POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE

080104 @midnite

Each school has its own unique culture— an invisible, all powerful force that deter-
mines what is and is not done in the school. School culture consists of rules —
written and unwritten; norms — spoken and unspoken; traditions that dictate how
things are done; and expectations for adult and student performance. Nothing
is said or done in the school that is not influenced by the culture. It permeates the
minute details of everyday life in the school and is deeply seated and difficult to
change — it comes from years of doing things “the way things are done here.”
For a long time, we tried to explain schools in terms of climate, but climate
connotes cleanliness and safety and not the deeply held beliefs about students,
teaching and learning. Culture encompasses climate, but is much larger in scope.
School culture is about relationships and expectations and how these are shaped by
belief systems.
Listen to the stories in a school. They tell us much about the culture. Stories
about reaching goals, solving challenging problems together, working as a school
community, organizational learning and high expectations. Scene 1, Or very
different stories — stories about working around the principal, war stories about
the failures and foibles of staff and students, and stories about low expectations.

Culture is learned, practiced and communicated in various ways. When acts are
repeated over and over again they become rituals and traditions which teach
newcomers what is valued by the school. Ceremonies send powerful messages
about what and who are important, and symbols quickly remind participants what
the school’s focus is.

a faculty retreat to start each school year helps the faculty focus on goals and
plans for the year;
an academic pep rally at the beginning of the year with freshmen receiving a
standing ovation from upperclassmen as they march into the pep rally;
a welcome from veteran teachers to orient new teachers;
quality student work displayed around the school; and
the vision statement and motivational quotations posted in class-
rooms and hallways.

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Examples of unhealthy rituals, ceremonies, symbols and
traditions:
seniors hazing freshmen;
announcements and displays that only honor athletes;
school leaders who attend only athletic events;
a “senior skip day” each spring; and
academic awards going only to the top students.

Positive norms can include:

sharing information with colleagues;
helping new teachers;
encouraging each other to try new class-
room practices; and
linking student achievement data, budget,
school improvement plans and professional development.

Negative norms can include:

letting new teachers learn in the “school of hard knocks” like we did;
“I’m not sharing this activity. It makes me look good, so I’m keeping it to myself;”
“I was here when the principal got here, and I’ll still be here when he leaves;” and
“never trusting administrators or those teachers in the “inner circle.”

How do school leaders build a positive culture? The most important role a leader
plays is to lead in the creation and maintenance of the school’s culture. The school
leaders’ task is to identify the positive and negative norms in their schools; then,
the leaders must foster those norms that are positive. Negative norms are very
destructive and make it difficult for schools to improve, so leaders must constantly
analyze the culture looking for what needs to be weeded out.
When school leaders focus their work on constantly cultivating the school culture,
much like gardeners work constantly to cultivate gardens, schools change and
improve. Teacher turnover is reduced, student and staff attendance improves,
discipline problems decline, student achievement goes up and the community’s
satisfaction with the school increases.

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Obstacles that block their efforts
to raise expectations and academic
standards
1. Teacher beliefs that students cannot meet high standards as the most
serious problem.

2 Low morale among teachers and students was the second most prominent
problem.

A culture of low expectations and low morale will not improve until teachers
believe they have unconditional support from school leaders for raising
standards and improving instructional practices.

Principals can work to build this sense of community by sharing the

responsibility for leadership and analysis of student data, and providing
teachers with the training and resources they need to effectively implement
new teaching strategies and content.