The Culture-First Strategy That Helped Transform Cowden Elementary

The Problem

When Dr. Cherie Norman became Cowden Elementary’s principal in 2009, attendance, behavior and test scores were lagging. “I knew it was either do or die, and I had to just figure it out,” she says. Norman knew she wouldn’t find the answer in a new textbook or curriculum. Real change meant rebuilding how students and teachers showed up each day. “We had to be better to get better.”

The Big Idea

Norman started with Steven Covey’s The Leader in Me, spending a year studying it with staff before rolling it out to students. The goal: Elevate students into real responsibility. “We had kids who were kind of naughty, but when you hand them a leadership role, they realize they don’t have to do that anymore.” With that foundation, Cowden trained at Atlanta-based Ron Clark Academy, where educators observe out-of-the-box, high-energy teaching in real time. From there, they adopted a relationship-first approach built on music, voice amplification and a Hogwarts-esque “house” system.

The Learning Curve

Although Norman says the “district has been supportive beyond measure,” the transformation wasn’t instant, and it’s constantly being adjusted. “It’s hard work, different work than we’re used to,” Norman says. “These teachers leave tired every day, and I mean not just mentally anymore. It’s physical, too.” She adds: “We’ll never quite arrive.”

The Takeaway

For any organization, Norman’s advice starts with culture: She says you have to walk alongside your people, praise them and love on them. She finds the word boss “unacceptable,” stating, “We do the work together.” Don’t obsess over changing what you deliver; focus on how you deliver it. “It’s not what we teach,” she says. “It’s how we teach it.”