SCHOOL CULTURE

1. SCHOOL CULTURE:
“THE HIDDEN
CURRICULUM”

2. What is
school
culture?

3. School culture is about norms
developed over time, based on:
• Shared attitudes
• Values
• Beliefs
• Expectations
• Relationship
• Traditions of a school

4. The norms of a
school are
what impact the
way things operate.

5. School culture is driven and reflected
by
 Administration
 Daily interactions of staff
 students
 support staff and
 the outside community

6. School culture can be described
as a
 mainstream (assessment driven)
 transformative (student driven)
depending on the norms of those
affecting school culture

7. School culture impacts:
 student learning and behavior
 school achievement
 school reform

8. The 5 Characteristics of Positive
School Culture
1.Shared Goals & Vision
– We know where we’re going
2. Collegiality
– We’re in this Together

9. 3. Continuous Improvement &
Lifelong Learning
– We can Always Get Better
4. Risk Taking
– We learn by trying something
new
5. Celebration and Humor
- We Feel Good about
Ourselves

10. Can school
culture
change?

11. School culture can be changed or
ratified but no one suggests that
changing culture is simple, easy, or
quick.

12. As Michael Fullan puts it, "Re-culturing is a
contact sport that involves hard, labor-
intensive work." But it is a sport that must be
played more aggressively if our schools are to
achieve the kinds of results we now expect of
them. The first step is to help educators
recognize that having a strong, positive culture
means much more than just safety and order.

13. How Do We
Change School
Culture?

14. 1.) define what you will not
change.
Identify specific values, traditions, and
relationships that you will preserve.

15. 2. recognize the importance of
actions.
Leaders speak most clearly with
their actions.

16. 3. use the right change tools for
your school or district.
Leaders must choose the appropriate
change tools on the basis of a combination of
factors, including the extent to which staff
members agree on what they want and how to
get there.

17. Christensen, Marx, and Stevenson (2006)
differentiate culture tools, such as rituals
and traditions; power tools, such as
threats and coercion; management
tools, such as training, procedures, and
measurement systems; and leadership
tools, such as role modeling and vision.

18. 3. be willing to do the “Scut work.”

19. 8 Ways Principals Can Build
Positive School Culture Now
1. Build strong relationships. ...
2. Teach essential social skills. ...
3. Get on the same page. ...
4. Be role models. ...

20. 5. Clarify classroom and school rules. ...
6. Teach all students problem solving. ...
7. Set appropriate consequences. ...
8. Praise students for good choices

21. “Positive learning can
only take place in
positive culture.”

22. References
Christensen, C., Marx, M., & Stevenson, H. H. (2006, October). The tools of
cooperation and change. Harvard Business Review, 84(10), 72–80.
Kidder, T. (2004). Mountains beyond mountains: The quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a
man who would cure the world. New York: Random House.
Jerald, C.D. (December, 2006). Issue Brief. School Culture: "The Hidden
Curriculum." Washington, DC: The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and
Improvement. www.centerforcsri.org