SCHOOL CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP Narrative Essay The York High School community consciously and continuously builds

a safe, positive, respectful, and supportive culture that fosters student responsibility for learning and results in shared ownership, pride, and high expectations for all. ! The York High School community is conscientious when it comes to students safety--both physical and emotional. Internet safety and acceptable use of technology (using technology appropriately and responsibly) is also covered in both freshmen Health and Technology and Careers courses. A full-time nurse, a school resource ofcer, and a school counselor with a substance abuse certicate share the responsibilities of ensuring a safe environment. ! In addition to this, classroom teachers review our Code Red/Code Green protocol, and we have many drills throughout the year to ensure students and staff are aware of the procedures for each. Our health teachers cover a wide variety of topics to promote a safe and healthy lifestyle. The respectful environment of our school is enhanced through a caring and attentive staff and the many programs they supervise promoting student leadership and responsibility. Some of these programs include TidalWavse, Interact, Student Listener, Sober Friends, Young Womens Leadership, AIDS Team, and the Civil Rights Team. Our advisor-advisee program, called TEAMS, which stands for Teachers as Educational Advisors and Mentors to Students, provides a time every day in which a staff member serves as not only the gatekeeper of school information but also as a mentor and advisor to a group of 10-14 students. Each TEAM leader stays with their team from freshmen year until graduation, and selected senior students serve as co-facilitators for freshmen teams to help freshmen adjust to the demands of high school. The goal of TEAMS is currently being enhanced to further ensure that all students leave YHS with a workable plan in place for their future. ! York High School provides many programs and interventions to support student success in meeting the rigors of high school. The House of Interventions (initially created at a Summer Leadership Team Retreat in 2007) was created to outline the many layers of programming used to personalize and maximize student achievement (See Appendix A). Some of these programs include, but are not limited to: Special Education, Guided Study, MANTA (Managing Adolescent Needs with Teaching Alternatives), Credit Recovery, 504, Alternative Education, Math Lab, Technology Lab Support, Student Services, Peer Tutoring (Writing Lab), Top Cat Award, Academic Banquet, Year-End Academic Awards, YCCC (York County Community College) On-Site Acceptance, Sanford Regional Technical Center and YCCC Articulation/DualEnrollment.

York High School is equitable and inclusive and fosters heterogeneity, where every student, over the course of the high school experience is enrolled in a minimum of one heterogeneously grouped core class ( English Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, or World Languages.) ! There are 594 students registered at York High School (as of 3/2/11), and nearly 100% of these students will be enrolled in at least one heterogeneous class throughout their high school career. These courses are described in the York High School Program of Studies. York High School Graduation Requirements are also listed on page 6 of this program. ! The percentage of students at York High School who are not enrolled in a heterogeneous core class due to the complexity of disabilities is .5% These same students do not participate in group standardized testing but rather have a PAAP (Personalized Alternate Assessment Portfolio). Also, these students will attend high school through their twentieth birthday which is the legal age of limit in the state of Maine. ! There is a formal, on-going program through which each student has an adult in the school, in addition to the school counselor, who knows the student well and assists the student in achieving the schools 21st century learning expectations. The formal, on-going program at York High School through which each student is supported is known as TEAM. Each student is assigned to a team of approximately ten to fourteen students and meets in her or his assigned TEAM every school day from 10:37-10:47 (between blocks 2 and 3). This TEAM is managed by a staff member who oversees this group. In addition to their assigned school counselor, the TEAM leader is yet another adult who knows the student well and assists the student in achieving school learning expectations. TEAM leaders can promote personalization, academic rigor, and success for every student. As of 2011, there is a new Leadership Team initiative to ensure that all students leave YHS with a plan in place for the future and that TEAM leaders assume more of an advisory role. Personalization and student success may occur by surveying students to nd out what sports they play, in what activities they participate, jobs they work, or other interests they have outside of school. Birthdays and TEAM pictures may be posted. Students may be encouraged to keep a journal of high school memories. ! Academic success is encouraged via PowerSchool check-ins when class grades are monitored, especially before marking periods and progress reports. TEAM leaders may recommend students to the Guided Study Hall program if they notice a student is failing or in danger of failing due to lack of work or study habits. Students may also be reminded of upcoming events such as Career Quest or college representatives who may be visiting. TEAM leaders may also help advise students regarding course selections.

! TEAM time is an opportunity to talk about activities, achievements, or stressors. Goal-setting may be encouraged to help students better connect their actions with their ambitions. Attitude may be assessed by asking students to describe their day. Students in need of counsel may be identied and referred. TEAM leaders are encouraged to seek out students who are in greatest need of help, whether socially or academically. In order to improve student learning through professional development, the principal and professional staff: engage in professional discourse for reection, inquiry, and analysis of teaching and learning use resources outside of the school to maintain currency with best practices dedicate formal time to implement professional development apply the skills, practices, and ideas gained in order to improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment York High School provides opportunities for professional development in a variety of ways, all of which result in the application of new skills toward improved teaching and learning. ! Faculty engage in professional discourse in the framework of faculty meeting discussions, informal discussions with administration and professional reading discussions.The principal is well known for his willingness to engage in conversations surrounding education, as he has served as York High Schools principal for thirty three years. One important way in which YHS provides for meaningful professional discourse is through the Leadership Team, established ten years ago by the principal and a small group of teachers. The Leadership Teams mission is to set annual goals, engage in professional discussions, and to set the direction of the school. Although sometimes this group may get caught up in school policy issues, they also provide the entire staff some time at faculty meetings to read educational articles and engage in discussions about them. In the past, we have also had Dine and Discuss events in which teachers would meet for a meal and discuss educational issues. Resources outside of the school are used to help faculty maintain currency with best practices. Faculty have the opportunity to participate in the Summer Institute, a free program for York teachers providing professional development courses such as Differentiation of Instruction and Skillful Teacher. Many also take outside courses for recertication or participate in academic conferences. Formal time is dedicated for the implementation of professional development at YHS in the form of teacher in-service days and a common prep time for the majority of academic areas. For the past few years, there has been some time at an in-service devoted to integrating technology into the classroom. However, demands on teacher time are being increased by programs such as RTI and K-12 curriculum issues, leaving less formal time for professional development.

! Teachers are able to apply what they have learned in their classroom because they have a great deal of autonomy to do so, to experiment, and to take risks. The principal and vice principal share in the responsibility of teacher observation, and both provide concrete feedback to teachers which can be used to inform their teaching methods. However, while a system exists for peer-mentoring of new teachers for their rst two years, there is no formal system in place for continued mentoring or for peer observations. School leaders regularly use research-based evaluation and supervision processes that focus on improved student learning. ! The York School Department uses an evaluation system based on the Danielson Model and Maines Ten Teaching Standards. Our current supervision and evaluation policy was developed by teachers, administrators, and school committee members in 2003. The policy was revised in the spring of 2010 by a committee of administrators and teachers with nal revisions made by the school committee. ! Our policy consists of three strands or groups and four domains of professional practice. Strand One is probationary teachers who are evaluated twice every year. Strand Two is for teachers on continuing contract and are evaluated every three years. Strand Three is for teachers who show serious deciencies in more than one domain and must follow an improvement plan as they are evaluated at least once each year. ! Although our policy has been in effect since 2004, better training in this policy is needed to ensure understanding of the system, particularly as recent changes have been made by the school committee. Our superintendent is scheduled to present the new changes to the faculty on opening day in the fall of 2011 which may address many of these questions. The organization of time supports research-based instruction, professional collaboration among teachers, and the learning needs of all students. ! The organization of time generally supports research-based instruction, professional collaboration among teachers, and the learning needs of all students in various ways. One of the ways that support is shown is through the school calendar that designates ve full days of Teacher In-service. The Teacher In-Service days are provided for staff to work in collaboration on student matters, accreditation, instruction, and the many goals/objectives of the school year. Another prime example is the restructuring of teacher and student schedules that created access to math and English support classes. ! The organization of Response to Intervention (RTI) groups in the high school supports the indication of research-based instruction, professional collaboration among teachers and the consideration of the learning needs of all students. Teacher and student schedules were restructured to create access to English and Math support classes. The

following RTI groups are in existence at York High School: Data Team, Behavior Team, Language Arts Team and Math Team. Each group meets approximately two times per month. The goals of RTI are listed as follows: (1) Strengthen the core academic and behavioral process at York High School to minimize academic and social failure for students (Tier I); (2) Identify students still at risk for academic and social failure (Tier 2); (3) Measure the success of the intervention supports offered to make sure they are effective (Tier 2); (4) Adjust supports as needed for efcacy (Tier 3); (5) Gather strong evidence for Special Education referrals in the instances of ongoing academic or social failure despite strong core instruction and frequent research supported intervention (Tier 3). ! The organization of time in the high school supports research-based instruction, professional collaboration among teachers and the consideration of the learning needs of all students through the organization of the Leadership Team. The Leadership Team is composed of elected faculty and staff members as well as student representatives. This team meets on a bi-weekly basis and also during the summer Leadership Team Retreat. During the off-weeks, the faculty meets in its entirety to further work on the previously delineated goals that the Leadership Team establishes during the summer retreat. ! The organization of time also supports the above as a result of common preparatory times per area of curriculum. Common prep time is evidenced in the following areas: Science, Social Studies, English,Mathematics, World Languages, Technology, and Performing Arts (Band and Chorus). There is not consistent prep time for Special Education teachers, by design, due to the signicant need to be available to students throughout the entire day. Also, there is no common prep time for the following curriculum areas: Visual Arts and Health/Physical Education. Again, students schedules dictate teachers schedules in these two areas. ! In summary, the overall school year calendar does indeed support research-based instruction, professional collaboration among teachers, and the learning needs of all students. Also, the formation and consistent meeting times of various RTI, Leadership and Faculty/Staff Teams directly demonstrate that there is use of research-based instruction and professional collaboration among teachers and that the learning needs of all students are being considered. Common preparatory time for all curriculum areas is a proposed goal. Time demands on classroom teachers for RTI, differentiation, common assessments, technology integration and other initiatives are increasing, but time availability is not increasing at the same rate. Student load and class size enable teachers to meet the learning needs of individual students. Generally, student load and class size enable teachers to meet the learning needs of individual students. Teachers average 17.6 students per class. In Special Education,

teachers average 5.1 students per class. Teachers' student load averages 87.1 students (excluding Special Education). In certain circumstances, there may be 1:1 teacher student ratio (such as in Special Education) while in classes such as Band and Chorus, the ratio may be signicantly higher. ! All faculty were polled via e-mail and asked if student load and class size enable them to meet the learning needs of individual students. Sixteen responded. Ten said yes, that student load and class size do enable them to meet the learning needs of individual students. In addition, some commented that it really depends upon what the course is and who the students are. More specically, 100 students in Chorus may be appropriate, but in other classes, ten students may be appropriate. For example, a class with a high proportion of Special Needs students who may require more individualized instruction may benet from a smaller class size. The principal, working with other building leaders, provides instructional leadership that is rooted in the schools core values, beliefs, and learning expectations. ! Robert Stevens, YHS Principal, states: I believe this is an area where we shine. Each summer members of the Leadership Team attend a retreat where the percolating issues of the previous year are assessed and vetted and then goals are created directed at these issues. These goals are subsequently brought back to the faculty for conrmation and integration into school culture. ! The key to the success of this team is shared leadership; each members input has equal weight. The principal may raise critical questions, but the entire group will resolve the issue. For example, last summer, Leadership examined ways to make TEAM more effective. Leadership felt TEAM supports personalization but questioned how to help TEAM support academic rigor. A goal from the retreat was to transform TEAM to Advisory Groups. The Leadership Team returns from the retreat with a list of goals for the upcoming academic year and continues to meet bi-weekly throughout the school year. The minutes from these meetings are stored electronically. All faculty and staff are invited to attend Leadership Team meetings. ! Leadership Team has been a key and essential element in providing instructional leadership rooted in YHSs school core values. These core values are then embedded in YHSs school culture, and YHS is currently working to further articulate these values. Teachers, students, and parents are involved in meaningful and dened roles in decision-making that promote responsibility and ownership. York High School is active in allowing students, parents, and teachers to help shape school policies which promote responsibility and ownership. The best example of this is our Leadership Team. The Leadership Team is made up of teachers, administrators, support staff, and students so that all areas of the building have a voice in how our school is run and help in shaping policies. Typically the Leadership Team

will form a committee to look into policy changes. The committee will solicit opinions from students, parents, and teachers via a survey before making a recommendation to the Leadership Team as was the case with our Personal Electronic Device policy and the changes to our Open House schedule. Once a policy is written, it is brought before the entire faculty for review and nal passage. ! We also have a Student Government with an elected member from each TEAM to provide students an outlet for their voices to be heard. A representative from the Student Government also sits in on School Committee meetings although he/she is not allowed to vote. We also include students and teachers along with administrators in the hiring of new faculty and coaches. The student representative is a voting member in this process. Students and athletes are also encouraged to ll out questionnaires to help their teachers and coaches improve their craft. Teachers exercise initiative and leadership essential to the improvement of the school and to increase students engagement in learning. York High School teachers exercise initiative and leadership essential to the improvement of the school and students engagement in learning. The teachers at York High School are dedicated to doing whatever it takes to ensure student success. Teachers participate in committee work designed to revisit policies or provide additional layers of support for our students. Just recently we had groups of teachers and administrators modify the Personal Electronic Device (PED) policy, the Open House schedule, student conferences schedule, and student eligibility. The culture of YHS is such that the staff is continuously willing to step up and help each other out. This was very recently evidenced by a number of teachers offering their free time to assist others in classroom web page development, which will be used to increase student engagement. ! Leadership comes from our diverse staff members. In addition to the initiative, direction, and vision of our teachers to drive sustainable change, York High School established its Leadership Team for the purpose of shared leadership and decision making. Also, a recent survey of our teachers revealed their strong willingness to reect upon and improve upon their practice. Approximately 69% of our staff has taken the Skillful Teacher course and 53% has taken Differentiation of Instruction. Ninety-two percent of our staff has reported participating in professional development workshops/ conferences/seminars. You can nd about 58% of our staff involved in the Summer Institute, 80% taking advantage of technology training, and 44% engaged in postgraduate work. It is clear that our teachers are fully invested in improving the overall school environment, enhancing students engagement in learning, and strengthening the learning culture of our community. Activities such as World Language Week, Career Night, Gang Green (environmental awareness group) events, and Pi Day are just a few

examples of how our teachers seek to engage our students in learning. Furthermore, the integration of technology to enhance learning has increased throughout the years. The school board, superintendent, and principal are collaborative, reective, and constructive in achieving the schools 21st century learning expectations. Mr. Stevens (principal) and Dr. Scipione (superintendent) collaborate regularly. For example, during Administrative Team (A -Team) meetings and administrative retreats, Mr. Stevens, Dr. Scipione, and school committee members develop an agenda that addresses expectations and goals for 21st Century learning. During the two day summer retreat for the A-Team, the majority of the time is spent in collaboration between the principals, superintendent, and the school committee concerning the direction the schools should take in developing and implementing the districts 21st Century learning expectations. A recent topic of discussion between the three parties was the adoption of Naviance. This is a computer based college and career search program which is used as a tool for electronic transmission of transcripts and letters of recommendation. This program was brought forward and instituted by YHS Student Services to improve the post-secondary process for our student body. As evidenced by the electronic minutes of all A-Team Retreats found on the schools email server (First Class), collaboration between the parties has been substantive. This is also evident when viewing school committee meetings which are streamed online live and are available via live webcast and archived through the Town of York website. ! It should be noted that Dr. Scipione states that principals do not usually interact with the board except during the summer retreat. In the normal chain of command, the superintendent interacts with the school board and the principal interacts with the superintendent. This chain is adhered to except on a case by case basis. The school board and superintendent provide the principal with sufcient decisionmaking authority to lead the school. School committee members understand that their role is primarily policy driven. According to Yorks superintendent, the MSBA (Maine School Boards Association) provides training to our new committee members which centers on their role as policy makers. Committee members rarely get involved at the principal level. The superintendent stated that over the last school year, there were six or fewer instances where appeals involving principals actions across the district involving students were directed to the school committee for review. Normally the chain of command is followed which would place the superintendent in between the principal and the committee. The board consists of ve members, and there has been little turnover of the membership in recent years. In addition to the experience of the committee members, York has a superintendent with twelve years experience and a high school principal

with thirty-three years serving the district. Therefore, continuity and experience have led to a sense of trust between all stake holders providing the principal with consistent and sufcient decision-making authority to lead the school. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SCHOOL CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP Through a variety of programs and initiatives, the York High School community has built a safe, positive, respectful, and supportive culture that fosters student responsibility for learning and results in shared ownership, pride, and high expectations for all. While there are specialized programs available for selected students, 99.5% of YHS students are enrollment in at least one heterogeneous core course during their time at YHS. Beyond the traditional classroom, TEAM and informal interactions between students and school staff lead the students to achieve the schools 21st Century Learning Expectations. A variety of professional development opportunities exist for all faculty each year, though time and allocations for mentoring and peer observations and integrating technology are limited. This professional development allows the school community to actively engage in reection and maintain currency with best practices in their classrooms. A recently revised supervision and evaluation process incorporates The Danielson Model as well as formal connections to the Maine Ten Teaching Standards. Though there are some inequities with regard to common prep time, the schools schedule and organization generally support researchbased instruction, professional collaboration among teachers, and the learning needs of all students in a variety of ways. Generally, student load and class sizes do enable teachers to meet the learning needs of individual students at York High School. The principal models and supports exceptional shared leadership through the integration of the Leadership Team which roots the school in its core values, beliefs, and learning expectations. York High School is active in allowing students, parents, and teachers to help shape school policies which promote responsibility and ownership. There is a culture of teachers doing whatever it takes to ensure student success, exercising initiative and leadership essential to the improvement of the school and to increase students engagement in learning. Time is established each year, formally and informally, for the principal, superintendent and school board to plan and work collaboratively to further the schools 21st Century Learning Expectations. The principal is provided sufcient decision making authority to lead the school. For these reasons, based on the Rating Guide for School Culture and Leadership, the rating of this standard is limited. Strengths:

A school culture characterized by a safe, positive, respectful, and supportive climate that fosters student responsibility. A school culture which does whatever it takes to help all students succeed and value them as meaningful members of the community. An advisory program which serves to personalize the High School experience for all students and helps every student to have a personal connection with at least one adult in addition to their school counselor. The strong instructional leadership conveyed by the principal and rooted in the schools core values and beliefs about learning. The strong, collaborative, and constructive relationship between the principal, superintendent, and school committee which is focused on ensuring every student achieves the schools learning goals.

Needs: Provide sufcient collaborative meeting time for all content areas. (Not all clusters have a common prep/meeting time within the school day). Familiarize all staff with evaluation policy and policy changes. Continue to encourage more participation of parents in meaningful decisionmaking. Increase time and resources available to implement professional development, mentoring, and peer observation. Ensure that class size and student-teacher ratios are kept at appropriate levels for student success. To increase heterogenous core courses for all students.