SCHOOL CULTURE

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SCHOOL CULTURE

• The Missing Link in School Improvement

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Reflect on the Culture of Your School

• Good Things
• Not So Good Things
• Take two minutes to list

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How School Culture is Like an Aquarium..

• If the Fish in the Aquarium are Getting Sick
• Dont blame the Fish
• Fish need a health environment to thrive and grow
• Fish school together for support and protection
• Fish will prosper when the temperature of the
  water is ideal
• The water must be clean and free of toxic
  substances
• Not all fish have the same needs
• Fish in the aquarium are helpless in efforts to
  improve their environment

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What is SCHOOL CULTURE

• What is School Culture?
•     Deal and Peterson (1993) have offered the
  most succinct definition of school culture. They
  simply state it is an "inner reality."Robbins and
  Alvy (1995) expand the definition by stating that
  "This inner reality reflects what organizational
  members care about, what they are willing to
  spend time doing, what and how they celebrate,
  and what they talk about. " 

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How to Tell if the Culture in the Aquarium
(School) is Toxic

• The Staff is overwhelmed and have exhausted all
  of their efforts to improve scores.
• Teaching and leading a school has lost its joy
  and become one of drudgery favoring a just a
  job mentality.
• Tension and stress abound.
• Everyone plays the Blame Game.
• Isolation Abounds in the school.

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Guiding question to Ask about Your School culture

• Are you striving for a positive school climate
  supported by a spirited staff? Is your school
  focused on teamwork and collegiality? Are all
  stakeholders involved in the process? Do you
  struggle to attain higher levels of student
  achievement year after year?

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• School
• Culture
• Every school has one and every school can improve
  its culture.

• What is School Culture
• People more important than programs
• How people treat one another
• How people value one another
• Accumulation of many individuals values and
  norms
• Consensus about what is important
• The way we do things Around Here
• Shared Experiences
• Common Vision and Mission
• Schools beliefs, attitudes and behaviors which
  characterize a school

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CULTURE vs CLIMATE Peterson ( 2002)

• CULTURE

• CLIMATE

• Personality of school
• Shared experiences (both in and outside the
  school)
• Traditions
• Celebrations
• Sense of Community
• Norms, Values, Symbols and Stories

• Physical Appearance
• Outward Indicators
• Displays of student work
• Safe and welcoming environment

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Four Steps to improving School Culture

• Assess the current culture
• Analyze the findings
• Select Areas for improvement
• Continue to monitor and adjust

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Assess the current culture

• Needs to Assess the Three Major Indicators of
  School Culture.
• COLLABORATION is characterized as the degree to
  which people work together, share information and
  instructional strategies, and are encouraged to
  have constructive discussions and debates.
• Professional CollaborationTeachers and other
  staff meet to solve instructional, organizational
  or curricular issues.

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Affiliation and Collegiality

• COLLEGIALITY is about a sense of belonging,
  emotional support, and inclusion as a valued
  member of the organization.
• Affiliation and CollegialityWorking together,
  feeling valued and included, and a sense of value
  and belonging.

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Efficacy and Determination

• EFFICACY, for the purpose of this process, tends
  to focus on how stakeholders' view themselves. Do
  they feel as if they have control of their
  destinies or do they view themselves as helpless
  victims of "the system?" Do they respect
  research-supported evidence about good teaching
  or are they rigidly attached to the status quo?
• Efficacy and DeterminationI am in this school
  because I want to be here.

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Analysis

• Find out what areas need immediate attention
• Make modifications and improvements
• Maintain the fine qualities of the schools
  culture
• Celebrate the excellent parts of the schools
  culture
• Continue to find ways to improve

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Select Areas for improvement

• Select Areas through Collaboration involving all
  stakeholders.
• Creating a collaborative culture has been
  described as the single most important factor for
  successful improvement and represent the 1st
  order of business for those seeking to enhance
  the schools effectiveness.
• --Rick DuFour (2002)

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monitor and adjust

• School Culture can be compared to a personal
  relationship
• Regularly Strengthened and supported
• Promote continuous improvement philosophy
• Periodic Adjustments

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Article Jigsaw Activity

• Read the 4 articles related to school culture (15
  minutes)
• Barth.Culture Builder
• ReevesHow Do You Change a School Culture
• WagnerLeadership for and Improved School Culture
• PetersonPositive or Negative
• Return to group and tell the group the highlights
  of your article (2 minutes for each article)
• Produce a Group MIT CHART (Most Important Things)
  of 10 and star the top three (3)
• Report out to whole group