Running head: Culture, Climate, and Communication Reflection 1

Culture, Climate, and Communication

Bradley J Ostendorf

Grand Canyon University: EAD-519 Clinical Internship I: Learner-Centered Leadership

10/13/2021
Running head: Culture, Climate, and Communication Reflection 2

Culture, Climate, and Communication Reflection

When reviewing Mayer High Schools continuous improvement plan, I noticed there were

three main points of emphasis. Providing support for underrepresented students, technological

improvements, and teacher implementation of district established curriculum. It is Mayer High

Schools belief that a combination of these three areas will promote student achievement for years

to come. The improvement or establishment of these three areas was determined through a

formal needs assessment conducted by the Super-Intendent and school administration.

Needs Assessment

Over the last two years, Covid-19 caused a rise in parental involvement within Mayer

Unified District. This being something we had not had much of in the future, my principal

mentor used the opportunity to conduct several formal needs assessments with internal and

external stakeholders. My mentor conducted multiple parent meetings regarding school safety

along with identifying areas parents felt improvement was needed.

My mentor also surveyed staff members throughout the district to identify what areas we

felt improvements could be made. Given the small nature of our district, only being two schools,

these meetings were both formal and informal. This allowed for conversation to be detailed,

elaborate, and personal. Until personally reviewing the continuous improvement plan, I did not

realize how many of the district goals were put in place to support the needs that our staff and

community identified.

A Plan to Support the Needs

The three areas that were highlighted most often in the needs assessment were technology

improvements, professional development aligned with new technology, and intervention

opportunities for students falling behind. In review of the school’s continuous improvement plan,
Running head: Culture, Climate, and Communication Reflection 3

actions have been added or were already established that will help meet these needs identified by

stakeholders.

One of the first plans of action established by the CIP is providing meaningful

professional development for staff. Through ESSER II funds, our district was able to make

significant improvements in technology. These improvements included an updated gradebook

system along with new touch screen boards in every classroom. These changes, although

exciting, left many staff members concerned about their ability to work with the new technology.

It did not take long for administration to inform our staff that all technology changes would be

met with professional development for all staff members. Overall, the purchasing of this

technology and the training staff has received has shifted the school culture from a rural school

with outdated technology to a school using technology that rivals any school in our county.

Stakeholders being away or our technology improvements was not a concern. During open

house, administration and every teacher were proud to show families what improvements the

district had made and how it would affect their teachings for the upcoming year.

The second largest goal established by our CIP is to provide tutoring to students after

school through Title I funding so that students may receive extra help if they find themselves

falling behind or are already multiple credits behind graduation requirements. In addition to

tutoring, the creation of an alternative education program has been added to the school

improvement plan as another attempt to serve those students in need. These two plans meet the

needs identified by parents regarding an increase in student achievement for students who have

fallen behind due to varying reasons. So external stakeholders were aware of this action being

taken, our administration communicated with all parents/guardians of students who they felt the

new program could help. If the parents chose to, they had the option to register their students for
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the alternative education program so that our staff can get them back on track. This showed that

our district heard their concerns and wanted to help their children achieve their goal of

graduation. I believe the implementation of the alternative education program came at a perfect

time, especially given the learning loss students experienced due to Covid-19.

Alignment with the School Mission and Vision

Mayer High School’s CIP strives to meet the needs of all stakeholders. The plan seeks to

improve student achievement through remedial opportunities, technology improvements, and

staff training. The combination of these three areas naturally allows Mayer High School to work

towards its mission statement of “Mayer High School strives to meet the educational needs of all

students in a safe and positive environment” [ CITATION May20 \l 1033 ]. By providing students

and staff with the tools necessary for proper growth and development, our school will be able to

achieve that mission year after year.

References

Mayer Unified School District. (2020, August 27). Mayer High School Parent/Student

Handbook. Retrieved from Mayer Unified School District:

https://mayerhs.mayerschools.org/en-US/calendars-handbooks-documents-cd5519cf