Climate and Culture: Intentionally Establishing Positive and Effective Culture Through Community Building, Shared Leadership, and Responsibility

MSAA Professional Development Workshop for Educational Leaders, Administrators, Principals, Assistant Principals, and Department Chairs

Climate and Culture: Intentionally Establishing Positive and Effective Culture Through Community Building, Shared Leadership, and Responsibility

“There will be no school tomorrow due to the impending snowstorm.” Cheers erupt in the classrooms - many from the teachers! That is the climate. “Why are you so happy?  It's Monday.  Umm…we don’t volunteer to stay late with some forgotten kids, we stick to the contract.”  That is culture. 

Being aware of the current culture of your building is essential. The culture of a school, or district, has a direct impact on retention of effective staff, productive relationships with families, educator cohesion and mutual support, and student behavior learning outcomes. This workshop will develop skills to understand the current culture and intentionally move to build a more effective one.  Topics will range from identifying current cultural norms and values and how they affect the school, including the climate, creating a model of shared leadership and shared responsibility, honest and professional communication, and using evidence to connect norms, values, and vision to the daily life of the school. 

Workshop content and process is relevant for district and school leadership.

Participants will be able to:

·         Develop an understanding of school culture and its impact, specifically understanding their school culture

·         Identify current norms and values of the school community

·         Analyze how current culture affects all members of the school community and the effectiveness of the school

·         Recognize and create opportunities to shift culture

·         Purposefully establish plans for the creation of a school (or district) climate and culture team

When: Monday, February 2, 2026, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am

Delivery Method: In-Person Workshop

Location: The MSAA Office, 33 Forge Parkway, Franklin, MA

Presenter: Bruce Michitson, Seaside Educational Consultants

PD Hours: 3 in Content Area Safe and Supportive Learning Environments

Fees: Member $150 / Non-Member $205

MSAA Contact: Ethel Kawesa, ekawesa@msaa.net

Bruce Michitson | Seaside Educational Consultants
Bruce is a Fellow of the Lynch Leadership Academy, Boston College. He served as a trained literacy coach, lead math teacher, and primary evaluator as Principal of Golden Hill School. Bruce served with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Principals’ Advisory Council during 2014 and 2015, focused on teacher evaluation and effectiveness, and teacher leadership. He was a lead author of the “Building a School Culture that Supports Teacher Leadership” DESE resource. Bruce offers experience and a depth of knowledge in creating effective building-based leadership, and employing productive educator evaluation that supports effective teaching.