Culture and Climate

What is Culture?

“. . .historically transmitted pattern of meaning."

- anthropologist Clifford Geertz

Culture• Values• Beliefs• Myths• Traditions• Norms

Values

•What is good and what is bad?

Beliefs•How do we work and what are the and consequences of our actions?

Myths•Stories or legends

Traditions•Big events we do every year

Norms•Our unspoken rules

Importance of Culture

Better culture=better school

Importance of Culture

•Motivated teachers•Motivated students•Student achievement•Teacher satisfaction

Types of School Culture

•Efficacy•Trust•Academic optimism•Control

Culture of Efficacy

•I can make a difference!

Culture of Trust

•The school community has my back!

Culture of Academic Optimism

•This school rocks!–Efficacy–Trust–Academic emphasis

Culture of Control

•Autocratic•No trust of students•Rigid rules

What is Climate?

•The atmosphere, personality, or tone of an organization

Defining Climate• disengagement• perception of burden• perception of needs being

met• Feelings of positive

accomplishment/direction

Defining Climate• Friendly social relations• Informal principal contact with teachers

• Supervision/humane treatment

Defining Climate

"Personality is to individuals as climate is to organization"

Climate Frameworks• Openness of interpersonal

relations• Health of interpersonal

relations• Climate of citizenship

–How teachers behave–Going above and beyond–volunteerism

Culture vs. Climate

•Culture is shared norms and values

•Climate is perceptions of behavior

Culture vs. ClimateLeadership

practices

Climate

Culture Change

Assessing Climate

•OCDQ•NSSE•CASE

Assessing Culture

?

Implications for innovation

•Open Climate–Committed and professional teachers

–Principals do not restrict or direct

–Bottom up initiatives

Implications for innovation

• Closed Climate–Teachers distant and suspicious

–Principals direct and restrict and are not supportive

–Top down initiatives