transformingschoolculture
Transforming School
Culture:
www.schoolofeducators.com
Culture is the most powerful
source of leverage for bringing
about change in a school – or any
organization, for that matter.
Thomas J. Sergiovanni
www.schoolofeducators.com
School Culture
School culture is norms developed over
time based on shared attitudes, values,
beliefs, expectations, relationships, and
traditions of a particular school that
cause it to function or react as it does.
www.schoolofeducators.com
School Culture Con’t
School Culture is often majority
driven (staff), intangible, hard to
describe, and difficult to positively
impact, or change in a systemic way.
The attitudes, beliefs, and values
may often be “hidden” to those new
to or outside of the school
community.
www.schoolofeducators.com
School Climate is the communication of its
norms, beliefs, and values through various
behaviors and interactions and their effect
on others, with the primary focus being on
students. School Climate is driven by and
reflected in the daily interactions of staff,
administration, students, support staff, and
the outside community.
www.schoolofeducators.com
Climate is expressed in tangible ways, is
more leadership driven, and responds
more quickly to change. Climate is
demonstrated through collegiality,
communication, decision-making, trust,
expectations, ideology, leadership,
recognition, celebration, support, and
experimentation. Climate should
directly reflect the school’s mission
statement through its focus and actions.
www.schoolofeducators.com
School Culture is over a period of
time…the history
Climate is now, it’s the
perceptions/emotions being evoked
www.schoolofeducators.com
Definition of Culture
In short, Terrence
Deal, author and
professor at
Vanderbilt
University,
explains, “It is
the way we do
business here
www.schoolofeducators.com
Group Activity
The Hotel California
www.schoolofeducators.com
History
Culture
Religion
Geography
Society
VALUES
Politics
Government
Socio-Economic Status (SES)
ATTITUDES
Economics
Race
BELIEFS
Region
Community
Gender
Cultural Practices
LANGUAGE
Neighborhood
Social-Peer
Groups
Clan
Ethnic Group
Traditions
COMMUNICATION
Customs
BEHAVIOR
Events
Family
INDIVIDUAL
School Culture
Values-Attitudes-Beliefs
Mission-Vision-Goals
Histories-Norms-Traditions-Stories
Policies-Habits-Expectations-Rituals-Ceremonies
Decision-Making
Communication
Collegiality/ Professional Collaboration
(Professional Learning Community)
RELATIONSHIPS and INTERACTIONS
(How people treat each other, feel about each other and work together...)
Administrator to
Staff
Students
Staff to Staff
Staff to Student
Student to
Student
www.schoolofeducators.com
School to
Parents/
Community
ACCIDENTAL vs
INTENTIONAL
CULTURE
Intentional Culture
Accidental Culture
1. Activities are based
on assumptions.
1. Activities are
research-based.
2. Academic goals
deteriorates to a
wish list.
2. Academic goals are
credible. The focus is
on results.
3. Mission and goals
are ignored.
3. Mission and goals are
used as a blue print for
school improvement.
4. Decisions are
4. Broad collaboration:
dictated and
decisions are widely
developed bywww.schoolofeducators.com
few.
shared
ACCIDENTAL vs
INTENTIONAL
Intentional Culture
CULTURE
Accidental Culture
1. Articulated Beliefs
1. Beliefs are tied to
actions and
behaviors.
2. Random Values
2. Values tied to vision
and mission
3. Connections are
random
3. Connections are
constantly sought
4. Diversity is
4. Diversity is valued
acknowledge www.schoolofeducators.com
Negativity in a school culture or climate
is usually manifested in the attitudes and
actions of school staff through:
No or low
expectations
Little or no
communication
among
stakeholders
Resistance to
No ownership
Little or no
sense of
community
Disrespect/ho
stility
widespread
www.schoolofeducators.com
Examples of Negativity through
Dysfunctional Norms
Dread coming
Judgmental/Critic
to school
al of other’s
motivation
Criticize those
who are
Fear reprisal
innovative
Distrust
Politics drive
colleagues or
decisionadministration
making
“Me First”
Do just
Operate
in
a
Adapted
from Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership (1998)
www.schoolofeducators.com
enough to get
vacuum
A Toxic School Culture Is
full of Taters
Dictators
Commentators
Agitators
Spectators
www.schoolofeducators.com
Collaboration, Collegiality
and Efficacy
www.schoolofeducators.com
Positive School
Culture/Climate
Mission IS about student and teacher
learning
Rich sense of history and purpose
Core values of collegiality, performance,
and improvement centered around quality,
achievement, and learning for ALL students
Positive and Proactive Approaches for staff
and students www.schoolofeducators.com
Positive School
Culture/Climate
Stories that celebrate successes and
recognize heroines and heroes
Physical Environment reflects pride
and joy
Widespread sense of respect and
nurturing
www.schoolofeducators.com
Why Is School Culture
Important?
What research tells us:
“Positive learning can only take place in a
positive culture. A healthy school culture will
affect more student and teacher success than
any other reform or school improvement effort
currently being employed.”
-Gary Phillips
www.schoolofeducators.com
TRANSFORMING SCHOOL
CULTURE
www.schoolofeducators.com
If you intend to introduce a
change that is incompatible
with the organization’s culture,
you have only three choices:
modify the change to be more
in line with the existing culture,
alter the culture to be more in
line with the proposed change,
or prepare to fail.
www.schoolofeducators.com
David Salisbury & Daryl Conner,
It’s not so much that we’re
afraid of change, or so in
love with the old ways, but
it’s that place in between …
it’s like being in between
trapezes. It’s Linus when
his blanket is in the dryer.
There’s nothing to hold on
to.
www.schoolofeducators.com
TO IMPROVE YOUR
CULTURE…
YOU MUST FIRST ASSESS
YOUR CULTURE!
www.schoolofeducators.com
GROUP ACTIVITY
SCHOOL CULTURE
SURVEY
www.schoolofeducators.com
Four Steps in Creating a
Truthful Culture
Lead with questions, not with
answers.
Engage in dialogue and
debate, not coercion.
Conduct autopsies without
blame.
Build red flag mechanisms
www.schoolofeducators.com
Changing The School Culture
Reculturing
versus
Restructuring
www.schoolofeducators.com
STRUCTURE VS. CULTURE
STRUCTURE
Day-To-Day
Policies &
Procedures
School
Rules
CULTURE
Long-Term
Beliefs,
Expectation
s, and
Habits
www.schoolofeducators.com
TO CHANGE YOUR
SCHOOL’S CULTURE
Promote your mission, vision,
values and goals.
Bring your staff together to
find best practices.
Sustain the culture through
communication.
Persist.
www.schoolofeducators.com
Confront problems.
What Do We Know About Effective Culture?
Twelve Norms of School Culture Where People
and Programs Improve
Collegiality
Appreciation and
recognition
Experimentation
Caring, celebration, humor
High expectations
Involvement in decision
making
Trust and confidence
Protection of what’s
important
Tangible support
Traditions
Reaching out to the
knowledge bases
Honest, open
communication
www.schoolofeducators.com
“Good Seeds Grow in Strong Cultures” by Saphier and
King
A Final Thought
“Self-renewing school cultures are
collaborative places where adults
care about one another, share
common goals and values, and have
the skills and knowledge to plan
together, solve problems together,
and fight passionately but
gracefully for ideas to improve
instruction.”
www.schoolofeducators.com
-Robert Garmston & Bruce Wellman
It’s difficult to change school
culture,
but remain optimistic
www.schoolofeducators.com
www.schoolofeducators.com
WE ARE ALL IN THIS BOAT
TOGETHER
www.schoolofeducators.com
All I Need To Know, I Learned From Noah’s Ark:
•Don’t Miss The Boat
•Remember That We Are All In The Same Boat
•Plan Ahead: It was not Raining When Noah Built The Ark
•Stay Fit: When you’re 600 years old someone may ask you
to do something really big
www.schoolofeducators.com
All I Need To Know, I Learned From Noah’s Ark:
•Don’t Listen To Critics; Just Get On With The Job That
Needs To Be Done.
•Build Your Future on high Ground.
•For Safety Travel In Pairs.
•Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on
board with the cheetahs.
www.schoolofeducators.com
All I Need To Know, I Learned From Noah’s
Ark:
•When you’re stressed, float a while.
•Remember the Ark was built by amateurs,
and the titanic by professionals
•No matter the storm, when you are with the
right people, there’s always a rainbow
waiting
www.schoolofeducators.com
A MOMENT OF CLARITY
I learned that …
I realized that …
I was pleased that …
I was not aware that…
www.schoolofeducators.com
Presented By:
www.schoolofeducators.com
www.schoolofeducators.com
Culture:
www.schoolofeducators.com
Culture is the most powerful
source of leverage for bringing
about change in a school – or any
organization, for that matter.
Thomas J. Sergiovanni
www.schoolofeducators.com
School Culture
School culture is norms developed over
time based on shared attitudes, values,
beliefs, expectations, relationships, and
traditions of a particular school that
cause it to function or react as it does.
www.schoolofeducators.com
School Culture Con’t
School Culture is often majority
driven (staff), intangible, hard to
describe, and difficult to positively
impact, or change in a systemic way.
The attitudes, beliefs, and values
may often be “hidden” to those new
to or outside of the school
community.
www.schoolofeducators.com
School Climate is the communication of its
norms, beliefs, and values through various
behaviors and interactions and their effect
on others, with the primary focus being on
students. School Climate is driven by and
reflected in the daily interactions of staff,
administration, students, support staff, and
the outside community.
www.schoolofeducators.com
Climate is expressed in tangible ways, is
more leadership driven, and responds
more quickly to change. Climate is
demonstrated through collegiality,
communication, decision-making, trust,
expectations, ideology, leadership,
recognition, celebration, support, and
experimentation. Climate should
directly reflect the school’s mission
statement through its focus and actions.
www.schoolofeducators.com
School Culture is over a period of
time…the history
Climate is now, it’s the
perceptions/emotions being evoked
www.schoolofeducators.com
Definition of Culture
In short, Terrence
Deal, author and
professor at
Vanderbilt
University,
explains, “It is
the way we do
business here
www.schoolofeducators.com
Group Activity
The Hotel California
www.schoolofeducators.com
History
Culture
Religion
Geography
Society
VALUES
Politics
Government
Socio-Economic Status (SES)
ATTITUDES
Economics
Race
BELIEFS
Region
Community
Gender
Cultural Practices
LANGUAGE
Neighborhood
Social-Peer
Groups
Clan
Ethnic Group
Traditions
COMMUNICATION
Customs
BEHAVIOR
Events
Family
INDIVIDUAL
School Culture
Values-Attitudes-Beliefs
Mission-Vision-Goals
Histories-Norms-Traditions-Stories
Policies-Habits-Expectations-Rituals-Ceremonies
Decision-Making
Communication
Collegiality/ Professional Collaboration
(Professional Learning Community)
RELATIONSHIPS and INTERACTIONS
(How people treat each other, feel about each other and work together...)
Administrator to
Staff
Students
Staff to Staff
Staff to Student
Student to
Student
www.schoolofeducators.com
School to
Parents/
Community
ACCIDENTAL vs
INTENTIONAL
CULTURE
Intentional Culture
Accidental Culture
1. Activities are based
on assumptions.
1. Activities are
research-based.
2. Academic goals
deteriorates to a
wish list.
2. Academic goals are
credible. The focus is
on results.
3. Mission and goals
are ignored.
3. Mission and goals are
used as a blue print for
school improvement.
4. Decisions are
4. Broad collaboration:
dictated and
decisions are widely
developed bywww.schoolofeducators.com
few.
shared
ACCIDENTAL vs
INTENTIONAL
Intentional Culture
CULTURE
Accidental Culture
1. Articulated Beliefs
1. Beliefs are tied to
actions and
behaviors.
2. Random Values
2. Values tied to vision
and mission
3. Connections are
random
3. Connections are
constantly sought
4. Diversity is
4. Diversity is valued
acknowledge www.schoolofeducators.com
Negativity in a school culture or climate
is usually manifested in the attitudes and
actions of school staff through:
No or low
expectations
Little or no
communication
among
stakeholders
Resistance to
No ownership
Little or no
sense of
community
Disrespect/ho
stility
widespread
www.schoolofeducators.com
Examples of Negativity through
Dysfunctional Norms
Dread coming
Judgmental/Critic
to school
al of other’s
motivation
Criticize those
who are
Fear reprisal
innovative
Distrust
Politics drive
colleagues or
decisionadministration
making
“Me First”
Do just
Operate
in
a
Adapted
from Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership (1998)
www.schoolofeducators.com
enough to get
vacuum
A Toxic School Culture Is
full of Taters
Dictators
Commentators
Agitators
Spectators
www.schoolofeducators.com
Collaboration, Collegiality
and Efficacy
www.schoolofeducators.com
Positive School
Culture/Climate
Mission IS about student and teacher
learning
Rich sense of history and purpose
Core values of collegiality, performance,
and improvement centered around quality,
achievement, and learning for ALL students
Positive and Proactive Approaches for staff
and students www.schoolofeducators.com
Positive School
Culture/Climate
Stories that celebrate successes and
recognize heroines and heroes
Physical Environment reflects pride
and joy
Widespread sense of respect and
nurturing
www.schoolofeducators.com
Why Is School Culture
Important?
What research tells us:
“Positive learning can only take place in a
positive culture. A healthy school culture will
affect more student and teacher success than
any other reform or school improvement effort
currently being employed.”
-Gary Phillips
www.schoolofeducators.com
TRANSFORMING SCHOOL
CULTURE
www.schoolofeducators.com
If you intend to introduce a
change that is incompatible
with the organization’s culture,
you have only three choices:
modify the change to be more
in line with the existing culture,
alter the culture to be more in
line with the proposed change,
or prepare to fail.
www.schoolofeducators.com
David Salisbury & Daryl Conner,
It’s not so much that we’re
afraid of change, or so in
love with the old ways, but
it’s that place in between …
it’s like being in between
trapezes. It’s Linus when
his blanket is in the dryer.
There’s nothing to hold on
to.
www.schoolofeducators.com
TO IMPROVE YOUR
CULTURE…
YOU MUST FIRST ASSESS
YOUR CULTURE!
www.schoolofeducators.com
GROUP ACTIVITY
SCHOOL CULTURE
SURVEY
www.schoolofeducators.com
Four Steps in Creating a
Truthful Culture
Lead with questions, not with
answers.
Engage in dialogue and
debate, not coercion.
Conduct autopsies without
blame.
Build red flag mechanisms
www.schoolofeducators.com
Changing The School Culture
Reculturing
versus
Restructuring
www.schoolofeducators.com
STRUCTURE VS. CULTURE
STRUCTURE
Day-To-Day
Policies &
Procedures
School
Rules
CULTURE
Long-Term
Beliefs,
Expectation
s, and
Habits
www.schoolofeducators.com
TO CHANGE YOUR
SCHOOL’S CULTURE
Promote your mission, vision,
values and goals.
Bring your staff together to
find best practices.
Sustain the culture through
communication.
Persist.
www.schoolofeducators.com
Confront problems.
What Do We Know About Effective Culture?
Twelve Norms of School Culture Where People
and Programs Improve
Collegiality
Appreciation and
recognition
Experimentation
Caring, celebration, humor
High expectations
Involvement in decision
making
Trust and confidence
Protection of what’s
important
Tangible support
Traditions
Reaching out to the
knowledge bases
Honest, open
communication
www.schoolofeducators.com
“Good Seeds Grow in Strong Cultures” by Saphier and
King
A Final Thought
“Self-renewing school cultures are
collaborative places where adults
care about one another, share
common goals and values, and have
the skills and knowledge to plan
together, solve problems together,
and fight passionately but
gracefully for ideas to improve
instruction.”
www.schoolofeducators.com
-Robert Garmston & Bruce Wellman
It’s difficult to change school
culture,
but remain optimistic
www.schoolofeducators.com
www.schoolofeducators.com
WE ARE ALL IN THIS BOAT
TOGETHER
www.schoolofeducators.com
All I Need To Know, I Learned From Noah’s Ark:
•Don’t Miss The Boat
•Remember That We Are All In The Same Boat
•Plan Ahead: It was not Raining When Noah Built The Ark
•Stay Fit: When you’re 600 years old someone may ask you
to do something really big
www.schoolofeducators.com
All I Need To Know, I Learned From Noah’s Ark:
•Don’t Listen To Critics; Just Get On With The Job That
Needs To Be Done.
•Build Your Future on high Ground.
•For Safety Travel In Pairs.
•Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on
board with the cheetahs.
www.schoolofeducators.com
All I Need To Know, I Learned From Noah’s
Ark:
•When you’re stressed, float a while.
•Remember the Ark was built by amateurs,
and the titanic by professionals
•No matter the storm, when you are with the
right people, there’s always a rainbow
waiting
www.schoolofeducators.com
A MOMENT OF CLARITY
I learned that …
I realized that …
I was pleased that …
I was not aware that…
www.schoolofeducators.com
Presented By:
www.schoolofeducators.com
www.schoolofeducators.com