School Culture is a Verb: Finding Kindness and Belonging in Contentious Times
Nov 15, 2024 9:30AM—2:30PM
Location
Crystal Springs Uplands School
Cost Early Bird Pricing for Members (Available until October 29) $770 members; $655 group-rate 3+; $1,195 non-members
Categories Curriculum & Pedagogy, In-Person, Intensive, Social & Emotional Learning
ABOUT THIS IN-PERSON INTENSIVE
As school leaders, we will share the needs of our respective communities in terms of school culture and resulting student behavior. Post-covid, we have seen a need to address new social and interpersonal dynamics within our student bodies. Add the layers of technology, specifically social media and AI, and contentious world events, and it’s not a surprise our young people are struggling with how to meaningfully connect.
The symptoms include a trend of unkind and biased student behaviors in schools right now that are sometimes even racially motivated and exacerbated by social media. We must prioritize addressing this problem in the culture of our schools and with our students.
This workshop will allow educators to share their experiences and find common ground; elaborate the connections between different cultural challenges involving students and identify root causes; develop a shared vocabulary around the key elements of a healthy school culture; share a framework around an actual problem of practice in small groups, and of course throughout this process we will build community amongst each other.
Questions we will consider together:
- What are the prevailing trends or changes in your school culture that you have noticed over the past two years?
- What are your schools doing to prioritize healthy school culture and how is it going?
- How can we approach school culture in a strategic way that mimics the way we approach other, more tangible, school priorities?
- What are the problems of practice that you see at your schools as related to student culture? How are you addressing these problems? Has it been effective? Is the approach mission-aligned?
From an administrative perspective, we will also touch on structural frameworks and strategies to address lasting, long term change (coalition building, faculty and staff capacity building, etc).
LEARNING GOALS
Participants will:
- Think critically about culture - and school culture in particular - as a field of practice
- Reflect on their school’s culture, identifying patterns and trends that shape student behavior and outcomes
- Work collaboratively on creative solutions to concrete problems of practice in their school communities
- Foster connections and network with other school leaders who are dedicated to building healthy school culture at their home institutions
AUDIENCE
This offering is intended for school administrators and faculty who want to take practical steps towards improving school culture within their scope as school-wide leaders (Heads of School, Division Heads/Directors, Deans of Students, DEIB Practitioners, Student Government mentors, Grade Level Deans, club leaders etc).
BLOG POST: School Culture: A Priority Worth Nurturing
Read this personal invitation from Dot and Eli in School Culture: A Priority Worth Nurturing, where they share insights on why a thriving school culture is foundational for student well-being and community connection. This blog post offers a glimpse into the impactful practices we’ll dive deeper into during this dynamic in-person workshop. Discover how intentional culture-building can reshape your school’s environment, creating space for lasting, positive change.
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS
Dot Kowal is the Head of Upper School at Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, CA. She is a licensed clinical psychotherapist, and has extensive experience as a long time independent school college counselor and DEIB practitioner. Dot is a frequent CATDC collaborator, having co-facilitated workshops about Equity in College Counseling, Unpacking the Model-Minority Myth, and co-facilitated a community conversation about Asian Educators for Black Lives Matter. Her work is and always has been about making a difference in individual lives through equity-minded and inclusive practices and policies.
Eli Marienthal is the founder and Executive Director of Back to Earth, a nature connection, leadership development organization based in Berkeley, CA. He has spent the last ten years guiding wilderness immersions and rites of passage journeys for teenage boys in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Eli has also collaborated with middle and high schools across the Bay Area to develop unique outdoor education, leadership training, and school culture-building experiences. His work as an educator, mentor, and coach focuses on supporting people to connect deeply with nature, spirit, and themselves.
HOST AND PARTNER SCHOOL
CATDC partners with member schools to host our in-person programs, providing educators the opportunity to learn with peers in diverse settings. We are thrilled to partner with Crystal Springs Uplands School on this Intensive, welcoming the larger independent school community on their campus for a day of learning and collaboration.
Cancellation Policy
Life happens. We understand that there will be times when you cannot attend a workshop that you have registered and paid for. We strive to be as helpful and flexible as possible when things out of your control happen. Please visit our FAQ page for detailed information about our cancellation policy and answers to frequently asked questions about enrollment and membership.