Three district administrators – Islip Middle School Principal Timothy Martin, Islip Middle School Assistant Principal Jason Cohen and Director of Technology, Innovation and Information Systems Chad Walerstein – recently presented at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development’s annual conference. This three-day ASCD event, titled “Empowered and Connected,” was held virtually this year from June 23-25, due to the pandemic.

The Islip administrators’ presentation, “Culture First, Culture Last, Culture Always: Five Easy Steps to Enhancing School Culture for Students, Staff, and Families,” helps districts address issues of equity and excellence by enhancing school climate and culture. Islip’s comprehensive five-part approach (acknowledge, ask, analyze, act and assess) prioritizes equity for historically marginalized groups and establishes powerful connections between school culture, student and staff mental health, and academic performance.

“It is more important now than ever before to ensure learning communities have a positive climate and culture,” Martin said. “The clouds of the pandemic are looming and it is vital for school communities to seek positivity. Nearly 30 educators from across the nation joined our presentation and sought advice on how Islip goes about seeking feedback from stakeholders combining in-person outreach and technology.”