School leaders should understand and cultivate their roles and the roles that others play within improvement initiatives. To build a more collaborative school culture, institute faculty study groups and cross-grade or department teams and provide time for collegial work. Create high-achieving learning environments by selecting and integrating a variety of programs to improve teaching and learning. Establish and follow a set of guidelines for implementing new approaches to student learning . A text transcript is available.
Principals send out congratulations and notes that celebrate success.
Schools hold assemblies to recognize not only the success of students but of their teams. The principal passes out coffee cups with the school logo to recognize teachers and teams that have been particularly successful. A text transcript is available. School leaders, through their actions and words, can overcome such reluctance by rewarding risk-taking and encouraging school community members to offer new ideas and strategies. Linda Sienkowicz, Principal of Piccolo Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois, discusses the strategies she used to encourage risk-taking among her staff and the effects of her leadership.