School culture is a school’s climate, its atmosphere, its values. James Collins and Jerry Porras call it the “core ideology…the enduring character of an organization – a consistent identity that transcends product or market life cycles, technological breakthroughs, management fads, and individual leaders.”
How does a strong school culture impact student achievement and other important indicators—and how did schools with a strong and positive climate develop, maintain, and promulgate that culture? Lastly, how can schools make their culture stronger—or even create one, if the current climate is floundering or non-existent?
This module will provide the means to identify the main tenets of a vibrant school culture and its impact on student achievement, as well as other qualities of a high-functioning school. This knowledge, along with an assessment of a school’s current culture, provides the foundation for developing a plan to improve the school culture and then assess the impact of the changes.
Key concepts
- Often schools do not attend to building a vibrant school culture, and that has consequences.
- School culture can be developed; it is not a given.
- A strong school culture can impact student achievement, parent and community involvement, and a variety of other important qualities of a school.
Length
1 Day
Leader
Abner Oakes
