positive school culture essay

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School Culture: A key aspect of positive and successful schools

This week we have two Guest Bloggers. I’m excited to introduce you to Kent D. Peterson who is Emeritus Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. And Scott K. Guzman-Peterson a teacher at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in the Glendale Unified School District,  Glendale, California.  Kent and Scott are a father and son writing duo who have been discussing positive and negative school leadership, social justice in schools, ways to shape school culture, and other educational topics for many years.  This is their first piece together.

What is Culture?

School culture is the underlying set of norms and values, history and stories, symbols and logos, rituals and traditions that make up the foundation of a school’s social and emotional ethos.

While “climate” represents the tone of a school, culture consists of a deeper and broader set of elements that shape everything that goes on within a school, shaping how people think, feel, and act. School leaders—administrators and teachers alike—need to understand what culture is and how to shape it through words, actions, policies, and daily practices.  

School culture is one of the key elements of creating positive, successful schools. Without a culture that supports learning for all, positive relationships, meaningful values, as well as norms for improvement, achievement, and colleagueship, schools are likely to be less productive or create potentially toxic environments. Positive features of school climate need to be fostered, maintained, and fine-tuned over time. 

School cultures vary across districts, regions, countries, but most often comprise a few foundational elements, as detailed below.

Norms are the collective expectations for behavior.  What is the expected attire for staff and administrators? What types and frequency of discussions are occurring and where? What professional development is encouraged and engaged informally? Who talks in staff meetings?  What are considered “good” teaching practices? 

Norms should be presented early in the school year and collectively shaped by colleagues and school staff to foster buy-in. Just as teachers allow students to share their ideas when creating classroom expectations, norms, and goals to foster a familial and accepting learning environment, so too can leaders provide spaces for staff contributions. Such practice ensures that everyone’s voices are heard and demonstrates that the classroom and school is a safe learning space where ideas and opinions are valued.

Examples of norms include: “All staff will be respectful of other’s ideas and inputs,” or “Our focus efforts are solution-oriented, applicable and relevant to our school’s mission,” or “We will adhere and respect everyone’s time by starting and ending meetings on time.” 

Values are based on what is important, valued and held dear.  Which is valued more, learning or socio-emotional development? Are art and music meaningful aspects of the school? Is equity a central value of the school? Does the school’s mission strongly prioritize social justice? Are extended learning opportunities prioritized for a whole child approach?

Values contribute to creating a well-rounded school culture and are gathered from multiple cultural backgrounds, socio-emotional needs, and academic goals. When staff share their values with each other in a safe, accepting environment, such as community circles and team building exercises, they can be adapted to the context of a school’s culture. This holds a lasting impact on staff morale and the overall school culture.

Beliefs are collective, school-wide understandings about people, processes, and purposes.  Do staff believe that some “types” of students are more likely to succeed than others? Is teacher learning considered to be an individual or a group process? Are there varying beliefs among departments or learning groups? How do staffs’ beliefs impact the school’s culture?

There are many schools where not all teachers and staff believe that every student can learn, grow, and succeed academically. It is necessary to incorporate staff beliefs into team building activities and share real-world student academic and teacher successes to create an optimistic school culture where staff see examples of their beliefs in policies and practices.

Histories and Stories

The history of a school and its stories are key features of school culture. In particular, stories communicate core values, reinforce the core mission, and build a sense of commitment.  How did the school form and what key events shaped the culture of the school? What stories are told in the staff room, on social media, and in the hallways?  Stories influence how one thinks and feels about a school. It is important to have a deep understanding of a school’s history, as lack of knowledge can affect student’s buy-in of the school culture and mission.

For example, when a school is well-established, sharing the school’s history, alumni stories, and accomplishments with incoming students can increase staff and student’s excitement about joining the school community.

Symbols are found in every school, providing a visual representation of core values and ideas.  What is your school’s name and what does it represent? Is there a school logo or mascot that reinforces key values and expectations? What has the school done to beautify the campus? Are there murals and/or student work posted? Is student work regularly changed and added to?

Weak symbols may contribute to low student buy-in during school gatherings, assemblies, and extracurricular activities, as well as affecting overall school culture. Schools without an established mascot, school colors, or historical representative symbols result in a lack of a collective school identity and impacts student motivation, teacher morale and sense of community.  

Rituals, Traditions, Ceremonies, and Celebrations

Strong school cultures include engaging in a wide variety of rituals, traditions, ceremonies, and celebrations. Rituals include the regular morning greeting from the principal. Traditions are regular activities that communicate meaning and purpose, molding and cementing relationships and commitment to the school and its mission. Ceremonies are a more complex set of rituals, symbols, traditions, and stories that are held at key times during the school year. These may include graduation ceremonies, school opening ceremonies, or spring solstice ceremonies. Celebrations, both large and small, recognize the accomplishments of staff, students, community, and stakeholders. For example, when new students and staff join the school community, creating a welcome video for them can show them care and appreciation. A best practice is to prepare a fresh, creative video each year for new staff and students.

The Importance of Reading, Assessing, and Shaping the Culture

As school culture develops over time as people work together, share successes and challenges, and establish professional relationships, it is important to  read —understand the current and historical culture,  assess —identify the positive elements of the culture, and actively work to reinforce,  shape, or reshape  the culture. 

School principals, heads, as well as teacher leaders are central to maintaining and shaping the culture. Leaders should regularly take time to reflect on the current culture; identify aspects of the culture to change or reinforce; and make plans to shape or reshape their culture through their words, actions, policies, and daily practices. 

One way to do so is by using Google forms to conduct easy, quick, data-driven check-ins with staff and students regarding what is and is not working, as well as areas with room for growth.

The best leaders choose words carefully to highlight important aspects of the culture and energize school staff and students. Such leaders know which communication method (face-to-face; videos; social media; hand-written notes) is best for their messages. 

Leaders should find and implement small actions that resonate with staff.  Do staff enjoy Post-It Note encouragement after an observation? Do staff appreciate inspiring stories of success and growth with students in a weekly school staff newsletter?  Find ways to incorporate words of affirmation and empathy each week as an avenue to promote culture. 

When leaders show they care and appreciate staff, it can make a difference in motivating them to put in extra effort to produce amazing results. While teachers might not have had the initial drive to implement their ideas, they are often more determined after hearing encouragement. They are also less apt to feel burned out if leaders show empathy by taking time to perform quick personal or mental health check-ins. 

Every action a school leader takes can affect the school culture, from decisions made to planning and communicating values, to choices for professional development. Reactions, body language and overall demeanor play a part in how one is perceived, listened to, and respected as a leader. Understanding how each staff member responds to feedback is essential for helping the collective school group come together to work as a whole.

Policies may seem like managerial structures, but they also signal what norms or values are central to the school. At the same time, involving staff in deciding which policies need to be adjusted or changed helps reinforce a collegial culture. Incorporating team department planning and time to share about different team and individual needs allows for staff to feel heard and appreciated.

Finally, daily practices, how leaders spend their time, which classrooms they visit, how they use social media, and what questions they ask teachers are all cultural messages that form or reform the culture. Leaders should use daily practices as a way to shape the culture. Be reflective and attentive to what those practices communicate. 

In Conclusion

Organizational culture is a crucial part of any school. Success or failure can often be attributed to the nature of a school’s culture.  Formal and informal leaders are key to knowing, maintaining, and shaping that culture. 

To learn more about Kent D. Peterson and Scott K. Guzman-Peterson and their respective work, please Google Kent D. Peterson for further information on his writing and books.

References and Suggested Resources

• Peterson, Kent and Deal, Terrence. 2 nd  Edition (2009).  The Shaping School Culture Fieldbook.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
• Peterson, Kent. Is Your School’s Culture Positive or Negative? 

https://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin275.shtml

• Peterson, Kent.  Positive or Negative. Journal of Staff Development (2002). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ65475
• Deal, Terrence and Peterson, Kent. 3rd Edition (2016).  Shaping School Culture.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
• Muhammad, Anthony. (2009).  Transforming School Culture.  Solution Tree.
• Kruse, Sharon and Louis, Karen. (2008).   Building Strong School Cultures.  Corwin Press.

Kent D. Peterson Bio 

Dr. Peterson is an Emeritus professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and founder of the Vanderbilt Principals Institute. 

His research and writing have focused on the realities of principals’ work, school improvement, effective leadership, and school culture building.

In addition to numerous articles, he has co-authored several books with Terrence Deal that examine leadership and school culture.  These include: The Leadership Paradox, Shaping School Culture, and the Shaping School Culture Fieldbook from Jossey Bass Publishers.

In addition to his teaching and research he has consulted with states, districts, and foundations on effective leadership development designs and practices to help leaders better serve all their students, staff, and communities.

Scott Guzman-Peterson Bio 

Scott Guzman-Peterson is a veteran teacher of 13 years in some of the largest public-school systems in the United States. He has taught students the wonders of math and science ranging from kindergarten through high school within in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools as well as the Los Angeles Unified School District. Most recently he has taught middle school science in the Glendale Unified School District, Glendale, California. 

Mr. Guzman-Peterson focuses his teaching on a whole-child approach with emphasis on creating a welcoming, inclusive, and transformative classroom environment for all students. Teaching in urban communities, making meaningful connections with all stakeholders, and shaping school culture, drive Mr. Guzman-Peterson to continue learning, teaching, and leading in public education.

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5 thoughts on “school culture: a key aspect of positive and successful schools”.

A brilliant piece of work. I have adapted these strategic headings for mt professional development workshops and reading tjis makes me content because its in sync with your message 100%

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So good to see you writing with your son, Kent. Wishing you good times in retirement. Bruce Barnett

Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good. https://accounts.binance.com/it/register?ref=PORL8W0Z

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What Makes a Good School Culture?

• Posted July 23, 2018
• By Leah Shafer

Most principals have an instinctive awareness that organizational culture is a key element of school success. They might say their school has a “good culture” when teachers are expressing a shared vision and students are succeeding — or that they need to “work on school culture” when several teachers resign or student discipline rates rise. 

But like many organizational leaders, principals may get stymied when they actually try to describe the elements that create a positive culture. It's tricky to define, and parsing its components can be challenging. Amid the push for tangible outcomes like higher test scores and graduation rates, it can be tempting to think that school culture is just too vague or “soft” to prioritize.

That would be a mistake, according to  Ebony Bridwell-Mitchell , an expert in education leadership and management. As she explains, researchers who have studied culture have tracked and demonstrated a strong and significant correlation between organizational culture and an organization’s performance. Once principals understand what constitutes culture — once they learn to see it not as a hazy mass of intangibles, but as something that can be pinpointed and designed — they can start to execute a cultural vision.

A culture will be strong or weak depending on the interactions between people in the organization. In a strong culture, there are many, overlapping, and cohesive interactions, so that knowledge about the organization’s distinctive character — and what it takes to thrive in it — is widely spread.

At a recent session of the  National Institute for Urban School Leaders  at the  Harvard Graduate School of Education , Bridwell-Mitchell took a deep dive into “culture,” describing the building blocks of an organization’s character and fundamentally how it feels to work there. 

Culture Is Connections

A culture will be strong or weak depending on the interactions between the people in the organization, she said.  In a strong culture, there are many, overlapping, and cohesive interactions among all members of the organization.   As a result, knowledge about the organization’s distinctive character — and what it takes to thrive in it — is widely spread and reinforced.  In a weak culture, sparse interactions make it difficult for people to learn the organization’s culture , so its character is barely noticeable and the commitment to it is scarce or sporadic.

• Beliefs, values, and actions will spread the farthest and be tightly reinforced when everyone is communicating with everyone else. In a strong school culture, leaders communicate directly with teachers, administrators, counselors, and families, who also all communicate directly with each other.
• A culture is weaker when communications are limited and there are fewer connections. For example, if certain teachers never hear directly from their principal, an administrator is continually excluded from communications, or any groups of staff members are operating in isolation from others, it will be difficult for messages about shared beliefs and commitments to spread. 

Culture Is Core Beliefs and Behaviors

Within that weak or strong structure, what exactly people believe and how they act depends on the messages — both direct and indirect — that the leaders and others in the organization send. A good culture arises from messages that promote traits like collaboration, honesty, and hard work.

Culture is shaped by five interwoven elements, each of which principals have the power to influence: 

• Fundamental beliefs and assumptions , or the things that people at your school consider to be true. For example: “All students have the potential to succeed,” or “Teaching is a team sport.”
• Shared values , or the judgments people at your school make about those belief and assumptions — whether they are right or wrong, good or bad, just or unjust. For example: “It’s wrong that some of our kindergarteners may not receive the same opportunity to graduate from a four-year college,” or “The right thing is for our teachers to be collaborating with colleagues every step of the way.” 
• Norms , or how members believe they  should  act and behave, or what they think is expected of them. For example: “We should talk often and early to parents of young students about what it will take for their children to attend college.” “We all should be present and engaged at our weekly grade-level meetings.”
• Patterns and behaviors , or the way people  actually  act and behave in your school. For example: There are regularly-scheduled parent engagement nights around college; there is active participation at weekly team curriculum meetings. (But in a weak culture, these patterns and behaviors can be different than the norms.)
• Tangible evidence , or the physical, visual, auditory, or other sensory signs that demonstrate the behaviors of the people in your school. For example: Prominently displayed posters showcasing the district’s college enrollment, or a full parking lot an hour before school begins on the mornings when curriculum teams meet.

Each of these components influences and drives the others, forming a circle of reinforcing beliefs and actions, Bridwell-Mitchell says; strong connections among every member of the school community reinforce the circle at every point.

More on School Culture

• See Part II of our story, which moves from "what makes school culture" to "how to build it."

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The Essential Traits of a Positive School Climate

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The single most important job of the principal is creating a school environment where students feel safe, supported, engaged, and accepted, according to many child development and school leadership experts.

The reason?

Children who are afraid of bullying or fights have less bandwidth for learning. Negative emotions, such as feeling alienated or misunderstood, make it harder for the brain to process information and to learn.

On the flip side, brain development flourishes when children feel emotionally and physically safe, when they know they have adults who care about them, and when they are challenged in their learning.

It’s no wonder, then, that research has found that a positive school climate can improve students’ academic achievement, attendance, engagement, and behavior, as well as teacher satisfaction and retention.

While this may all seem like a no-brainer—of course students learn better when they feel safe and seen—the practice of creating and sustaining a positive school climate can be extremely difficult. School climate involves everyone connected to the school—students, teachers, support staff, administrators and parents—and almost all aspects of their experiences in school—from how teachers address students to whether the school building is kept clean.

What, then, are the hallmarks of a healthy school climate and what can principals do to nurture and sustain one?

Here are four widely agreed upon components of a healthy school environment, why they matter, and how principals can improve them.

Strong relationships are the foundation.

Do students find it easy to talk to teachers in their school? Do they feel there is a teacher who would notice their absence?

Positive and stable relationships among staff, students, and caregivers undergird a school’s climate. It’s vital that children feel they are known and supported in school. And while this may sound obvious, it is something that many schools struggle with.

“We have found that a lot of people don’t understand what that means, it’s not about social relationships,” says Elaine Allensworth, the director of the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research which has extensively studied principals’ roles in shaping school climate. “Students want to know that their teachers are going to help them succeed in school.”

Strong relationships not only help students feel safe and accepted in their school, they also help students build resilience to cope with adverse childhood experiences.

There are innumerous strategies for building relationships . Teachers can greet each student as they enter the classroom. They can conduct daily check-in exercises where they ask students how they are feeling. Principals in elementary schools can “loop” classrooms keeping teachers with the same group of students for multiple years. At the middle and high school levels, they can create an advisory system where teachers work with a small, consistent group of students weekly or daily to build a sense of community.

Students aren’t the only ones who benefit from investing in relationships. Stronger connections between teachers and students makes teachers feel like their work is more effective and closer relationships among teachers helps them feel more supported. Caregivers are more comfortable asking the school for help for their child if they feel they have strong relationships with their children’s teachers and principal.

Principals can forge deeper relationships with parents by actively seeking their input on how school is working for their children—either by asking teachers reach out to parents for informal chats or distributing surveys to families to fill out.

Principals can help foster positive connections among teachers—whether in person or remotely—by setting a few minutes aside during staff meetings for exercises that build relationships . One simple idea: a gratitude circle where staff members are given time to reflect on small things their coworkers have done for them recently and to directly thank one another for the favor or kindness.

High academic expectations, yes, but also strong supports.

Do teachers feel that it is part of their job to prepare students to succeed in college? Does the school encourage students to take challenging classes no matter their race, ethnicity, or cultural background?

Another hallmark of a healthy school climate is one where educators have high academic expectations for all students.

Educators assist students in setting meaningful academic goals for themselves and promote a strong academic culture where post-secondary education is a goal.

But it’s not enough for teachers to, say, constantly talk to students about going to college or following their dreams. Schools must also provide students with the tools they need to meet the expectations they are raising for students.

High expectations without support just sets students up for failure, undermining their confidence, says Allensworth.

Principals must carve out space in the school schedule to give students the extra time and help they need, said Jack Baldermann, the principal of Westmont High School in Illinois. For example, “we have a period every Wednesday at the end of the day … where students and teachers can work on their assessment information and fine tune where they are strong and where they can get stronger,” he said.

Additionally, that support should be given automatically. Principals should create support systems where students must opt-out of help rather than opt-in, said Allensworth.

Whether a student struggling academically gets the additional support they need shouldn’t depend on a student feeling comfortable enough to ask for help or a teacher taking it upon themselves to follow up with a student.

Consistency in expectations for behavior and discipline for misbehavior.

Do adults reward students for positive behavior? Are school rules applied equally to all students? Do students see discipline as fair?

A safe and orderly environment is another key aspect of a good school climate, and rules and discipline are tools that principals and teachers use to make that happen. But schools must have clear expectations for behavior, teach students how to meet those expectations, and acknowledge when students are doing so.

In a school with a healthy climate, principals, teachers, and staff focus on prevention. When discipline is used, it’s attuned to preserving relationships and respecting students’ dignity.

Discipline, when doled out, should be appropriate to students’ developmental stage and proportional to their behavior, taking care to ensure there are procedures for students with disabilities, and that all students are disciplined following established rules.

Students should be taken out of class only as a last resort, and if they are removed, they should be placed in an alternative setting that provides them with academic instruction.

There are many strategies for improving school discipline such as using restorative justice practices and positive behavioral interventions and supports.

But whatever strategy a school is using to address misbehavior, it is of utmost importance that rules be consistently enforced among all students regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and disability state, said Francis Huang, an associate professor in the college of education at the University of Missouri and an expert on school climate.

When rules aren’t applied equitably, students don’t see them as fair, he said. “If they don’t think they’re fair, it may challenge students to test those rules.”

To make sure rules are being applied consistently, principals can start by reviewing the discipline data to look for trends as well as the procedures for discipline referrals.

A next step is to directly ask students, teachers, and parents—either in-person or through anonymous surveys—whether they feel school rules are applied equitably and discipline is fair.

Any changes to discipline policies can become a major source of friction between principals and teachers, so it’s important principals clearly communicate new expectations to staff and provide them with adequate training on how to implement new discipline programs.

Regular collection of feedback, followed by adjustments.

Once the school starts a new program, does leadership follow up to make sure that it’s working?

Underneath the robust relationships, high but supported academic expectations, and thoughtful discipline, school leaders who are successful at setting and sustaining a healthy school climate are consistently gathering feedback on how the school community is experiencing school life.

This is primarily done by surveying students, staff, and parents a few times a year, asking the kinds of questions posed throughout this article.

Combined with data on discipline, attendance, test scores, and even small focus groups, principals can get a quantitative and qualitative read on the health of the school’s environment and how to improve it.

Not having data is like trying to fly a plane without any instruments, said Huang. Without data, principals can’t know what adjustments need to be made to stay aloft or how far they are from their destination or goals.

Data illuminates weaknesses that need shoring up and provides feedback on whether a new intervention is working and improving school climate.

Data is also important for supporting equitable outcomes because it can help unearth inequities among student groups, such as whether students of a particular race are getting suspended at higher rates or report feeling less supported by the adults in their school.

It’s important to remember that not all students will experience their school the same way and that individual students’ perceptions of their school’s environment and culture matter to their learning.

Share the data widely—incorporate it into staff meetings, parent meetings, share it in newsletters and townhalls—to broaden its impact and communicate the importance of building and keeping a positive school climate.

Other components of school climate:

There isn’t total consensus on all the components that add up to a healthy school climate and culture.

While some definitions focus on the social and academic aspects of school climate, the concept can also include physical features such as how clean the building is and whether the lights and heating work properly, which creates a welcoming environment and demonstrates to students that school leaders care about their comfort. Procedural considerations such as having emergency plans in place, which factor into feelings of safety, can also fall into the school climate bucket, as can community-building extracurriculars such as clubs and events.

But the bottom line, school leadership experts say, is that principals must decide what the definition of a positive climate is for their school—one that is relevant to their community and based on research—before they can take steps to strengthen it.

Coverage of social and emotional learning is supported in part by a grant from the NoVo Foundation, at www.novofoundation.org . Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage. A version of this article appeared in the October 14, 2020 edition of Education Week as The Essential Traits of a Positive School Climate

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Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

How to Create a Positive School Climate

If you’re a school leader, you have problems to solve: bullying, teacher burnout, disengaged students, casual vandalism and litter, and cultural and socio-economic differences, among others. Big issues that affect a lot of people.

Researchers have found that a positive school climate can help solve a lot of those problems. Studies find that it decreases absenteeism, suspensions, substance abuse, and bullying, and increases students’ academic achievement, motivation to learn, and psychological well-being. It can even mitigate the negative effects of self-criticism and socioeconomic status on academic success. In addition, working in this kind of climate lessens teacher burnout while increasing retention. All really good stuff!

But here’s the catch: Creating a positive school climate is really, really hard to do, as any principal will tell you. People have minds of their own, and you can’t make them feel peppy and optimistic on command. It takes elbow grease and much care to implement, simply because human motivations and needs are so complex. Here are some research-tested tips to get you started.

What does it look like?

Let’s take a moment to paint a picture of positive school climate. When you walk onto a school campus, you can immediately get a sense of the school climate by watching the interactions between people and noticing the school’s physical environment. 

Do the teachers, students, and school leaders seem happy to be there and are they treating each other with respect? Is the school clean and orderly? Are the bulletin board displays sending out positive messages? Are students engaged in their learning?

In 2007, the National School Climate Council spelled out specific criteria for what defines a positive school climate, including:

• Norms, values, and expectations that support social, emotional, and physical safety.
• People are engaged and respected.
• Students, families, and educators work together to develop and live a shared school vision.
• Educators model and nurture attitudes that emphasize the benefits gained from learning.
• Each person contributes to the operations of the school and the care of the physical environment.

So while creating a positive school climate is not easy, it’s also not impossible.

Three steps to a positive climate

When building a positive school climate, it’s important to remember that there is no magic formula—much will depend on the leaders’ values and vision and how much everyone else gets on board with those things.

It starts with trust , which researchers say is an essential prerequisite to a more positive climate. The following steps are in part designed to build trust, mainly by giving teachers, staff, and students some say in the process—and leaders who guide the process must never miss an opportunity to prove themselves trustworthy and to facilitate trust-building between stakeholders.

Here are some research-based suggestions for school leaders on how to start cultivating a positive school climate:

1) Assess the current climate. You have to know where you’re starting from in order to know where to go. And for those on your staff who might be less-than-enthusiastic about creating a positive school climate, asking them about their current experience will help get them on board because they’ll feel like their voice is being heard. Also be sure to include everyone’s voices: teachers, other school staff, students, parents—and your own.

There are a number of ways to assess your school climate. The Safe and Supportive Schools website provides a list of validated survey instruments —some of which are free. However, I would caution against relying on just a survey.

According to Edgar Schein , one of the foremost organizational psychology experts, a survey will not reveal people’s underlying assumptions and beliefs which have a profound effect on the school climate—and those are what you need to understand in order to effect real change. On surveys, people can interpret the questions differently. For example, the statement, “I believe this school is headed in the right direction” could be interpreted in a myriad of ways. Also, it is very difficult to know which questions to ask on a survey and how deeply a person feels about a particular area.

Schein suggests meeting in small groups to examine together the school’s climate. He outlines a simple method in his book The Corporate Culture Survival Guide that is easily adaptable to schools. (Note: researchers consider climate and culture to be two different constructs. However, the National School Climate Council’s definition above combines the two.)

Individual interviews are also another way to get a sense of the school climate, and should be conducted by someone outside the school to ensure honesty and impartiality, e.g., a consultant or local grad student in organizational psychology.

2) Create a shared vision—but start with personal visions. Research suggests that bringing everyone together to create a shared vision of the kind of climate they want increases the likelihood that the vision will actually be carried out. But according to Peter Senge , director of the Society for Organizational Learning that originated at MIT, a shared vision must emerge from our personal visions—otherwise people won’t be committed to the shared vision.

Senge defines personal vision as “a specific destination, a picture of a desired future” that is rooted in a person’s values, concerns, and aspirations. For example, part of my personal vision is wanting schools to be socially and emotionally healthy places for everyone which comes from my deeply held belief that human beings thrive in positive environments.

So before creating a shared vision together, ask everyone to write down their personal vision. You might even have them read the section on personal vision in Senge’s book, The Fifth Discipline . To ensure student participation, have teachers guide students through this process.

When you’re ready to create a shared vision, it’s important to create a safe space where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas. I highly recommend using a positive approach to discussion such as World Café or Appreciative Inquiry . That way, positive emotions are generated, which will help to cultivate trust amongst group members and also make everyone’s thinking more creative and flexible. Be sure to include the students in whatever way possible.

3) Work together to carry out the shared vision—and make it fun! Creating a positive school climate is an ongoing process that never really ends, but it’s a joyful one. However, if you find your school off to a slow start, you might try one of these simple motivating ideas that will give a quick boost of positive emotions:

• “ Behind Your Back .” This is a fun twist on gossiping that can easily be done at the start of class or before a staff meeting. One participant at the Greater Good Summer Institute for Educators told us that when her school did it at a staff meeting, some long-held grudges between staff members were healed.
• Gratitude Board. Provide places in the hallways and the teachers’ lounge where people can post notes expressing their gratitude for each others’ actions. Gratitude has the wonderful effect of helping us feel more connected to one another and also gives us a boost in our own self-worth—both important aspects of a positive school climate.

While it may seem like a lot of work, the tremendous benefits of a positive school climate far out-weigh the time and effort required. And, while researchers haven’t measured it yet, I would guess that a positive school climate can also bring the joy and fun back into teaching and learning. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a school like that?

Throughout this next school year, watch for articles on more specific, research-based ideas for building a positive school climate.

About the Author

Vicki Zakrzewski

Vicki Zakrzewski, Ph.D. , is the education director of the Greater Good Science Center.

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How to Create a Positive School Culture

Each school is different. Each has its own set of normal procedures, values, and beliefs. One institution’s rituals and ceremonies may differ from an institution in the neighboring district. Each school has prized symbols and stories that give the school its unique personality. All of this combined makes up school culture. A school’s culture reflects the quality and character of life at school. A positive school culture and climate encourages positive youth development and supports the learning necessary for a student to grow into a productive, contributing, and satisfied member of a democratic society.

Why School Culture Matters

The simple fact is that no one thrives in an atmosphere of constant negativity . In a negative school environment, kids don’t want to come to school, teachers don’t want to be there, and administrators may lock themselves away in their offices. This type of atmosphere sets everyone up to fail.

When a school culture focuses on positivity, everyone prospers. Students are happy to be there, teachers look forward to opening their classrooms each morning and administrators engage and interact with staff and students. This, in turn, enhances learning, minimizes teacher turn-over and helps administrators relax.

The result? Everyone enjoys their time at school.

Creating Positive School Culture

Most children see change as something exciting. For a school to move to a positive school culture, it is absolutely essential to have all school staff members willing to make the changes needed. This challenge falls to the teachers, principals, superintendents, and other administrators. There are actions administrators, specifically, can take to encourage and support a positive school culture in their schools:

Look for positivity.

Take a stroll around your school or campus, looking specifically for signs of positive self-identity and positive student or teacher self-expression. Determine what message your school is sending with these positive signs.

What is your school’s language saying?

Study the signs, posters, and banners displayed around your school. Do your school’s messages foster acceptance or support division? The language the school puts on display should help build relationships, not just list strict rules for everyone to follow.

Know your stakeholders.

Understand that a successful school culture requires that everyone involved — students, parents, faculty, staff, school board members, and community leaders — actively participates in establishing and maintaining a positive atmosphere.

Carpe diem.

Seize every opportunity to project positivity into the school day. For example, when a student is referred for disciplinary action, take the time to talk to the child, one-on-one, about the behavior. Assist the child with self-reflection on why the behavior is unacceptable and work together to find a solution to prevent future infractions. Productive conversations and self-reflection take the place of punitive disciplinary measures in this scenario.

Birds of a feather.

No one can change a school’s culture alone. Enlist the aid of like-minded administrators to develop a plan to bring teachers and other staff on board.

Calling All Principals

A positive school culture needs a solid foundation on which to build. That foundation is a reflection of the principal. A principal’s attitude has a ripple effect, moving through the teachers, support staff and students, and on to parents.

When the principal exudes a positive attitude, teachers feel supported, like their principal has their back. They feel motivated and become invested in the school. A principal’s positive attitude encourages participation among parents, individually, and through organizations such as the PTA or PTO.

Change Isn’t Easy

When the principal steps up to embrace a positive school culture, everyone else involved has an easier time with getting on board. It isn’t an easy or quick process, but it can happen by viewing the school as a valuable member of a community. Once the community embraces the positive school culture, the possibilities are endless.

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Created by the Great Schools Partnership , the GLOSSARY OF EDUCATION REFORM is a comprehensive online resource that describes widely used school-improvement terms, concepts, and strategies for journalists, parents, and community members. | Learn more »

School Culture

The term school culture generally refers to the beliefs, perceptions, relationships, attitudes, and written and unwritten rules that shape and influence every aspect of how a school functions, but the term also encompasses more concrete issues such as the physical and emotional safety of students, the orderliness of classrooms and public spaces, or the degree to which a school embraces and celebrates racial, ethnic, linguistic, or cultural diversity.

Like the larger social culture, a school culture results from both conscious and unconscious perspectives, values, interactions, and practices, and it is heavily shaped by a school’s particular institutional history. Students, parents, teachers, administrators, and other staff members all contribute to their school’s culture, as do other influences such as the community in which the school is located, the policies that govern how it operates, or the principles upon which the school was founded.

Generally speaking, school cultures can be divided into two basic forms: positive cultures and negative cultures . Numerous researchers, educators, and writers have attempted to define the major features of positive and negative school cultures, and an abundance of studies, articles, and books are available on the topic. In addition, many educational organizations, such as the National School Climate Center , have produced detailed descriptions of positive school cultures and developed strategies for improving them (given the complexity of the topic, however, it is not possible to describe all the distinctions here).

Broadly defined, positive school cultures are conducive to professional satisfaction, morale, and effectiveness, as well as to student learning, fulfillment, and well-being. The following list is a representative selection of a few characteristics commonly associated with positive school cultures:

• The individual successes of teachers and students are recognized and celebrated.
• Relationships and interactions are characterized by openness, trust, respect, and appreciation.
• Staff relationships are collegial, collaborative, and productive, and all staff members are held to high professional standards.
• Students and staff members feel emotionally and physical safe, and the school’s policies and facilities promote student safety.
• School leaders, teachers, and staff members model positive, healthy behaviors for students.
• Mistakes not punished as failures, but they are seen as opportunities to learn and grow for both students and educators.
• Students are consistently held to high academic expectations , and a majority of students meet or exceed those expectations.
• Important leadership decisions are made collaboratively with input from staff members, students, and parents.
• Criticism, when voiced, is constructive and well-intentioned, not antagonistic or self-serving.
• Educational resources and learning opportunities are equitably distributed , and all students, including minorities and students with disabilities.
• All students have access to the academic support and services they may need to succeed.

School culture has become a central concept in many efforts to change how schools operate and improve educational results. While a school culture is heavily influenced by its institutional history, culture also shapes social patterns, habits, and dynamics that influence future behaviors, which could become an obstacle to reform and improvement. For example, if a faculty culture is generally dysfunctional—i.e., if interpersonal tensions and distrust are common, problems are rarely addressed or resolved, or staff members tend to argue more than they collaborate or engage in productive professional discussions—it is likely that these cultural factors will significantly complicate or hinder any attempt to change how the school operates. This simple example illustrates why school culture has become the object of so many research studies and reform efforts—without a school culture that is conducive to improvement, reform becomes exponentially more difficult.

The following describe a few representative examples of common ways that schools may attempt to improve their culture:

• Establishing  professional learning communities  that encourages teachers to communicate, share expertise, and work together more collegially and productively.
• Providing presentations, seminars, and learning experiences designed to educate staff and students about bullying and reduce instances of bullying.
• Creating events and educational experiences that honor and celebrate the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of the student body, such as hosting cultural events and festivals, exhibiting culturally relevant materials throughout the school, inviting local cultural leaders to present to students, or making explicit connections between the diverse cultural backgrounds of students and what is being taught in history, social studies, and literature courses. For related discussions, see multicultural education  and voice .
• Establishing an advisory program that pairs groups of students with adult advisor to strengthen adult-student relationships and ensure that students are well known and supported by at least one adult in the school.
• Surveying students, parents, and teachers about their experiences in the school, and hosting community forums that invite participants to share their opinions about and recommendations for the school and its programs.
• Creating a leadership team comprising a representative cross-section of school administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community members that oversees and leads a school-improvement initiative.

Since most members of a school community will benefit from a more positive culture, and cultural factors tend to contribute significantly to emotional states such as happiness and unhappiness or fulfillment and dissatisfaction, the concept of a more positive school culture is rarely, in itself, controversial. For this reason, debates tend to arise (if they arise at all) in response to specific reform proposals, rather than to the general goal of improving a school culture. Yet given that organizational dysfunction is, by nature, an entrenched pattern of often unconscious behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that tend to obstruct organizational change and improvement—and because human beings can become deeply attached to emotions and behaviors that may make them less happy, fulfilled, productive, or successful—attempts to reform school cultures may be more likely encounter resistance, criticism, or controversy in schools that are most in need of cultural reforms. In recent years, problems related to school culture are being cited as reasons for why schools should be closed or why a significant percentage of the teaching faculty should be fired. In these cases, “school culture” may become a flashpoint in larger debates about specific school-reform policies and strategies.

Because all school cultures are unique, it is important to investigate and develop an understanding of the underlying causes of any debates, including the preexisting cultural conditions that may be contributing to the debates. To adapt Tolstoy’s famous opening line in Anna Karenina : All positive school cultures share common features, but each negative school culture is negative in its own way.

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• Our Mission

Daily Assemblies Build a Positive School Culture

A daily gathering of all students to celebrate and support their peers forges a strong community.

Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men, Englewood Campus, an all-black, all-male, 9-12, Title I school in Chicago, Illinois, begins every day with Community, a 30-minute, schoolwide assembly. Community allows educators to check in with their students and transition them into a mindset ready for learning. These daily assemblies not only ground the students but also celebrate and empower them, as well as deepen their connections with teachers and fellow students.

"Community is the most sacred ritual that we have because it is the most personal," explains Dion Steele, Urban Prep, Englewood Campus' principal. "Community is our daily ritual. We're able to see one another's faces every day, and we're able to come together as a family."

Community Schedule

Each community assembly consists of key elements and a format that are consistent every day:

Drum Call: Community begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. It starts with a drum call signifying that it's time for students to line up in their small groups.

Chant: Students chant together, reiterating the importance of being present for Community, as well as being present and punctual throughout life: "To be on time is to be early, and to be early is to be on time. It's easy to be ordinary, but it takes courage to excel. Excel we must. To be on time."

Formal Greeting: The principal greets the students each morning, welcoming them to school.

Check In and Show Your Brother Some Love: Teachers and students take five minutes to check in with one another. This is an open time for teachers to check on how students are, whether they’ve eaten breakfast that morning, whether they need their clothes fixed, and how they are doing emotionally. After checking in with one another, they play music for five minutes, and everyone dances, hugs, and greets each other, “showing their brothers some love.”

Student Recognition or Presentations: At least three days a week, students are either recognized for their academic and behavioral successes, or they present to their school by sharing their talents. The idea is that these young men should be publically celebrated for growth and accomplishments.

Administration Announcements: The principal and vice principal share the day's agenda and any important announcements.

Recite the Urban Prep Creed: Community ends with a group recitation of the Urban Prep creed, a statement outlining their values, which helps transform the students' beliefs and self-perception.

Dismissal: The principal dismisses the groups one at a time, and they transition to class.

How It's Done

Know the needs of your community.

When creating school rituals such as a morning assembly, Steele emphasizes the importance of having insight into the needs of your particular community. "In any environment like Urban Prep, the sense of belonging is critical," says Steele.

The more you understand your students' experiences, the better prepared you are to meet their academic and social-emotional needs. “Our kids are starved for positive attention," says Tim King, founder and CEO of Urban Prep Academies. By celebrating their students during Community, the school assures that students are positively recognized schoolwide by their peers. "They stand in front of their entire school and are applauded and recognized," adds King. “It transforms their mentality when we focus on their assets instead of the deficits that society so often focuses on when it comes to young black males.”

Create Symbolic Rituals

Create a ritual unique to your school that makes your students feel a part of something special, recommends King. This can be a regular event, like a morning assembly, or it can be using artifacts and symbols that students identify with.

Urban prep students wear a jacket with the Urban Prep crest. They also wear red ties every day, gold ties when they're being celebrated for weekly achievements, and striped gold and red ties when they are accepted to their first college. All of these things allow for a sense of identification and belonging with others at Urban Prep, fostering a strong community among students and teachers.

Steele suggests other ways to create rituals through symbols:

• Students can wear a patch or pin.
• Students can wear their school color every day, or have one designated day as school color day.

Create a School Creed

At Urban Prep, the students recite their school creed every morning. This is like an affirmation, a daily ritual that helps inform their students' self-perception: that they're college bound, hard workers, and responsible to their families, community, and world.

Urban Prep's creed was created by 12 of their teachers and administrators. When creating your school creed, King suggests forming a group of staff and discussing the values that you want your students to embody. Ask yourself:

• What core values do you want your students to take away when they leave your school?
• What do you want your students to believe?

Integrate those answers into your school creed.

Reciting your school creed is something that can be adapted to the classroom, recommends Lionel Allen, Urban Prep Academies' chief academic officer. You can recite the school creed with your students during homeroom, or the entire school can recite the school creed together, class by class, by having someone voice it over the intercom.

When Urban Prep students recite the creed, Steele emphasizes the importance of them saying it clearly -- from their chests -- and saying it in unison. Saying it in unison enhances the collective spirit among them, and saying it clearly "reaffirms the core values that we want them to demonstrate every day."

Urban Prep School Creed

We believe.

We are the young men of Urban Prep.

We are college bound.

We are exceptional -- not because we say it, but because we work hard at it.

We will not falter in the face of any obstacle placed before us.

We are dedicated, committed, and focused.

We never succumb to mediocrity, uncertainty, or fear.

We never fail because we never give up.

We make no excuses.

We choose to live honestly, nonviolently, and honorably.

We respect ourselves and, in doing so, respect all people.

We have a future for which we are accountable.

We have a responsibility to our families, community, and world.

We are our brothers' keepers.

We believe in ourselves.

We believe in each other.

We believe in Urban Prep.

WE BELIEVE.

Celebrate Your Students

"A lot of our young men come to us feeling beat down, demoralized, and disenfranchised from the educational process," explains Allen. "Community gives us an opportunity to build these young men up every single day."

At least three times a week during Community, school leaders recognize Students of the Week . Teachers track their students’ academic and behavioral achievements or growth, and they nominate deserving students to Principal Steele by 11:59 p.m. each Sunday night. During Community, each Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, Steele calls the name of each student being honored and awards them with a gold tie that they will wear for one week in lieu of the standard-issue red tie.

Reasons for a Student of the Week honor might include:

• Turning in a great essay
• Showing academic growth
• Modeling great citizenship (such as turning in a lost wallet)

Other ways to celebrate students during Community might include:

• Highlighting students who have shown the most improvement or received the highest scores
• Celebrating students who have been accepted to college, honoring them with a gold-and-red-striped tie

Urban Prep emphasizes non-athletic achievements to break the stereotype that black males can only succeed in athletics or entertainment. They're broadening students’ awareness of the different ways in which they can be successful.

Greet Your Students and Have Them Greet Each Other

Every day, during Check-In/Show Your Brother Some Love , Urban Prep students dance, hug, and greet each other, as well as hug and greet teachers and administrators. Students are able to interact with their teachers in a more informal way. "It gives a different type of feel to the connection between student and teacher," says Gregory Sashington, an Urban Prep, Englewood Campus Pride leader, alumni, and assistant dean. Show Your Brother Some Love redefines what is appropriate and acceptable when interacting with other men. It's OK to be open, to hug, and to celebrate each other.

"Just getting to cooperate with people and seeing them every day and shaking their hands, I start to get like, 'Hey, I know this guy. I can probably talk to him in the future,'" says Quintin, a tenth-grade Urban Prep, Englewood Campus student.

Adapt Community to Fit Your School

There are different ways to adapt Community:

• Instead of daily assemblies, try weekly or monthly assemblies.
• Adopt morning meetings in your classroom.
• Choose aspects of Community, like creating a school creed, creating symbolic rituals, and celebrating your students.

At Symonds Elementary School in Keene, New Hampshire, teachers start the first 20 to 25 minutes of each class to check in with their students using the structure of morning meetings: greeting, sharing, activity, and morning message. Once a week, instead of morning meetings, they hold a schoolwide assembly, similar to Urban Prep.

What aspects of Community would work best for your students' needs?

Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men -- Englewood Campus

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11 Real Ways to Build a Positive School Culture

Written by Justin Raudys

Use Prodigy to provide adaptive, differentiated instruction that engages your students.

• School Leadership
• What it means to have a positive school culture
• How school leaders are involved in creating school culture
• 11 practical ways you can develop a positive culture in your school

How do you want teachers and students to feel when they walk into school every morning?

Are your teachers dreading coming to work in the morning? Do students walk into the building with their heads down, trying not to interact with others?

Or are your teachers excited, starting each class with enthusiasm? Do you hear laughter in the hallways when students are coming in? Having a positive school culture has an impact, not just on the attitudes of students and teachers, but on the entire learning experience.

You, as a school leader, have a vital role in creating a positive school culture.

What is ‘school culture’?

Culture, ethos, atmosphere, climate…

What do these words mean for your school?

Basically, a school culture consists of the underlying influences and attitudes within the school — based on the norms, traditions and beliefs of the staff and students.

How important is school culture? In short, the prevailing atmosphere in your school will affect everything that goes on inside its walls.

This goes beyond the student body: it also involves how teachers interact with each other, their students, and the parents.

Toxic vs. positive school culture

A toxic school culture has been described as a place where “staffs are extremely fragmented, where the purpose of serving students has been lost to the goal of serving the adults, where negative values and hopelessness reign.” ( Realizing a Positive School Culture, 1998 )

Anthony Muhammad -- a high school principal and the author of Transforming School Culture: How to Overcome Staff -- describes a toxic school culture as an environment where school staff "fails to figure out what's needed to cultivate the characteristics necessary for student growth and learning."

Obviously, this is not a good environment for any school.

On the other hand, a positive school culture is a place where your efforts are translated into positive experiences for both staff and students. Success, joy, and accomplishment are all main features of a positive school culture.

When your school has a positive culture, teachers are excited to work because they see the bigger picture, and students are in a better position (mentally and emotionally) to learn.

How School Leaders are Involved

What is your role in creating a positive school culture?

our role as a school leader can be defined in three basic steps:

• Read the culture of your school : Analyze and understand the current culture of your school. This means observing the attitudes of teachers in the classroom and in staff meetings, and understanding the general feeling of students towards the school and the staff.
• Identify which aspects are toxic and which are positive : Write down the aspects of your school that improve the atmosphere and those which cause negative feelings in teachers and students.
• Reinforce positive elements : From that list, pull out the positive aspects of your school culture, and include other values, attitudes, or qualities that you would like to see in your school. Then, take action to reinforce those positive qualities and create a positive school culture.

What are some specific ways to reinforce a positive atmosphere in your school?

11 Proven ways to build a positive school culture

1. create meaningful parent involvement.

Generating clear, open communication with the parents of your students can help you avoid misunderstandings and remove feelings of mistrust or hostility.

To involve parents in your school culture, give them a platform for feedback on classroom activities or school programs. Ask them about their hopes or concerns regarding their children’s education. Go beyond parent-teacher meetings and organize workshops where teachers and parents can discuss homework, study skills, and tests.

Involving parents in school activities in a meaningful way also helps foster positive feelings between the school and the parents. You can ask parents to be on event committees or to participate in school fundraisers.

Developing educational programs for parents can also help involve them in their children’s schooling, and thus build a more positive atmosphere in your school.

For example,  Hollibrook Elementary in Spring Branch, Texas , developed a "Parent University" to get parents more actively involved in the school -- helping build trust and rapport between the school and the families of the students.

2. Celebrate personal achievement and good behavior

This means more than the occasional "good job."

Complimenting kids helps them to feel that they are cared for individually. Both you and your staff play a huge part in this aspect of your school culture.

One way to generate more positive reinforcement from your staff is to set goals for the number of compliments each member has to give during the day or week. Encourage them to give specific compliments that highlight what each individual student has done well.

An example of a ceremony recognizing students for outstanding achievements -- in this case, Waresboro Elementary recognized 17 students for excellence in "scholarship, responsibility, leadership, and service." Image source: Waresboro Elementary School

Celebrating the achievements of your students can be done on a larger scale as well.

For example, Joyce Elementary School in Detroit started holding an honor ceremony for students. Here, they presented medallions for students and praised specific achievements. This event includes not only school members, but hundreds from the community.

3. Establish school norms that build values

Your school and classroom rules should be clear to all students, and should be well-regulated.

However, this doesn’t mean that you need to establish rules for every possible situation.

Instead, create school norms that focus on building positive values in your class. This helps kids to learn, not just what they should and shouldn’t do, but why they should or shouldn’t do it.

For example, instead of creating specific rules about chewing gum, use of water bottles, or electronic devices in the classroom, you could create a classroom rule that states: “Be respectful of the people around you.”

To help students apply these norms, there should be consistency across the entire school building, inside and out.

4. Set consistent discipline

When rules are not followed, discipline must be administered. However, broadening the range of discipline methods can help encourage a positive school culture.

Instead of constantly putting out fires, trying a more proactive approach to discipline. Giving a student detention after bad behavior teaches him that he did something wrong. But giving him a task that helps correct the wrong teaches him what he should’ve done instead.

For example, imagine one student started a fight. His discipline could include having to write a letter of apology to the student he hurt, and then to take a shift as “hallway monitor”.

Having students work to correct their own wrongs helps encourage them to take responsibility for their actions.

Getting your teachers to internalize the subtle and tactful arts of classroom management consistently is critical for a school culture of mutual respect and adherence to rules -- both by teachers and students. 

Also, it’s essential that all discipline is presented consistently across the school. When all students are treated equally and bad behavior is disciplined in the same way in different classrooms, this helps removes feelings of mistrust among students. 

5. Model the behaviors you want to see in your school

You have a list of qualities and values that you want to see in your teachers and students.

But how well do you present those same aspects of your school culture?

All changes have to start from the top. That means when you interact with teachers and students, you need to be an example of the behavior that you want to see in your school.

6. Engage students in ways that benefit them

When in school, your students are learning more than just secular instruction. They’re also developing their social skills, and learning how to become successful adults.

Schools that help students develop essential social skills are preparing them on an even deeper level for their future after graduation.

One way to engage students and develop these types of skills is through social-emotional learning (SEL). Throughout the day, encourage teachers to include activities that help students develop qualities such as empathy, reliability, respect, concern, and a sense of humor.

In the research brief Social Emotional Learning in Elementary School , researchers found that SEL programs helped students make more ethical decisions, maintain positive relationships, set and achieve goals at school and at home, and manage their emotions. These programs promoted achievements at school, and reduced substance abuse and emotional distress.

7. Create rituals and traditions that are fun for students and teachers

The school day — and school year — should be punctuated with time for fun. This helps students engage with each other in positive events and builds morale in school.

For example, one school created a weekly event called ‘Fabulous Friday’, which opened students up to a variety of fun activities. Why not create your own version of Fabulous Friday?

Using technology in the classroom -- as a reward or simply to supplement learning -- is a cost-effective way to introduce positive rituals for students on the level of the individual classroom.

For example, you can create special rituals and traditions for the first day of school , or for the first day of a new month.

Creating appropriate times to have fun and laugh breaks up the day and gives students a chance to relax in between learning. This helps them become more refreshed when returning to the classroom.

8. Encourage innovation in the classroom

Innovation in the classroom starts with you — the school leader.

When talking with teachers, encourage them to try new methods of teaching. You can even set up regular meetings to discuss new research on teaching methods or new teaching tech, and how these can be implemented in your school.

These meetings will help the whole teaching staff to brainstorm and implement new ideas, bringing teachers into the process of building your school culture.

For example, why not try game-based learning ?

Students playing Prodigy — a game-based math platform — on their tablets

Particularly popular for improving results in topics like math , video game based learning has been shown to heighten the level of interest, concentration, and enjoyment of educational materials among students.

And teachers tend to agree: in one study by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center , almost 80% of K-8 classroom teachers surveyed agreed that digital games have “improved student mastery of curricular content”.

Plus, it’s fun!

9. Professional development for teachers

Students are not the only people in your school who should be learning. Helping your teachers to develop their skills will encourage a positive school culture by giving them the ability to improve their craft.

For example, the Mooresville Intermediate School in North Carolina pairs each new teacher with a mentor at the beginning of their career at the school. This helps teachers to be fully aware of school policies and rules, and gives them specific instruction in how the school uses tech in the classroom.

Supporting new teachers in this way can help promote a consistent atmosphere across your school.

Also, it’s good to make sure that you as the school leader are aware of what your teachers think and feel in their work. Set up regular times to ask for feedback, hear out concerns, and get suggestions for improvement.

10. Maintain the physical environment of your school

Surprisingly enough, the physical surroundings of students and teachers has a huge impact on the culture of your school.

The HEAD Project(Holistic Evidence and Design) took evidence from over 3,700 students in 27 diverse schools. They found that the physical space where students are learning can account for a 16% variation in the learning process over a school year.

What aspects of a classroom have the most impact?

The novelty, stimulation, and freedom of movement students enjoy in a flexible seating classroom setting positively impacts behavior, according to educational researcher Sheryl Feinstein’s book From the Brain to the Classroom.

It was found that half of the learning impact came from light, temperature, and air quality. The other half of learning impact came from factors such as individualization of the environment and color of the room. For example, the ideal classroom was found to have light-colored walls with one accent wall of a brighter color.

Adopting a policy that allows for flexible seating in classrooms is one step school leaders are taking more frequently.

Adjusting these seemingly insignificant factors isn’t difficult, and can result in an increase in student engagement and improvement in learning.

11. Keep tabs on your school’s culture, and make adjustments when necessary

Unfortunately, creating a positive school culture isn’t just a matter of following a checklist. As a school leader, you need to stay informed of what’s going on in your school, and understand the attitudes and atmosphere that permeate the hallways and classrooms.

As we mentioned above, starting the process of improving your school culture involves analyzing the current situation of your school. This analyzation process should become a regular part of your schedule.

Set aside time every few months to analyze your school culture. Keep on the watch for the specific factors that indicate a positive school culture, and keep using the steps above to reinforce those aspects. Also, be aware of any negative factors that have started to seep in, and take decisive action to remove those.

Above all, take time to listen to feedback from both teachers and students in order to understand the experience that they are having in your school.

Conclusion: Building a positive school culture will take time and effort, but it’s worth it

If you’ve already started efforts to build a positive school culture but aren’t seeing the results you expected, don’t worry.

Changing the attitudes of all the staff and students within your school won’t be an overnight process. However, it will be worth the wait.

Remember: this change process starts with you. So, make an effort to mimic the behavior and attitudes that you want to see displayed in your school.

Keep working patiently at building a school culture that fosters positive action, and your students will be better prepared to learn better and become more successful now and into the future.

Try  Prodigy Math Game  — the engaging, curriculum-aligned math platform used by over 50 million students, teachers and admins.

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Thesuccess of any learning institution is highly pegged on the existingstructures and philosophies guiding the functioning of theinstitution based on the school culture. A school culture refers tothe institution’s pillars in terms of goals, values, norms, beliefsand practices that are highly held in the school. The culturedetermines, and to some extent even dictates what ought and whatought not to be practiced in the school and may act either as themain motivating or demotivating factor(Barth, 2002).A school culture is also referred to as the school climate. Theclimate is mainly steered from the school administration and who inthis case will be referred to as educational leaders. The culture isclosely related and may refer to the institution’s organizationalculture.

Theoverall performance of a school in various spheres is anticipated tobe higher if the culture is positive. It is also likely to increasethe productivity, participation, attendance and performance of thestudents. This happens if all the stakeholders including thestudents, staff, community and parents feel to be part of theinstitution, feel accepted, valued and involved in the activities.However, for this to come into a reality, certain characteristics andtraits must be exhibited by the educational leaders. First of all,they ought to be inclusive in school affairs. This mainly happens inregards to the decision making process. The process should not becentralized, meaning that the decisions should not only appear to becoming from the administrative arm(Tshannen-Moren, 2004).Other stakeholders such as parents, the surrounding community andmost importantly, the students, should be found to be part and parcelof decision making where necessary.

Again,the educational leaders are expected to be good policy makers andformulators. A culture is created and in equal measures, it can bedestroyed. The policies that exist within a learning institutiondetermine the school culture and climate. In regards to this, theyare further expected to be strategists. The social trait ofeducational leaders is equally important as it determines the extentto which they are able to involve other stakeholders in creation of apositive school culture. The trait is not only important indetermining how the educational leaders will interact with the restof the stakeholders, but also forms a parameter, instrumental ingauging the relationship that is anticipated to occur amongst therest of the stakeholders.

Questiontwo

Asan educational leader, I am an all-inclusive person and therefore, amable to decentralize the decisions made. Some of the decisions thatare required to be implemented directly affect the students, theparents or the community. As such, it is important to include them inthe decision-making process(Karns, 2005).What affects one stakeholder is not necessarily what affects the nextgroup, and equal measures, the mutual issues may not affect them inequal magnitude. With this trait, am able to decentralize the processto ensure that the decisions made are not only right, but alsomotivating. This is in an attempt to create the most ideal schoolculture.

Thesocial trait and public relations expertise is also critical in thatit is core in ensuring that there exists a mutual cohesion andrelationship amongst the various stakeholders. The culture isdependent on how well the various stakeholders can relate. Theinternal publics of public relations, that is, the staff and studentsshould be able to exist in a mutually beneficial relationship. Inequal measures, there should also be a good relationship amongst theexternal publics in existence and finally, a relationship between theinternal and external publics. Also as a good policy maker, am ableto make the most crucial policies that are aimed at creating the mostsuitable culture in the leaning institution. For any traits that Imay realize that I do not possess yet are instrumental in creating apositive school community and culture, I will familiarize myself withthem through both practice of the same and undergoing the relevanttrainings.

Questionthree

TheInterstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium standards, otherwiseknown as the ISLLC standards outline the expected traits of aneducational leader and what is expected of them. The standards givein-depth details of how the school administrators are expected toperform as educational leaders who are expected to promote thesuccess and performance of all the students in a school. This meansthat the educational leader should not be biased in favour of somestudents, neither against some. The success of the students should bewell distributed despite the fact that the performance of all thestudents cannot be at par, considering their different abilities(Ingersoll &amp Smith, 2003).

Again,the standards also dictate that the leader should have the capacityto nurture, create and sustain a positive culture in the school andits community. The culture is expected to be conducive for learning,while at the same time it promotes the professional growth andmotivation of the staff. The leader is also expected to promoteperformance through collaborating with the families and community ofthe learners. More importantly, they are expected to be very ethicalin all their undertakings. This brings me to a conclusion that mypersonal traits are in tandem with the ISLLC standards.

Barth,R. (2002). The Culture Builder. EducationalLeadership, 59 (8),6-11.

Ingersoll,R. M., &amp Smith, T. S. (2003). The Wrong Solution to the TeacherShortage. EducationalLeadership ,30-33.

Karns,M. (2005). Prosocial Learning Communities. Leadership ,32-36.

Tshannen-Moren,M. (2004). TrustMatters: Leadership for Successful Schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

The 5 Characteristics of Positive School Culture

Blog » Relationships & School Culture » The 5 Characteristics of Positive School Culture

Recently, we announced the launch of our latest cohort of our 4 Day Coaching Programme to Maximise School Performance.

In preparation for the programme, I have been reflecting on the features of school cultures that serve to grow adults and foster outstanding staff performance.

As I did so, I was reminded of research carried out by Stoll and Fink at the Institute of Education. Their research identified a number of school cultural norms that they cite as evidence for strong, positive school cultures.

They assert that if these norms are weak or non-existent within a school, then growth and development at both an individual and organisational level are severely hampered.

Out of the norms which they identified, I believe there are five that are essential, for creating genuine school cultures in which all adults and young people thrive.

As you read through these, I’d encourage you to reflect on each of the norms below and perhaps consider these questions:

– To what extent are these norms present in your school culture? – Which norms are strengths and would act as enablers for the development of a positive culture in your school? – Which norms are weaknesses/areas for development and might act as potential barriers for the development of a positive culture in your school? – What strategies could be developed for overcoming these barriers?

1. Shared Goals & Vision – We know where we’re going

When individuals are empowered to take ownership of their goals it can cause a shift in the culture of a school. As individuals learn how to work in alignment with the school’s vision and values, a new set of relationship norms are created which are less to do with individuals seeking success for their own class, team or department, but are now more to do with generating and seeking whole school success.

The vision of the school is not just understood but also shared by all, from the senior management team through to the support staff. Everyone knows what the goals mean and how they relate to the achievement of the school’s vision. Individuals are clear about the actions that they need to take for these goals to be fulfilled.

2. Collegiality – We’re in this Together

School culture is supported when there is strong camaraderie amongst between all staff with relationships built upon trust and understanding. The professional bonds that exist amongst staff members are strong enough to weather the storms that can hit school communities.

There is a shared sense of belonging, purpose and a desire for the vision of the school to be fulfilled. No-one is working for themselves, no-one is left out. All staff are made to feel welcome and everyone is treated as a part of the team.

3. Continuous Improvement & Lifelong Learning – We can Always Get Better

Individuals in a positive school culture know that there is always capacity and room for improvement. Opportunities for learning and development are seen in all aspects of school life and not just limited to going out on courses.

Staff are empowered to view themselves as lifelong learners and to help facilitate the learning of others within the school. Learning is seen as a key part of the adult learning journey, enabling individuals to achieve ever varying degrees of personal and professional maturity.

4. Risk Taking – We learn by trying something new

Where risk taking is common place, there is a freedom, courage and a joy in which teachers and senior leaders go about their daily tasks. Creativity is let loose and individuals discover previously unidentified routes for fulfilling their potential.

In this culture, a growth mind-set is adopted by all and as such, mistakes are not seen as failure but as a source of learning and growth. By trialling ideas and initiatives and experimenting with new ways of doing things, staff and School Leaders learn what works and what doesn’t and become bigger, better version of themselves.

5. Celebration and Humour: We Feel Good about Ourselves

In a positive school culture, achievements (whether big or small) are appreciated and celebrated. Research has shown that when we feel good about ourselves and our achievements are recognised, we not only feel better about both ourselves but it also optimises the way in which our brains function. We are more likely to enter a state of flow and so maximise our own levels of performance. Thus, celebrating team and individual success is key to the development of high performing teams.

On top of this, joy and laughter are present in school life. The school day provides everyone with opportunities to relax, reflect, to be themselves with colleagues and to have moments where they can be less serious. When this is the case, staff feel more content and passionate in their roles.

How Can I Nurture a Positive School Culture in my School?

If you’re interested in discovering how you can develop and build some of these characteristics in your school and in turn, realise your school’s vision, then you might be interested in our latest offering to support School Leaders fulfil their vision.

Our 4 Day Coaching Programme (which is approved by the Institute of Leadership and Management)  will aim to provide Senior School Leaders with the knowledge, skills and confidence to utilise coaching powerful as part of their normal work role.  It is designed to provide a solid foundation for those School Leaders who want to fully understand how to nurture a coaching culture in their school.

The programme will equip you with the skills for: – Managing difficult conversations – Understanding how to get the best out of individuals with challenging behaviours – Understanding yourself better and knowing how to draw upon your strengths to get the best out of others – Facilitating better teamwork and minimising team conflict – Developing your relationship management skills by helping you understand how to identify and respond to different personality types

Once you have completed the programme, you will come away with: – A solid understanding of coaching and how it can be used to strengthen your ability to lead and manage others – The coaching skills required for managing a range of personality types – The confidence to use your coaching skills to support school improvement initiatives

Register Your Interest Now

2 Responses

I like this article and I would be interested in ascertaining how you could help me develop this within my school.

I did this course with Viv Grant and her team three years ago. It has been invaluable for the coaching of leaders and Heads I have undertaken subsequently. I would recommend it unreservedly to anyone who is leading a school.

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Coronavirus – 4 tips for positive school communication, the art of relationships-led leadership, moving away from monitoring and scrutiny, building trust in a culture of scepticism, the 3 signs of toxic school culture, well-being, purpose and community, this is what teachers need: smiles and love, how can school leaders improve staff well-being – expert interview, the 3 mistakes heads make when dealing with conflict, 9 ways to forge trusting relationships with your staff, blog categories.

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Positive school climate boosts high school grades, study finds

by University of California - Riverside

A study led by a UC Riverside graduate student has found that Latino high school students achieve higher grades when they perceive a more positive school climate and when they have a stronger sense of self-esteem.

Published in the Journal of Hispanic Higher Education , the study also found that a strong sense of ethnic identity contributed to better self-esteem. It suggests that supportive and inclusive school environments contribute to academic success. The paper is titled "Predicting Academic Success Using a Critical Approach: The Impact of Campus Climate, Ethnic Identity, and Self-Esteem Among Latinx High School Students."

"There's kind of a domino effect of climate having a predictive effect on self-esteem, and self-esteem then influencing grade point average ," said Jaqueline Dighero, the lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in UCR's School of Education.

The researchers found a statistically significant increase in grades when students felt good about the school environment and had a better sense of self-esteem . For instance, a C+ student could go up to a B-.

The study was based on detailed surveys of 300 Latino 9th- and 10th-grade students attending a public high school in Southern California and an examination of the participants' grade transcripts.

The study recommends that schools address institutional and individual factors to improve the educational experiences of Latino students and hence improve school climate and academic success.

Schools should foster supportive and inclusive environments that promote students' emotional well-being and academic engagement; provide opportunities for students to explore and celebrate their ethnic identities; work to reduce biases and ensure equitable treatment of minoritized students; and address systemic barriers to their academic success , the authors assert.

Dighero said institutional barriers include teaching and administrative staff who are mostly white and Eurocentric curriculums that give advantages to white students from upper-class backgrounds. School districts should recruit more minority staff, and teachers should receive training to make their lessons more culturally relevant to their students, such as lessons on Chicano, Black, and Asian American history, art, and literature, they said.

"Inclusion training isn't necessarily happening in K-12 education," Dighero said. "It is more of a thing at the university level. Some teachers may say, "Oh, but I don't know how to be inclusive. I don't know how to include curricula from different backgrounds.'"

More inclusive curricula also benefit low-income white students because standard white English is based on the language of upper-middle-class and elite white families, Dighero said.

"It is not necessarily how white folks with low-income backgrounds also speak. Exclusive curriculums are not only affecting racially and ethnically marginalized people but also poor white students ," Dighero said.

Dighero also encourages school field trips to cultural centers and museums, such as the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside.

Provided by University of California - Riverside

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