3 4 3 2 4 3 4 3 3 1 5 1 3.353 Q8 4 5 4 4 3 4 4 4 3 5 4 4 2 4 2 4 3 3.706 Q9 4 5 4 5 4 3 4 3 3 5 4 5 3 4 1 4 1 3.647 Q10 4 5 4 5 4 3 3 3 4 5 2 4 2 4 1 4 1 3.412 TOTAL 39 47 38 43 37 38 38 36 27 45 31 42 34 40 15 41 16 35.7

* CLAT: Cultural Leadership Assessment Team LEGEND: 1- Strongly Disagree 2- Disagree 3- Neither Agree nor Disagree 4- Agree 5- Strongly Agree
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LEGEND:
40-50 Culture-of-Distinction 26-39 Culture-Under-Construction 10-25 Culture-in-Peril

Part Two Culture-Under-Construction. This is the existing overall culture at Bertie Middle School. However, it would be good to look into some practices that made it to the distinction level: Most of the members of the CLAT believe that our school has effectively and strongly communicated its ideals and beliefs about schooling, teaching, and learning with teachers, staff, and parents, and then drives instructions based on those beliefs (Q1: 3.765). At Bertie Middle, staff holds high expectations among their students. They believe that students should not only develop deep understanding of knowledge and skills but also develop the can do attitude to produce quality work and solve problems. CLAT believes that these beliefs are not only manifested in the teachers lesson plans but also in their day-to-day interactions with their students. The CLAT also believes that members of the staff work collaborately with others. They utilize the concept of team not only during instructions but also in making decisions within the school (Q2:3.706). Another area of school culture that the CLAT believes Bertie Middle School is of distinction is having positive, culturally-responsive traditions (Q8:3.706). For several years now, the school celebrates academic achievements by recognizing students who made it to the AB Honor Roll and made great scores on district benchmark tests. The school also recognizes those who met their Accelerated Readers (AR) goals and points on a quarterly basis. Once or twice a quarter, the school also holds dance and dress-down days for students who made perfect attendance.

Teachers and administrators who participated in the collaborative process of assessing the school culture feel that for the school to move to the distinction level, all staff should work on the following areas: Building a sense of efficacy at Bertie Middle School has always been a struggle with most of the English Language Arts teachers. Teachers have the potentials to be better and great; unfortunately, they refuse to listen to suggestions for improvement and implement agreed plans for instructions. For example, teachers would collaborate and agree to implement a teaching vocabulary plan, but when an administration would come and visit them in classes, he/she would not notice evidence of collaboration; the teaching of vocabulary plan would be nowhere in existence. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Hold individual coaching: mentor-mentee; administrator-teacher; peer- peer; and/or group-group cognitive coaching; 2. Conduct professional developments on areas that needed improvement, or attend workshops in or out of the school or district levels; 3. Require peer observations and hold pre-observation and post-observation conferences; 4. Regularly check lesson plans and make constructive suggestions/criticisms; and (Q10:3.353) Builds a sense of efficiency and empowerment among staff that results in a can do attitude when faced with challenges.

5. Consistently celebrate accomplishments or recognize individual/group improvements. Bertie Middle School strives to ensure that its values, beliefs, and vision are shared with all stakeholders. Though the CLAT believes that the schools beliefs are shared effectively with others (Q1), it also believes that the school still needs to more especially in sharing its vision and values. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Revisit the vision of the school. Ensure that this is manifested in their day- to-day instruction by creating lessons and activities that address this concern; 2. Create a list of what the school values. Communicate this to all stakeholders; 3. Revisit the list of beliefs of the school. Ensure that it is updated and it reflects the view of the present times; and 4. Commend those who explicitly include the schools vision, values, and beliefs in their day-to-day activities and interactions in the school. (Q6:3.412) Systematically develops and uses shared values, beliefs, and shared vision to establish cooperation to guide the disciplined thought and action of all staff:

(Q7:3.412) Systematically and fairly acknowledges failures and celebrates

accomplishments of the school and staff: Bertie Middle School is strong at celebrating successes, but the CLAT believes

that more should be done particularly on acknowledging failures. For example, everybody knows that something should be done when students struggle in Reading. Teachers create some corrective plans. They introduce intervention strategies. But the question is, How much effort is given to implement these plans and the intervention strategies? So far, this is still a great concern at the middle school. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Include in day-to-day lessons small group activities that address the needs of struggling students; 2. Send students to the STARS program at the end of the day; and 3. Stricter implementation of CARE time.
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Assignment 3.2 Conduct an Educational Garage Sale Part One

Things for Sale 1. Practices that do not conform to high expectations for both academic and behavior; 2. Teachers who do not adhere to the non-negotiables (best practices) mandated by the school and district; 3. Mindset of teachers and all other stakeholders about the incapability of all students to learn; and 4. Absenteeism and Lateness of both teachers and students. 1. Practices that conform to 21st century learning; 2. Knowing the schools stakeholders: students, parents, and the community; 3. Effective collaboration among Math and Science teachers in all levels; 4. Great academic achievement of students in Math and Science; 5. Mindset that something new or an innovation can work; and 6. Technology resources at Bertie Middle School. 1. Practices/Strategies that are outdated or does not conform with the present times; and 2. Mindset about the system that has been in placed in the past and a lot a people believe that they still work; Items NOT Highly Valued And Might be Sold or Bartered CanNot Be Sold or Bartered 1. Teaching with Textbooks alone; 2. Lecture method at all times: No variations at all; 1. Math and Science Teachers; 2. Student Friendly Objectives; 3. Word Wall; 4. Rubric for Quality Work; 5. Student Work Display; 6. Student Engagement; 7. Lesson Plan Binder; 8. Attendance Completed Each Day By 8:30a.m.; 9. CARE Time Daily; 10. Weekly Subject Level Meetings and Minutes; 6

Things NOT for Sale

Items to be placed in the Museum

11. Consistent Student Monitoring; and 12. Use of Technology Highly Negative or Toxic 1. Low expectations of students; 2. Mindset about the incapability of all students to learn; 3. Pessimistic Storytellers; 4. Rumor Mongers, Gossip; 5. Naysayers; and 6. Saboteurs

Part Two: Bertie Middle School is open to new ideas. It is open to changes as well. To move from Culture-Under-Construction to Culture-of-Distinction, the school recognizes that - items that are up for sale, not highly valued and might be sold or bartered, and highly negative and toxic - need to be revisited. The school also feels the need to look into the practices or forms of celebrations, enhance and reinforce these to make more effective results. Assignment 3.3: Personal Reflection on Cultural Leadership I have done a digital storytelling video for our formative assessments at the end of Fall 2011. I would like to use it as my personal reflection on cultural leadership. Below is the link to the video: Positive School Culture http://cedvideo.ncsu.edu/video/2532/Positive-School-Culture