Single School Culture Analysis

Students in today’s classrooms come from a myriad of different backgrounds, beliefs, and home settings. Administrators, school leaders, and teachers need to find a way to build a school community that allows students of all backgrounds a high-quality education. The School District of Palm Beach County is implementing a way to build school communities for the education of all students. The School District of Palm Beach County is the eleventh largest school district in the United States with 170,215 students (Public Affairs, 2009 n.p.). Almost nine percent, or 15,056 students, in Palm Beach County School District are in English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes which includes 149 different languages (Johnson, 2009 n.p.). The School
Dr. Alison Adler, Chief of Safety and Learning Environment for the School District of Palm Beach County, created Single School Culture, a new way to organize and run schools around the core belief of efficacy. Efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to develop themselves. The three arenas of Single School Culture, behavior, academics, and climate support the core belief. Through consistent practice and procedure, a Single School Culture is produced. The arenas are addressed simultaneously, focusing on the arena with the greatest need, to provide the most impact at a school site. Each arena is supported through the collection of specific data. Single School Culture “begins with shared beliefs, values and goals, and results in agreed upon processes and procedures that produce consistency in practice” (Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, 2005). Single School Culture is school board mandated in Palm Beach County, and it has spread to eleven other states and over twenty-five school districts
Administration, teachers, students, and parents agree on consistent practices and procedures across the school campus in order for the school to be successful. “The ultimate goal is to create a sense of fairness on a campus, an environment where students perceive they will receive the same respect and equitable treatment from classroom to classroom and from administrator to administrator” (Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, 2005 n.p.). When students recognize this trust on campus, it creates a fair environment for everyone. Students realize they are responsible for their actions, which allows them to focus on the primary aspect of school, academics.
Academics are another arena of Single School Culture. Academics are the primary focus of the education system. In the Single School Culture model, students are taught to believe they can achieve high level of success, and teachers are taught to believe in their ability to foster the success in their students. The administration’s job in the academics arena is vital as well. Principals are labeled as the instructional leader of the school, making sure everything at the school supports