The demands on school leaders are heavy. Inadequate funding, spiralling costs, difficulties in recruitment, and increased workload are just some of the current challenges. However, in an environment of national turmoil, schools remain a focus of continuity and stability, a safe constant for students and families. In this context, school leaders might look for strategies which, evidence suggests, further improve student outcomes and strengthens the working environment for staff. A review and re-evaluation of school culture has much to offer.
So, what is school culture? In its simplest terms, it represents the norms, values, beliefs, rituals and traditions shared, in varying degrees, by staff, students and wider community (Schein, 2010). In reality, however, it is more complex and difficult to categorise but clearly linked to the notion of ‘identity’ (Islam & Zaphur, 2009; Karadag, et al., 2017). Although school culture is often referenced and has been studied extensively, it remains something of an enigma. Like the weather, school culture does not seem within human control. It has, therefore, featured less significantly as a potential vehicle for school improvement (Prosser, ed., 1999). But, as the drive to improve standards in schools and MATs continues, the need to understand organisational development becomes more urgent, combined with an appreciation that a strong school culture raises achievement (Gruenert, 1998; Prosser, 1999; Ohlson, Swanson, Adams-Manning & Byrd, 2016).
Each school has a different reality or mindset, often captured in the simple phrase “the way we do things around here” (Deal & Kennedy, 1982). Each school has its own mindset in relation to its external environment. My visits to three case study schools, as well as visits to other schools over my career, confirm that school culture varies between settings. Often difficult to describe, it is nonetheless tangible. Stoll (1998) concluded that school culture can be seen in the ways people relate and work together, the management of the school’s structures, systems and physical environment; and the extent to which there is a learning focus for both students and adults (Stoll, 1998, p.10).
The search for the key to improve student outcomes has become the holy grail of the school improvement field of research for the last thirty years. Structures, systems, teaching techniques and leadership strategies have all been scrutinised to improve school outcomes.
Maslowski’s (2001) study explored the link between school culture and student achievement in the Netherlands. He argued that “research on effective schools has identified several effectiveness enhancing factors, which can easily be interpreted in terms of a school’s organizational culture”. MacNeil, Prater and Busch (2009) concluded that “the reform efforts of the last 30 years have failed to improve student achievement in schools because they failed to adequately address the importance of the culture and climate of schools”. In 2002-3, Steve Gruenert collected school culture data from 81 schools in Indiana and concluded: “Collaborative cultures seem to be the best setting for student achievement. What was once considered an intangible aura found in some schools can now be identified and quantified” (Gruenert, 2005). The outcomes of multiple studies clearly confirm that school culture can be grown, developed and nurtured. For instance, in schools where there are strategies to create and sustain a clear vision for the future, promote collaborative leadership and collegiality, and develop more personalised professional development, school culture will be stronger. The evidence also shows that school culture can be toxic, deep and long-lasting, undermining the drive to improve standards or initiate essential change.
School leaders are the architects and guardians of the culture and play a pivotal role in its design, shaping and evolution. The results of the above studies and others confirm the central role leadership has to play in this important area of education and suggest that reviews of school culture and actions to improve school culture, not only assist in promoting improved student achievement, but also create an improved working environment for staff. In addition, many of the strategies involved in improving school culture are cost-zero and can be incorporated into school plans to improve wellbeing. In these particularly challenging times for school leaders and trustees, here is something worthy of consideration which may benefit the smallest school or largest Trust.
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