LEADING A HIGH-PERFORMING SCHOOL/DISTRICT CULTURE

Healthy high-performing school and district cultures impact positively on virtually everything that is measurable from teacher and student morale to student achievement. Reading the school/district culture (“the way we do things around here”), assessing the school/district culture, reinforcing the positive aspects of the school/district culture, and eliminating the negative aspects of the school/district culture are primary responsibilities of the educational leader and his/her staff. The school/district culture exerts a significant influence on students and staff. To be effective in a leadership role, educational leaders must fully understand the impact that culture has on the classrooms, the individual schools, and the school system. This session helps educational leaders analyze, anticipate, and understand the nature of the school district as an organization. Being able to predict, explain, and “control” organizational phenomena is crucial to successful leadership in managing change efforts, defining and inculcating more productive beliefs and values, and evoking more organizational effectiveness.