Critical Awareness for Improvement: The School and You

Not all schools have conditions that resist improvement, nor are all schools led by principals who are part of the problem. Yet, experience teaches us that, no matter what changes are attempted, many schools do not get better. More schools can be improved by leaders who are critically aware of what is blocking advancement of school practices. A means orientation, a teacher and administrator emphasis, and a top-down decision-making process are some conditions that are likely to impinge on school improvement. Principals can use these three conditions to analyze their own school environment. If their school is characterized by some or all of the conditions, they might decide to take purposeful action to eliminate traits that resist change. The first step toward reconstructing the school environment is arriving at an awareness of the reality that hinders improvement. This critical awareness may result in commitment to action that will make obsolete the persistent notion that schools do not improve. (Author)