Case Study Shaping School Culture 1

Internship Planning

Raymond Barton

Grand Canyon University: EAD 529: Case Study Shaping School Culture

11/16/2020
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Case Study Shaping School Culture

Brief Summary of the case

I was just hired as the principal of the middle school where I was previously the vice-principal.

The school is low achieving school receiving a D on the last accountability label. The school is

very culturally diverse with many low-income families and has a reputation for being a tough

school. I have 33 general education teachers for 700 students and one special education and one

gifted teacher. Most of the staff is very experienced and has been there through many

administrations. I have to hire seven new staff members across the different grade levels.

Issues to be resolved

There are several issues to be resolved:

1) Reducing the number of discipline issues

2) Improving academic achievement

3) Improve the school culture

4) Hire new staff

5) Look into cultural awareness of the staff

Stockholders Involved

1) Parents

2) Students

3) Teachers

4) Administration

5) The community

6) Superintendent

One or two existing laws or court cases that relate to the issue
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Some laws that might affect the decisions I have to make:

1. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act- Provided Individual Education Plan

(IEP), Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), putting students in the least

Restrictive Environment (LRE), given Appropriate Evaluation, Parent and Teacher

Participation, and Procedural Safeguards. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

related to free and appropriate public education: prohibit discrimination against people

with disabilities that want to partake in a program funded by the federal government.

2. Honig v. Doe, 484 US 305 (1988)- During the pendency of due process proceedings, a

student must remain in the then-current placement unless school officials and parents

agree otherwise.

3. Goss v. Lopez, 419 US. The due process clause protects 565 (1975) Students facing

temporary suspensions from public school

4. ARS 15-843. School rights on removing students that are interfering with or disrupting an

educational institution.

District Policies that relate to the issue

JA STUDENT POLICIES GOALS / PRIORITY OBJECTIVES

“Establish an environment conducive to the best learning achievement for each student
through meeting the following goals: individualize the learning program, protect and
observe the legal rights of students, enhance the self-image of individual students through
helping them feel respected and worthy, and through a learning environment that
provides positive encouragement. Provide an environment of reality where students can
learn personal and civic responsibility for their actions through meaningful experiences
as school citizens. Deal with students in matters of discipline in a just and constructive
manner. Provide, in every way feasible, for the safety, health, and welfare of students.
promote regular attendance and good work.”

JK STUDENT DISCIPLINE

“The principal of each school shall ensure that a copy of all rules pertaining to discipline,
suspension, and expulsion of pupils are distributed to the parents of each pupil at the time
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the pupil is enrolled in school. The principal of each school shall ensure that all rules
pertaining to the discipline, suspension, and expulsion of pupils are communicated to
students at the beginning of each school year and transfer students at the time of their
enrollment in the school. Information concerning a student’s disciplinary record will be
held in the strictest confidence. Disciplinary actions taken will be recorded in an
administrative log, and all types of suspensions or expulsions will be recorded in a
separate file for each student.”

Possible solutions to the issues

Many solutions are needed to be looked at to try to solve this problem.

1) Hire a younger, more diverse staff

2) Look at rewriting the student code of conduct.

3) Form PLC’s

4) More PD’s on cultural awareness and using class time.

5) Form a leadership community including students, staff, and committee members

Solutions Chosen to resolve the issues.

I believe all of these solutions can help the problem, and many that are not listed. I would

try all of them and then go from there to see what happens. Some solutions would take less work

than others. The biggest thing I would need as a new principal would be to get the staff’s buy-in

and have everyone on board to turn this situation around.

Action steps (2-5) for implementing each solution, including a timeline for each step

Knowing I have a little over a month before the school year starts, I would first worry

about hiring new teachers and rewriting the handbook. I would like to have both done in two

weeks. Then I would look at what professional developments I could have implemented for the

teachers on their return to work. My focus would be on planning PDs that will help improve our

cultural awareness. Then I would continue PDs throughout the year both on cultural awareness

and on instruction. The last two items will be developed again throughout the year. PLC’s will
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start as soon as the teachers come back, and I will schedule regular meeting times throughout the

year. I will begin to get a leadership committee together over the summer with staff and parents

and use that committee throughout the year.

Potential moral and legal consequences of each solution

Legally, the concern would be to make sure the change in the discipline procedures is

clear and focused, and that they do not violate our students’ rights. I also want to make sure I am

not violating hiring laws. I like the best-qualified candidates that will help us reach the goals we

are trying to meet. Morally I feel I am doing what is best for the students and the staff. I am

allowing staff members to become leaders and to contribute to solving the problems we are

facing. I am putting my students’ welfare first by making the school a safer place and having the

staff gain a better understanding of students’ culture and the struggles they face daily.

Rationale

The decisions that I make are what I feel would be the best way to improve the school’s

academic success. Discipline must be addressed far too many students are missing instruction

time for discipline issues. It is also essential to find out the cause of many of the discipline

issues. Are the problems being caused by a lack of cultural understanding? As an educational

leader, I need to provide the best training for my staff to improve their skills to help improve our

student’s learning. My decisions show integrity, fairness, and ethics to ensure accountability, and

my decisions safeguarding the values of democracy, equity, and diversity (PSEL, 2015).

One of the most critical issues to address is the diversity of the school. Lack of

understanding of minority students is a barrier to effective instruction (Pettapiece & Campbell,

2013). Not having all the information my instincts tell me part of the school’s problem can be

caused from cultural misunderstanding between the staff and the students. When minority
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students perceive things as unfair, they lose trust in the teachers. When teachers create that trust

with Minority students, they get better grades (Brookshire, 2017). For a school to be successful,

we have to build that trust between the students and the teachers. To earn their trust, teachers

must be compassionate and have high expectations for all their students (Brookshire, 2017).

When we fail to act in a compassionate and trusting we limit the academic success of the

students.

Educational leaders can help create that trust by providing diversity training that focuses

on treating all students equally. When, schools treat students equally, they can earn a student’s

confidence. By conducting teacher training on diversity and multicultural awareness, educators

are not only learning to deal with diverse students; they are also learning how to develop more

appropriate instruction. Teachers are providing patterns of ethical and moral behavior for the

students. They are creating a positive relationship and should continue to promote the success of

all students and build trust and equity.

Another part of my solution is creating a more diverse and younger staff. I understand

this may be problematic, but I feel it is essential to help change the school’s culture. I would plan

to replace any retiring teachers with minority teachers. Legal grounds for replacing teachers can

be found in the United States v. Montgomery County Bd. of education (1969), the US Supreme

Court ordered that the Montgomery County Board of Education end racial desegregation of its

faculty and the staff. When teachers of color teach students of the same race, there is an increase

in positive subjective assessments concerning behavior and skills (Nicholson-Crotty et al. 2016).

According to Dix, learning is a natural process, and students will engage in learning with

or without our guidance (2012). As educators we have to provide students a safe environment for

them to learn. T will hat fit each individual students’ needs and abilities. When students believe
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that their teachers do care about their success and demand high academic expectations from them

those students are more motivated to meet those expectations (Kaput, 2018). Wallowing them to

become meaningfully engaged in their own education process. It is important to celebrating the

success our students have. By doing so we demonstrate to them the importance of their hard

work and show how we care.

Another part of my plan is to get the staff involved in the decision-making process and

develop solutions to our problems. By promoting stewardship, I am allowing all school members

to play a critical function in school decisions. The leadership team must be proactive by predict

what will happen based on what has happened in the past and what is currently happing (Crippen

& Willows 2019). By doing so we will ensure the best possible outcome for our stakeholders.

The most significant and most crucial decision I made is to change the discipline plan for

the school. Adams states a “school that doesn’t have a consistent approach to consequences will

create anxiety for everyone” (2018). My plan is going to be consistent and fair for all students. I

will allow teachers to take part in creating the school policy, along with building their classroom

plan. Sprick and Knight (2018) say, “Even with school-wide policies, teachers should be given

the authority to make most of the decisions around the behavior issues and procedures in their

classrooms.” Discipline should help students learn from their mistakes and improve their

behavior to meet high expectations (Miller Lieber and Tissiere, 2015).

The hardest part of dealing with the discipline is to make sure we are taking into account

cultural differences. The problem is discipline can be culturally biased without intention or

conscious awareness (Westerberg, 2016). So the first thing a principal has to do is address that

issue. The staff must be aware of this fact, and the team understands the importance of treating

all students equally. The best way to earn back trust is to show the students you care and not act
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on bias and stereotypes (Brookshire, 2017). To help with this issue, we may require professional

development on cultural awareness. As the principal, everything I do will be aligned with the

school vision and mission. I will remind the staff to ask themselves, are you following the school

vision? Do what’s best, do what’s right, and treat others the way you want to be treated. If we are

not, then we need to rethink the decision we are making.

The last part of my plan is to enhance the community’s school culture by having the

community be involved. When parents are included in their children’s education, there is

evidence that shows an increase in student achievement, improved attendance, and reduced

dropout rates (Murray, Munger, Colwell, & Claussen, 2018). Having a community part of the

leadership team is a crucial way to get parents involved. By developing a better community

relationship, we can increase our student’s achievement.

I understand there is no quick fix to the problems the school is facing. I feel the plan I

have put together is a good start and will get us on the right track. It will be important not to get

down when there is a setback or things not planned. The failures we face will only make us

stronger. I am determined to turn the school around.

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References

Brookshire, B. (2017). For minority students to succeed, teachers need to earn trust. Science

News for Students, 1.

Crippen, C., & Willows, J. (2019). Connecting Teacher Leadership and Servant Leadership: A

Synergistic Partnership. Journal of Leadership Education, 18(2). doi: 10.12806/v18/i2/t4

Dix, M. (2012). The Student-Centered School. National Institute for Student-Centered Education.

http://nisce.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/The-Student-Centered-School.pdf

Murray, M., Munger, M. H., Colwell, W. B., & Claussen, A. J. (2018). Building Capacity in

Special Education: A Statewide Initiative to Improve Student Outcomes through Parent-

Teacher Partnerships. School Community Journal, 28(1), 91–105.

National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2015). Professional standards for

educational Leaders 2015. Reston, VA: Author. Retrieved from http://npbea.org/wp-

content/uploads/2017/06/Professional-Standards-for-Educational-Leaders_2015.pdf

Nicholson-Crotty, S., J. A. Grissom, J. Nicholson-Crotty, and C. Redding. 2016. Disentangling

the causal mechanisms of representative bureaucracy: Evidence from assignment of

students to gifted programs. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 26

(4):745–57. doi: 10.1093/jopart/muw024.

Pettapiece, B. & Campbell, S. (2013). What schools can do to increase racial acceptance? Social

Studies Research & Practice. 8 (1), 109-116.

Sprick, R., & Knight, J. (2018). INVOLVING TEACHERS in School-wide Behavior Policy: For

your overall student behavior management strategy to work, give teachers a voice--and some

autonomy--in the process. Educational Leadership, 76(1), 48–53.

The United States v. Montgomery County Board of Education. (n.d.). Oyez. Retrieved April 4,
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2020,

from https://www.oyez.org/cases/1968/798