2026 Conference Archive

From Surviving to Thriving: Leadership Strategies for Transforming School Culture

First Presenter's Highest Degree Earned

Educational Specialist - Ed.S. (Six Year degree)

Year First Presenter's Degree Was Awarded

2008

First Presenter's Field of Study

Early Childhood Education and Educational Administration & Supervision

Institution Where First Presenter Received Highest Degree

Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN

First Presenter's Institution

Cartersville City School System

First Presenter's Brief Bio and Description of Credentials for This Presentation

Katherine Vaughan serves as the Coordinator of K-5 Instruction and Early Learning as well as the District Lead for PBIS/School Culture for Cartersville City School system in Cartersville, Georgia. Mrs. Vaughan has also held the role of elementary school principal, elementary school assistant principal, middle school assistant principal, literacy coach, and elementary classroom teacher during her 22 years in education. Graduating from Berry College, she earned a bachelor’s and a master’s in early childhood education. Mrs. Vaughan earned a specialist degree from Lincoln Memorial University.

Location

Sloane

Document Type

Individual Presentation

Primary Strand

School and District Leadership

Relevance to Primary Strand

This presentation will build leadership capacity within teachers and school leaders to create a positive school climate and provide growth opportunities to improve effective communication and conflict resolution. This responsibility cannot fall on one person in a school building or learning institution; rather it is a collective effort of everyone sharing the same beliefs and moving in the same direction.

Alignment with School Improvement Plan Topics

Climate and Culture

Brief Program Description

Creating a safe, supportive, and thriving school culture does not happen by chance—it requires intentional leadership. This interactive session equips school leaders with practical, actionable strategies to strengthen climate and culture at every level. Participants will learn how to support teachers in building positive classroom environments that foster strong student–teacher and student–student relationships, while also promoting collaboration and trust among staff. Grounded in leadership practices such as emotional intelligence, effective communication, and conflict resolution, this session moves beyond theory to provide tools leaders can immediately apply to improve school culture.

Summary

Strong school culture begins in the classroom, but it thrives when leaders make those strategies visible across the school. This session equips both teachers school leaders with practical tools to support teachers in creating safe, connected, and thriving classrooms—and then scaling those strategies to a school-wide movement. Participants will explore practices that strengthen relationships between students and teachers, foster respect, and encourage collaboration among staff. Leaders will learn how to model and reinforce strategies such as social contracts, structured relationship-building routines, and positive communication systems. The session provides concrete examples of how classroom leaders and school leaders can embed these practices into their daily school life. This culture begins from the moment students enter to building to morning announcements and even on to faculty meetings. These positive climate-building activities become part of the school’s DNA which directly correlates to a positive school culture. Participants will leave with an actionable plan for moving their schools from surviving to thriving, one classroom at a time.

Evidence

I have practiced these specific strategies as a leader in various school buildings and across our school district. Data from climate surveys from parents, students, and staff show these strategies building a positive school culture.

Learning Objective 1

Become a positive change agent for school culture

Learning Objective 2

Take home specific strategies to use with students and staff members to increase a positive school climate

Learning Objective 3

Learn effective communication strategies to improve interactions between students, students-staff, and between staff members

Start Date

6-1-2026 3:45 PM

End Date

6-1-2026 4:45 PM

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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Jun 1st, 3:45 PM Jun 1st, 4:45 PM

From Surviving to Thriving: Leadership Strategies for Transforming School Culture

Sloane

Strong school culture begins in the classroom, but it thrives when leaders make those strategies visible across the school. This session equips both teachers school leaders with practical tools to support teachers in creating safe, connected, and thriving classrooms—and then scaling those strategies to a school-wide movement. Participants will explore practices that strengthen relationships between students and teachers, foster respect, and encourage collaboration among staff. Leaders will learn how to model and reinforce strategies such as social contracts, structured relationship-building routines, and positive communication systems. The session provides concrete examples of how classroom leaders and school leaders can embed these practices into their daily school life. This culture begins from the moment students enter to building to morning announcements and even on to faculty meetings. These positive climate-building activities become part of the school’s DNA which directly correlates to a positive school culture. Participants will leave with an actionable plan for moving their schools from surviving to thriving, one classroom at a time.