Building Positive School Culture
School culture is the set of norms, values and beliefs, rituals and ceremonies, symbols and stories that make up the ‘persona’ of the school,” says Dr. Kent D. Peterson, a professor in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The culture of a school consists primarily of the underlying norm values and beliefs that teachers and administrators hold about teaching and learning,” according to Dr. Kent D. Peterson. That culture is also composed of “traditions and ceremonies schools hold to build community and reinforce their values.” Every school has underlying assumptions about what staff members will discuss at meetings, which teaching techniques work well, how amenable the staff is to change, and how critical staff development is, adds Peterson. That core set of beliefs underlies the school’s overall culture. (Resource: Education World)
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This video was filmed at W.B. Simpson Elementary School.