This paper is a case study of Williamsport Area High School (WAHS) that will measure the qualities of excellence and resiliency that are present at the school from my perspective. Although I have only served as a teacher for one year at the school, I have a good feel for the overall academic and social atmosphere there.

WAHS is a large school located in Williampsort, Pennsylvania that draws students both from the medium-sized city of Williamsport as well as the outlying area. This mix of students creates a truly diverse mix of urban and rural lifestyles.

The quality of a school can be measured in many ways. Schools are most commonly measured by the level of academic success that its students achieve. It should be evident that this is far from the only measure and it will be argued that student success is indicative of the presence of many other contributing and prerequisite factors. Furthermore, the quality of leadership both within and without the school setting is a very important consideration and contributes greatly to the overall school environment.

Walking through the building, a visitor would notice that the physical plant is in very good condition and it rivals nearby schools in terms of the variety of facilities including comprehensive academic areas organized by disciplines, a recently built vocational-technical center, and excellent athletic facilities. The exterior of the building is well kept and reflects conservative architecture and landscaping. The building was designed to accommodate nearly twice as many students as it currently enrolls but a decline in population in recent decades has thinned the student population.

Although the visual examination of a building can reflect the attitudes of those who occupy it, the actual feeling among faculty and staff can and should be more closely measured. All in all, the design of the school is excellent and most students and staff feel at home there. Very few would be intimidated by the building itself. Unfortunately, the school feels very institutional in the respect that the hallways and common areas display less indication of strong school spirit than they could. This can be improved by displaying more student works, club and organization information, and banners or bulletin boards reflecting student attitudes.

One measure of school excellence is the Krovetz School Excellence and Resilience Analysis (Krovetz, 1999). This tool was used to analyze the school based on a number of factors related to caring, expectations, purposeful change, and meaningful participation. Each item takes a look at a particular segment of the school climate from the viewpoint of students, faculty, staff, and the neighboring communities. Some items in this analysis that describe the school well as a caring environment include a high sense of belonging, ease of resource acquisition, quality of the curriculum, and high student discipline.

Teacher leadership at our school was measured with the Leadership Capacity School Survey that assess leadership capacity conditions that exist in the school setting. The impetus of this measurement is a Lickert-type scale (1967). The findings of this survey conclude that reflective practices and innovation are the norm and that roles and responsibilities reflect broad collaboration and involvement at our school. There is a somewhat lower than optimal level of student achievement and there needs to be more broad–based participation in the work of leadership. Of particular concern is the lack of inquiry–based use of information to inform everyone of decisions that are made.

Some specific areas of concern at our school include the lack of an integrated service learning program, the infrequent use of cross-curriculum studies, the high number of students that each teacher interacts with on a regular basis, the weak student advisory system, and the lack of time provided for teachers to work together on curriculum issues.

Of particular concern is the general lack of ownership the students have for their academic achievement. There is a common attitude among a strong portion (at least one-third) of the student body that academic achievement is an insignificant factor in their future success as contributing members of our society. Copying of homework, plagiarism on papers, and cheating on examinations runs rampant among some members of the student body. An intricate, informal network is quickly established each academic year so that students can aid each other in less than honest ways to earn as high a grade as possible with minimal amount of work. A proposed academic honesty policy has been drafted to address these concerns.

Although most students have moderate to high academic achievement, there still exists a sense among some that a minimally passing grade is sufficient enough for their preparation for college studies or to successfully enter the workforce. The old saw, "when you cheat, you are only cheating yourself," rings out among teachers on deaf ears. The fear is that it takes much longer for some students to recognize the importance of a feeling ownership of their work and that high academic achievement will afford them greater opportunities after graduation. This is not an uncommon phenomena among public school students across the nation.

Overall, the school environment is very good to excellent although a renewed sense of academic achievement must be instilled in most of the student body.

Krovetz, M.L. (1999). Fostering resilience: Expecting all students to use their minds and hearts as well. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

Lickert, R. (1967). The human organization: its management and value. New York: McGraw-Hill.