School Culture

Improved school culture results in greater learning.

School culture is cultivated through the espoused norms and values and the capacity to act on those expectations and beliefs during meetings, events, and daily practices.

School culture refers to the set of beliefs, values and assumptions that organizational members of a school (principals, teachers, coaches, etc…) subscribe to publicly (such as the mission statement) and privately (the way things are done in practice).   The norms and expectations at a school, often unspoken, can nurture or hinder the learning process for students and teachers alike. The culture of a school impacts student learning and achievement; it shapes and influences the way people do things in the school and in the classroom.  

Organizational culture is the guiding influence over behavior, “culture is pervasive and ultimately embraces everything that a group is concerned about and must deal with.” (p. 85).

Schein, E. (2004). Organizational Culture and Leadership, 3rd Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

School culture the “narrative glue”  that keeps people moving in the same direction.  Beliefs that are collectively and individually held penetrate schools and school systems guiding the actions of educators and their administrators (p. 97).

Mitchell and Sackney. (2000). Profound Improvement; building capacity for a learning community. Swets and Zeitlinger B.V., Lisse, The Netherlands. 

“The culture in which…learning occurs – the framework, atmosphere, environment, and set of circumstances – is the compelling determinant of the type or quality of learning” (p.463). 

Hoffman and Withers. (1995). "Shared Values; nutrients for learning" in Learning Organizations;  developing cultures for tomorrow's workplace. Portland, ON: Productivity Press.