Assessing Your School Cultue

Every school has a culture, a set of shared basic assumptions that are passed from generation to generation and taught to new members. Culture reflects the unspoken norms about a school, its operations and its values.

Over time every school develops its own culture, shaped by the people who work there, the community the school serves, the students who attend the school and the way these groups respond to the successes, tragedies, and daily events at the school.

Culture is a powerful set of rituals, traditions, and practices that reflect the values of a school. It often appears irrefutable but principals are able to impact their school's culture by using these symbols to promote other institutional values and the school's core mission. Importantly, if you understand the power of culture, you can use its symbols to telegraph messages about "what is important."

A good place to begin is to assess your current culture. I'd like to suggest four strategies you might use.

• At a staff meeting, ask each person to list five adjectives that describe the school's culture. Organize the words into common themes and discuss their meaning.
• Walk the halls of your school. What do you see? What artifacts are visible that convey messages about student success? About the values of challenging work? About a commitment to not accept failure? About college attendance? About persistence?
• Talk with a cross-section of teachers and students. What gets them excited about their work? About their learning? What do they find joy in?
• Consider the past three months. What have you done to show your enthusiasm for learning? For student success? How have you recognized and rewarded students and staff?

I'd enjoy hearing from you about the way you work with you teachers and families to improve your school culture.