8/25/2024
Changing School Culture: Effective Strategies for School Leaders
American teachers experience some of the highest stress levels in the workforce, about twice the rate of comparable professionals who hold bachelor’s degrees and work at least 35 hours per week. Inadequate pay, long hours, and student behavior were three of the top reasons teachers gave as causes of their stress. A recent Pew survey reveals similar trends, with more than 77% of teachers reporting their jobs are frequently stressful, and more than half reporting they would not advise students to pursue teaching as a profession.
Randi Weingarten, union president of the American Federation of Teachers, told Forbes: “conditions, compensation, and culture wars” must improve to boost teacher job satisfaction. Teachers are looking for additional support from families, administrators, and policymakers to spark these changes—while districts nationwide struggle to hire teachers, balance their budgets, and grapple with student performance and mental health concerns. Administrators cannot transform school culture alone. By making it everyone’s responsibility, administrators can put practices and policies in place to help alleviate teacher stress, retain experienced educators, and improve academic outcomes.
Short-Term Fixes vs. Sustained Change
There are myriad short-term measures leaders are taking to immediately address teacher shortages, from offering better pay to increasing class sizes to relaxing teacher certification rules. But as Dawn Etcheverry, president of the Nevada State Education Association, told The Washington Post:
“When you start to double classes, teachers don’t have that one-on-one with the students, that personal ability to understand what the student needs”—both academically and socially. These temporary fixes, she concludes, are likely to harm students by diminishing their ability to learn.
To further reduce hiring barriers and grow teacher pipelines, some states have eliminated basic skills tests, such as the Praxis Core exam, or dropped certification requirements for critical shortage positions. Today, only 11 states require the exam, compared to 25 in 2015, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality. At the same time, the NCTQ found 29 states and the District of Columbia use a weak elementary teacher reading licensure test that does not effectively measure teachers' knowledge of evidence-based reading instruction prior to entering the classroom. This puts the burden on school district leaders, many of whom have invested considerable time and money in ambitious professional learning programs aimed at addressing gaps in pre-licensure preparation.
While some of these efforts have paved the way for change, for teachers and students to thrive, we can’t apply short-term fixes—we need to transform our American education system. However, widespread change is a lofty goal and sustainable change across school culture requires strong leadership and buy-in from the rest of the school community.
Who’s Responsible for Changing School Culture?
For real change to occur, it must be systemic, consistent, and campuswide. Teachers are critical change agents within their classrooms, but true culture change must originate from school, district, and state leadership with the power to implement guidelines and policies at every level.
According to Thomas Murray, co-author of Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow’s Schools Today, a school’s culture is everyone’s responsibility. But the principal, Murray maintains, sets the tone. “Principals that allow all team members, from custodial and kitchen staff to teachers and support staff, to make positive contributions to the school community, while holding those who deter a positive school culture accountable, will foster a high-quality working environment for staff and an excellent learning environment for students,” he writes.
Numerous studies about effective school leadership focus on four key concepts that contribute to a positive school culture. These four concepts, along with some basic leadership reminders from Murray, are fully explored in this Lexia® Education Insight, The Big Resignation: What Leaders Can Do to Retain Good Educators and Recruit New Talent.
Organizational Knowledge. Understanding individual students’ needs, staff members' strengths, and instructional curriculum and programs to better allocate resources toward technology, professional learning, and staff support.
Use of Data. Using formative and summative assessment data to better inform instructional decisions for individuals and districtwide.
Scheduling. Grouping students by skills group and staggering reading blocks to allow reading specialists to observe all students.
Positive Beliefs and High Expectations. Belief in students’ abilities to achieve, despite significant obstacles such as poverty or low family involvement.
This list outlines some of the areas administrators can focus on as they work to improve their school cultures. Strong equity and inclusion policies and a commitment to inclusive teaching and learning are also critical and require attention and modeling in everything taught, discussed, and observed.
As previously mentioned, many teachers feel underappreciated and burned out, which contributes to low morale and frustration. Creating a learning community—where students, teachers, and parents thrive, where all stakeholders feel valued for their contributions, and where innovation and dedication are rewarded—is a strategy that can significantly reduce turnover and improve engagement and retention.
Moving Forward: Remember the Basics
Murray, who serves as director of innovation for Future Ready Schools®, says some basics of leadership go a long way toward creating a school culture that may reduce teacher turnover and improve morale and job satisfaction. While they may seem obvious to some, Murray’s tips include:
Lead by example. The principal is part of the team, not just someone who dictates what the team needs to do.
Cultivate teacher leadership. Highly effective principals allow staff to lead, inspiring them to take more ownership of school culture.
Balance leadership and management. Building leaders must strike a balance between acting as a visionary and managing the day-to-day aspects of running a school.
Show support staff they matter. Paraprofessionals, office staff, and maintenance workers are the backbone of day-to-day operations and are key to a school’s daily operations.
Make meetings meaningful. Communicate effectively and utilize team time for professional learning.
Address unprofessional behavior. Ensure everyone feels comfortable speaking up and all staff members can share input.
Show staff you care. Leaders who cultivate an environment of trust create teams that will do anything to help students.
Considering these points, school leaders can build a blueprint for change that values teacher and staff contributions and creates a culture of high expectations, positivity, and trust.
Implementing evidence-based leadership models is crucial for changing school culture. These models empower educators to cultivate a positive and engaging atmosphere by fostering learning environments that support both teachers and students. The transformation not only improves teacher morale—it enhances students’ overall educational experience and helps administrators attract and retain top teaching talent, ensuring sustained excellence and growth within their school communities.
To learn how Dr. Shawn Johnson, director at Wake County Public School System in North Carolina, initiated change in his district, watch the 30-minute webinar, It Takes a Village: Keys to Creating a Culture of Literacy Excellence.
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