School improvement is really about creating school standards. What’s that, you say? Schools have standards don’t they?
They are mandated to have:
• Qualified teachers (college degrees, teaching credentials, teaching only subjects they are degreed to teach)
• Credentialed administrators
• Standards for school administrators
• Text books and supplies for every student
• A full curriculum
• Learning standards
• Standards based report cards
• Teacher professional standards
• Standards for principals
• Safety and security standards
• State and Federal reporting standards
• Standards for school counselors
• School library standards
• Math standards
• Psychology content standards
• Health and safety standards
• Standards for construction
• Secure and safe buildings
• School bus standards
• Reading standards
• American government standards
• High school graduation standards
• School lunch program standards
• School paint standards
• Standards for middle school career exploration
• School lighting standards
• School librarian standards
• School facilities standards
• Academic assessment standards
• Testing standards
• Standards for standards
You realize, of course, that this list is in NO WAY complete! What you do not see on this list – or find anywhere else - is any type of school (or district) standard for the school working environment. You’ll look back up at the list and say to yourself…” wait… I see school facilities standards and I see school paint standards…” and end your thought with… “there are standards for the school work environment.”
Working happens in the present and is an action that is on going. We either are working in an environment that supports us and maximizes our productivity (our results) or we are working in an environment that slows us down, gets in our way and hinders our productivity (our results).
Could school working environment standards lead to school improvement… for all schools? Oh, yeah! We’ll be talking about this more…
The link to teachers' Success...
Dr. Kathleen Salzano, Ed.D.
