| Cultivating Cultures for Quality Teaching |
6/10/04 11:39 AM |
| Author:
Marsha Ratzel
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Lauren,
I think this isn't an either or proposition. Without principal support and encouragement, a culture certainly can't go anywhere. But a principal cannot muscle a culture into existence without the collaboration of her faculty. One of the predominant characteristics would be having someone in leadership help to develop a common understanding of the vision of that school. A way to know that everyone is pulling in the same direction, using the same vocabulary with students, assessing in the same way, and so on.
None of this comes easily and, in my experience, is heavily influenced by willing people are to opening their teaching practice to others examination. Or how much they trust one another to be helpers instead of criticizers. I've talked with other colleagues about having the focus of this professional work be the "what" of conversations rather than the "who". Principals with this mindset are terrific, but often it is teachers who really understand this most because it is what they live each and everyday. So it makes the most sense to them. Once this idea comes into their radar, they suddenly can be empowered by the idea that those next door to them and across the hall can help them improve with judging them. Teaching teachers have to have professional conversations is critical...sometimes principals can do this, but more often I've seen teachers show one another. I think of the Critical Friends Group model as one brillant example which helps foster conversation around examining student work in meaningful ways. Prinicipals would help that happen by making $$ available to attend trainings or arranging schedules.
Another leadership characteristic that seems keys is the ability to take the long view. So many initiatives are bandwagoned and then dropped. It makes a teacher crazy. In cultures where quality teaching occurs, ideas and reforms are given time to mature. Once the shared vision is developed, teachers can set about the task of creating measureable goals to work towards as a team over that maturing timeframe. Sure there are refinements and changes given new information, but the overall direction doesn't just up and totally shift. You watch teachers, students and parents settle into new ideas and instructional practices or assessments models...the ripple of continued use of the same ideas being reinforced year after year begin to take hold. Student learning amplifies each year and their abilities to deeply understand curriculum concept magnifies. It's here where teaching just gets to be so much fun, you almost feel like it's not a job but an adventure. Student, parents and teachers all become passionate about what is being studied. Wow...it's powerful.
So that's why I don't think any one actor in this dance can do it alone. Undoubtably the principal leads it, but then shares it in powerful ways so they don't "own it". It takes everyone as simplistic as that sounds.
It's quality teaching and school culture at its best. I know I'm only one person and this is just my opinion, but I really believe it works. Thanks for asking. (Isn't this a great topic? There are terrific things being said in every post!!!)
Posted as a reply to:
School Culture by Lauren Morando Rhim 
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