CREATING A A Guide for POSITIVE AND Principals RIGOROUS SCHOOL CULTURE . A Guide for Principals Principals for Guide A Education Council August 2012 This project is made possible thanks to the generosity of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Woods Fund of Chicago, the W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation, and a Community Development Block Grant from the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services. Culture: School Rigorous and Positive A Creating 0 . A Guide for Principals Principals for Guide A Creating A Positive and Rigorous School Culture: Culture: School Rigorous and Positive A Creating 1 Table of Contents Introduction . 4 Complete List of Tips. 5 Tips Supportive Staff and Administration . 8 Motivated Students . 12 Safety and Discipline. 16 Rigorous Classes . 20 Student Involvement . 24 Conclusion . 27 . Appendix Survey Results . 29 Principals for Guide A Research Sources . 38 Acknowledgements . 40 Creating A Positive and Rigorous School Culture: Culture: School Rigorous and Positive A Creating 2 Student Editors: Kyle Anderson Jazmin Bandera Lou Engleman Raven Lawton Samantha Martinez Christopher Tso Education Council Members and Report Contributors: Kyle Anderson Samantha Martinez Lincoln Park High School VonSteuben Academy Jazmin Bandera Jacqueline Molina Taft High School Prosser Career Academy Allison Bradley Alexis Murdix Alcott High School Rauner College Prep Lou Engleman Susana Ojeda Jones College Prep John F. Kennedy High School Jordan Henderson Isaac Spillers . Lincoln Park High School Uplift Academy Alexandria Janopoulos Xavier Tate Air Force Academy Kenwood Academy Raven Lawton Christopher Tso King College Prep Whitney Young High School A Guide for Principals Principals for Guide A Justin LeBranche Stephanie Valle Walter Payton College Prep Hancock High School Kahil Marshall EPIC Academy Education Council Summer Staff: Francisco Enriquez, Peace and Leadership Councils Coordinator Ayeshia Johnson, Peace and Leadership Councils Director Miriam Martinez, Education Council Director ©Summer 2012 Creating A Positive and Rigorous School Culture: Culture: School Rigorous and Positive A Creating 3 Introduction We are the Mikva Challenge Education Council, a diverse group of seventeen students from different neighborhoods and schools across the city of Chicago. During the summer, we spent our days researching and creating recommendations based on a framing question relevant to improving Chicago Public Schools. Our recommendations will be presented to Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer, Jean-Claude Brizard. We believe youth voice in education is important due to the fact that youth today will be the leaders of tomorrow. Also, youth experience first-hand what is really happening and our expertise gives unique insight into solving problems. Based on the work done last year, which was focused on how schools can deliver 21st century skills and knowledge, the Education Council addressed school culture; therefore, the focus became finding the best innovative strategies that create positive and rigorous school cultures. A process was taken to find specific categories that would be most effective to principals and assistant principals while using this guide. As a group, we identified five essential elements of successful schools to help guide our research and create our tips: supportive staff and administration, motivated students, rigorous classes, safety and discipline, and student involvement. Based on this guide, we hope to give principals tips on bringing innovative, positive, and rigorous strategies into the classroom, ultimately bettering school culture. Students will have an increased interest in lessons and an increased motivation in class. Other benefits include an effective full school day and a positive learning environment within the school. A Guide for Principals Principals for Guide A Creating A Positive and Rigorous School Culture: Culture: School Rigorous and Positive A Creating 4 Complete List of Tips Tip 1: education. every school year. Teachers should receive a report of test scores, strengths, and Tip 9: Tip 17: weaknesses about students from Schools should have student goal Contracts between the student their previous teachers. setting programs. and the teacher should be created, if a student is failing to Tip 2: Tip 10: meet the class standards. Each staff member and At the beginning of each class administrator should have an period, teachers should engage Tip 18: information box for students or with students in an activity such There should be at least one class other staff members to give as a “would you rather game” to that is offered to Juniors and confidential feedback. help students transition into the Seniors dealing with Information classroom, loosen up and give Tech or Global Society where Tip 3: teachers an idea of the overall students get informed about how Teachers should offer one-on-one mood of students. the world on a bigger scale sessions with students to discuss operates. how they are doing Tip 11: academically, emotionally, and Teachers should make class Tip 19: in general. interesting by finding ways their Students should have a students learn best and topics productive detention and in Tip 4: that are interesting and then school suspension. Teachers should have a board in applying those topics in Socratic the classroom breaking down the seminar form so that students are Tip 20: process of each day for the engaged in class and motivated We propose high schools have student with the following to argue their opinions. net video chats with schools from information sectioned out: bell other areas and even countries to ringer, objectives, homework, Tip 12: have discussions with each other daily assignment, and learning Students should play a role in the about any relevant topic the standards . interviewing and selection class comes across. process of the security guards for Tip 5: their schools. Tip 21: Staff members should allow Students should have one students to take a moment Tip 13: suggestion box in the main office outside of the classroom if they Incorporate "Keep the Peace" in or security table, so students have need to, and security guards and schools to reduce the violence a voice in how their school is run. other staff members should be and create positive solutions trained to help students work out when student-to-student issues Tip 22: their stress or problems. arise. Teachers should let students teach each other. Tip 6: Tip 14: Principals should make contact Principals should train their own Tip 23: with students and staff more security guards through Have the school open at least an frequently. workshops with the help of hour earlier before the first period students on how to communicate starts. Tip 7: in a way that is positive and non- A Guide for Principals Principals for Guide A Principals should also address the intimidating. Tip 24: students and staff face-to-face. We propose to get students This will give everyone's day a Tip 15: involved in extracurricular bright start. Schools should replace activities early on in high school. detentions with school service Tip 8: projects (alternative to discipline Schools should have student’s issue such as tardiness, detention, motivational/inspirational artwork suspensions, etc.). posted throughout the school along with college banners and Tip 16: college paraphernalia. These Have individual students prepare items will give students a brighter projects relating to social issues outlook on their day and their and current events at the end of Creating A Positive and Rigorous School Culture: Culture: School Rigorous and Positive A Creating 5 TIPS I. Supportive Staff and Administration . II. Motivated Students III. Safety A Guide for Principals Principals for Guide A IV. Rigorous Classes V. Student Involvement Culture: School Rigorous and Positive A Creating 6 . A Guide for Principals Principals for Guide A Culture: School Rigorous and Positive A Creating 7 SUPPORTIVE STAFF AND ADMINISTRATION In this section, we will address the importance of a staff/administration that is involved in student and school life. This section focuses on how staff and . administration can support their students in a more positive way. It allows staff and administration to implement new strategies into their classroom using little effort and almost no money. It’s important for A Guide for Principals Principals for Guide A students to feel like they have a sense of belonging within a school environment and this section will help lift both students and staff/administration. Culture: School Rigorous and Positive A Creating 8 Tip 1: staff members to give confidential Challenge Peace and Leadership Teachers should receive a report of feedback. Council facilitator. test scores, strengths, and weaknesses about students from There is always room for teacher The third highest result on the their previous teachers. improvement. Many students have Student Feedback Survey was different opinions, necessities, or “Approachable: Is the teacher easy Some students enter classes without methods of learning. If a student to talk to?” with 79% of responders the prior knowledge needed to has a problem with a teacher, this is selecting it. succeed in a new class. Not all a peaceful way for teachers to students are at the same level as improve their teaching style, settle Implementation Suggestions: others. issues, and build student teacher Home-room teachers should relationships. implement this tip. We suggest that With the information from the each semester every student will report, the new teacher will get a When we visited Westinghouse, have a one-on-one session with a better understanding of each teachers and students were able to teacher. Here they will discuss how student. Teachers will push students suggest ideas to the principal using the student is doing academically toward improvement and the this method. The best part was that and they will set up goals in order to students will know what is expected the principal would read and meet the standards of the student. of them and help them meet those actually take the suggestions into If the student is failing a class they expectations.