"How to Create a Culture of Achievement" Chapter 1

After I read chapters of the books on my summer reading list I intend to reflect on some of the key quotes I highlighted as I read. I just finished reading chapter 1 of Fisher, Frey, and Pumpian's How to Create a Culture of Achievement in your school and classroom, and selected four quotes that jumped out to me from my duel perspective as a classroom teacher and school administrator for next school year and beyond.

"We believe that no school improvement effort will be effective, maintained, or enhanced unless school culture and academic press are both addressed and aligned." -p.5 

 How many great ideas for professional learning, assessment, etc. have you had stifled because nobody else was into it? Have you ever brought something into the classroom you were absolutely convinced was going to be a hit only to have to drag students through it like a reluctant pet going into the vet? Even the most innovative initiatives are destined to remain ideas in the wrong culture. We tend to focus on the more tangible aspects of our lives, and spending our time on the academics surely makes sense with any school reform, but in order for us to avoid wasted time and effort attention must be paid to developing the culture needed for meaningful change.

"An effective school culture will provide students a respectful mediating experience through which they can understand, examine, affirm, modify, or change understandings of the world and how they want to engage in it." -p.9

We all have our personal dogmas and beliefs that will always affect who we are and how we think, and effective cultures use that to their advantage.  Open dialogue, an emphasis on the art of listening,  and emphasizing the process of learning and reflection rather than common understanding. That's how enlightenment happens; that's how the society we're preparing our students for best operates.

"A shared definition of quality also enlists all members of the culture, not just a few, to take an active part in the effort. Importantly, it also empowers people by sending them the message that they are of value and their contributions are essential." -p.11

Sometimes I seek people out simply because I know I haven't sought them in a while; folks that feel included are invested.  Whether someone is a superstar, backbone, or mediocre teacher or student, they are a member of your team and learning community. No matter what, quality and quantity of output will be superior from members who are invested.  While turning everybody into a superstar is unrealistic, finding the way to get maximum physical, emotional, and intellectual effort from the entire team is paramount the overall health of any organization.

 " If mission building and revisiting is designed as a pivotal and integral driver of a school's ongoing implementation revolution, it is unlikely that the mission will be treated as something you did two years ago in a...meeting room." -p.13 

Do what needs to be done to ensure that your work is meaningful and leads to the results you intend for it produce.  Agreeing to a common mission and vision on paper is the beginning, and whether it not it leads to anything of value depends on what happens next. Like with anything that matters, the real work lies in the middle. What you do with your mission will have a far greater impact on your culture than the simple act of putting one on paper.

What else can be done to create a culture of achievement? How can we as school leaders promote the openness, inclusiveness, and constant reflection required to produce optimal school environments?