Conducive Culture
The culture of the school enables both learners and faculty to feel affirmed about who they are, connected to one another, and motivated to continuously pursue ambitious personal and community goals.
a. Explicit shared values and mindsets guide the school’s approach to realizing its vision, including a commitment to equity that is evident in every program, course, and interaction. (New England Secondary School Consortium, 2016)
b. Faculty and learners share a growth mindset, curiosity, openness, and willingness to persevere through change.
c. Collaborative learning and continuous iteration are faculty norms fueled by site leaders and educators’ collective ownership over learner multidimensional outcomes, trust in one another, and urgency in their work. (See also Disciplined Results Monitoring and Continuous Improvement C.)
d. There are consistent, high expectations for behavior and supports for learners to learn from mistakes and to restore an environment of trust, safety, and productivity.
e. All members of the learning community feel cared for, known, and supported.
f. The school is deliberately infused with cultural elements that are meaningful to the represented groups and language that represents its learners, families, and educators.
g. The school environment reinforces the value and attainability of learning (Farrington, C.A. et al., 2012) so that learners are motivated and confident learners who contribute equitably and pervasively to the learning environment.