But its not enough for a mission to live in a file folder or to sit unnoticed on a school web page. Giving a student detention after bad behavior teaches him that he did something wrong. Encouraging students to pursue their talents is a good strategy in establishing a great school culture. Teachers lounge culture has a reputation for being toxic with negativity. (2016) It is now the second half of 2020, and although we don't have to change everything about education, we have a unique opportunity to look outside of the traditional school walls, and bring in some new ideas that can change the future for the better. As a school owner or administrator, its your responsibility to implement a checklist of rules that prevent unethical actions. Your schools varsity teams need the full support of their schoolmates to help them win tournaments. 4. Collaboration is critical to developing a positive school culture. As a mom and teacher quietly watching from the sidelines, education has been an essential part of my life. College is not the best fit for everyone and is not the only pathand thats okay. Building a positive environment in individual classrooms and throughout your whole school is a matter of cultivating and maintaining relationships. She is also co-founder of the annual EDxEDNYC Education Conference for teacher-led innovation, and regularly presents at conferences on the topics of adolescent literacy, leadership, and education innovation. Particularly popular for improving results in topics like math, video game based learning has been shown to heighten the level of interest, concentration, and enjoyment of educational materials among students. Helping your teachers to develop their skills will encourage a positive school culture by giving them the ability to improve their craft. All changes have to start from the top. When students and staff arrive at school, they should feel a sense of pride, ownership, and community. This idea has great potential for non-instructional segments of the preschool elementary day like snack time, lining up to go to lunch, and restroom breaks. 8 Ways K-12 School Leaders Can Demonstrate Trust in Their Staff - Edutopia Students and staff look to the top for, When a school leader ensures that students, staff, and parents are not only informed but have an active voice in their school community, they build a culture of inclusivity, eliminating feelings of distrust, uncertainty, and hostility. Educators can take several steps to establish and reinforce positive school culture. You, as a school leader, have a vital role in creating a positive school culture. Connections are key, so they should identify those who arent connecting, figure out why not, and then adjust accordingly. Behavior is also key, be it the expectations of student and staff behavior or actual student and staff behavior. Establishing purpose in the workplace can take the form of: Posting your company mission statement Circulating your company core values Setting clear expectations for team members Specifying project timelines This report draws on interviews, focus groups, and case studies to highlight ESI schools' efforts to strengthen school culture in four key areas: developing culturally relevant education; adopting restorative approaches to discipline; promoting strong relationships in school; and providing early support for postsecondary goals. A good culture arises from messages that promote traits like collaboration, honesty, and hard work. This includes the administrators, teachers, and students. Passion is critical, but we want our students to land a job in a field where we expect growth to occur. Throughout the day, encourage teachers to include activities that help students develop qualities such as empathy, reliability, respect, concern, and a sense of humor. For example, the ideal classroom was found to have light-colored walls with one accent wall of a brighter color. School culture: Methods for improving a negative school culture A school with students from different ethnicities implies that its a place where everyone is welcome. But of course, students will push the limits and youll still need consequences. Problem solving can also be used retrospectively (with the luxury of hindsight) to help students make better decisions in the future. This type of environment is set up to fail. Teachers need to have time to talk to their students in and out of the classroom. This includes a mixture of both athletic and non-athletic programs. Shaping School Culture: How to Build Positive School Culture It is a difficult process that will likely come with immense growing pains. Combine this with the fact that the USA is the world's leading jailer, and you can appreciate the gravity of the situation. This helps teachers to be fully aware of school policies and rules, and gives them specific instruction in how the school uses tech in the classroom. Collaboration must be ongoing between every stakeholder within the school. "Why School Culture Matters and Strategies to Improve It." Many of our students, especially those who struggle, dont receive nearly enough positive feedback in the classroom or in their personal lives. Why not create your own version of Fabulous Friday? The goal should be for every adult in the building to maintain a high rate of positive interactions with students and to show genuine interest in their lives, their activities, their goals and their struggles. Aside from enabling them to hone their best skill, prompting them to partake in extracurricular activities will allow them to meet other students outside of their classroom. Extra-curricular programs can foster an immense amount of school pride. Innovate with them, and help them to change the world through their ideas. The results are as expected. An excellent approach would be using digital learning apps to make classes fun and interactive. December 22, 2022. When students feel liked and respected by their teachers, they find more success in school, academically and behaviorally. Some schools in other countries are letting their students use tablets instead of pen and paper. In his bookHow to Say the Right Thing Every Time: Communicating Well With Students, Staff, Parents, and the Public, Robert D. Ramsey says that Whenschool leaders communicate effectively, students learn, parents and community members understand and support what the school is doing, and the process of teaching and learning moves forward. Beliefs, values, and actions will spread the farthest and be tightly reinforced when everyone is communicating with everyone else. Relationships come before everything. Generic, overly generalized comments such as Good job! dont really help. Adopting a policy that allows for flexible seating in classrooms is one step school leaders are taking more frequently. Also, its good to make sure that you as the school leader are aware of what your teachers think and feel in their work. Consequences need to be appropriate, immediate and consistent. Put students in the driver's seat and work with them as a listener, learner, and guide. It is important to note that many of these strategies will require modifications along the way. The College NarrativeOur society has changed rapidly, but the college narrative has stayed the same for many years. Having a healthy relationship with peers and teachers is essential for students overall school experience. The college story should match the world we live in todayone filled with options, different ways to learn, and work-study programs that can benefit students and leave them without debt. Lawmakers in Arkansas, Texas and elsewhere are working to remove barriers between college athletes trying to cash in on their fame and the schools for which they play as administrators discover the benefits of moving athlete compensation activities in-house. Teach kids how to think for themselves and show them its alright to ask questions. Also, going to college today does not guarantee a great job right after graduation. Explain and support your ideas. With speed and elegance, resilient leaders take action that responds to new and ever-changing realities, even as they maintain the essential operations of the organizations they lead. Its easy for negativity to breed when things get tough. Challenge students to rise above the bar because you know they can do it. School culture does matter. Concordias Associate Professor of Education, Social Emotional Learning in Elementary School. 8 Strategies to Improve School Culture - Template.net Catholic Daily Mass - Daily TV Mass - April 22, 2023 | Starting at 8 a Decide which examples, stories, facts, statistics, testimonials and quotes will be most helpful in explaining and supporting your message. Harvard Graduate School of Education Within that weak or strong structure, what exactly people believe and how they act depends on the messages both direct and indirect that the leaders and others in the organization send. Except for then listening to those views and implementing their ideas. Remind them that showing their friendly side will make students feel comfortable during their classes. School culture is a mindset that can either be positive or negative. Set aside time every few months to analyze your school culture. This type of teaching means helping students make smart decisions when it comes to college, careers, and future planning. https://www.thoughtco.com/strategies-to-improve-school-culture-3194578 (accessed May 1, 2023). Here are eight ways for improving school culture based on the Boys Town Education Model, which has helped hundreds of troubled schools turn their school culture around. Institutions should provide social and emotional support immediately to ensure all teachers, staff, and school administrators are getting the help they need during such a stressful timeand this support should always continue regardless of the situation. TryProdigy Math Game the engaging, curriculum-aligned math platform used by over 50 million students, teachers and admins. But its not enough for a mission to live in a file folder or to sit unnoticed on a school web page. It is hoped children will want to learn about and improve the biodiversity of schools' green spaces, under the scheme run by the Department for Education (DfE) and the Eden Project. However, this doesnt mean that you need to establish rules for every possible situation. No one flourishes in constant negativity. Not every educator or parent will agree on what makes a positive learning environment. 3 Ways to Develop Positive School Culture Just By Being You. our role as a school leader can be defined in three basic steps: What are some specific ways to reinforce a positive atmosphere in your school? Fostering a positive school culture takes a lot of time and hard work. Concordias Associate Professor of Education,Julie Owens,agrees: Move away from constantly complaining; it is okay to not like how things are, but complaining gets you nowhere. in their school culture. School Culture Definition - The Glossary of Education Reform It also has potential for older students. Create a team consisting of administrators, teachers, parents, and students to help shape changes to school culture. It takes commitment and consistency from the whole teamadministrators, teachers and support staff. 8 Ways to Grow Students' Vocabulary | Cult of Pedagogy Basically, a school culture consists of the underlying influences and attitudes within the school based on the norms, traditions and beliefs of the staff and students. So, give them a proposal to partake in an extracurricular activity of their interest. Everyone wants to do well. How important is school culture? Coaches and sponsors responsible for these programs must provide the participants with everyone opportunity to be successful Programs and individuals within these programs should be recognized for their accomplishments. I didnt realize how every educator had a significant impact on a student's learning experience when they didnt understand the differences among personalities. If no one wants to be there, then ultimately a school will not be successful. Those who resist these changes are the toxic soil and until they are gone, the seeds of change will never firmly take hold. In effective schools, especially at the high school level, students have the opportunity to build long lasting relationships among their peers and educators. It affects attitudes toward spending time to improve instruction, motivation to attend workshops, and the [activities] people choose to participate in, Peterson says. Generating clear, open communication with the parents of your students can help you avoid misunderstandings and remove feelings of mistrust or hostility. Unfortunately, creating a positive school culture isnt just a matter of following a checklist. Having students work to correct their own wrongs helps encourage them to take responsibility for their actions. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Instead of constantly putting out fires, trying a more proactive approach to discipline. In our assessment, we see the encouragement of collaboration as a way to season the students social skills. But naturally, students will push the limits and strong consequences must be part of your plan. Changing the attitudes of all the staff and students within your school wont be an overnight process. Sign-up to receive our inspirational Morning Mindsets delivered to your inbox: Join Us for the 2023 Mindsets University Users Conference! Cedarville University, The Impact of School Culture Upon an Educational Institution, Connecticut Association of Schools, School Culture: The Hidden Curriculum, Dinaric Perspectives on TIMSS 2019, Teachers, Teaching and Student Achievement, Education Week, The Essential Traits of a Positive School Climate, HMH, 7th Annual Educator Confidence Report, International Journal of Education, The Effects of School Culture on Students Academic Achievements, McKinsey & Company, Teacher Survey: Learning Loss Is Globaland Significant, National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, School Climate Measurement, Psychology Today, Post-Pandemic School Culture and How to Navigate It, The New York Times, The School Culture Wars: You Have Brought Division to Us, The Palgrave Handbook of Positive Education, Teacher and Staff Wellbeing: Understanding the Experiences of School Staff, The Washington Post, School Environments Can Be Toxic. Everyone benefits from this type of environment. Schools must offer a well-balanced assortment of programs to give every student an opportunity to be involved. This event includes not only school members, but hundreds from the community. Everyone should have a voice. A Determine the ADVANTAGES of each option. You have a list of qualities and values that you want to see in your teachers and students. PBIS practices can make schools less hostile to students, asking not What are you doing wrong? but What are you doing right?. It was found that half of the learning impact came from light, temperature, and air quality. Challenge your whole team to give 15 compliments a day, or 25 or even 40. For example, if certain teachers never hear directly from their principal, an administrator is continually excluded from communications, or any groups of staff members are operating in isolation from others, it will be difficult for messages about shared beliefs and commitments to spread. What do these words mean for your school? Explore Unified Solutions Featured Solutions Behavior Support Attendance Intervention Schoology Learning Naviance Unified Operations These meetings will help the whole teaching staff to brainstorm and implement new ideas, bringing teachers into the process of building your school culture. 3. 3. Here, they presented medallions for students and praised specific achievements. Derrick Meador, M.Ed., is the superintendent for Jennings Public Schools in Oklahoma. Education has an impact on everything we see, do, and believe in our world. This doesn't just refer to actual safety concerns and physical hazards; more important, your team should feel safe in placing their trust and confidence in you and each other. It's tricky to define, and parsing its components can be challenging. Interests? But the truth is they may not have learned them. In doing so, theyll have open communication with them. Listen to their voices and passions. No one prospers in this type of environment. Elle Allison notes in her pieceThe Resourceful School,Resilience is often described as a personal quality that predisposes individuals to bounce back in the face of loss. From teachers to parents to students, COVID-19 has had an impact on everyone involved in creating a positive school culture. Developing educational programs for parents can also help involve them in their childrens schooling, and thus build a more positive atmosphere in your school. The differences in each generation is so great, it can be difficult to get everyone on board with massive changes. Why Become an Assistant Principal in a Middle or High School? 8 ways to improve your written communications - SmartBrief A school leader who routinely recognizes that a staff members success is a feather in everyones cap promotes the interconnectedness of the work. Its a complicated, hard-to-define measurement of institutional values, staff training and decision making, and daily behaviors. Complimenting a specific behavior (Thanks for showing respect to our visiting guest), on the other hand, reinforces that particular behavior. For example,Hollibrook Elementary in Spring Branch, Texas, developed a "Parent University" to get parents more actively involved in the school -- helping build trust and rapport between the school and the families of the students. One way to engage students and develop these types of skills is through social-emotional learning (SEL). Consider these 12 suggestions on how to improve your school culture. Thus, ruining a positive school culture. Address core values and your mission Indifference or confusion can result when staff and students have no clear vision of the values they're supposed to strive for. It also includes the involvement of the community in caring for the school; the satisfaction of its learners; respect for each persons beliefs; and community values concerning whats good, whats bad, and whats wrong. What Do Private School Admissions Committees Look For? Use surveys to gather feedback about your school's adult culture, suggestions for improving it, reflections on PD sessions, and other creative community-building ideas. The moves could pave the way for schools and their . School Culture Workshop | Professional Development In-Service - TEEN TRUTH For example, instead of creating specific rules about chewing gum, use of water bottles, or electronic devices in the classroom, you could create a classroom rule that states: Be respectful of the people around you.. When I went through all of my years of teacher training, I didnt learn about students' personalities until my last class during my M.Ed. And teachers tend to agree: in one study by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, almost 80% of K-8 classroom teachers surveyed agreed that digital games have improved student mastery of curricular content. This helps them become more refreshed when returning to the classroom. In traditional schools (when we're not in a pandemic), students typically attend a regular school day according to age, grade-level, test score outcomes, and unique learning needs. They found that the physical space where students are learning can account for a 16% variation in the learning process over a school year. 5 Strategies to Improve School Culture and Reduce School Threats Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/strategies-to-improve-school-culture-3194578. It is important to let students know they have many choices. The following steps are in part designed to build trust, mainly by giving teachers, staff, and students some say in the processand leaders who guide the process must never miss an opportunity to prove themselves trustworthy and to facilitate trust-building between stakeholders. Starting a school culture that optimizes student experience requires a lot of planning, just like formulating marketing strategies. When talking with teachers, encourage them to try new methods of teaching. How? This might be difficult since the United States is short on teachers. This makes your message easy to read and digest. The SW-PBIS, designed to improve school safety and climate, includes having educators "develop a set of behavioral expectations" (p. 83), teach students how to meet those expectations, and acknowledge when those behaviors are being met. As a school leader, you need to stay informed of whats going on in your school, and understand the attitudes and atmosphere that permeate the hallways and classrooms. An example of a ceremony recognizing students for outstanding achievements -- in this case, Waresboro Elementary recognized 17 students for excellence in "scholarship, responsibility, leadership, and service." Six Steps to Shaping a School's Culture Look in the mirror. It is not healthy, and educators should do everything they can to ensure that they never allow this mindset to creep in. Now that we understand the importance of school culture, we must ask how to improve it. This type of environment is set up to fail. If thats the case, your students will not have the enthusiasm to attend school. It offers school leaders a critical understanding of the issues affecting school climate, and empowers them to develop an action plan to . However, your school wont achieve that if it has intimidating teachers. 8 Ways Principals Can Build Positive School Culture Now Every hallway smile and hello that staff and students receive sinks in and builds up their self-efficacy and sense of belonging. Amazing things happen in a positive environment. To help students apply these norms, there should be consistency across the entire school building, inside and out. Its more important than ever as the pandemic and other dynamics have challenged our educational system. Students are not the only people in your school who should be learning. They also learn how to work together and independentlywhile developing essential social and emotional skills. Adjusting these seemingly insignificant factors isnt difficult, and can result in an increase in student engagement and improvement in learning. It can increase students interest in learning, improve academic outcomes, reduce problematic and risky behavior, limit school suspensions, strengthen student-teacher relationships, and boost attendance rates. You are showing vulnerability, and that can help raise a child's self-esteem. 7 Ways To Lead Your Team More Effectively | Capital One Your success at creating a well-managed school depends more than anything else on the quality of the relationships that teachers forge with students. 10 Things a Successful School Principal Does Differently, Twelve Reasons I Love and Hate Being a Principal of a School, Strategies for Teachers: The Power of Preparation and Planning, School Issues That Negatively Impact Student Learning, Strategies to Handle a Disruptive Student, The Value of Promoting Respect in Schools, Guidelines for Establishing Effective School Discipline for Principals.