School Culture at The Williams Academy

1. TED 531
School Culture Project
Carol A Johnson

2. School and Class Culture
Introduction
“School culture may be
defined as the attitude and
beliefs of persons both
inside the school and in the
external environment, the
cultural norms of the
school, and the
relationships between
persons in the school.”
(Boyd, 2012)

3. The Williams Academy
The Williams
Academy is a for
profit non-public
school founded by
Dr. Thomas Williams
in 2008. It's located
in Sacramento,
California.

4. The Williams Academy Vision
Statement
“To provide an
educational
environment
where students
excel
academically,
socially and
emotionally.”

5. A Little About The Academy
Assessments:
The Williams Academy’s student IEP assessments are conducted by an
experienced multi-disciplinary team of professionals
The Williams Academy students are assessed for needs and levels of
functioning or performance in several areas: Academic, Behavioral,
Psychological, Speech and Language, Social Development, Community/
Adult Living, and Motor Skills.
The individual learning modalities, strengths and disabilities are factored into
the development of individual education programs. Each student is
evaluated regarding these factors and provided with California State
Standards based curriculum that is best suited for their abilities and
impairments. Educational plans are routinely monitored, updated (four times
a year) and modified if necessary.

6. The Williams Academy's
Values and Beliefs
The Williams Academy is
6. The Williams Academy
unique among Non-Public
values the input of all their
Schools(NPS). They strive
staff and students.
for excellence in many
Ways.
7.The Williams Academy
utilizes reflective practices
Some are as follows:
at their weekly staff
1. Belief in well-trained staff
meetings to improve daily
members.
educational support
2. Belief in therapeutic
practices.
practices.
3. Belief that all students are
8. The Williams Academy
teachable.
makes sure that a job well
4. High expectations from staff
done doesn't go
and students.
unrewarded.
5. Enlists parental
involvement.

7. Appreciates Staff
The Williams
Academy supports
staff successes.
This fruit gift was for
completing the
WASC Accreditation
process.

8. Fostered Student Learning
through Extra Curricular Activities
The Williams Academy fosters
student learning through
various extra curricular
activities. Two Students
from each classroom
volunteered to take part in
the school-wide Spelling
Bee Contest.
Science and Math was
emphasized by school-wide
participation in science
experiments.

9. Fostered Student Learning through
Team Building Activities
The Williams
Academy assisted in
the development of
non-public school's
sports league.
Students participated
in soccer,
basketball, and flag
football.

10. Classroom Dynamics
Classrooms have a
maximum of 12
students.
A teacher and 2
Instructional
Assistants work
cooperatively daily in
each classroom.

11. The Williams Academy is a
Learning Community
Learning takes place
everyday even when
the students are
having fun.
Domains of safety,
respect,
cooperation, and
team work are
employed in every
activity.

12. Daily Learning Objectives
Learning Objective:
The Williams Academy student will be a self-directed learner Who is able to draw
connections, apply and appraise his or her learning in terms of educational and
personal goals as defined in each student’s IEP
The Williams Academy student will be a community contributor who donates his
or her time to improve the quality of life for others.
The Williams Academy student will be a technologically advanced learner.
The Williams Academy student will be a responsible communicator

13. Multidisciplinary Practices
Students are
encouraged to
exercise their
talents. Students
used technology to
create animations.
Students also
participated in a
mascot drawing
contest.

14. A Work In Progress
It is difficult to erase the stigma that is placed on
Non-Public Schools. The average person
understands that these schools are built in part to
host students that typically could not be placed at
their home school (public school). With that in
mind, when a student mentions that he/she goes
to a non-public school the judgment is that they
are a bad student. The truth, they are not bad
students, they are students that made bad choices.

15. Lessons Learned
I learned a lot while employed at The Williams
Academy. I learned to differentiate instruction,
be an effective planner, strategies to keep
students engaged. Most of all, I learned how to
classroom manage students with extreme
behavioral issues.

16. References
Boyd, V., (2012) The School Culture. SEDL-School Context: Bridge or Barrier to
Change. Retrieved from http://www.sedl.org/change/school/
The Williams Academy (2012) Retrieved from
http://thewilliamsacademy.org/about-us/