Creating School Cultures that Support Academic Excellence

1. Creating School Cultures that Support Academic Excellence Pedro A. Noguera, Ph.D. New York University

2. Agenda • Understanding School Culture • Developing a theory of change • How school cultures change • Addressing school culture as part of a broader reform strategy

3. I. Understanding School Culture • Defined: Beliefs, attitudes, norms, expectations and assumptions that guide actions • Ethos - the character, customs, habits that distinguish a school/community • Sarason’s axiom: If you attempt to implement reforms but fail to change the culture of a school, nothing will change • What are some indicators of a school’s culture is at odds with efforts to promote academic excellence?

4. Key Questions When Developing a School’s Culture: • What will it take to educate your students? • What are their academic and social needs? What challenges do they face? • What skills and resources are needed to meet their needs? • How will you achieve “buy-in” from staff, students and parents? • What practices and rituals will serve as the basis for your school’s culture?

5. Signs of an Unhealthy School Culture: • Staff take no responsibility for student achievement • Blame students and parents for low performance • See teaching and learning disconnected • No coherent strategy for delivering instruction • School is racially stratified and failure and under achievement is rationalized • Staff unwilling to collaborate, deep resistance to change • Relations with parents of students of color are strained. • Little or no involvement from parents of low performing students. • School rules and procedures are at odds with educational goals • Discipline is punitive and not rooted in values

6. Normative patterns among students influence patterns of achievement • Pervasive anti-intellectualism - popular vs. smart • High degree of alienation and disconnection between adults and students • Prevalence of stereotypes related to race, class, gender and academic achievement- “stereotype threats” • Disruption and defiance from students is common • Absence of moral authority among adults

7. Group Discussion: Diagnosing School/District Culture • How would you characterize the culture/ethos of your school/district? • Relations between teachers and admin., students and teachers, teachers and teachers, parents and school • How would you characterize the morale of your staff? • What aspects of your school/district need to be changed in order to create a healthier culture?

8. II. Toward a Theory of Change:What We’re Up Against History of perceiving race and intelligence as linked • Genetic theories of intelligence - Bell Curve, Jensen, Lawrence Summers, etc. • Cultural Theories of intelligence - Ogbu and McWhorter • Based on myth of white success • Static view of culture • Limited understanding of schools

9. Males of color at risk • Females out performing males throughout the country • Black and Latino males at greater risk: • More likely to be suspended or expelled • More likely to drop-out • More likely to be placed in special education • More likely to be missing from honors, gifted and advanced placement • More likely to be under-represented among school personnel (except as custodians, security guards and disciplinarians)

10. Old Paradigm Intelligence is innate Job of schools is to measure intelligence and sort accordingly Inequity in resource allocation: give the best resources to highest achievers Discipline used to weed out the “bad” kids New Paradigm Intelligence and ability are influenced by opportunity It is the job of school to cultivate talent and ability among students Resources allocated based on student need Discipline used to reinforce school values and norms Need for a Paradigm Shift

11. Systems to facilitate school effectiveness Diagnostic assessment to gauge learning needs of students Early intervention procedures Evaluation to insure quality control On-site, ongoing professional development Shared leadership Normative adaptations: Reciprocity - Supportive relationships between teachers and students Collaboration - Willingness among teachers to share ideas, curricula, materials Deliberations - Opportunity for staff to meet and to discuss goals and work Social Closure - Partnership between school and parents Conditions Needed to Raise Student Achievement:

12. III. Strategies for Closing the Achievement Gap • Cultivation of attitudes and habits that promote academic achievement • Confidence and competence • Self discipline, self motivation • Organizational and study skills • Strong relationships between students and school (extra curricular activities) • School cultures that break racial stereotypes • An environment where racial identity and achievement are not linked • Is it cool to be smart?

13. Key Principles: • External partnerships with service providers to address unmet non-academic needs • Health, nutrition, counseling, etc. • Quality control in interventions through ongoing evaluation • Title I and Special Education • Key principles: • Kids who are behind must work harder and longer under better conditions • Improving the quality of teaching is the most effective way to raise student achievement

14. Close the Preparation Gap • Increase access to quality early childhood programs • Provide professional development for providers • Use summer school and after-school programs to address needs of kids who are falling behind • Build safety net - use data to identify kids who are falling behind early, intervene early • Transition - design strategies to identify and provide support to students moving from elementary to middle school, middle to high school.

15. Close the Opportunity Gap • Increase access to rigorous courses and increase support • AVID, MESA • Increase enrollment in higher level math • Insure equitable access to effective teachers • Address inequities in parental resources by providing greater support to disadvantaged students in college advising, SAT prep, tutoring

16. Close the Relationship Gap: • Move toward a new advising model in which every teacher serves as an advisor • Increase student connectedness to the school through extracurricular activities • Hire personnel from backgrounds similar to that of your students who can relate and provide direction to students - moral authority • Focus on improving teaching by: • Strengthening link between teaching and learning • On-site professional development in content, pedagogy and rapport with students • Bring groups of teachers together on regular basis to analyze student work

17. Close the Gap Between Parents and School • Engage parents in partnerships based on respect and shared interests • Initiate contact before problems arise • Design a variety of activities throughout school year for parents • Hire personnel who are effective at working with parents

18. III. Effective schools • Have a coherent strategy for delivering high quality instruction • Teachers adhere to a common set of instructional and assessment strategies • In some cases, teachers follow a common curriculum • Research shows three whole school reform strategies are producing sustained gains in achievement: • Success for all • Accelerated schools • Core knowledge

19. Effective Schools • They have systems to monitor academic performance • They use data to make decisions about school improvement • They engage in constant assessment • Diagnostic assessment • They have effective leadership - shared and distributed • They have a culture of high expectations for all • Systems of mutual accountability for teachers, students and parents

20. Keys to Success • Staff understands the external pressures students face and have devised ways to counter the pull of the streets • gangs, teen pregnancy, pressure to work • Strategies for helping students to plan and think concretely about their future are in place • Code Switching is taught Explicitly • Adoption of social skills that make adults in authority feel at ease • Learning to code switch • Speech, dress, demeanor

21. IV. How Cultures Change • Civil rights movement - ordinary heroes • Women’s movement - making it personal • Anti-smoking campaigns - asserting the rights of non-smokers • Key Ingredients: • Core group of activists/leaders • Strategic allies • Vision, goal of the change desired • Campaign to win hearts and minds

22. Steps to Take Toward Transforming School Culture • 1) Establish shared ownership of the problems • Use data to demonstrate what needs to change • Ask an outsider to visit the school to assess the school culture (i.e. observe patterns of interaction, teaching and learning, etc.) • Solicit input from stakeholders - students, parents, community • Provide opportunity for discussion of the problems identified

23. 2) Developing a Plan for Change • Draw on existing research, best practices and relevant school reform models to devise a plan for your school • Identify rituals, practices and procedures that will serve as the anchor of the new culture • Be sure that the plan will address the major problems that need to be addressed and will not undermine existing strengths • Provide ample opportunity for discussion of the plan, to answer questions and to receive input for strengthening plan

24. 3) Implementing the Plan • Be sure that all staff understand what is expected of them • Collect baseline data so that you can monitor change over time • Check in at regular intervals to assess how effectively plan is being implemented • Get input from students as well

25. Developing Your Theory of Change • Map out a theory of change • What is your vision? • What short, medium and long term steps need to be taken to realize your vision? • What resources, support and allies do you need to achieve your vision?

26. IV. Addressing school culture as part of a broader reform strategy • Focus student peer culture - engage students through extra curricular activities • Show students how academic knowledge can be applied in the real world on issues they care about • Set high standards - Provides access to rigorous courses and support to succeed • Eliminate the track to “no-where” • Encourage teachers to serve as advocates, counselors and coaches who demystify success

27. Other Changes that Can Support Higher Levels of Achievement • Develop early intervention systems - identify kids who are truant and not working early • Develop partnerships with community based organizations - case management and social work, immigrant services, health and social services • Increase access to counseling for students • Help students to set future goals early • Hire individuals from diverse backgrounds in professional roles • Mentors, role models, moral authority, bridge builders

28. Cultivating Agency:Influencing the choices that are made by students • Educate students about their history and culture • Provide opportunities for students to become involved in community service and leadership • Utilize community-centered problem-posing curriculum • Channel the energy, don’t crush it • Sports, music, art • Listen: provide students with opportunities to have input on what is happening in their schools