Positive or Negative?
Author: Peterson, K.D.
Publisher: National Staff Development Council (NSDC)
Publication Date: 2002, Summer
Volume Title: 23(3)
Journal: Journal of Staff Development
Full text available online at: http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/peterson233.cfm
Abstract (written by WestEd)
The author defines school culture, explains why it is important to student and staff learning, and advocates that principals create a culture of learning communities. The culture of a school — its underlying beliefs, unwritten expectations, rituals, ceremonies, symbols, and stories — greatly influence student learning; toxic cultures impede student learning, while positive cultures celebrate and encourage learning.
He outlines a three-step process for changing a school's culture:
- Read the culture by examining the school's history, its past improvement efforts, and its current traditions and values.
- Assess the culture by analyzing what has been discovered in the first step, determining which aspects of the culture are positive, supporting learning, and which are not.
- Shape the culture by reinforcing the positive aspects and replacing the negative with positive.
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