How Joe Helped Shift a High School’s Culture

PE teacher and coach Joe Ferguson helped shift North Pocono High School’s culture by applying trust-based “Whale Done!” leadership principles through a schoolwide PRIDE initiative that emphasized recognizing positive behavior over punishing negative behavior, resulting in significant improvements in attendance and dramatic reductions in suspensions within one semester.

by Cindy Zurchin
July 28, 2026

Joe Ferguson did not set out to change a high school.

He simply wanted his students to want to come to school every day.

As a physical education teacher and basketball coach at North Pocono High School in northeastern Pennsylvania, Joe was watching a pattern unfold that many educators recognize: rising absenteeism, increasing suspensions, and growing disengagement. Instructional time was being lost. Energy in the building felt strained.

Research consistently shows that time in class is one of the strongest predictors of academic achievement (Gottfried, 2014). Yet traditional disciplinary systems often remove students from instruction in response to behavior, unintentionally compounding disconnection.

As both a teacher and a coach, Joe began asking a different question:

What if we focused more on what students were doing right than on what they were doing wrong?

A Coach Leading Without a Title

In the spring of 2025, Joe enrolled in a Principal Practicum course at Point Park University. As part of that work, we began examining how leadership principles rooted in trust and reinforcement might translate into a high school environment.

Joe studied The Whale Done! School (Zurchin & Blanchard, 2012), which adapts Ken Blanchard’s Whale Done! philosophy to educational leadership. The framework centers on three core practices:

1. Build trust.

2. Accentuate the positive.

3. Redirect mistakes with dignity.

These principles are grounded in behavioral science demonstrating that behaviors that are acknowledged are more likely to be repeated (Skinner, 1953). They also align with research confirming that belonging and positive adult relationships significantly influence student engagement and achievement (Durlak et al., 2011).

As a coach, Joe understands development. Athletes do not improve by hearing only what they did wrong. They improve through clear expectations, consistent feedback, and reinforcement of progress.

He decided to apply the same philosophy to the broader school culture.

From Team Development to School Culture

With support from building and district leadership, Joe helped launch a schoolwide initiative called PRIDE. He engaged faculty and student leaders in defining shared commitments. PRIDE emerged as a reflection of values students and staff believed represented their community:

• P – Prepared

• R – Respectful of self and others

• I – Involved in your education

• D – Dedicated to self-improvement

• E – Empowering others to give their best

This was not about posters in hallways. It was about recalibrating adult attention.

Faculty conversations began to shift from “How do we stop behavior?” to “How do we intentionally recognize the behaviors we want repeated?”

Recognition became visible and consistent. Morning announcements highlighted students demonstrating PRIDE. Staff members acknowledged preparation, effort, and growth in specific, descriptive language. Assemblies reinforced shared values.

Initial skepticism surfaced, as it often does in organizational change (Fullan, 2016). Some questioned whether students should be recognized for meeting expectations. Rather than mandate compliance, leaders modeled the approach. Early adopters demonstrated results. Momentum built gradually.

More than 1,000 students have since been recognized through PRIDE initiatives. The shift was subtle at first. Then it became unmistakable.

What Changed

By the end of the first semester, measurable indicators reflected meaningful improvement compared to the previous year.

Attendance

• Absence days reduced from 6,924 to 5,987

• 13.5% improvement year over year

Out-of-School Suspensions

• Students suspended reduced from 38 to 8 (79% reduction)

• Incidents reduced from 52 to 9 (83% reduction)

In-School Suspensions

• 14% reduction in incidents

While multiple variables influence school outcomes, the correlation between intentional trust building and improved engagement was powerful.

Yet the most significant shift was cultural.

Teachers began noticing progress before problems. They intentionally acknowledged preparation, effort, and growth — even when it was small. Instead of waiting for behavior to escalate, adults intervened early with recognition, clarity, and dignity.

Conversations shifted from “What rule was broken?” to “How do we help you get back on track?”

The work did not eliminate accountability. It strengthened it. When students felt respected, correction was more likely to be received rather than resisted.

Over time, trust replaced tension. Consistency replaced reactivity. The building began to feel different — not because expectations were lowered, but because relationships were elevated.

Why It Worked

Decades of behavioral science suggest that reinforcement increases the likelihood of repeated behavior (Skinner, 1953). When adults intentionally identify and describe positive actions, they shape patterns.

A meta-analysis of school-based social-emotional interventions further confirms that strengthening relationships and belonging improves both behavior and academic outcomes (Durlak et al., 2011).

The Whale Done! School provided structure.

Through coaching conversations and reflective implementation with Dr. Zurchin, Joe refined how those principles could live authentically in his building.

The framework offered direction.

Joe offered consistency.

That combination changed the culture.

Joe did not wait for a new title. He examined what he could influence — his own focus — and chose to lead differently.

And others followed.

The Takeaway

Culture does not shift because a framework is adopted. It shifts when adults intentionally choose to look for what is working — and reinforce it.

What we focus on expands.

When educators build trust, recognize progress daily, and redirect mistakes with dignity, students respond.

Joe’s story is not about a program.

It is about possibility.

Every school has a Joe.

Every building has educators who influence climate from where they stand.

Culture change does not require perfection.

It requires consistency.

And often, it begins with one teacher — or coach — choosing to see differently.

References