I Like It Here, Don’t You? School Culture Revisitedby Tammy Gibbons, AWSA Director of Professional Development & Information Depending on who you talk to in a school, there may be variance in how people feel about their work environment. Some may say it is their favorite place they’ve ever worked and in the very same place, another may say that morale is low. How can this possibly be? How can the same environment create vastly different feelings in those that work there? If you’ve ever heard Anthony Mohammad talk about the difference between culture and climate, it may provide some insight into this possibility. He suggests that climate is how we feel and culture is how we behave. In an interview he conducted with the Wisconsin RTI Center, he specifically addresses that school leaders can make sure people are happy in a school, but they can be unproductive at the same time. Which, if not tended to, can leave students underserved, families disenchanted, student engagement low and leaves achievement outcomes to chance. The good news is that cultivating and monitoring positive school cultures can be transformative both for the students they are serving but also for the adults who are continually addressing and reflecting on their own impact. Muhammad states, “In strong school cultures, people articulate two core beliefs through how they behave.” These core beliefs are 1) All students can learn. 2) All students will learn because of what we do. Even if many teachers have said for years that they believe all kids can learn, their behavior and their practices may or may not align. Some examples might include, grading practices to include retakes, scaffolding learning, a gradual release of responsibility, and students having voice and choice in how to demonstrate their learning. Adults who believe that all children can learn and that their adult behaviors matter, also believe that when students haven’t learned it yet, teachers haven’t taught it well yet. Our most impactful educators consider this each and every time they look at student performance. They analyze performance without defending, blaming, or accepting the status quo. So, you’re a school leader who knows that the culture of your school, the belief that our behaviors matter, needs to be addressed. How is this done? Tending to the culture means that a school leader and the leadership team are interrupting norms of practice, beliefs, and theories that may be impeding progress in the school. Muhammad also states that this intentional disruption to the culture is about “manipulating those habits, beliefs, attitudes, and dispositions to be aligned with the objective of learning for all.” This shows up in how we use and monitor collaborative teams, how we celebrate, and how we address continuous improvement overall. In conversations, this is an opportunity for impactful coaching. For someone who is blaming students underperformance on their street address, socioeconomic status, family situation, or disability, it may sound like this:
High-performing schools have a history of providing regular, targeted, and impactful feedback to those who are serving students each day. Without feedback and collaboration, we are all left to our own perspectives, and often these perspectives can hinder our ability to act. They cloud our judgment, provide safety, and might increase the likelihood of bias and inaction which in turn doesn’t serve our communities well. As Fullan and Dufour state in Cultures Built to Last: Systemic PLC’s at Work, “The constant push for better results can easily turn into drudgery. It is imperative, therefore, that a culture of continuous improvement be balanced by a culture committed to the identification and celebration of small wins all along the journey.” School leaders who see themselves as transformational coaches balance between providing the kind of feedback that helps people reflect on their impact and providing the recognition and celebration that brings a culture into positive interactions that provide true continued service to the school community. AWSA offers a number of academies that address culture, coaching, and continuous improvement. Visit the AWSA website for more professional learning information and opportunities. References: Muhammad, A. (2018). Transforming school culture: How to overcome staff division. DuFour, R., & Fullan, M. (2013). Cultures built to last systemic PLCs at work. Wisconsin Rti Center (2018, November) Interview with Anthony Muhammad [VIDEO] YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaMJBmGyM2k&t=147s
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