Tools for Schools, April/May 2001, Vol. 4, No. 5
Educator, know thyself: Learning where you are is the first step in establishing your direction
By Joan Richardson
Stop to look at a map in any large shopping mall and you'll find that your position is marked with a large X and the words "you are here." Once you've identified your location, you can determine the best route to reach the shops you want to visit during your excursion.
School culture survey
This tool will help a school assess its culture based on the 12 norms of a healthy school culture identified by Jon Saphier and Mathew King in their article, Good Seeds Grow in Strong Cultures, Educational Leadership, March 1985.
Parent/community involvement assessment
Schools can use this survey to learn how parents assess their relationship with their child's school.
Rate yourself as a team player
The facilitator should prepare individual sheets ahead of the team meeting and distribute to team members. Before distributing, tell them when results will be available and how results will be used.
Team meetings
This tool will assist various teams in assessing how well they attend to the basics of successful meetings. In order for this tool to be used effectively, team members must have agreed on a set of norms ahead of time. This tool would best be used after the team has met several times and can gauge the team's attention to its goals.
