There is a myriad of reasons as to why some schools perform better than others; however, there is one that is normally overlooked, which is school culture. Despite many schools sharing the same mission and responsibilities, they all work differently. This article aims to understand why these differences emerge.
School culture is a broad term used to describe the norms, beliefs, values and rituals placed in a school (Muhammad, 2018). Normally, this term is confused with school climate. While the former emphasizes the behaviors making up the school ‘persona’, the latter emphasizes how the members of the school feel. In other words, as Gruenert & Whitaker (2015) put it, the school culture is the personality whereas the school climate is the attitude. A personality evolves slowly and it is part of someone’s identity. By contrast, an attitude is easier to change and explains the type of culture you are immersed in.
This difference is important, as in many instances, school climate is positive, as teachers and students might feel okay in a school; however, this feeling is not a definite indicator of high academic outcomes (Muhamad, 2018). What matters most is the behaviors that lead to improved academic performance, which, as a result, could lead to a positive school climate. Research on school culture has shown that schools with a positive culture have higher academic performance compared to schools with undefined cultures. This has been documented by Hattie (2012), who showed that the three top factors influencing learning are related to school cultures:
Teachers’ estimates of students’ achievement
Collective teachers efficacy
Students’ estimate of their own achievement
It appears that, by installing a positive school culture, teachers know what they must pay attention to, as the school purpose is shared. As a result, teachers show high levels of motivation and commitment, as they identify themselves with the school goals and work hard to achieve them (Peterson & Deal, 2009).
Despite its importance, many schools install cultures which hinder learning and professional growth, resulting in high teacher turnover rates and poor academic success. In light of this, one can only wonder:
How do we know schools have a positive culture?
How can schools install a positive culture?
Research has grouped common behaviors observed across schools to classify the school cultures. Although there is no definite agreement, many authors choose to divide schools into those with positive cultures and those with toxic cultures (Peterson & Deal, 20019; Muhammad, 2018).
In positive cultures, teachers work together to solve classroom issues and give each other feedback to improve their teaching. Additionally, teachers believe all students can succeed and make sure to do all efforts to accomplish this endeavor. Many schools believe they have a positive culture; nevertheless, it can be argued there are different degrees of positiveness. Gruenert & Whitaker (2015) establish the subtle difference between collaborative cultures and comfortable-collaborative cultures. The former entails teachers learning, sharing, and helping one another; the latter, on the other hand, also entails teachers sharing; however, there is a focus on teachers’ satisfaction and happiness. Although at first this sounds like something positive, a comfortable-collaborative culture limits the possibilities of improvement by dampering the opportunities to give each other feedback and point out teachers’ areas of improvement.
In toxic cultures, teachers work individually, there is a lack of shared purpose and teachers believe academic success is determined by students’ attentiveness, prior knowledge, and concern (Muhammad, 2018). I contend that there is a toxic culture with a slightly lower degree of toxicity, which Gruenert & Whitaker (2015) call “balkanized culture”. In this type of culture, teachers collaborate mostly in cliques, which leads to the emergence of subculture. As a result, the staff is divided and there is competition amongst the subcultures.
There are many reasons why toxic cultures appear (Beaudoin & Taylor, 2015). I consider these as characteristics to watch out for in schools, as their presence indicates we might be working in a toxic culture:
Us-them attitudes: This happens when there is a clear separation between the school principal and the rest of the teachers. As a result, the staff is divided and feelings of resentment and apathy might emerge.
Cliques: Although they look like friendship, cliques are formed by closed groups, so closed that they isolate and disconnect from the rest. Consequently, this hinders teamwork, diversity, and creativity from taking place.
Competition: This can be seen as the opposite of collaborating, as teachers perceive each other as competitors, trying to get the prize, be it recognition or any kind of reward put forward by the administration. Competition, far from improvement, causes resentment, jealousy, individualism, and discouragement (Beaudoin & Taylor, 2015).
Problem-saturated conversations: When most of our conversations center in problems, we are thwarting meaningful connections from happening. Also, it might become a way to make reputations of students, as we hear problem-based stories of them.
Although there are many more characteristics, such as gossip and hierarchies (Beaudoin & Taylor, 2015), in my experience, the aforementioned features are some of the most common ones in toxic cultures. Understanding these characteristics enables us to bring about changes to tackle the root cause of toxic cultures. This change, however, is hard to accomplish, as it implies “patience, diplomacy, endurance, and encouragement” (Muhammad, 2018, p. 42) if it is to be long lasting and effective. Changes occurring on a technical level, i.e. policies, teaching methods, and tools, might not prove sufficient, as they are not directly addressing the issue affecting the culture. For changes to be constructive, culture must come before the technical aspects (Muhammad, 2018, p. 42).
In this vein, Beaudoin & Taylor’s studies propose a formula for a cultural change to be possible (2015):
(Connection + Collaboration + Appreciation + Relationship with the principal) - Disrespect = Positive School Culture
Drawing on my experience in different schools, in the section that follows, I will take each element of this formula to explain what it consists in. Then, I will proceed to provide a technique supporting it.
Connection: In addition to meetings, it is important to create spaces for teachers to be together and do joint activities. Since schedules are normally tight, one activity that could be implemented is “Fun Fridays”. Once a month, all teachers meet to play a game together or simply share some quality time. This activity does not necessarily have to last long. It could be implemented during the last 15 or 30 minutes of the journey and it could be led by different teachers. Some games that could be played are jeopardy, treasure hunt, board games and card games. Another way to promote connection is by planning different fun events with students, such as “spirit week”.
Collaboration: In order to promote cooperation, trust, sharing and making everyone feel as part of the team, it is important to intentionally create spaces for teachers to build a conversation on classroom issues and ways to solve them. One activity that can be done is through co-teaching. Teachers working with the same grade levels could deliver a lesson together and then evaluate how well the lesson went. Similarly, teachers can observe each other's classrooms to learning from each other. Another way to promote collaboration is by co-planning. This involves the principal providing the space for teachers to meet regularly to plan lessons together. The collaboration can be horizontal, when teachers work with the same grade level, or vertical, when the teachers work with others from different levels or roles.
Appreciation: One of the biggest indicators of teachers’ job satisfaction is determined by how appreciated they feel in their schools. This appreciation, however, should be used as an experience rather than as a tool to make teachers work. One activity to make teachers feel appreciated is by making anonymous thank-you cards to be read in meetings. These cards can be written by anyone to express their gratitude for any gesture. Similarly, different events can be planned, such as “teacher appreciation day”, a popular day in American culture.
Relationship with principals: Building trust with teachers allows principals to be more connected with the staff and with the reality of the school. Additionally, it will help them better the chance of influencing positive changes in the school. One way to develop this trust is by having One-on-One meetings with the teachers. Although principals tend to have limited time, these meetings can be short, as they aim to inquire about any need the teacher may have and to let the teacher know that the principal is there to help. Another way is to be open to receiving feedback and send periodic surveys to collect ideas and to evaluate their own performance as a principal.
The activities proposed above are not a panacea for creating positive school cultures. They are the beginning of a turn of direction. Changing the culture of a school takes time and might be a “messy, unpredictable, and uncomfortable” process (Gruenert & Whitaker, 2015, p. 105), as it involves rewiring beliefs and norms that have long been established and practiced (Beaudoin & Taylor, 2015). In light of this, it is vital to take risks so schools can slowly move towards a positive culture, hence improving teachers’ well being, satisfaction, and students’ academic performance.
References:
Muhammad, A. (2018). Transforming School Culture: How to Overcome Staff Division. Solution Tree.
Gruenert, S., & Whitaker, T. (2015). School Culture Recharged: Strategies to Energize Your Staff and Culture. ASCD.
Beaudoin, M. N., & Taylor, M. (2015). Creating a Positive School Culture. Pearson.
Peterson, K. D., & Deal, T. E. (2003). The shaping school culture fieldbook (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning. Routledge.