Home | Workshop Descriptions | About Pam Robbins
Articles, Books & Publications | Contact InformationShaping Positive and Transforming Toxic School Cultures
This session will examine the ways school leaders shape positive school cultures and transform toxic cultures. Engage in "archaeological digs," conduct culture assessments, and analyze core norms and values. Examine and discuss culture building and "culture busting" tools. Reflect on your own cultures, share examples of positive and negative rituals and ceremonies, and learn strategies for dealing with negative culture. Leave with a booklet of resources that can immediately applied.
Participants will:
- identify the core features of positive cultures and learn how to conduct cultural histories;
- develop strategies to overcome toxic cultures;
- reflect on ways to redesign rituals and ceremonies in order to transform cultures;
- practice approaches to cultural storytelling;
- discover innovative ways to celebrate accomplishments; and
- examine the relationship between school culture and student learning outcomes.