Principal's Message - September Edition 2009-2010

We are well on our way to having the best school year ever. Everyone is doing an incredible job getting back into the swing of things and our new teachers are quickly imbedding themselves into the community. I am thrilled to be in my fifth year of being principal of J13 (it will be officially 5 years the Tuesday after MLK Weekend in January). The voyage has been extremely rewarding as I am grateful we are offering a place for the children of East Harlem to feel safe and have access to a great education. The wonderful work we have done year after year has afforded our students this wonderful opportunity. As we begin to own the goals we set up in June for this school year, we need to focus our efforts to becoming the best school in East Harlem. Most importantly, we need to find out what that focusing process looks like. The theme of this Principal’s Message will be to identify what is in our favor and what lies ahead of us. With both areas brought to light, I think you will realize, if you have not already, that becoming the best can be obtained.

WHAT’S IN OUR FAVOR

Visiting all of our subject area and team meetings, it can easily be seen. It’s in the tone of the meetings and the drive of the discussions. It is the sound of the best staff a school can have. We are using our time wisely and immediately addressing concerns that are surfacing. We are fixing what is not working with systemic approaches. We are not resorting to band-aid solutions but actually preventative measures. More importantly, people are coming with solutions rather than simply pointing out the problem. People are offering participation to the solution searching process and even offering their time to be part of the solution. I’m not saying this did not happen in the past but it is definitely happening more.

The students are ready to buy into the school culture. They realize that J13 does not reflect the street mentality and we are on top of our day-to-day operations. They are ready to go where we want to take them. Although few are still learning how to handle specific situations, majority of the students understand the rules and are respecting them. This does not mean that we may be able to let up with our attention to what’s going on around us every day during the school year. That would be a frame of mind that could cause us to run into a midyear wall. It’s time for us to cash in on this outstanding opportunity. We need to produce innovative ways to shift the culture to creating productive and responsible students who are focused on the learning process (penalizing our students when they do not reach that expectation will get us so far). This will require us to develop a campaign with repeated messages so we can combat the negative voices that have found their way into our students’ minds. I believe if we repeat a set of important phrases, mottos, and words so many times, eventually, it will replace what seems to be directing our students in the wrong way.

The momentum we have gathered in the last two years cannot be forgotten and needs to be echoed when we face hard times during the year. We were a SINI and SURR school at one point with an F rating on our progress report and an Undeveloped rating on our Quality Review. Now we are off all possible lists, we are a school in good standing according to the state, an A school, and still considered to be well developed school. The process took us two years to go from the very bottom to the very top. We know that many changes still need to take place. It would be ignorant to think otherwise but we can repeatedly reflect on the fact that we accomplished something very few schools have done before us. The purpose would be to remind ourselves that when we put our minds to something, it is only a matter of time until we achieve it.

WHAT LIES AHEAD OF US

We have done a tremendous job in assessing our students with a diagnostic. For the most part, we are ready to set up our goals on what we want to achieve with every individual child within our subject areas and grades. In so many words, we have a starting point and are about to have an end in mind. These are two very important components in the lesson planning process for each day, unit, and year. Now is the tough part, we must become vulnerable and open with measuring whether the work we are doing is effective or not on a day to day basis. We have a yearly measurement which is pretty much the state tests. By installing an assessment in every lesson, we can gather immediate feedback on how effective our lesson was. Research can tell us what an effective classroom looks like. We will never find out unless we measure the implementation to see if it works with our students. We have to be willing to reflect on the data we collect and look at it open-mindedly so we can truly realize what is working and what is not. If lecturing for 42 minutes has resulted in 100% of our students achieving the objective of the lesson, than we cannot ignore what is working. Judging from my own experience in the classroom as a student, I can bank on the fact that it most likely will not pull those results but I am willing to install an assessment at the end of the lesson to find out if I am right. This needs to be the direction that all departments and teams need to move so we can make sure time is not wasted and we have begun the process of identifying and collecting “what works.” We must be able to answer the question, “How do I know if the work I just did was effective or not?”

We have opened many lines of communication in our school. Departments and Teams now have representatives on the instructional and/or the organizational cabinet. Concerns, problems, or goals can be identified, processed, and shared within either cabinet so systemic solutions can continue to develop. As the cabinets iron out the solution making process, we can grow confident that everyone is being heard and decisions are being made with input from all constituents of the school. A challenge for us will be to shift our conversations from day-to-day logistics to instruction. We have been talking about logistics since I have been here. I admit to trying to shift the conversation to instruction prematurely at the beginning of my tenure. At this point, we are more than ready. We must begin exploring what effective instruction is supposed to look like, implementing it, and sharing out with our colleagues whether or not it worked. We need to refrain from getting worked up on small situations or disruptions so the real work can take place. From there, we need to collect best practices to build an arsenal of techniques in effective classroom instruction. Right now, we are strengthening our discipline, routines, and procedures in our classroom to reinforce what we are doing for instruction now. Rather than changing our approach, we are holding whole classes after school, investing our time in parent phone calls and paperwork, or just soaking ourselves in frustrations. If we do not use the disruptions as part of an overall assessment in effective lessons, then we will continue to invest our time in quick fixes for the rest of the year (the quick fix being what additional punishments, discipline, and punitive measures can I implement). This will only result in many days of unhappy endings which leads to calling out of work which inevitably results in lost routines and procedures.

How well do we know our students? Our development through the past couple of years has allowed us to associate every child with an ELA and Math state test score and the amount of points needed to move a child to a level 2 or 3. This was in addition to report card grades that we generated. The child study team process has collected a vast amount of data on an individual student but so many students were referred to the process. Unfortunately, not everyone had access to that information. The Student Improvement Plans implemented two years ago were a step in a right direction of gathering more information about all of our students but it cannot be ignored that the process was tedious and time consuming. With preservation of time and effectiveness as our main concern, student success plans were developed along with the concept of the student success coordinators. If we are able to implement both ideas, we could have a huge breakthrough in the depth of understanding of ALL of our students. The more we understand our students, the better lesson planning and organizing we will be able to do. The purpose of both the plans and coordinators are clear but the process of collecting and sharing has yet to be determined. Lucky for J13, we have a brilliant staff who will find a way to do it that is most useful with their time and will allow for the pertinent information to be at the finger tips of all relevant staff. The more we know our students the better we can prepare for them. We are on a verge of incredible work. We need to begin the sharing process as soon as possible so we can identify the best method in getting to know our students inside and out.

SUMMARY

The five goals we have generated this year are the best ones we have ever come up with. They all involve everything that has been mentioned in this Principal’s Message. We have done incredible work to this point and we have a clear idea of what needs to be done to take us to the next level. In addition, we have had a great start to the school year. The shift we are about to face will be a little uncomfortable but that is the feeling of change. I am confident it is a positive shift and we need to embrace it as fast possible so the real work that needs to happen can begin. You are an incredible staff. I am proud of all of you and I know you will continue to be the best staff ever.

WHAT IS THE RESEARCH TELLING US?

Taken from the website: http://www.ericdigests.org/1995-1/culture.htm

Leadership for School Culture. ERIC Digest, Number 91.

Successful leaders have learned to view their organizations' environment in a holistic way. This wide-angle view is what the concept of school culture offers principals and other leaders. It gives them a broader framework for understanding difficult problems and complex relationships within the school. By deepening their understanding of school culture, these leaders will be better equipped to shape the values, beliefs, and attitudes necessary to promote a stable and nurturing learning environment.
WHAT IS SCHOOL CULTURE?
The field of education lacks a clear and consistent definition of SCHOOL CULTURE. The term has been used synonymously with a variety of concepts, including "climate," "ethos," and "saga" (Deal 1993). The concept of culture came to education from the corporate workplace with the notion that it would provide direction for a more efficient and stable learning environment.
Scholars have argued about the meaning of CULTURE for centuries. Noted anthropologist Clifford Geertz (1973) has made a large contribution to our current understanding of the term. For Geertz, culture represents a "historically transmitted pattern of meaning." Those patterns of meaning are expressed both (explicitly) through symbols and (implicitly) in our taken-for-granted beliefs.
A review of the literature on school culture reveals much of Geertz's perspective. Terrence E. Deal and Kent D. Peterson (1990) note that the definition of culture includes "deep patterns of values, beliefs, and traditions that have been formed over the course of [the school's] history." Paul E. Heckman (1993) reminds us that school culture lies in "the commonly held beliefs of teachers, students, and principals." These definitions go beyond the business of creating an efficient learning environment. They focus more on the core values necessary to teach and influence young minds.
Thus, SCHOOL CULTURE can be defined as the historically transmitted patterns of meaning that include the norms, values, beliefs, ceremonies, rituals, traditions, and myths understood, maybe in varying degrees, by members of the school community (Stolp and Smith 1994). This system of meaning often shapes what people think and how they act.
WHY IS SCHOOL CULTURE IMPORTANT?
Researchers have compiled some impressive evidence on school culture. Healthy and sound school cultures correlate strongly with increased student achievement and motivation, and with teacher productivity and satisfaction.
Consider several recent studies. Leslie J. Fyans, Jr. and Martin L. Maehr (1990) looked at the effects of five dimensions of school culture: academic challenges, comparative achievement, recognition for achievement, school community, and perception of school goals. In a survey of 16,310 fourth-, sixth-, eighth-, and tenth-grade students from 820 public schools in Illinois, they found support for the proposition that students are more motivated to learn in schools with strong cultures.
In a project directed at improving elementary student test scores, Jerry L. Thacker and William D. McInerney (1992) looked at the effects of school culture on student achievement. The project they studied focused on creating a new mission statement, goals based on outcomes for students, curriculum alignment corresponding with those goals, staff development, and building level decision-making. The results were significant. The number of students who failed an annual statewide test dropped by as much as 10 percent.
These results are consistent with other findings that suggest the implementation of a clear mission statement, shared vision, and schoolwide goals promote increased student achievement.
School culture also correlates with teachers' attitudes toward their work. In a study that profiled effective and ineffective organizational cultures, Yin Cheong Cheng (1993) found stronger school cultures had better motivated teachers. In an environment with strong organizational ideology, shared participation, charismatic leadership, and intimacy, teachers experienced higher job satisfaction and increased productivity.
HOW IS IT BEST TO CHANGE A SCHOOL'S CULTURE?
Leaders who are interested in changing their school's culture should first try to understand the existing culture. Cultural change by definition alters a wide variety of relationships. These relationships are at the very core of institutional stability. Reforms should be approached with dialogue, concern for others, and some hesitation.
One strategy was outlined by Willis J. Furtwengler and Anita Micich (1991). At a retreat, students, teachers, and administrators from five schools were encouraged to draw visible representations of how they felt about their school culture. The idea was to "make thought visible" and highlight positive and negative aspects of their respective school cultures. Teachers, parents, and administrators were able to identify several areas that would benefit from change.
Likewise, school artifacts such as the routines, ceremonies, rituals, traditions, myths, or subtle difference in school language can provide clues for how to approach cultural change. School artifacts change over time. A principal may decide to shorten time between classes only later to find out that this time was important for teacher interaction and unity. Paying attention to such routines, before changing them, may provide valuable insights into how school cultures function.
A formal and well-tested instrument for approaching cultural change is NASSP's Comprehensive Assessment of School Environments' Information Management System (CASE--IMS). This instrument focuses on leadership styles, organizational structure, beliefs and values, classroom satisfaction, and productivity. CASE--IMS offers a diagnostic assessment that focuses on the entire school environment (Keefe 1993).
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISION AND CULTURAL CHANGE?
A coherent vision specifies the particular values and beliefs that will guide policy and practice within the school. Ideally, the school board and superintendent set a broad vision for all schools in the district, and, within that context, the principal coordinates the process of arriving at a particular vision for each school. The creation of a vision is not a static event, because the vision must change as culture changes. As Peter Senge (1990) notes, "At any one point there will be a particular image of the future that is predominant, but that image will evolve." The principal who is able to adapt a vision to new challenges will be more successful in building strong school cultures.
A vision for creating a healthy school culture should be a collaborative activity among teachers, students, parents, staff, and the principal. Michael G. Fullan (1992) writes, "Whose vision is it?" "Principals," he says, "are blinded by their own vision when they must manipulate the teachers and the school culture to conform to it." A more useful approach is to create a shared vision that allows for collaborative school cultures.
WHAT IS THE PRINCIPAL'S ROLE?
The most effective change in school culture happens when principals, teachers, and students model the values and beliefs important to the institution. The actions of the principal are noticed and interpreted by others as "what is important." A principal who acts with care and concern for others is more likely to develop a school culture with similar values. Likewise, the principal who has little time for others places an implicit stamp of approval on selfish behaviors and attitudes.
Besides modeling, Deal and Peterson suggest that principals should work to develop shared visions--rooted in history, values, beliefs--of what the school should be, hire compatible staff, face conflict rather than avoid it, and use story-telling to illustrate shared values.
More practical advice comes from Jane Arkes, a principal interviewed by Stolp and Smith: work on team-building; put your agenda second; know that you don't have all the answers--everyone has limitations; learn from students and staff; put people before paper.
Finally and most important, principals must nurture the traditions, ceremonies, rituals, and symbols that already express and reinforce positive school culture.
RESOURCES
Cheng, Yin Cheong. "Profiles of Organizational Culture and Effective Schools." SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT 4, 2 (1993): 85-110.
Deal, Terrence E. "The Culture of Schools." In EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND SCHOOL CULTURE edited by Marshall Sashkin and Herbert J. Walberg. Berkeley, California: McCutchan Publishing, 1993.
Deal, Terrence E., and Kent D. Peterson. THE PRINCIPAL'S ROLE IN SHAPING SCHOOL CULTURE. Washington, D.C.: Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 1990. 122 pages. ED 325 914.
Fullan, Michael G. "Visions That Blind." EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP 49, 5 (February 1992): 19-22. EJ 439 278.
Furtwengler, Willis J., and Anita Micich. "Seeing What We Think: Symbols of School Culture." Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1991. 16 pages. ED 335 754.
Fyans, Leslie J., Jr., and Martin L. Maehr. "School Culture, Student Ethnicity, and Motivation." Urbana, Illinois: The National Center for School Leadership. 1990. 29 pages. ED 327 947.
Geertz, Clifford. THE INTERPRETATION OF CULTURES. New York: Basic Books, 1973. 470 pages. Heckman, Paul E. "School Restructuring in Practice: Reckoning with the Culture of School." INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL REFORM 2, 3 (July 1993): 263-71.
Keefe, James W. "Leadership for School Restructuring--Redesigning Your School." HIGH SCHOOL MAGAZINE 1, 2 (December 1993): 4-9.
Senge, Peter M. "The Leader's New Work: Building Learning Organizations." SLOAN MANAGEMENT REVIEW (Fall 1990): 7-23.
Stolp, Stephen, and Stuart C. Smith. SCHOOL CULTURE AND CLIMATE: THE ROLE OF THE LEADER. OSSC Bulletin. Eugene: Oregon School Study Council, January 1994. 57 pages.
Thacker, Jerry L., and William D. McInerney. "Changing Academic

STAFF BIRTHDAYS

Terri Miles August 9th
Daniel Schultz August 22nd
Sandy Chmielewski August 31st
Latanya Phelps September 5th
Renne Word September 12th
Jocelyn Unger-Baitz September 23rd
Jeanette Vega September 28th
Daughn Lee September 30th
Vivian Doles October 7th
Jerome Young October 31st