What is the Goodness of your School?

Shortly after I accepted the position of principal this summer I had a student show up to school on his bicycle to see me. The school year wasn't scheduled to start for another three weeks. Having worked at this same school for the past 3 years I knew this student quite well. We had a great conversation about his summer, the books he is now reading, his family vacation, and the excitement about being a 5^th grader.  

On his way out the door of my office he turned back around and said, “Ms. Clayton, this is really cool.” When I prompted further to understand what he was referring to, he said, “You know how the teachers and students at our school always talk about being college bound and that you can work towards whatever job you want? Well you did that. You went to UW last year, worked really hard and now you get to be the principal. The kids at this school can see what that really means now.”

His insightful comment has run through my mind a million times this fall. It was present as our staff came back together in August and engaged in activities relating to the culture of our building. Providing the opportunity for the staff to reflect on the goodness of our school was a powerful experience and continues to weave through our conversations and decision-making processes.

With simple prompts including What is the goodness of Lake Hills? and What brings you back to the work each day/year? we created a foundation of core beliefs, understandings, and values between staff members. The conversations were deeply rooted in the passion and commitment to reaching the needs of every learner. There was a clear emphasis on educating the whole child and a desire to always remember that our students are more than test scores.

In navigating these first several weeks of the school year I am constantly reminded of the above experiences. As I've walked through classrooms, interacted with staff, students, and families, observed instruction, and attended meetings with parents and community members, I constantly see evidence that all the different parts of the school are interconnected.

It is in those smaller, daily moments when evidence of school-wide efforts are present that our passion for the work is refueled. When you happen to overhear students having a conversation with one another about what it means to go to college you know the messages are being internalized. Similarly, when an emphasis on more parent engagement shows in record attendance for curriculum night or when a student meets their daily goal for positive behavior we are reminded of the importance of our work.

So, I ask you…

How do you gauge or assess the goodness of your school?

As the building leader what signs are you looking for that the school's vision and mission are grounding the work occurring in the school building? 

What does it look like and sound like when the needs of every child are being addressed and action is put into place to ensure each child is on the path to success? 

In what ways do your school-wide goals, efforts, and initiatives get assessed each day? 

What evidence do you have to show that efforts are transferring to students, families, and the community? Similarly, what evidence to you have to show that your school and staff are responsive to the ideas and needs of students, families, and the community?

 What is the goodness of YOUR school?