Envision the Future of Your School’s Identity: Develop a Shared Understanding of Your School’s Identity
You cannot change any society unless you take responsibility for it, unless you see yourself as belonging to it and responsible for changing it.
– Grace Lee Boggs
INTRO
What role do you think identity plays in developing a healthy school climate and culture? The below activity will help you develop a shared understanding of your school’s identity and explore specific values and beliefs necessary to implement a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) in your school.
OBJECTIVES
- Identify existing values and beliefs that are central, enduring, and distinctive to your school.
This activity is designed to complete with various stakeholders/teams. We encourage you to make it your own, though you can simply follow the progression outlined below. Utilize the worksheet provided above to assist with this activity.
Envision The Future
Have each person individually reflect on the following:
- It’s five years from now and your school community has identified the values and beliefs most important to students, staff, and families. This is one key reason that your school culture is better than it has ever been. Imagine walking through your community in this future state and reflect on the following questions for each group (STUDENTS, STAFF, and FAMILIES):
- What are they DOING?
- If you asked them to describe their FEELINGS, what would they say?
Break into small groups to discuss:
- What are the commonalities?
- What are the differences?
TIPS
- Using a Google doc, form, or poster board, have each small group document 3 things they want to start happening at school or to happen more in the next year that will make this future a reality.
Ask staff individually the following questions:
- What are the core values (principles that drive behavior) that are most essential in your school?
- What are the core beliefs (what we think to be true) that influence decision-making in your school?
- Describe a time when you saw teachers, students, or families embodying some of the attributes you listed above.
- When you think about that time, what did you see happening?
- Use as much detail as you can.
Discuss in small groups what values and beliefs you listed that were shared with each other.
TIPS
Engage different stakeholders to perform this exercise.
Faculty / Staff
- To collect this information, we suggest facilitating the process in a meeting, but collecting the feedback electronically with a Google form or Google doc, so you can use a word cloud tool or spreadsheet to find out what ideas and words are used most.
- If you have a smaller staff, you can also use chart paper and post-it notes to collect the information.
Students
- We recommend engaging with at least 10% of your students and making sure that the diversity of your school population is represented by the students you engage.
- Be thoughtful in providing accommodations for students from different cultural backgrounds, with different language abilities, and special education students to ensure their voices are included.
- Most schools gather student feedback after leading this activity with staff so that teachers are able to facilitate the process with students.
- We suggest facilitating the process in a class, but collecting feedback electronically with a Google form or Google doc, so you can use a word cloud tool or spreadsheet to find out what ideas and words are used most.
Community
- To collect this information, we suggest facilitating the process in a meeting, but collecting the feedback electronically with a Google form or Google doc, so you can use a word cloud tool or spreadsheet to find out what ideas and words are used most.
- If you have a smaller community, you can also use chart paper and post-it notes to collect the information.
Responses