Educational Administration Artifact Reflection

Artifact Title: School Climate Project

Date of Experience Completed: February-April 2015

Artifact Description:
My artifact is a School Climate Project that I assisted in designing for a
phantom school during the Relationship Module of the Educational
Administration two-year masters program at the University of WisconsinPlatteville. The purpose of the project was to create a school climate survey
to assess areas of need within the school district, identify resources and
solutions to these areas of need, and generate a presentation and report
summarizing our findings.

Wisconsin Administrator Standard Alignment:

This School Climate Project best aligns with Wisconsin Administrator
Standard 3 which states: A school administrator is an educational leader who
promotes the success of all students by advocating, nurturing, and
sustaining a school culture and instructional program conducive to student
learning and staff professional growth.
This School Climate Project best aligns with Standard 3 because it
demonstrates competency in providing a safe and supportive learning
environment to enhance student growth and development and the
measurement, evaluation, and assessment of school culture and climate on a
regular basis including a change process for systems, organizations, and
individuals. This artifact also demonstrates competency in treating all
individuals with fairness, dignity, and respect by acknowledging and
celebrating the responsibilities and contributions of each individual so that
students and staff feel valued and important.
Overall, the goal of this project was to assess the needs of a school district
and design a plan to address those needs. In order to provide a safe and
supportive learning environment, staff members of the school district
participated in a school climate and culture survey which included three
areas: Community, Teaching and Learning, and Interpersonal Relationships.
It was determined there were four areas of need: cyberbullying and internet
safety, the enforcement of consequences being clearly and consistently

enforced, staff feeling recognized for good work, and staff morale.
Recommendations for a change process included bullying awareness, PBIS,
staff incentives, and team building principles. It was a goal of the district to
participate in school climate and culture surveys two times per year to
assess improvements. Throughout the survey process, project and paper
development, and implementation, all individuals were treated with dignity,
fairness, and respect. This can be demonstrated in the presentation and
report. Presentation slides 16 through 22 list multiple methods to allow
individuals responsibilities and contributions to be acknowledged and
celebrated. Staff members would feel valued and important through
potlucks, staff get-togethers, and thank you notes, while students would feel
valued under the PBIS model.

What I learned about administration from this experience:

From an administrative perspective, I have learned two things through this
artifact experience. First, show others their value, but also allow yourself to
feel just as valued. My experiences with administrators have been great
ones. They have been effective leaders, strong role models, efficient
managers, and enthusiastic cheerleaders. From an administrative
standpoint, it is extremely important to make your staff members feel valued
and appreciated. A positive school culture and climate will benefit the
education of your students. While you are taking time to show others your
appreciation, make sure to take time for yourself. Burnout rates are high in
administration. It is important to pay as much attention to self-health as it is
to pay attention to others health. The second thing I learned was that a
little gesture can go a long way. The School Climate Project suggested ways
to make students and staff feel appreciated. One of those methods was a
simple note in staff members mailboxes. I, for one, feel empowered and
appreciated when receiving small gestures. No matter how small the
acknowledgment, administrators can make a difference in the lives of their
staff members.
What I learned about myself as a prospective administrator as a
result of this artifact:
This artifact experience has taught me, as a prospective administrator, not to
assume. When beginning this project, I assumed what the areas of concern
would be based on my knowledge of the schools surveyed and our class
discussions. I was surprised to see that bullying and staff appreciate and
moral were the top concerns. In this situation, had I been an administrator

and failed to give the school climate survey, I very well could have created
more problems than had previously existed. It is important to get input from
all stakeholders when making significant changes to the school culture.
Another thing I learned via this artifact experience was to use my resources
and not be afraid to rely on others. I have always been the personality type
that if I want it done right, then I need to do it myself. This project was much
too large for one person to accomplish within a few months. For this reason,
I was thankful this group task. This lesson can be applied to a future
administrative role. As an administrator, I will not always be able to
independently complete tasks with quality. I look forward to teaming with
competent, hard-working individuals in a prospective administrative role.