School Culture and Leadership
Narrative Essay
The Dartmouth High School community has consciously and continuously built a safe, positive,
respectful, and supportive culture that fosters student responsibility for learning and results in shared
ownership, pride, and high expectations for all. The student handbook is revised annually, with input from
faculty, students, and parents (school council members). Policies are reflective of the core values and
beliefs, which appear prominently in the document and serve to guide policy and curriculum
development.
The faculty handbook provides staff with guidance on safety procedures and protocols, as well as
resources to assist teachers in accessing school resources such as conduct referrals, discipline procedures,
evacuation/critical incident protocols.
The Code of Conduct positively states the expectations for student behavior, and the discipline
philosophy is one of progressive consequences for inappropriate behaviors. The student handbook clearly
lists “behaviors that are inconsistent with the school’s core values and beliefs about, respect,
responsibility, collaboration and citizenship.”
The attendance policy holds students accountable for unexcused tardiness and absenteeism both
from school and from individual classes. Guidelines for excused absences are clearly stated, and students
are also provided with guidelines for making up work when they are absent or missing from class. The
student must obtain a “Request for Make Up Privileges” form from his/her assigned dean, when
requesting extended absences not related to illness.
Comparative annual data indicates relatively low incidences of vandalism and defacing school
property. These numbers reflect the general sense of pride and ownership students have for the facilities
and equipment.
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To support and foster positive school climate, DHS conducts several annual activities that provide
students opportunities to feel good about themselves as part of the DHS community. The Activities Expo,
held every fall, showcases all of the extracurricular activities available to students and provides equitable
opportunities for students to join a club. Students are also encouraged to create new clubs with the
assistance of “faculty sponsors” so they can continue to explore and express themselves in the school
community. DHS also sponsors “Reality Day” for junior students each year. This financial literacy fair
requires students to choose a profession and create their own budgets. They have to take responsibility for
their own learning in this active learning process. Students are also given yearly presentations on bullying
prevention, and sophomore students participate in reading the novel Speak as part of the anti-bullying
curriculum. The topic of bullying is part of the freshman Introduction to Wellness course and is again
addressed in the Health Decisions course.
Other programs have included Spirit Week and Homecoming, The Chris Herren Project, Stand
Up to Bullying, and Rachel’s Challenge. These programs indicate an on-going commitment to creating
and sustaining a positive school climate in which students take pride and ownership in their school.
DHS fosters student responsibility for learning through a variety of programs and practices.
Organized, faculty monitored programs include Homework Hangout, Internship, Dual Enrollment, and
DECA. These programs provide students with opportunities to engage in learning and leadership through
their own initiatives and project-based activities.
Students also have access to live data on Aspen, the school’s grading/student monitoring
software. All students are given usernames and passwords that allow them to access teacher pages and
their grades independently. Students receive mid-term progress reports to help them monitor their success
toward achieving their four-year goals. Students also take responsibility for course selections through
working with their guidance counselors and parents to collaborate in creating an academic plan that is
rigorous and appropriate to achieving their goals. Students also have an opportunity to request early
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graduation if they wish. They can petition the principal and present a rationale and plan for graduating
early. In accessing and navigating Naviance, students also explore their interests, complete a personality
profile, and create their four-year plan.
Dartmouth High school is equitable, inclusive, and fosters heterogeneity, where every student
over the course of the high school experience is enrolled in a minimum of one heterogeneously grouped
course (Unified Arts, Music, Health, Physical Education and Business). At this time our core courses are
not heterogeneously grouped. Although our core courses are not heterogeneously grouped, our students
will graduate having taken at least seven non-core courses that are heterogeneously grouped. There is a
minimum graduation requirement of one class in the Unified Arts or Music Departments, a Freshman
Seminar course, four physical education classes, and one health class. Our students with developmental
disabilities are integrated into all aspects of school life. Also, the Learning Partnerships course teams a
general education student with a developmentally disabled student. Level One World Language is a
heterogeneously grouped class and many of our students will take this course as a world language
requirement.
At this time there is no formal, on-going program through which each student has an adult in the
school, in addition to the school counselor, who knows the student well and assists the student in
achieving the school's 21st century learning expectations. Under the auspices of the 5 year SMART (a
Small Learning Community) grant, which started in the 2008-09 school year, an advisory program, along
with the Freshman Academy, was developed. In the first year both the Advisory Program and Academy
were implemented on a pilot basis. The following year, the Academy included the whole freshman class,
and advisors were created to include the whole school. A kick-off mentoring program was begun for
incoming freshman as well. These three programs ran for the majority of the 2010-2011 school year.
After the pilot year, the Academy and school-wide advisory was discontinued because it was not part of
the contract; however, the peer-mentoring program was firmly established and widely accepted as an
integral part of the transition process for incoming freshman.
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A scheduling team was assembled to examine alternatives to the block schedule that may include
common planning time, curriculum continuity, and advisories. Any schedule change must be negotiated
with the teachers’ union. This is the second year that most co-teachers have the same prep time.
Most DHS teachers maintain an open-door policy before and after school, as well as during their
prep. Many teachers make themselves available to advise students via the many club activities and sports
programs the school offers. Six years ago the National Honor Society implemented a Homework Hangout
for students, and teachers can meet students there for extra help.
In order to improve student learning through professional development, the principal and
professional staff engage in professional discourse for reflection, inquiry, and analysis of teaching and
learning and dedicate formal time to implement professional development. Furthermore, the principal and
staff apply the skills, practices, and ideas gained to improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
First, some of Dartmouth High School’s formal professional development often takes place during
monthly faculty meetings. These monthly meetings address a wide variety of topics applicable to the
entire staff. Time is allotted during these meetings for questioning and clarification. Some of the topics
most recently covered include but are not limited to: sexual harassment training, the new evaluation
system, school-wide rubrics, literacy across the curriculum, goal writing, and reporting out of assessment
data from MCAS.
Also, Dartmouth High School has adopted a coaching model that was introduced in the 20112012 academic year and fully integrated for this year, 2013-2014. Each department, with the exception of
Physical Education, has an instructional coach who teaches either one or two classes per semester in order
to allow time for coaching. Department coaches meet weekly, with administration in attendance as well,
to focus on a number of coaching-specific issues. During the fall of 2013, for example, coaches took a
course on developing Professional Learning Communities. Also, for the 2013-2014 school year,
administration has integrated time and coverage for teachers to participate voluntarily in Professional
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Learning Communities twice a month for forty minutes. Most departments have been focusing on
reviewing writing instruction and assessment and integrating frequent and varied writing forms into the
curriculum.
The Literacy Committee has been meeting for several years to improve literacy instruction and
learning at the high school. As a result, DHS developed and integrated new initiatives; the free choice
summer reading assignment is one example. In the fall, upon return to school, students wrote book
reviews during a designated common assessment period. In October, teachers met to score these essays.
This activity served the dual purpose of assessing student writing while also engaging teachers in
professional development. Also, this year Dartmouth High School hired a full time literacy coach to work
with professional staff to integrate current, research-based instructional best practices. The literacy coach
presents “Literacy Tidbits” at weekly coaches meetings, leads department professional development,
gathers and creates materials to disperse to individual teachers, attends Professional Learning Community
sessions, conferences with instructional coaches, presents model lessons in classrooms, develops
Common Core State Standards-based lessons with individual teachers, and observes classroom
instruction. Teachers are able to seek out the literacy coach for ongoing support.
Interdisciplinary groups, led by administration, provide another schema for professional
development. These provide an opportunity for teachers to engage in cross-curricular meetings to
introduce common rubrics and provide training. The Administrative Team, comprised of the principal,
associate principal, and the three deans, meet daily to discuss school management issues, as well as the
supervision and evaluation of staff to meet new state mandates regarding teacher evaluations and local
school board decisions.
DHS also is part of the district-wide mentoring project, Project TIME, which pairs teachers new
to the district with a professional veteran. New teachers meet informally throughout the year with their
mentors, and once a month formally district-wide.
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Dartmouth High School also regularly draws on resources from a variety of outside sources to
maintain currency with best practices and most recent research. Katanna Connolly was brought in to
provide professional development in literacy across the curriculum. Connolly introduced the Thinkquiry
Toolkit 1: Strategies to Improve Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Development Across the
Content Areas to our staff.
Two coaches from the Center for Secondary School Redesign (CSSR), Arnie Clayton and Billie
Donegan, were brought in to work with teachers and staff. Clayton, a school-change coach, scaffolded
the development of school design teams, and created and facilitated professional development. He trained
the staff to use the Common Core Standards to create and implement curriculum maps and units. Billie
Donegan, author of Educational Leadership: Reshaping High Schools, worked with teachers on the
creation and implementation of formative and summative assessments. This training included work with
reluctant learners. The program discussed a practical framework for classroom success and included ways
to engage the whole person, not just the learner.
School leaders regularly use research-based evaluation and supervision processes that focus on
improved student learning. The Administration team has been trained in the New Teacher Evaluation
System through a variety of Professional Development opportunities. They have all taken training from
NISL, the National Institute for School Learning; they have completed District Training in the New
Teacher Evaluation System, as well as attending Teachers 21 Teacher Evaluation training.
Currently, the District is using the RBT system for evaluation of staff. In this system, the
evaluator has a pre-conference with the teacher to discuss the lesson to be observed, and the focus of the
evaluation. Two lessons are observed by the evaluator, one in each semester. After each observation, the
evaluator sits down with the teacher to discuss the lessons, and post-observation reports are filed. Finally,
the evaluator gives the formal evaluation to the teacher, for recommendation as having met expectations
as an instructor, or as needing extra focus in the next evaluation. Teachers currently not on Professional
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Status may have this evaluation four times in a school year, for each of their first three years. Teachers
with Professional Status currently are observed every other year using this process.
The organization of time supports research-based instruction, professional collaboration among
teachers, and the learning needs of all students. Time for teachers to collaborate is provided in a variety of
ways. Students are released early once a month so that staff can participate in professional development
opportunities. Topics have included “Literacy Across the Curriculum,” new teacher evaluations, and
Common Assessment. In the 2013 – 2014 school year, topics include “Rigorous Student Engagement
With Common Core Standards and Rigorous Student Engagement With Technology / Open-Space.”
Instructional coaches meet weekly to engage in course work and develop and implement cross-curricular
goals, and a full-time school-wide literacy coach was hired this year to support teachers. She is available
to help gather resources, develop lessons, and model instructional strategies in the classroom.
This year, administration has implemented voluntary Professional Learning Communities twice a
month. Substitutes are provided for forty minutes and departments meet to collaborate on common
curriculum and instructional goals.
Dartmouth High School follows a block schedule. The eighty-six minute block supports researchbased best practices. Teachers have ample time to deliver explicit instruction, model a strategy or concept,
and then scaffold students in their practice. Block scheduling in its current non-rotating format also allows
students to take electives, participate in internships and the music program, earn child development
certification, as well as take courses at local colleges under dual enrollment. However, the semester block
schedule disrupts continuity of instruction. Monthly early release time days include a homeroom period
that can be used for student grade level meetings, small group advisory and group guidance meetings.
Student load and class size enable teachers to meet the learning needs of individual students.
Presently, the average class size for most courses is 25 students, with the exception of Sophomore English
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(20), Physical Education (30+) and Health (30). A smaller 10th grade English class enables the teacher to
spend individual time with each student throughout the semester in order to better prepare students for
their English MCAS. This is in order to support the emphasis placed on their reading comprehension and
writing skills. Lead teachers request caps on departmental courses based on resource availability. Due to
the fact that the most teachers teach three courses a semester, the student load per semester is
approximately 75. The exception to this is teachers who teach in the AB schedule and 9 week classes.
The principal, working with other building leaders, provides instructional leadership that is rooted
in the school’s core values, beliefs, and learning expectations. The administrative responsibilities were
reorganized by the principal in the third year of her tenure, 2011-12. The two assistant principal positions
were eliminated and replaced with one associate principal and three dean positions. The department head
positions were eliminated and replaced with lead teachers/instructional coach positions whose
responsibilities were modified to accommodate coaching and are no longer responsible for teacher
evaluations. This now is the responsibility of the deans, the associate principal and the principal. The
reorganization of the administrators was done to improve the relationship between students, teachers and
the administrators. Students are assigned to the same dean all four years of high school with the hope of
fostering a relationship of trust that will be better suited to address the whole person from academic
concerns and attendance issues to physical and emotional well-being. The deans also have a specific
leadership role for which each is responsible: Dean of Student Services, Dean of Student Life, and Dean
of Facilities. The DHS Associate Principal deals with issues regarding Special Education, MCAS, SRO,
AP classes and curriculum. With the restructuring, the guidance department chair position was eliminated
and the responsibilities were assumed by the Dean of Student Services. All of these administrators do
informal classroom walk-throughs.
The principal collaborates with the school committee, other administrators, faculty, students and
parents on a regular basis on matters concerning budget, scheduling, courses, staff, and Union issues. The
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principal also has established times where faculty can informally meet with her to discuss concerns ask
questions or make suggestions.
The evidence acquired shows that teachers, parents and students are actively and meaningfully
involved in making important decisions. This involvement fosters a sense of responsibility and
ownership. The most direct examples of student and parental involvement include: New Teacher Hiring
Committees, School Advisory Council, Principal’s Advisory Group and the Student Council.
New Hiring Committees include the principal, a student, a parent, the departmental lead teacher
and a peer teacher. The committees participate in the interview of each potential hire. Although faculty
and parents are invited to participate in the interview process, the questions are provided by the
administration. Each interview is followed by a group review and summary of the candidate. After
interviewing all candidates, the committee members offer their first, second, and third choices to the
principal who makes the final hiring decision.
School Advisory Council is composed of at least as many parents as teachers. The Council’s
function is to assist the principal in setting educational goals, identifying educational needs, reviewing the
school’s building budget and preparing the building’s school improvement plan. This group reviews and
maintains a current student handbook, updates the DHS School Improvement Plan and compares the
curriculum to the state Common Core Standards.
Principal’s Advisory Group is comprised of the principal and fourteen students. The purpose of
this group is to address and potentially resolve issues that are raised in Student Council in concert with
the principal. Most recently a subgroup of students within the Advisory Group redesigned the cafeteria
food serving process to more efficiently deliver food to students. This effort was in response to the
concern raised during Student Council of lack of time allowed to eat lunch.
Student Council is comprised of forty-two students, ten from each class and two members-atlarge. The purpose of this group is for students to have a voice in their school. They present school
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problems and concerns to the attention of the students, faculty and administration. They aid in developing
solutions and regulation of the school’s social problems. This group also is actively involved in school
hospitality. Some of these duties include, but are not limited to: Open House guides, tour guides for 8th
grade visits and greeting incoming freshman on the first day of school. Student Council also assists with
the orientation as needed and the council escorts them to the auditorium.
Some examples of surveys given to the students and faculty in recent years include:

Faculty was surveyed regarding changes in school scheduling formats with respect to how
students would be better served. This information was passed on to the scheduling committee for
consideration.

Teachers were surveyed regarding whether our present technology is meeting student needs and
make suggestions/recommendations.

Students were surveyed on summer reading criteria.

Faculty, students and parents were surveyed on educational core beliefs and values.
Teachers exercise initiative and leadership essential to the improvement of the school and to increase
students’ engagement in learning. There have been teacher led initiatives at Dartmouth High School,
many of them based on improving school climate, equity for students in financially unstable situations,
and literacy across the curriculum. A group of teachers revived our Faculty Council; this group is made
up of teachers and teacher aides from every department, interested in school climate and culture. They
have implemented a program for teachers and students, Respect Big Green, to recognize acts of kindness
happening in our school. They also started hosting a faculty breakfast, a chance for informal
communication and rapport among colleagues. Two major groups that are teacher driven and exist to
improve student life are Helping Hands and After Prom. The Helping Hand committee was created by
teachers to help students in financial need who were missing out on opportunities such as field trips and
yearbooks. This group has regular fundraisers, with the support of the administration, to fund these needs.
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We also have a strong After Prom committee, with staff involvement, to create a safe event for our
students after the senior prom each year. In conjunction with Bridgewater State University, a history
teacher brought in a giant inflatable world globe to enhance the curriculum. There is an A.P. Showcase to
encourage more participation in A.P. courses, the A.P. Psychology teacher runs a psychology fair every
year, the Unified Arts Department participates in a number of art shows and historic reenactments outside
of the high school. All of these were initiated by teachers to help build a more positive school culture.
Initially under the SLC grant, the Literacy Committee was formed and was comprised of teachers
from all departments; the chairperson was a teacher and the group had led faculty professional
development on literacy across the curriculum. One of the initiatives this committee brought about was to
bring in a literacy specialist, Katanna Conolly, who worked with all teachers using the book Thinkquiry
Toolkit 1: Strategies to Improve Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Development Across the
Content Areas. This helped support the use of literacy in each subject, supporting the learning
expectations. This group originally initiated the summer reading program. The Literacy Committee
dissolved themselves and the current summer reading program is under the auspices of the media center
specialist.
The school board, superintendent, and principal are collaborative, reflective, and constructive in
achieving the school’s 21st century learning expectations. The principal has sufficient autonomy and
authority to guide organization and management decisions. There is a cooperative working relationship
between the principal, superintendent and the school board. As a result of this working relationship,
initiative changes have taken place in the high school: the restructuring of the administrative team,
restructuring of department heads to lead teachers, and implementing a literacy coach. Regularly
scheduled meetings occur between the district principals, administrative teams and the superintendent.
The principal also makes regular presentations to the school committee to update them on the progress of
various school initiatives towards achieving the school’s goals. The School Committee, the
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superintendent and the principal effectively work collectively, in a constructive manner, toward the
common goal of achieving the schools 21st century learning expectations.
The school board and superintendent provide the principal with sufficient decision-making
authority to lead the school. As the educational administrator and manager of Dartmouth High School,
the principal supervises the operation and management of the school and school property, and is
responsible for promoting the maximum education development of all students and making the school a
safe, pleasant and productive place to learn and work. As the leader of Dartmouth High School, the
principal has a deep understanding of the school and its day-to-day operations: the superintendent and the
school committee are aware that the principal acts in the school’s best interest and can work
autonomously when necessary. Examples of the principal’s autonomy are her ability to make hiring and
budgetary decisions with minimal intervention from the superintendent or the school committee. When
the budget was set and it was approved to hire a literacy coach, the principal met with the superintendent
and they collaborated on the role of the literacy coach. The superintendent is aware of the principal’s
hiring procedure and never imposes herself on the hiring process. Even when hiring the associate
principal, she did not ask to be involved. The principal invited the superintendent to meet the two final
candidates, and she agreed they would both work out well. Ultimately, the superintendent waited for the
principal to tell her who was selected.
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Executive Summary
School Culture and Leadership
Through a variety of programs and initiatives, the Dartmouth High School community has built a
safe and positive culture that fosters student responsibility for learning and results in high expectations for
all. Faculty and staff are willing to take the initiative to improve school climate through a variety of
activities, such as Respect Big Green, After Prom and Helping Hands. Although our core courses are not
heterogeneously grouped, our students will graduate having taken at least seven non-core courses that are
heterogeneously grouped. Generally, class size allows teachers to meet the learning needs of individual
students with the continual exception of some courses. Currently, there is no formal advisory program at
Dartmouth High School, although it should be noted that the faculty and staff maintain an open-door
policy to make themselves available to students on an informal level. There is also a large number of
faculty and staff involved with after school sports, clubs and activities.
There are a number of professional development opportunities that exist for all faculty, as well as
financial support from the district. The literacy coach, hired this year, is helping with the school-wide
initiative to increase literacy skills, with a focus on writing. The administration team has been trained in
the New Teacher Evaluation System and has provided the DESE mandated training.
The principal of Dartmouth High School has, with the support of the superintendent and school
committee, restructured the administration team to include an associate principal and three deans: Dean of
Student Services, Dean of Student Life, and Dean of Facilities.
For these reasons, based on the Rating Guide for School Culture and Leadership, the rating of this
standard is DEFICIENT.
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Strengths

Faculty and staff are willing to take initiative to improve school climate through a variety of
activities such as Respect Big Green, After Prom and Helping Hands.

Students and parents have access to Aspen, the school’s grading and monitoring software, to
foster responsibility for learning.

Kick-Off Mentoring program is implemented for freshmen.

Although there is no formal advisory program in place, most teachers make themselves available
to students on an informal basis before and after school, through clubs, sports and activities.

Professional development is offered to all staff, funds are allotted for outside / personal PD, PLC
time, School Management Team time.

Hiring of a literacy coach has helped teachers increase literacy in the classroom, specifically to
improve reading and writing skills across disciplines.
Needs

Heterogeneously grouped core courses should be offered.

Formal advisories need to be incorporated into the school day.

Sufficient common planning time should be provided in the schedule for all departments.

Class sizes in all courses, core and electives, are kept at appropriate levels for student success.

Train all staff regarding the new evaluation process.

Continuity of instruction needs to be addressed.
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