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History of the Center

All facilitators, trainers and founders of the Center (CISC) are educational practitioners involved in teaching, leading, and organizing schools to be better places to learn. We are practicing teachers, school administrators, university professors, and educational researchers dedicated to the philosophy of "people first, programs second." As Dr. Gary Phillips, founder and president of The National School Improvement Project states, "If people don't improve, programs never will."

Concerned that the contemporary school setting was becoming more focused on scores, programs and the sorting of students, we developed the CISC to assist schools and their stakeholders in developing and maintaining healthy organizational cultures.

An extensive review of the professional literature revealed a variety of research supporting the need for a rich school culture. Educational researchers including R. Cohen, T. Deal, H. Frieberg, A. Kohn, D. Levine, L. Lezotte, K. Peterson, P. Robbins, T. Sergiovanni, T. Sizer, et.al. provided us with a wealth of information regarding school culture. Author, researcher, and consultant, Dr. Gary Phillips, seemed to have his finger on the pulse of the contemporary school culture dilemma. Not only did he publish a book on the topic, The school-classroom culture audit (1993), but he also had proven methods for improving the culture of schools and improving student achievement.

While we have focused on Dr. Phillips work, we have also gathered a cadre of professional educators from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. We have come together to promote healthy school cultures by providing information, sharing resources, developing people-centered programs, and establishing a forum for
CREATING BETTER PLACES TO LEARN.

THESE ARE OUR BELIEFS:

  • We believe in high levels of student achievement. We also believe all students should understand their value as unique human beings - not just a standardized test score.
  • We believe in the continuous improvement of professional skills and knowledge. We also believe that the art of teaching should be fun and exciting to both teacher and student.
  • We believe that the culture of the school setting is the determining factor in the achievement and well-being of the entire school community. We also believe that no matter how good or poor the current culture is, there is always room for improvement.

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For more information, contact Dr. Chris Wagner at chris@schoolculture.net or by phone at
270 791 3088

Copyright © 2012.
Center for Improving School Culture
P.O. Box 737, Cloquet, MN 55720

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