Words on the Wall: Culturizing Your Classroom For Observable Impact

by Jimmy Casas, Cale Birk

Seven years ago, Jimmy Casas published Culturize, a Washington Post best-seller designed to help educators envision their culture through the four core principles of being a Champion for Students, Expecting Excellence, Carrying the Banner, and being a Merchant of Hope. Now, Casas has teamed with Cale Birk to write Words on the Culturizing Your Classroom For Observable Impact, the highly anticipated sequel to Culturize that helps teachers and leaders go deeper to create a high-resolution picture of what it looks like and leads to when we truly Culturize our classrooms and schools.

Building a positive culture in our schools has never been more critical than it is today. Drawing on real-life stories, engaging narratives, thought-provoking questions, and practical research, Jimmy and Cale guide readers through a process to bring the four core principles of Culturize to life. Words on the Wall serves as a roadmap for moving beyond the posters, billboards, slogans, and acronyms that adorn our walls to concrete actions educators can take to make observable impacts in classrooms and throughout schools. Words on the Wall provides busy teachers and leaders with tools, ideas, and a differentiated approach for building culture at all levels in a way that is logical, practical, and observable.

Join the movement! Empower yourself and your school community to move beyond Words on the Wall to observable impact where it matters the most–in every classroom, every day, for every student and every educator.

188 pages, Paperback

Published July 11, 2024

Reviews

[Nicole Means · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have seen Jimmy Casas speak during two separate conferences, and his work is so important for our students. Casas reminds us to pay attention to our behaviors within schools to ensure they align with the words on the wall. However, changing a school’s culture to align our actions with our words is difficult but it can be done when leaders are transparent, honest, and actively seek input from those most impacted by the changes— teachers. Oftentimes, new initiatives fail— not because the initiative itself is faulty- but because of how it is implemented. When school teams work together to initiate change, they develop grit to persevere and learn from their mistakes rather than give up. Leaders that “walk the walk” establish a culture where teachers are more likely to embrace change because they feel valued as professionals. “Words on the Wall” provides various examples of leadership styles that have positive impacts on our students.