Culture

• Culture: What impact does the creation of a positive school culture have on school reform?

A positive school culture has an impact on every aspect of the school. Working in a welcoming, supportive environment immediately relaxes teachers and allows them to focus on the task at hand: the children in front of them. Knowing that they are accepted and cared for in their school environment allows students to develop personal relations with their teachers that add meaning to their work at school. Understanding the staff is trusting, supportive, and respectful helps the leadership in the school to manage successfully as well as implement change of any kind.

The principal has a definite responsibility for setting the tone and creating the culture of the school. Unfortunately too often this is done in a superficial manner. The beginning of year open house, Christmas party event, and lame teacher appreciation gift do not a positive culture make. The culture and tone of the school have to be set with every action of the principal. It is through these actions that a respectful relationship between principal and teacher can be established.

In order to build mutual respect and a trusting relationship, teachers need to know the principal will be on their side doing whatever is necessary to keep a sense of discipline, as Marzano defines it, in the school. This means the principal understands the sacredness of the teachers’ instructional time and will do whatever is necessary to maintain it, from handling discipline problems appropriately to lessening interruptions of the schedule.

Advocating for the school and teachers with central office and parents also helps to build the trusting relationship as does monitoring and evaluating school practices. Teachers know what and who is working well in their schools, and there is little respect for a principal who does not seem to make the connection or does not act on the knowledge. Teachers also need to feel there is some level of protection between them and the other influences on what they are asked to do in the classroom. Sometimes the principal cannot do anything regarding a district policy or difficult parent, but knowing they have an advocate helps teachers in dealing with such complications. These responsibilities, of the 21 identified by Marzano’s meta-analysis of research, were among the most effective in correlation with student academic achievement, and I believe it is because of the effect these responsibilities have on the school culture.

The responsibility that held the highest correlation with student achievement was the situational awareness of the principal. I take this as further proof that it is the principal’s affect on the school culture that truly has the impact. Through an understanding of the school’s undercurrents, the principal can help to thwart any dissent or discontent. But more importantly, simply having an awareness of the undercurrents means the principal has an understanding of the school’s culture.

With a trusting and supportive relationship between principal and teachers, comes a positive school climate. That primary relationship sets the tone for all others. With the principal as the example, teachers have an understanding of the expectations for relationships within the school. This is how a positive school culture is built.

In my own school, unfortunately this level of trust and respect has never been established between teachers and principal and it is reflected in the culture. Relationships between staff members are positive for the most part, but there is room for improvement in regard to the relationships between students, teachers and parents. There seems to be a constant quiet battle between teachers who wish to move on initiatives in the hopes of positive school changes and those who don’t wish to extend the effort necessary to do so.

I place the blame for this on a leadership team that either through lack of organization or skills consistently act in ways that undermine what teachers are trying to accomplish in their classrooms. There is a lack of communication and inconsistent responses to discipline that interfere with the teachers’ ability to function optimally in the classrooms. This lack of leadership ability makes it difficult for teachers to respect the leadership team. It seems, too, that the leadership’s lack of consistency also gives teachers permission for a lack of consistency in their own responses and level of commitment to school policies. Consequently, it is difficult for any initiative to become fully implemented in my school. There have also been actions taken by the leadership team that show a lack of respect to teachers. This may not be done intentionally, but the lack of human relationship knowledge and skill cause it to happen on a regular basis. The lack of respect for people's feelings even unintentionally sets a negative tone.

I don’t mean to imply that school reform will go easily in a school with a positive school culture. I have known schools with a positive culture that never acted on an initiative because the teachers did not support it. Research has proven that initiatives that do not have both the support of the principal and the staff will not be fully implemented or maintained. Within a positive school climate, there still needs to be some sense of shared decision making and shared power in implementing any school reform.

According to Boyd in Bridge or Barrier to Change, power is based on information, resources and support. The prinicipal can only control the resources. An active role in controlling and improving the flow of information will help to build the support necessary for a successful implementation of any school reform. Shared decision making and power is best accomplished in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. That atmosphere occurs most often as part of positive school culture.