Description

In the business world, company leaders set standards through mission and vision statements and by listing their values. In the education world, it’s all about setting examples and teaching what are called Norms. Here are DCSD’s norms for Culture and Climate: 

• Presume Positive Intent
• Exude and Expect Optimism
• Address Concerns the Right Way
• Create a Culture of Safe Mistakes
• Communicate Kindly and Respectfully

These five norms are the topic for this episode – our season finale as the school year comes to a close. We’re bookending the season by welcoming back our very first guest: Supt. Erin Kane. And this time we’ve got two more guests to make a great conversation about the district’s Culture and Climate Norms. Alicia Elmore is the director of our Before and After School Enterprise, or BASE, program, and Dion Killingsworth is director of Human Resources. 

This episode complements Episode 20 with the brilliant Jolee Jones, who talked about Organizational Development. While Supt. Kane gives us the 30,000-foot perspective of the ideals behind the norms, Alicia and Dion talk about how those are applied and lived at the department level and even person to person.

Guests this episode: 

• Erin Kane, Superintendent of Douglas County School District
• Alicia Elmore, Director of Before and After School Enterprise (BASE)
• Dion Killingsworth, Director of Human Resources

Host: 

• Jason Hackett, DCSD Director of Communications 

Resources:

• Culture and Climate Norms (on Supt. Kane’s webpage)

About DCSD

Excellence meets opportunity in Douglas County School District. We're not just the third-largest school district in Colorado; we're a community dedicated to helping every student discover their unique talents and reach their full potential.

• DCSD is the TOP-scoring district in the Denver/Metro area for the second year in a row (first time in a decade).
• Our graduation rate is 93.6% (the highest in the Denver/Metro area).
• We are one of the only districts in the country to have met or exceeded our 2019 (pre-pandemic) scores in every subject and every grade for two years in a row.
• The Class of 2025 earned more than $113 million in scholarships and saved over $20 million in college expenses through DCSD's concurrent enrollment partnerships.
• DCSD offers 90 Career and Technical Education and Concurrent Enrollment Pathways (including Trades) and is one of the leaders - nationwide - in "blurring the lines" between PK-12, higher education and industry.

With 92 schools spread across the 850 square miles of our nationally renowned county, we have options galore. Whether you're looking for a comprehensive neighborhood school, a charter school with specialized curriculum, or support for students with special needs, we've got you covered. 

Interested in learning more? Take a look at the webpage where we answer the question Why DCSD?