Postive School Culture

A positive school culture serves as a foundation for a successful school.

Imagine a school with a supportive leader who trusts their staff with implementing innovative instruction, a school that houses teachers who are confident and feel appreciated by administration, where staff members openly collaborate ideas, school pride rings through the halls, and everyone is driven by the school’s vision and motivated by change that is beneficial to the lives of the young future leaders, imagine a school with a positive culture.

This school would recognize the need for change, be willing to take the necessary steps to implement the change, and be supportive of the strategies used by their leader.

A positive school culture impacts school reform tremendously because you need a strong foundation that supports proposed changes. You need teachers who trust their school leader, teachers who are willing to develop professionally as a part of the reform. The school’s team has to be solid as they embark on redesigning their school instructionally and professionally. They have to respect the ideas of their colleagues and believe in the reform model proposed.

If the school’s staff and administration believe in and support one another, they will be more likely to adapt the proposed school reform model and carry it out efficiently. A school with a positive school culture has a team that already functions well. The team members feel important and therefore respect and trust their leader. They have faith in the choices made by their leader and are willing to follow them. They will help their leader facilitate any idea proposed because of the trust and respect established through developing a positive school culture. A leader would be able to utilize all of the talents in their school.

A school cannot reform with the efforts of one person. You need more than the principal to implement the elements of a school reform model.
The leader would be able to trust that regardless of the outcome, that team would be dedicated to the change, and push through all obstacles to maintain their school.

The success of the school reform model is fueled by the willingness and support of those involved. A school without a positive school culture would challenge the reform. The teachers would be hesitant to support the leader’s ideas and they would not have enough stake in the school to actively care about the changes needed.

Change needs a team to facilitate it, an individual to organize it, and passion to sustain and adapt in the midst of it.