Put Your Mask on First!

Introduction

The well-being of Black students is directly connected to that of the adults who are responsible for them. If the adults are not well, then the students are not well. As leaders, principals have an impact on the climate and culture of the school, which has a direct impact on teaching and learning. It is the mandate of school leaders to ensure that staff wellness is a priority, so that staff can ensure the wellness of students (MacNeil et al., 2009; Teasley, 2017). This wellness is maximized when the culture of the organization is healthy.

Organizational trust is one key factor in determining organizational culture, and a healthy culture breeds success (Bell, 2021; Donohoo et al., 2018). In this chapter success is indicated by mentally and emotionally healthy adults creating an environment that allows emotionally healthy students to thrive in the school setting (Dernowska, 2017). School administrators are expected to create a strong school culture and establish positive relationships with all stakeholders–staff, students, parents, and community. Principals must be able to motivate and mobilize staff to develop the organizational trust needed for a healthy culture (Bell, 2021; Kalkan et al., 2020).

The objectives of this chapter include the following:

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  Substantiate the assertion that staff well-being yields student well-being,

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  Establish that staff well-being is an outcome of a healthy organizational culture,

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  Explore leadership theory that encourages the development of a healthy organizational culture,

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  Identify knowledge and skills needed to develop a healthy organizational culture,

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  Discuss systems and structures necessary for the development of a healthy organizational culture,

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  Describe and delineate evidence of a healthy organizational culture, and

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  Propose strategies for developing a healthy organizational culture.

This article is organized in the following structure. Firstly, background and essential understandings of the topic are provided. These are followed by the central ideas, solutions and recommendations. Also included are possible ideas for future research and the conclusion. Lastly are discussion questions, a complete reference list, glossary of terms and suggestions for additional reading.

Background

Educators, particularly for the last two years, with a global pandemic and increased incidences of racial injustice in the United States, have been trying to determine how best to support Black students in PreK-12 schools, with a specific focus on students situated in poverty. The PreK-12 student population in the United States is racially diverse, with more than half of the student population composed of students of color. Yet, these students continue to experience marginalization within the education system (Daftary & Surgue, 2020). These researchers identified the following as contributing to poorer academic outcomes for students of color: institutionalized racism, school and residential segregation, underfunded schools situated in poverty, exclusionary discipline policies and practices, and implicit bias. Such practices are indicative of oppression–structures and daily practices, norms, assumptions, and habits that disadvantage a social group, so they cannot develop their capacities and express their needs, thoughts, and feelings. Some of the strategies to combat oppression are to increase cultural humility, challenge oppression and injustice when evident, build relationships with students and families, and provide support and accountability within the school community (Daftary & Surgue, 2020).