As this author started to write this article, I began with my list of attributes that make a great school. My own list was based on twenty-one years in education; ten as a teacher, five as an assistant principal, and six as a high school principal. In no particular order, my top attributes were: the teachers, involved students (extra-curriculars), leadership from admin, community support, high attendance, and a good culture that includes safety, high expectations, and collaboration.
To be honest, I believe these lists will be a little different for everyone. That is why I surveyed over ten administrators and over ten different online articles to see the most common answers to what are the attributes of a great school. I was also curious how my list compared to others in the trenches and the experts online.
The Fabulous Foursome: Four Attributes Mentioned Most Often
Effective School Leadership
There are many studies that show a direct correlation between effective school leadership and the success of a school. Common examples of effective leadership included adapting to change, being proactive, nurturing the instructional environment and maintaining a positive school culture.
Establishment of High Standards and Expectations for All Students and Staff
This falls under cultural expectations in that the school will make all students successful and teachers are held to that standard in everything they do. Teachers are consistently being pushed to improve and that attitude is passed on to the students.
Supportive Learning Environment (Culture)
At the apex of what is going on in the school, learning is supported at all times. The school is secure, and the safety of the school is not a distraction. The school is clean, and those possible distractions are removed. All activities (extra-curricular, community events, etc.) aim to ensure students are learning in the classroom and feel supported.
Having a Clear and Shared Focus
This one is a culmination of the top four answers and has to be implemented at all levels — district level, campus level, students, and community. From the top down, the focus of the school is having every aspect of the school point to the ultimate goal of the school — the learning and success of the students. Everyone knows that the clean school, the organization of the school, the instruction in the school, the programs in the school, all support what the school is trying to achieve, and everyone understands that goal.
Tier Two: Mentioned Some, but Not Enough
High Levels of Collaboration and Communication
This attribute definitely is where it needs to be as it is a result of a supportive learning environment (culture) that allows collaboration and communication. Teachers will grow more quickly (regardless of experience) when they are in safe places where they can discuss instructional success and failures with their colleagues. A strong professional learning community (PLC) can make average teachers great because of the collective mind at work. High levels of collaboration and communication have to be fostered by the school culture and administrators.
State Standards of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessments
This attribute dives into the weeds a little, but it is vital to the success of students and teachers. Educators need to know what they are teaching to students and how to get their students to that target. If the curriculum (what to teach), instruction (how it is taught), and assessment (are we successfully teaching) is all pointed in the right direction students will grow exponentially.
High Level of Community Involvement
Usually not an issue at the elementary levels, but harder at the secondary levels. This does include how often there are events where parents and students are on campus at the same time. This also looks at how much of a partnership is created with parents and how they are included in the education direction their students are headed. There are many schools out there that offer a lot to their parents, but do not get much back. The goal is to move from just involvement of parents and the community into engagement. Involvement is not necessarily engagement.
Attribute Runner Ups of a Great School
It was hard to “minimize” the following attributes, as they all have some importance in the success of a school, but the following attributes did not make the top seven.
Frequent Monitoring of Learning and Teaching
This is completion of the cycle, so speaking…if you expect, you must inspect it.
Focused Professional Development
Are you feeding teachers and staff what they need to grow professionally? Those that feel they are being grown and improving usually stick around in the organization they are working for.
Extracurriculars
Students do not just come to school for math problems and to write essays. Most students will come for band practice, athletic practice, or whatever club or organization they are in. Extracurricular activities give more reasons for students to come to campus every day!
Office Staff
There might not be a better way to gauge culture than how you are welcomed when you enter the front office of a school. The office staff can change the environment and mood of people with just a smile and a welcoming salutation.
How Administrators Can Guide a Great School
The list above is a great playbook for administrators on how to guide great schools.
In short, as an administrator, make sure everyone knows their job and the expectations for the job. You have to keep your staff focused on what the overall goal is all the time. The whirlwind of a school will hit every day, but you and your staff have to be able to keep the main thing the main thing.
So, administrators, is the culture you are building fostering learning and collaboration? Is the instruction in the classroom going to move students forward to their learning goals? Are the right people doing the right things all around the campus? Does that 25th club and organization on your campus help reach the goal of student involvement/engagement?
A great school is a puzzle of many different attributes, the administrator’s job is to make those puzzle pieces work together into the overall goal of the school.
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