Conclusion

Hickory Ridge High School will continue to be the focus of attention in the Wingfield School District with some of the upcoming changes. Student achievement has not been a major issue with student scores remaining pretty consistent albeit there have been slight fluctuations. Student achievement can, however, be impacted by staff morale and that is one of the focused changes. Currently the school is being led by Jim O’Connor and a good portion of the staff members do not respect him. The staff is not cohesive and therefore a basic plan for reform has been devised and will be implemented at Hickory Ridge.  The mission and vision will be revisited by all stakeholders to generate a clearer picture of where the school is headed and generate a wider stance of stakeholder buy-in. Once everyone is more or less on the same page, activities will be introduced to develop a more cohesive team of faculty, staff, and administrators. Team-building activities will become the focal point of faculty meetings and staff development days. The more experienced staff and the newer staff have to learn to come together and appreciate what the other side has to offer. Powerful communication needs to take place in order to be effective. Communication from the administrators to the staff, from the staff to the students, from the staff to the administrators, and from the school personnel to the community and other stakeholders are all important channels that need to be heard and acknowledged. Working on developing communication skills will be a top priority within walls of Hickory Ridge.  In addition to generating stakeholder buy-in to the mission and vision, generating a feel of respect, and developing clear communication channels, the Wingfield School District will also introduce two comprehensive school reform models along with technology integration. Co-NECT and Talent Development High School models will be introduced. Co-NECT is a school reform model that integrates technology and Talent Development focuses on the students’ academic needs and career interests by dividing the school into smaller functioning units. Not only will these reform models benefit the students, but they will naturally develop a more cohesive staff with the smaller units relying on different members of their teams.  Hickory Ridge administrators will also be working to increase staff support and help introduce ways to make teachers feel more empowered in their positions. Staff will be encouraged to review the research as the implementation of the school reform models moves forward. Their opinions and support will be acknowledged and appreciated.  Hickory Ridge High School staff members have done a wonderful job of keeping the school connected to this community. Many staff members have been at Hickory Ridge for years providing stability and new staff members have joined the school bringing fresh, innovative ideas. Over half of the staff has a master’s degree and a small percentage of staff members have even obtained their specialist or doctorate degree. The parents within the community are helpful and involved and are the types of parents who help reinforce at home, the instruction that goes on at school. There is much to be celebrated at Hickory Ridge and efforts to recognize that will be made.  Though Hickory Ridge is in for some major changes, the changes are positive ones that will result in a better school climate and culture, and with stakeholder buy-in of the mission and vision and, hopefully, the community will see increased student achievement as a result of the efforts.