Culture Building - Deliberate attempts to create shared expectations and knowledge. Building capacity at the local level is key. IESN must help building administrators engage in inquiry about leadership. IESN must also help schools develop and nurture norms of collaboration that develop teacher leaders who will gradually take over some of the responsibilities of IESN coaches. Maintaining norms to support inquiry and collaboration must be the responsibility of school based people at some point.
Building capacity means working with students and parents and community members as well.
The how and when must be a local decision. However, it is never appropriate to choose not to include students, parents, and community members in school improvement. IESN will not offer a program, but rather a way of using inquiry to build understanding and set in motion events that will lead to improved student learning. Administrators must help mediate emerging new understandings. Both district level and building level administrators should be actively engaged in inquiry themselves as well as aware of how to help nurture a culture that supports teacher and student inquiry.