Assessing and Celebrating School Culture #WSRA19
Below is a short article from my staff newsletter I wrote yesterday. We are the midway point of the school year, and I wanted to highlight our successes as a school culture by documenting evidence of our work in writing. I'll be speaking more about this topic at the Wisconsin State Reading Association Convention next week in Milwaukee. If you are also attending, I hope we are able to connect! -Matt
I’ve asked a few staff members for feedback about my plan for publishing To the Point every other week. My theory on this is that our communication as a staff, both formal and informal, is strong. Information shared seems to be frequent and accurate. That is a major reason for my staff newsletters which also helps with not having more than one short staff meeting a month.
This thinking became apparent as I have prepared for a session I am leading at the Wisconsin State Reading Association Convention next week: “How to Build a Literacy Culture”. As I go through artifacts of our success and growth to present to others, I could confirm many indicators of a healthy and thriving school culture beyond only communication (these characteristics come from Literacy Essentials by Regie Routman).
Trusting - We focus on our strengths first and follow through on our tasks before facilitating feedback about areas for growth.
Collaborative - Our different school teams work together to guide the school toward goals; instructional coaching is common.
Intellectual - We have thirteen shared beliefs about the reading-writing connection and reading to understand.
Responsible - The goals for the school are limited, focused, student-driven and clear, i.e. “A Community of Readers”.
Equitable - We have high expectations for our students and provide additional support when necessary.
Joyful - Celebration and appreciation are interwoven in our interactions with each other and with the community.
It’s an honor to be able to highlight our collective work for others and share our journey toward success. Sustaining a school culture is an ongoing process that is far from perfect and is sometimes challenging. Yet the results we see with our students makes all the difference.