This document outlines 12 norms for creating a positive school culture. It discusses that school culture is created by all members of the school community, including school heads. Some of the 12 norms discussed include maintaining a collegial atmosphere where responsibility is shared, encouraging experimentation and welcoming mistakes, setting high expectations for achievement, promoting trust and open communication, and appreciating and recognizing teachers and students. The goal of these norms is to foster a caring environment where decision-making involves others, traditions are protected, and honest communication is valued.

1. Creating a
Positive School
Culture
Chapter 10

2.  School culture is a creation of all the
people in school and in the
community especially the school
heads.
It can be positive or negative.
A school community must therefore
strive to create a positive culture

3. Here are the twelve
norms of school
culture:

4. 1. Collegiality
The school atmosphere is friendly. You
work in an atmosphere where
responsibility and authority shared by
everyone. She/he does not make his/her
not make authority felt by his/her
colleagues.

5. 2. Experimentation
 The atmosphere
encourages
experimentations and so will
welcome mistakes as part of
the learning process.

6. 3. High Expectation
 Set high expectation
for high achievement.

7. 4. Trust and Confidence
Honest and open communication is
possible only when there is trust and
confidence in each other in the
school community.

8. 5. Tangible Support
 Everyone in the school community
get support for the good that they
do. Support comes not just in word
but in action.

9. 6. Reaching out to the
knowledge base
 Teachers care to grow professionally
to update themselves on content
knowledge and pedagogy, the first
domain in the Philippine Professional
Standard for Teacher.

10. 7. Appreciation and
Recognition
Certainly words of
appreciation and recognition
make classroom climate highly
favorable.

11. 8. Caring, Celebration, Humor
 It may be good to remind teachers
that many of students, especially
those who struggle, don’t nearly
enough positive feedback in the
classroom or in their personal lives.

12. 9. Involvement of Decision
making
 Involving others who are concerned
with decision to be made enhances
sense of ownership. They also feel
important.

13. 10. Protection of what is
Important
 What schools consider
important must form part of
their tradition and so must be
protected by all means.

14. 11. Tradition
 A school must have an intention
culture-based program or shared
values, beliefs, and behaviors.

15. 12. Honest and Open
Communication
 The atmosphere is such that
everyone is encouraged to
speak his mind without fear of
being ostracized.