Creating and Managing a Positive Culture and Climate

EDLD 5311 Fundamentals Leadership

WRITTEN BY DR. GARY MARTIN OCTOBER 2019 CASE STUDY #2

Bayview Elementary School is located in an old industrial neighborhood and has a student enrollment of 600 students. There are 24 teachers and 6 teaching assistants in the school. The school’s student population has the following characteristics: 25% African-American, 30% Latino, 30% Caucasian, 15% Asian. 70% of students receive free/reduced-price lunch.

Mr. Kelly is beginning his second year as the principal. At the request of the Assistant Superintendent, he attended a two-week training in the summer on a new and highly regarded literacy program. Following the training, he agreed with the Assistant Superintendent that the program should be implemented in his school. He is now committed to implementing the school district’s new literacy policy.

As he reviews Bayview school’s reading test scores, he realizes they are significantly lower than the district and state average. 25% of students score highly competent on state tests overall. 65% of students start at least 2 years behind, on average. Five of the 24 teachers have consistently produced 1.5 years of student learning growth annually for the previous 2 years. At the beginning of the new school year, he schedules a 2-day training on the new literacy program.

After the first 6-week period, teachers at Bayview believe they are working extremely hard to meet the literacy needs of their students. When Mr. Kelly visits their classrooms, he sees teachers working very hard. However, he does not see evidence of effective teaching strategies that will better serve the students’ needs. He also does not see the spirit of the district’s literacy initiative being implemented in teachers’ classrooms. The feedback to the teachers following walk- throughs, is predominately negative and teacher morale is declining rapidly.