Effective Schools According to our text, what are the characteristics of effective schools? In the book Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional, Kauchak and Eggen (2014) identified schools as social systems and wrote, “Social systems work effectively when their components work together to meet their goals” (p. 181). The components listed were the staff and faculty members of a school, the physical building of the school itself and surrounding areas, and the curriculum. The characteristics of an effective school such as its optimal size, good leadership, high collective efficacy in teachers, teachers involving students in learning activities and lessons, frequent assessment of students by teachers and continual feedback from teachers to students, safe and orderly environment, and positive parental and community involvement may all be grouped with these components. For instance, the staff and faculty members of a school include teachers and the leader. The physical building itself and its surroundings include the size of the school as well as the parents and community surrounding it. The two previous components can both be associated with a safe and orderly environment. Plus, the curriculum is related to interactive instruction and the monitoring of student progress. In order to be an effective school, all school personnel must work together in a friendly, caring, polite, and respectful manner. There are a number of positions and employees in a school. “A school is a complex social system, and all the people in it contribute to making it run smoothly” (Kauchak & Eggen, 2014, p. 182). It’s important to acknowledge the contributions of all staff and faculty members. The principal, leader of the school is the ... ... middle of paper ... ...also believe in their own ability and the schools to teach students regardless of the circumstances. Students have to feel safe and be able to trust their school as well as the employees and other students in it. This means that rules and policies must be established otherwise it’s not an effective school. The school cannot be too small or too large to be an effective one either. Also, the parents and community definitely have to be involved in the education of their children or neighbor’s children in order for the school to be an effective one. This pertains to me because once I graduate and start looking for a place of employment I will want to work in an effective school. The knowledge that I have gained from this book will help me in choosing an effective school to work at. Works Cited Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional Kauchak & Eggen 2014
Chapter one of Ten Traits of Highly Effective Principals opens with one of the most influential traits of what an effective principal should possess, the communication trait. To be successful in any venue in life, you must be able to communicate with people; this is especially true in the education world. Principals are responsible for communicating with people in all walks of life, parents, students, teacher, administrative office personnel and the general public, as an administrator, you must make each of these individuals feel a sense of trust and belonging while communicating with them. Principals use conversations and gesture to build confidence and open lines of communication for learning and growth.
One aspect I believe all schools should have is the element of safety at school. A student cannot efficiently learn without first feeling safe. In Joan Lipsitz and Teri West’s What Makes a Good School? they say, “In high-performing schools, the adults work together to provide a web of emotional and social support for the students, not just in the services the school provides but in the attitudes and relationships the adults establish with students” (Lipsitz & West, 2006 p. 83). Schools should not only provide services such as counseling, or food to take home to support their mental and physical safety, but ensure that the teachers employed at the school are making meaningful relationships with the students so they feel safe within the classroom. Another common theme seemed to be the idea of teachers working together, which I think is a great idea as someone who is a future teacher. In the article Piece by Piece: How Schools Solved the Achievement Puzzle and Soared, Karin Chenoweth states, “The point of teacher collaboration is to improve instruction for students and to ensure that all students learn” (Chenoweth, 2009 p. 116). Other than all the schooling that teachers receive a major way of how they learn to teach is through their own experience. Sharing experiences with other teachers can help to modify lessons, or to share out ideas that will better prepare a teacher for their own class. Thus ensuring that students get an education that has been improved upon to become even more beneficial to
School administrators are important in setting the path for a successful school (Glickman, et al., 2014). The principals could play a dynamic leadership depending on how they exercise their beliefs of the organizational and social environment (McNair, 2011). The principals are the primary facilitators for developing the foundations in learning that will last, to manage the student’s performance at schools, and seeking the improvement at school that will cause great impacts in school‘s education (Gordon,1989). In the recent years in the U.S., education has change in a more cultural diversity population, it is imperative that school supervisors, are trained to encounter this cultural issues, but also assisting others with the opportunities to develop appropriate abilities to deal with different cultures (Glickman, et al., 2014).
Lawton, M. (March 1999). “For Whom the School Bell Tolls.” The School Administrator Web Edition. Retrieved from http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/1999_03/lawton.htm
Everyday students attend school, but not every single student attends the same type of school nor do they receive the same type of education. This thought may be very concerning to some, but for others, this is all too much a reality. For example, some may ask how is it possible that students in public schools that are located within the same state somehow receive a different education; the answer is simple. The concept of quality is a factor that can hinder or facilitate anything, especially ones education. The difference between a public school education in a particular town compared to another is its demographic. Some students are fortunate enough to be afforded the opportunity to attend school systems that perform well, while others do not have the privilege to do the same. Something as simple as a couple of miles can be the difference, the difference that makes some feel entitled to certain things such as higher education while others can only hope to appreciate a secondary or trade school education. Therefore, education is not a right rather a privilege, and the level of quality is contingent upon the environment wherein the learning takes place. The immense importance of environment is self-evident in examples
The school provides a safe environment for students to accomplish academic, social and emotional development. The leadership of a building will include effective decision making, human resource management, mission or purpose, understanding of change, relationship buildi...
In summary, I believe an effective teacher has the most influence on an effective school. Because of this, I consider Cooper’s characteristics centered on effective teaching as most important. I do also believe that fostering effective teaching skills through effective professional development programs are essential to creating an effective school. Furthermore, I would not discount the roles of non-teachers in the school setting, as they contribute to a school’s overall effectiveness too.
The entire community plays an essential role in the growth and development of children within our community. As a school leader, building an inclusive school culture that is open and friendly to all stakeholders using a variety of effective methods is crucial. There is no magic formula to incorporating a positive school culture, much depends on the leadership of the campus. The leadership on campus cultivates the climate providing support and respect for everyone invested in the student’s education.
Veazie Street Elementary school has a complex and involved social culture with many different, often detrimental layers that can be studied through a sociological lens. Upon studying the Elementary school however, it is apparent that the school is significantly underperforming academically especially in their mathematic competencies. In order to completely understand the interaction between academically struggling Elementary schools and society as a whole each of the three theoretical perspectives of sociology must be addressed and evaluated. From a macro social perspective low performance schools can be viewed extremely differently but equally significant through the functionalist and conflict theories, and from a micro social perspective of symbolic interactionism.
The National School Climate Center defines school climate as the "quality and character of school life" and identifies four major aspects: safety, teaching and learning, relationships, and environment (National School Climate Center, 2012). Any organization that serves people must foster an environment in which the workers, and the people it services, collectively feel a certain pride in belonging to that institution. In order to get maximum efficiency and productivity out of teachers and students, school morale must be at a significant level. Some of these facets include working conditions, safety and sense of belonging, and respected camaraderie amongst staff, students and parents.
The essential goal of education is to give children the knowledge and means to entire the workforce and achieve success (Carmichael, 2009). It is important as teachers that we welcome the diverse needs of all students. While it is fundamental that teachers are well-informed on the content they are teaching and are responsible to guide student learning, there is much more to emerging student learning. To develop students’ education, schools should provide a structure of classroom communities conductive to learning. School environments must be respectful, caring, stable, and stimulating atmospheres in order to enhance the learning environment. Students that perceive the atmosphere as friendly, satisfying, focused on goals, and challenging and who feel the classroom has the required materials tend to learn more (Walberg, 1984). Teachers need to commit to students and their learning and become members of the learning community.
Watson(2001) warned us that if the culture of the school is not hospitable to learning then students achievement can suffer. Fink and Resnick (2001) remind us that School Principals are responsible for establishing a pervasive culture of teaching and learning in each school.
Throughout my field visits to different schools, I encountered all different types of teaching practices and school environments . The first school I attended was Burger Middle School. While at Burger Middle School, I observed many classroom routines and procedures. For example, as a teaching method at Burger Middle School, students were put into groups of three. This method allowed the teacher to observe the whole class instead of students seated in the front. This teaching strategy, created student engagement because the seating arrangement allowed group work that created student discussion and collaboration. While touring the school, I saw a fantastic school atmosphere. There were plenty of classrooms used for subjects that included; art, math, technology( two rooms), a science and even a workout fitness center. As I walked around the school I saw a productive learning environment. There were posters on the wall about important historical figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Thomas Jefferson. Overall, I saw a safe and supportive
Much of what is taken for granted in schools today are the things that will form the foundation for lifelong achievements of students. The imperatives are not only for schools to achieve top GSAT scores or have a group of students transitioning to traditional high schools, but to ensure that all the students that pass through the system are mold, shaped and equipped with the appropriate skills that will prepare them for life. Such skills include the ability to think critically, communicate well and work effectively in a team. If students are taught how to live and work together, they will be able to function harmoniously in a group, (Baker, 2006). A sustainable positive school climate fosters holistic development which is necessary for a productive contributory and sustainable life in a democratic society, (National School climate council, 2013.)
Education and the school environment are one of the three primary agents of socialization where children and adolescents spend most of their time over any other environment. With this in mind, it is very important that everything about the school environment rears positive outcomes for children and adolescents because they spend most of their time there. This essay will explore the topic of the characteristics of school environments that promote positive student outcomes and the studies that suggest the importance of these characteristics. Some of the characteristics that will be discussed as sub-topics will be the importance of the classroom climate, the teacher-student relationship, the socio-emotional climate of the classroom, school organizational structure, teaching and learning environment and student connectedness to the school. If the school environment is positive and students feel safe and supported, they are more likely to do well and achieve their full potential.