School Culture

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody --Bill Cosby

Organizational Culture is The social glue that holds an organization together

Major Elements of the Culture of an Effective School A clear set of school wide norms that emphasize the values of academic effort and achievement A consistently applied set of expectations that stress the importance of staff members striving for excellence and students performing up to their potential A system of symbolic activity and sanctions that encourages and rewards effort, improvement, and accomplishment while discouraging disorder and complacency

Effective School Cultures have An emphasis on academic effort and achievement A belief that all students can achieve Ongoing faculty development and innovation A safe and orderly learning environment

Administrators Improve School Culture by Encouraging collaboration Establishing the connection between mission and practice by being enthusiastic, facilitating, meeting the needs of teachers and students, understanding the motivation of all employees, and promoting growth in personnel Viewing problems as opportunities and focusing on solutions Being creative Stimulating good teaching practices Thinking of others Creating networks that decrease teacher isolation and promote professional sharing Staying focused on the most important outcome, student performance

Administrators Shape School Culture through Choice of staff Formal leadership appointments Working with informal leaders Handling conflict between formal and informal leaders Regular two-way communication