Current issues in my professional context
In my last post I wrote about how relational trust is an integral factor in the progression of a community of practice. Of course, there are practices that address this, all of which contribute to the professional climate - not only within my faculty, but the school community. A school is indeed its’ own community. Although made up of representatives from the wider community, the culture and climate of a school is vital for the wellbeing of its’ members.
School culture is influential as well as unique to its’ members. A culture is like glue that holds an organisation together in the way that it goes about its’ business. Climate is more consistent and about the attitudes, perceptions and psychological environment - all of which help to build culture (Hongboontri & Keawkhong, 2014). The culture and values my school community aspires to are defined by:
- NZ curriculum values (e.g. excellence, equity, innovation, integrity)
- Cornerstone values (e.g. honesty & truthfulness, consideration, responsibility)
- A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations (as modelled by the Kia Eke Panuku programme)
It has been suggested that school culture (and therefore the practices that build relationships and trust) is a reciprocal relationship which has a flow on effect to students; it is important to understand and build culture in order to lead change - something my school is trying to do. (Hongboontri & Keawkhong, 2014; Stoll, 1999).
When considering cultural norms that influence school improvement, the values mentioned above are mostly reflected. In my view, what is missing are specific references to risk taking, continuous improvement and lifelong learning (Stoll, 1999). Climate and culture should develop with intention from leadership (Wilson, 2013). When the values and practices embodied by a school are implicit - in the usual “kiwi” way - the message can become diluted & superficial. In his sabbatical report, Gargiulo (2014) refers to implementation of the PB4L programme, where its’ values were explicitly taught, modelled and reinforced. Along with other specific strategies, his school was able to build a school culture that formed the basis of change in order to address issues brought about by low socioeconomic status.
My school is located in a town of approximately 33,000 people, 27.4% of whom are of Maori descent. In the whole region, areas directly associated with the township are low on the socioeconomic deprivation index, whereas areas outside of this are generally high on the same scale (calculated using the same indicators as socioeconomic status). This creates a contrast in lifestyles in the wider community, mirrored within the school community. My school is a decile 5 (on a scale from 1-10) with approximately 1100 students, 32% of which identify as Maori. It is well-known for sporting, artistic and cultural prowess, holding its’ own in academic achievement with schools of higher decile. There are strong relationships between the community of learning, the school and local Iwi, with a dedicated Māori liaison person to facilitate communication with whanau.
Research states that communities with lower socio-economic status (SES) develop academic skills slower and are less resourced that their higher socio-economic status counterparts (APA, 2016). Given the contrasting SES in the wider community, there appears to be a lot of emphasis on aspects of ‘appearance’ in the school community - on a material as well as social and intellectual basis. This is exacerbated by a society increasingly driven by technology and heavily influenced by social media. Methods to address cultural norms such as encouraging lifelong learning, as opposed to momentary success, in order to see continuous improvement may facilitate other cultural norms such as risk taking to emerge. Although this is only a stepping stone to address the issues brought about by conflicting socio-economic status, change is more likely to be accepted if combined with the good relationship building climate the school community already has. Re-addressing all aspects of school culture is vital here; intentional leadership to re-establish and reinforce school culture is a necessity.
References & Links
APA. (2016). Education and socioeconomic status.
Gargiulo, S. (2014). Principal Sabbatical Report, (September).
Hongboontri, C., & Keawkhong, N. (2014). School Culture: Teachers’ Beliefs, Behaviors, and Instructional Practices. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(395). https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n5.7
Stoll, L. (1999). School Culture: Black Hole or Fertile Garden for Improvement? Retrieved from http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/id/eprint/2922
Wilson, M. (2013). Building a culture of success. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_8Bjz-OCD8
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