CHANGE READINESS SCAN

Hanson 1

Change Readiness Scan

Landstuhl Elementary/Middle School (LEMS) is located in Landstuhl, Germany on an
army base which holds the largest military hospital outside of the continental United States. The
school ranges from Pre-Kindergarten to 8th grade. There are over 800 students who attend the
school. Most of the students have parents who work at the hospital. The socioeconomic status of
the school is composed mostly of middle-class families. All students hold an American passport,
but were not necessarily born in the United States. The community is very involved in the
school with a strong PTSA.
This is the principals fourth year at LEMS and the assistant principals third. Turnover is
relatively low, as most teachers are contracted into the department of defense system and chose
to remain at LEMS for a long period of time. I have the least experience amongst the staff by at
least three years. About 50% of the teachers have taught at LEMS for at least ten years. LEMS
culture can be felt once entering the building. For the most part, staff members are positive,
supportive, and creative. The social committee presents monthly opportunities for faculty to get
to know one another outside of school to build/maintain this sort of atmosphere. Teachers also
host informal events at their homes sporadically throughout the school year where all are invited
to attend.
The administrators take on roles as facilitators and coaches. Responsibility is divided
amongst staff members and trickles down from grade-level lead teachers to all staff members.
The mission statement is: Landstuhl's Elementary/Middle school, in partnership with students,
parents, and community will provide a quality education that values and promotes highest
student achievement, cultural diversity, and respect for self and others to assure optimum success
in a global society. The workings goals at LEMS include increasing writing performance by 5%

CHANGE READINESS SCAN

Hanson 2

each year as well as increase the percent of students in the top two quartiles of math by 2% each
of the next two years. These goals were strongly emphasized last year and continue to be front
and center at the start of this school year. Support is offered to meet these goals through the
reading specialist and math coaches.
When looking at the 17 performance indicators conducive to change (Boyd & Hord
1994), there were two functional groupings with more strengths than growth areas. Under the
third grouping-providing a caring and productive environment- is a strong point at LEMS. There
is a positive school culture and genuinely happy students. Families are involved in the schools
and classrooms. One of the first questions asked in my interview revolved around how I would
communicate effectively with parents. Ideas are welcomed and encouraged between
administrators and teachers. Another area of strength is increased staff capacity. The decisionmaking abilities and resources are there for teachers, but both are not used to their full potential.
The areas of weakness include reducing isolation and promoting increased quality. As I
try to take a balcony view of the school, I struggle to get past staff members who are adamant
about a closed-door way of doing things. Some teachers within the school collaborate
constantly, and I kept this in mind when reviewing the indicators in the chart below. This is why
there is such a disarray of answers under the reducing isolation grouping. Those that are ready
for change break down the scheduling barriers in order to collaborate. However, scheduling only
allows for collaboration once a month. Most teachers get along with one another, but do not take
that extra step to talk daily about what is working in their classrooms. Lastly, LEMS needs to
build upon promoting increased quality. This is an area where teachers may need that extra push
from administrators and teacher leaders. Teachers need some reassurance and a gentle push to
get out of their comfort zones and try something new.

CHANGE READINESS SCAN

Hanson 3

Overall, LEMS is full of teachers passionate about their students with a strong sense of
community. The freedom to experiment and adjust teaching methods based on student data
allows so much room for growth and change. Sadly, some staff members do not support change
as much as others. Those resistant will need more support and encouragement as changes are
presented throughout the years.
Indicators

Strength Neutral Growth Area

Reducing Isolation
Schedules and structures that reduce isolation

Policies that foster collaboration

Policies that provide effective communication

Collegial relationships among teachers

A sense of community in the school

Increasing Staff Capacity

Policies that provide greater autonomy

Policies that provide staff development

Availability of resources

Norm of involvement in decision making

Providing a caring and productive environment

Positive teacher attitudes toward schooling, students, and change

Students' heightened interest and engagement in learning

Positive, caring student-teacher-administrator relationships

Supportive community attitudes

Parents and community members as partners and allies

Promoting Increased Quality

Norm of continuous critical inquiry

Norm of continuous improvement

Widely shared vision or sense of purpose

References
Hall, G.E., & Hord, S.M. (2014). Implementing change: Patterns, principles, and potholes. New
Jersey: Pearson.