Establish a School Culture That Prioritizes Student Experience

Across the nation, educators, students, and families are diving headfirst into the first weeks of school. Parents and families are excited to send their kids out of the house for seven hours, students are excited to share their summer selfies and show off their new “drip,” and teachers are elated to be liberated from “Week 0” professional development (PD). For those who do not know, Week 0 happens the week before students return. This is the week when school leaders deliver the “state of the school” address, communicate the vision for the upcoming school year, and set new ambitious and audacious academic goals for the current school year. This is where the magic is supposed to happen, and by week’s end, faculty and staff will know how to create differentiated, personalized learning plans that activate prior knowledge and regulate emotion through the gamification of lessons, scaffolding, and the provision of experiential learning during small group instruction…anyone else tired of the buzzwords?…all in the name of school improvement. And by school improvement, we really mean improving student performance results on high-stakes standardized assessments. The unfortunate reality is that our hyper-focus on results harms children.

This is the year for a fundamental shift in our approach to education. We need to move away from our fixation on results and prioritize the quality of the student experience. This transformation requires a change in our collective mindset. We must acknowledge that, despite conventional wisdom, we do not control results. Standardized tests, despite their perceived value, are created by for-profit companies and provide, at best, an incomplete picture and, at worst, an inaccurate one of a student’s knowledge and abilities.

Oppressive rituals like standardized testing, tracking, and punitive disciplinary measures are robbing our students of the rich and rewarding academic experiences they deserve.

Research shows that adults who feel valued and appreciated at work produce better results. The same is true for students. When they feel seen, loved, and cared for, they will be more engaged, put forth more effort, and perform better.  To improve student performance, let us focus on what is most important: cultivating and sustaining a positive school culture. In my new book, Lead with C.A.R.E.: Strategies to Build Culturally Competent and Affirming Schools, I offer a simple theory of action: If schools prioritize student experiences over results and establish a culture built on Cultural-responsiveness, Affirmation, Relationships, and Empowerment, then they will dramatically improve the academic experiences of all children which will lead to improved outcomes.

There are simple yet powerful actions we can take today that will drastically improve school culture and improve the student experience. None of these strategies require you to invest thousands of dollars in new technology, nor do you have to attend a six-hour PD session. However, you must have a sense of urgency and a desire to change how we treat and engage with students entrusted to our care.

1. Shadow a student: Sometime in the next month or so, choose a student to shadow for the entire day. This is a powerful learning experience. Student shadowing allows you to experience school from a student’s perspective, broadens your lens, helps point out the challenges they face, and, more importantly, makes you more empathetic to the students you serve.
2. Praise effort, not just results: Yes, we want to celebrate the student who earned 100% on that last quiz but also celebrate the child who did not earn the perfect score but has been putting in extra effort to learn that new concept. Let us praise the student who asks really good questions, asks for help, has a great attitude, and puts forth their best effort.
3. Begin each day with an SEL check-in: Yes, we are responsible for making our students smarter, but we cannot do that if we don’t have a relationship with them. One of the ways we build relationships is by checking on their social and emotional health at the beginning of each day or class period. The two-word check-in is a great way to gauge how students are feeling. Simply asking them to share two words that best describe how they feel is an excellent way for you to model vulnerability (you must share, too), show that you care about them not just as students but as human beings, and demonstrate how to grapple with multiple, sometimes conflicting, emotions productively.
4. De-emphasize “the grade” and focus on growth: One of the most empowering things you can say to a student is that grades are not the most important thing and that you care more about their learning and experience in your school/class. The pressure we put on students to earn good grades compels them to sometimes lie, cheat, and use ChatGPT. The pressure undermines their sense of value and self-worth and can cause depression. Illuminate the power of learning, create a community in your classroom where everyone feels responsible for one another, and bring back the fun.

Remember, a school’s culture is more than just a backdrop; it is a dynamic force that shapes the experiences of everyone within the school, especially our children. We pave the way for a brighter future for all our students when we commit to establishing a culture of C.A.R.E.