School culture generally refers to patterns,

beliefs and traditions that form within the

school and remain constant over a period of
time. These behaviors are passed down from
generation to generation as new teachers
come into the education system.
When new leaders arrive, they have the ability
to influence these patterns and traditions. But
making changes can have a detrimental effect
on morale if they are resisted by the faculty.
For example, some older teachers might
become upset if they are forced to
incorporate more technology in the class.












The concept of culture refers to a groups
shared beliefs, customs, and behaviour
Culture affects what people focus on and also
affects motivation. Motivation affects
productivity. Culture is key to productivity.
"School culture is the set of norms, values
and beliefs, rituals and ceremonies, symbols
and stories that make up the 'persona' of the
school," says Dr. Kent D.

Here the culture of the school will be viewed
as the existence of an interplay between three
factors: the attitudes and beliefs of persons
both inside the school and in the external
environment, the cultural norms of the
school, and the relationships between
persons in the school.
Culture affects how people think, feel, and act
(Peterson & Deal, 2002) and has been shown
to play an important role in the professional
growth of educators (Peterson, 2002)

In a school with a positive culture, Peterson says,
There's an informal network of heroes and
heroines and an informal grapevine that passes
along information about what's going on in the
school... A set of values that supports
professional development of teachers, a sense of
responsibility for student learning, and a
positive, caring atmosphere" exist.

On the other hand, in a toxic school
environment, "teacher relations are often
conflictual, the staff doesn't believe in the ability
of the students to succeed, and a generally
negative attitude" prevails, notes Peterson.

Staff and administrators in a positive school
culture believe they have the ability to achieve
their ambitions. Their counterparts operating in a
negative school environment lack faith in the
possibility of realizing their visions.

School culture has a profound effect on staff
development. "It affects attitudes toward
spending time to improve instruction, motivation
to attend workshops, and the activities people
choose to participate in," Peterson says.


Toxic or Positive?

Which term describes your school's culture?

A toxic school culture blames students for
lack of progress, discourages collaboration,
breeds hostility among staff.
A positive school culture celebrates success,
emphasizes accomplishment and
collaboration fosters a commitment to staff
and student learning.





CHANGING A TOXIC CULTURE

According to Peterson, schools with a
negative or toxic culture
lack a clear sense of purpose
have norms that reinforce inertia
blame students for lack of progress
discourage collaboration
often have actively hostile relations among
staff.






For school culture to contribute to improve
student learning it requires:

A focus on learning (students and teachers)
A focus on collaboration
A focus on smart goals and results
It needs timely and relevant information
For this to be achieved, there must be shared
values including:

A willingness to acknowledge I dont know
Being critical friends can be helpful, both for
teaching and curriculum development teams
Admitting you need help is not a sign of
weakness but an indication of self awareness
and growth
Asking for help from a department head or
team leader is ok, even expected, and will not
be used against the teacher
A willingness to listen to all ideas, and
contribute regardless of acceptance of ones
ideas or not
Accepting responsibility for improving
student learning and active research to decide
how and what to improve, avoiding isolation

BUT: this is not easy to achieve when some
accept these as normal and others dont

Ben Walden:

Before we can influence others we must
understand how they influence themselves
because it will be different to how we
influence ourselves
In order to lead effectively, you need
compelling narratives framed to the people
you are talking to

THE INFLUENCE OF
STAKEHOLDERS








Who are the stakeholders of a school?

School stakeholders are not only the school
board, parents, staff, and students, but also
local business owners, community groups
and leaders, professional organizations,
potential enrollments, youth organizations,
the faith community, media, etc. Anyone who
affects or is affected by the school's actions.
The roles of distinctive educational
stakeholders-school board members,
teachers, parents, and students-who are
closely involved in the overall operations of
schools.


School Board Members

A school board is comprised of members that
are usually elected by the residents of the
school district
The size of a school board varies between
districts and from city to city; similarly, the
power of the boards will vary between
districts and from city to city.
School boards have the power to hire and fire
teachers and administrators. They are the
guardians of the policy that help implement
changes that will benefit the district.
Teachers

The teacher, along with the student, plays an
interactive role in the education process because
one cannot function without the other.
The teacher as a stakeholder is expected to
possess the professional knowledge to lead the
students in instruction. In addition to serving in
an instructional role the teacher can be a mentor,
supervisor, counsellor, and community leader.
The teacher can be a mentor to students or other
teachers. The role of supervisor is present in
every aspect of a teacher's daily responsibilities.
The teacher's role as counsellor can be used to
offer advice to students or school advisory
committees.

Parents

Parents play key roles as educational
stakeholders. Parents' primary objective is the
assurance that their children will receive a
quality education, which will enable the
children to lead productive rewarding lives as
adults in a global society.
For instance, parent involvement with their
children's educational process through
attending school functions, participating in
the decision making process, encouraging
students to manage their social and academic
time wisely
Students

The student plays the lead role in the
educational process and as stakeholders are
expected to participate in the process.
Although the student's primary role is that of
a recipient, students should be encouraged to
exercise their decision-making role in the
education process.
By giving aid to the decision-making process
students become an integral part of a
successful institution.

"Successful schools encourage
significant participation by parents,
students and teachers (Wilson,
2008)."
A schools culture is not static. It is a
continual process in which attitudes,
values and skills continually reinforce
each other.

With respect to the above statement,
you are about to innovate and try
something new for the children in your
school. You are thinking big and you
know you cannot do it alone. Whom do
you involve and why?