West Marion Elementary

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BUILDING AN ATMOSPHERE OF LEARNING
West Marion Elementary
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• Organizations are not just places where people
  have jobs. They are our neighborhoods, our
  communities. They are where we join with others.
  If we think of them only as the places where we
  have jobs, we not only lose the opportunity for
  meaning, but we endanger the planet Keith
  Hammond

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No Child Left Behind

• Requires schools, districts, and states to
  develop academic programs that will increase
  students proficiency in reading, math, and
  science.
• Requires schools, districts, and states to
  develop programs to communicate with all families
  about their childrens education and to involve
  them in ways that help boost student achievement
  and success.

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How do we ensure that all students learn?
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• Baby Boomers (1946-60)

Generation X (1961-1976)
Generation Why? (1977-present)
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COMMUNITY

• WE NEED TO REBUILD A SENSE OF COMMUNITY BECAUSE
  OUR GREATSET HOPE LIES WITH OUR CHILDREN AND THE
  PLACE TO BEGIN IS IN OUR SCHOOLS. WE NEED TO USE
  THE SCHOOL AS A BUILDING BLOCK TO REBUILDING
  COMMUNITY AT LARGE AND THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS
  THE ONE REMAINING INSTITUTION THAT IS DEDICATED
  TO CHILDREN Alex Kotlowitz

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Generation Why

• A broad term describing the 68 million
  individuals born between 1977-present (post
  generation X). Originally coined by teen expert
  Eric Chester, Generation Why is typified by youth
  who continually question the standards and
  expectations imposed by societyas in why does
  it matter? and why should I care?

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To establish a classroom climate of high
standards your teachers must.

• Set an academic performance level
• that all student must meet
• Establish an organizational system
• for remediation
• Maintain a performance standards
• Encourage students to discover the
• excitement of learning
• Require a level of work that challenges
• but does not frustrate
• Emphasize higher-level thinking as well
• as memory-level comprehension and
• comprehension-level cognitive
• functioning

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Teachers as Leaders

• Teachers should be empowered and working together
  as teams, they serve as mentors to their students
  and have the time and resources needed to be
  professionally renewed.
• The principal is the lead teacher the one who
  guides the school more by inspiration than
  directive.

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• An important characteristic of leaders is that
  they have a vision for their organization.

Bennis Nanus
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Why Empower?

• More effective schools
• More efficient schools
• Improved teacher satisfaction

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Empowerment is a process whereby school
participants develop the competence to take
charge of their own growth and resolve their
own problems.

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Empowered individuals believe that they have
the skills and knowledge to act on a
situation and improve it.
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Empowered schools areorganizations that
createopportunities for competenceto be
developed and displayed
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Environments That Stifle Creativity Commitment Ene
rgy
Inaccessible Role Models
Isolation

Difficulties of Teacher Empowerment
Narrowing of Responsibilities Caused
by Accountability
Specialized Training Certification
Teachers Traditionally Not Involved in Decision
Making
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Six Dimensions of Teacher Empowerment

• 1. Decision Making (participation and
• responsibility for decisions)
• 2. Opportunities for professional growth (helping
  
• teachers to become more knowledgeable
• about teaching)
• 3. Status (having respect and admiration from
• colleagues)
• 4. Self-Efficacy (having the skills and ability
  to
• help students learn)
• 5. Autonomy (belief that you are in control of
• certain aspects of your professional life)
• 6. Impact (having an effect and influence on
• school life)

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Clear Goals without specifying the means For
obtaining them

Adequate Resources
Expert Coaching and Consultation
Self-Managing Teams
Supportive Organization that provides
education, rewards, and information
Performance-based Structures that employees can
take responsibility for
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Establishing Shared Decision Making
Establish Problem-Solving Teams
Provide problem-solving and conflict management
training
Build Trust And Communication

Give up the need to control
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Productive Group Work is Based on..

• Security
• Trust
• Value
• Sharing of Goals
• Cooperation and Teamwork
• Commonalities and Diversity

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Who Moved My Cheese?
The best-selling book "Who Moved My Cheese" is
about how people react to change.   Some people
like change, some are scared by it, and some get
mad about it!   What kind of a person are you?