WHAT SCHOOLS REALLY NEED TO SUCCEED.
Recently, Peter De Witt reported this: Russ Quaglia and his group at Teacher Voice and Aspirations International Center released the Teacher Voice Report.The participants were 8,053 non-administrative school staff consisting of:
- 73% classroom teachers
- 14% certified support staff
- 12% support staff
According to their 4-year study from 2010 to 2014, Quaglia and his group found there are 8 conditions that are vital to every successful school climate. Notice none of them are about money or other rewards.
Belonging:
- A sense of community and participation
- All participants in the educational process are valuable members
- All employees can be fully active, contributing participants in the life of the school.
- Staffs are appreciated as members of the school community as a whole, and for their individual contributions.
Heroes:
– Highly motivated school employees who set and meet high aspirations form meaningful relationships with others in the school and in the profession.
- Mutual respect and commitment to one another are the hallmarks of a staff dedicated to system-wide school improvement.
- Collaborative support replaces adults isolated from one another in a culture dominated by individual competition.
Sense of Accomplishment:
- Effort, perseverance, and citizenship are recognized and appreciated.
- Highly dedicated employees make contributions beyond the “call of duty.”
- The school encourages effort as well as end products.
- When recognized for their effort, staff members are more motivated to persevere through difficult tasks and to create a healthy work environment through hard work and dedication.
Fun and Excitement:
- Interest and engagement in one’s work
- Enjoyment improves one’s effectiveness
- When staff are excited, they are eagerly engaged, actively involved, and they contribute more.
- If we expect all employees to be enthusiastic about coming to school, we must provide diverse, interesting, challenging and enjoyable work experiences.
Curiosity and Creativity:
- Allowing and encouraging all the participants in the school building to question and explore.
- Staff should be encouraged to trust and nurture their own curiosity and creativity.
- Limitation of mundane routine that can set in day after day, term after term, year after year.
- All staff members are open to the same growth and change we expect of students.
Spirit of Adventure:
- Supporting healthy risks
- Trusting that it is all right to make mistakes and knowing there is something to be learned from any consequence–positive or negative.
Leadership and Responsibility:
- Gives every member of the staff a voice in the WHAT SCHOOLS REALLY NEED TO SUCCEED. | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing:
