Creating a Culture and Climate for Student Success

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Creating a Culture and Climate for Student
Success

• Westwood Elementary

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Welcome

• Sonya Brown Principal
• Rebecca Huff Assistant Principal
• Jessica McCann Title I Instructor
• Linda Love 4th Grade Instructor

Academics First, Excellence Always
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Westwood ElementaryAcademics First, Excellence
Always

• Region 7 - Kilgore, Texas
• Title I School-Wide

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• TEA Recognized Campus
• 2007-2008
• 2006-2007
• Gold Performance Awards
• 2008 Commended Science
• 2008 Comparable Improvement Mathematics
• 2007 Commended Reading/ELA
• 2007 Commended Writing
• 2007 Commended Science
• 2007 Comparable Improvement Reading/ELA
• Exited AYP Stage I - 2008

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Westwood students in action.
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Westwood Elementary

• Westwood Independent School District
• Serving grades 3-6
• 547 Students served
• Student Population
• 65 White
• 17 African American
• 15 Hispanic
• 4 LEP
• 7 Special Education
• 38 Economically Disadvantaged

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District Snapshot

• WISD Tax Rate 1.04
• Target Revenue Per Student   4437.00
• Average Cost of  Home 50,000
• 40 Low Socio-Economic
• Average Teacher Salary 39,000
• Turnover rate 11.8

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The Community We Serve

• Population 17,598
• 2 school districts
• County avg. wkly wage 582
• County unemployment rate 5.7
• Major employers
• Wal-Mart Warehouse
• 5 TDCJID Units
• Oilfield

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Student Success

• Culture Schools also have their own unique
  cultures that are shaped around a particular
  combination of values, beliefs, and feelings.
  Although the culture of a school is not visible
  to the human eye, its artifacts and symbols
  reflect cultural priorities. Hanson (2001)
• Climate The organizational climate in a school
  has been defined as the collective personality of
  a school based upon an atmosphere distinguished
  by the social and professional interactions of
  the individuals in the school. Deal and Kennedy
  (1983)

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So

• Just what DOES make up
• Westwood Elementarys
• culture and climate?

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Student Initiatives

• Accelerated Reader
• Six weeks goal accuracy rewards
• Attend high school pep-rally
• Popcorn and movie party
• Paint the parking lot
• Wall of honor
• Year-end cumulative reward
• Accelerated Math
• Six weeks goal rewards
• Perfect Attendance
• Six weeks party conducted by administrators
• Year-end medals

Student Success
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Student Initiatives
Student Success
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Student Initiatives

• 6th Grade Outdoor Education Camp
• All students provided opportunity to participate
• 3 day outdoor educational camping trip
• Team building

Student Success
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Discipline Plan

• School-wide
• Developmentally appropriate
• 3rd 4th
• 5th 6th
• Parental involvement incorporated
• Consistent
• Administrators conduct formal discipline referrals

Student Success
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3rd 4th Grade Discipline
Discipline Plan
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5th 6th Grade- Discipline
Discipline Plan
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Faculty Empowerment

• Team building
• Teacher led staff development
• Ongoing grade level meetings
• Mentor training

Student Success
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Summer Retreat

• Two day camping trip
• All faculty invited
• Invitations sent with attached agendas
• Meals cooked and provided by administrators

Team Building
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Summer Retreat

• Staff Development
• Campus planning
• Mentor training
• GT planning
• RTI training
• Duty roster
• Any new information

Team Building
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Staff Development

• Administrative focused Teacher led
• Monthly staff development
• Time allotted for sharing of new ideas
• Prizes given at each meeting
• Recognition by peers

Leadership
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Staff DevelopmentInstructional Focus

• Teachers preselected by administrators
• Teachers provided schedule and topic at beginning
  of year
• Teams given freedom to share information

Leadership
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Grade Level Meetings

• Weekly
• Grade level chair
• Grade level teachers
• Inclusion teachers
• Title personnel
• Agenda driven

Collaboration
Alone we can do so little together we can do so
much. Helen Keller
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Grade Level Meetings

• Instructional and student focused
• Lesson plans completed and submitted
• Accommodations
• Incorporation of technology
• Resources needed
• Procedural housekeeping
• Minutes turned in weekly to administration
• Possible RTI students

Collaboration
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Westwood ElementaryGrade Level Minutes
Collaboration
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Mentor/Mentee

• Research says
• Carefully designed mentoring programs can help in
  three ways
• Mentoring can be used as a recruitment tool
• Mentoring can improve teacher retention rates
• Mentoring help to improve the skills and
  knowledge of both new and veteran teachers

Student Success
-www.neafoundation.org
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Mentor Training

• Designate mentor teachers
• Teacher training
• ½ day observation conducted after 3rd week of
  school
• Follow-up summary and conference
• Mentor support checklist (handout)

Mentor
We make a living by what we get, we make a life
by what we give. Winston Churchill
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Mentor Observation Report
Mentor
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Mentor Observation Pg. 2
Mentor
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Intern Training

• Assign mentor
• ½ day observation conducted after 3rd week of
  school
• Follow-up summary and conference
• On-going support
• Administrator round table discussion

Mentee
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Intern Observation Form
Mentee
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These Boots Were Made for Workin

• Creating a climate and culture leading to student
  success
• High expectations
• Student centered
• Faculty empowerment
• Collaboration
• FUN!

Student Success
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Contact Information

• Westwood Elementary
• 2305 Salt Works Road
• Palestine, TX 75803
• Phone [phone]
• FAX [phone]

Student Success
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Presenters

• Sonya Brown Principal
• sbrown_at_westwoodisd.net
• Rebecca Huff Assistant Principal
• rahuff_at_westwoodisd.net
• Jessica McCann Title I Instructor
• jmccann_at_westwoodisd.net
• Linda Love 4th Grade Instructor
• lilove_at_westwoodisd.net

Student Success
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Resources

• School Leadership that Works, From Research to
  Results Robert J. Marzano, Brian A. McNulty,
  Timothy Walters
• www.neafoundation.org/publications/mentoring.htm
• Intervention Strategies Guide Response to
  Intervention. Developed by Michael L. Lujan

Student Success
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Questions

• Westwood ISD www.westwoodisd.net

Student Success