Chapter 4: Beating The Odds At Central Elementary School: Developing a Shared Stance toward Learning

This case study describes how teachers and administrators at Central Elementary School have created a more supportive school climate. Results from state-mandated achievement tests show that student performance at Central has improved steadily in recent years. Interviews with teachers and administrators and observations of lessons and planning meetings conducted over a two-year period document three major changes in school culture that have contributed to these accomplishments. During this time, teachers and administrators have developed a shared stance toward learning that link values and beliefs into a communal sense of responsibility. This shared stance has strengthened instructional norms that emphasize more active student engagement, infusing lessons with higher levels of cooperation and student involvement. Grade-level planning sessions and site-based staff development feature a process of data-directed dialogue that nurtures the other two changes. Results show how these cultural dynamics are sustaining school renewal, student accomplishment, and teacher development.