District Level

• Emphasize engagement culture over accountability ratings.

• Ensure that district-level policies do not undercut campus initiatives to foster a culture of engagement.

• Create a trusting environment in which principals feel safe prioritizing engagement culture over test scores.

• Stop using test scores to justify dissatisfying practices.

• Hire leaders with a proven record of building engaging cultures. 

• Seek applicants who embody the authoritative and affiliative leadership styles (Goleman, 2011).

• Deemphasize test results, except as required by state and federal policy, when setting the agenda for committee and school board meetings.

Campus Level

• Emphasize engagement culture over accountability ratings.

• Rewrite coercive discipline policies.

• Create a trusting environment in which teachers feel safe prioritizing engagement over test scores.

• Hire counselors who will not use poverty as a basis for recommendations.

• Engage parents. Parent satisfaction is strongly correlated with relative academic performance,  r(145) = .52, p < .001 (Hearnsberger & Hyatt, 2023).

• Stop using test scores to justify dissatisfying practices.

• Update appraisal systems.

• Satisfied teachers have satisfied students.

• Increase teacher satisfaction by establishing trust; providing opportunities for advancement; giving them a say; being supportive and respectful; and recognizing teacher expertise.