Welcoming and Affirming Environment

School Leaders Rubric

Team Version

Team Discussion Guide (opens in new tab)

A Welcoming and Affirming Environment reflects the physical and social climate of the school where all cultural identities (including race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, language, religion, socioeconomic background) are affirmed and valued.

Instructions: Meet with the other members of the school’s leadership team. Use the guiding questions below to estimate together where your school falls overall on each element of the rubric. Be candid – this activity is most valuable as a formative learning experience. We recommend spending about 45 minutes on the rubric. Save your notes and ratings for future discussions.

Note: Your rubric responses are not saved until you click the Submit button at the bottom of this page. If you're not ready to submit yet, keep this page open. Closing the tab will not save your work.

Progression of Engagement

Exploring

Cultural Responsiveness (CR) is in its initial phase

Growing

CR is practiced in some situations

Utilizing

CR is practiced in most situations 

Transforming

CR is continuously practiced and promoted

Commitments

The extent of school community members’ dedication to culturally responsive practices across the school experience

Commitments

School Environment

Guiding Questions:

What do we see in the common areas of the school (outside classrooms) that connect to the languages, cultures, and identities of students and the community? Do we see materials that students created and that celebrate the identities of all students? How often are these displays updated?
Exploring

Displays in the hallways and common areas of our school don’t represent the languages, cultures, and identities of students and the community.

Growing

Displays in the hallways and common areas of our school represent some of the languages, cultures, and identities of students and the community.

Utilizing

Displays in the hallways and common areas of our school feature the languages, cultures, and identities of students and the community.

Transforming

Displays in the hallways and common areas of our school celebrate the languages, cultures, and identities of students and the community and are regularly updated.

Selected Rating: None
Commitments

Classroom Environment

Guiding Questions:

What kinds of things are posted in classrooms that reflect students’ languages, cultures, and identities?  Are there materials that were created by students? What particular attention is given to traditionally marginalized students?
Exploring

There is little visible evidence in classrooms that affirms student identities, interests, and personal/academic experiences.

Growing

There is some visible evidence in classrooms that affirms student identities, interests, and personal/academic experiences.

Utilizing

There is consistent visible evidence in classrooms that affirms student identities, interests, and personal/academic experiences with attention to representing marginalized students.

Transforming

There is consistent co-created and visible evidence in classrooms that affirms student identities, interests, and personal/academic experiences with attention to marginalized students.

Selected Rating: None
Commitments

Hiring Practices (if applicable)

Guiding Questions:

How important is it that a candidate’s background (i.e. languages, cultures and identities)  reflects the diversity of society in hiring decisions and retention efforts? 
Exploring

Candidate backgrounds that reflect the diversity of society are rarely considered in our hiring decisions and retention efforts. 

Growing

Candidate backgrounds that reflect the diversity of society are a minor consideration in our hiring decisions and retention efforts. 

Utilizing

Candidate backgrounds that reflect the diversity of society are a major consideration in our hiring decisions and retention efforts. 

Transforming

Candidate backgrounds that reflect the diversity of society are a requirement in our hiring decisions and a priority in our retention efforts.

Selected Rating: None

Empowerment

School practices include all school community member voices

Empowerment

Home Communications

Guiding Questions:

When communicating with families, what are some of the ways we center their languages, cultures, and identities? How are we using multiple modes (website, text messages, email, robocalls, flyers, etc.) to ensure we’re reaching all families?
Exploring

Information and communications for families pay limited attention to language, culture, identity, and accessibility.

Growing

Information and communications for families sometimes attend to language, culture, identity, and accessibility.

Utilizing

Information and communications for families attend to language, culture, identity, and accessibility and are available in multiple modes.

Transforming

Information and communications attend to language, culture, identity, and accessibility and are available in multiple modes, with particular attention to reaching traditionally marginalized groups.

Selected Rating: None
Empowerment

Language Diversity

Guiding Questions:

What is our view about students speaking the language(s) they are comfortable with at school? Are there specific times, spaces, or contexts (i.e. recess, group work, talking amongst peers) where students’ preferred languages and dialects are more valued?
Exploring

We expect students to use standard academic English at school. 

Growing

We sometimes permit students to use the languages and dialects they are most comfortable with at school.

Utilizing

We allow students to use the languages and dialects they are most comfortable with at school.

Transforming

We strongly encourage students to use the languages and dialects they are most comfortable with at school because multiple languages are valued.

Selected Rating: None
Empowerment

Input on School & Classroom Culture

Guiding Questions:

What opportunities do we provide to students and families to give input and feedback about classroom culture? How do we incorporate their feedback to make adjustments?
Exploring

Opportunities for input and feedback about school and classroom culture from students and families are not available.

Growing

We sometimes offer opportunities for input and feedback about school and classroom culture from students and families.

Utilizing

We regularly offer opportunities for input and feedback about school and classroom culture from students and families with efforts to include traditionally marginalized groups. 

Transforming

We regularly offer opportunities for input and feedback about school and classroom culture from students and families with efforts to include traditionally marginalized groups and regularly use it to inform adjustments going forward.

Selected Rating: None

Relationships

The quality of connections amongst school community members

Relationships

Relationship Building

Guiding Questions:

How much do we value learning about our students and staff’s interests outside of school contexts? Do we make an effort to build relationships with staff and students from various backgrounds?
Exploring

We do not value building relationships with students and staff beyond academic contexts.

Growing

We support building relationships with students and staff beyond academic contexts.

Utilizing

We support and actively build relationships with students and staff  beyond academic contexts.

Transforming

We support and actively build relationships with students and staff beyond academic contexts with intentional effort to reach out to marginalized students and staff.

Selected Rating: None
Relationships

Welcoming Families

Guiding Questions:

What are the first impressions of family members when they enter the school? Is there a policy for how families are received when they call or come to the school?
Exploring

We have an unclear policy for how to meet and greet family members when they call or come to school.

Growing

We have a policy for how to meet and greet family members when they call or come to school, but it is inconsistently applied.

Utilizing

We have a policy for how to meet and greet family members when they call or come to school, and it is consistently applied.

Transforming

We have a policy that emphasizes kindness and transparency for how to meet and greet family members when they call or come to school, and it is consistently applied.

Selected Rating: None
Relationships

Leader-Teacher Dialogue on Social Issues

Guiding Questions:

When staff raise sensitive social issues, how do we respond? How often do we make space to listen and talk to staff about the issues they raise?
Exploring

When staff initiate discussions on sensitive and important school and broader social issues they are discouraged because there is no space for these discussions.

Growing

When staff initiate discussions on sensitive and important school and broader social issues there is some space for the discussion.

Utilizing

When staff initiate discussions on sensitive and important school and broader social issues we make space for the discussion.

Transforming

When staff initiate discussions on sensitive and important school and broader social issues we make space for the discussion and intentionally follow up on the issues.

Selected Rating: None
Relationships

Encouraging Family Involvement

Guiding Questions:

In what ways do we encourage families to plan, attend, and participate in school-wide events, including performances, fundraisers, conferences, graduation, etc? Do we just want them to show up for events, or do we encourage them to participate in and help plan events? What special efforts do we make to engage marginalized families?
Exploring

We make little effort to encourage family attendance at school wide events.

Growing

We make an active effort to encourage family attendance at school wide events.

Utilizing

We make an active effort to encourage families to be involved in the planning of and participation in school wide events. 

Transforming

We make an extensive effort to encourage families to be involved in the  planning of and participation in school wide events with particular attention to engage traditionally marginalized families. 

Selected Rating: None

Collaboration

The extent of cooperation amongst school community members

Collaboration

School-Wide Expectations

Guiding Questions:

To what extent and in what ways do we involve faculty, staff, and students in setting school-wide expectations, rules, and procedures? How do we ensure that the rules and expectations are equitable and clearly understood by everyone in the school community?
Exploring

We set and enforce school-wide expectations, rules and procedures.

Growing

We set and enforce school-wide expectations, rules and procedures with some faculty and staff input.

Utilizing

We work together with faculty and staff to construct school-wide expectations, rules, and procedures that are transparent.

Transforming

We work together with faculty, staff, and students to construct school-wide expectations, rules, and procedures that are equitable, transparent and, when possible, restorative.

Selected Rating: None
Collaboration

Student Participation in School Activities

Guiding Questions:

To what extent and in what ways do we provide support and encouragement for our students to create and participate in school-wide activities, such as assemblies, morning announcements, etc.?
Exploring

We observe that students are passive participants in school wide activities. 

Growing

We encourage our students to be active participants in school wide activities. 

Utilizing

We encourage and support our students to be active participants and occasional co-creators in school wide activities.

Transforming

We develop and support our students to be active participants and regular co-creators in school wide activities. 

Selected Rating: None

Submitter Details

Please list all participating team member emails (separated by comma).