An Analysis of the Relationship Between School Culture and Teachers' Professional Learning

An Analysis of the Relationship Between School Culture and Teachers' Professional Learning PDF Author: Amy V. Cruse
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Corporate culture
Languages : en
Pages : 146

Book Description
The researcher utilized a correlational, non-experimental design to gain a better understanding of the relationship between teachers' ratings of factors of school culture and their motivation to integrate professional development into practice. The survey, a cross-sectional design, studied data from teachers who participated in professional development from Educational Service Centers (ESCs) in northeast Ohio (n=80). The constructs of leadership that impact school culture: vision, trust, power, and collective efficacy were also explored. Using the School Culture Survey (Gruenert & Valentine, 1998) and the Expectancy-Value-Cost for Professional Development scale (EVC-PD) (Osman & Warner, 2020), the researcher considered the relationship between teachers' ratings of their school culture factors (collaborative leadership, teacher collaboration, unity of purpose, professional development, collegial support, and learning partnership) and their quantitative measure of motivation from the EVC-PD scale. The results suggest that three out of the six school culture factors show a statistically significant positive association with the EVC-PD scale. Results show that the factors of school culture predict a significant variation in the EVC-PD composite scores. Additional variables were measured to investigate if demographic data and teachers' professional development experience would predict the outcome of teachers' motivation to implement professional development. The results suggest that following up with teachers or leaders after a professional development is associated with teachers' increased motivation to integrate the professional development into their practice Results of this study support previous research regarding instructional leadership practices, with specific connections to student-centered and collective leadership approaches.

The Relationship Between School Culture and Professional Learning Communities in Elementary Schools

The Relationship Between School Culture and Professional Learning Communities in Elementary Schools PDF Author: Kendra Lynn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Elementary school teachers
Languages : en
Pages : 316

Book Description
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between school culture, teacher perceptions of professional learning community (PLC) implementation, and student achievement in elementary schools in a large school district in South Carolina. The theoretical framework for this study (the School Culture Survey [SCS] and Professional Learning Community Assessment-Revised [PLCA-R] survey instruments) were utilized along with interviews to collect data. Two elementary schools were studied, and a total of nine survey responses were collected. In order to further describe the survey data, 11 interviews were conducted. Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze data. Due to the limited responses, this study has no statistical significance, but trends were visible between the two schools studied. Based on the results, the researcher recommends that this study be replicated with additional schools within the district. The researcher also recommends that schools administer the SCS to schools to identify the culture of schools and areas for improvement first. Then, it is recommended that ongoing professional learning opportunities be offered on the benefits and expectations of PLCs.

An Ethic of Excellence

An Ethic of Excellence PDF Author: Ron Berger
Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 164

Book Description
The author gives us a vision of educational reform that transcends standards, curriculum, and instructional strategies. He argues for a paradigm shift-a schoolwide embrace of an "ethic of excellence" and with a passion for quality describes what's possible when teachers, students, and parents commit to nothing less than the best. The author tells exactly how this can be done, from the blackboard to the blacktop to the school boardroom.

The Teacher's Role in the Changing Globalizing World

The Teacher's Role in the Changing Globalizing World PDF Author: Hannele Niemi
Publisher: Brill
ISBN: 9789004372566
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 154

Book Description
The teacher's role is changing rapidly throughout the world. Traditional ways of working as a teacher are being challenged and teachers are faced with new areas of expertise they need to manage as educational professionals. These characteristics, challenges, and changes in the teacher's role have been identified internationally and are both conceptual and practical. Teachers' work now includes much more than teaching in classrooms, but has expanded to designing new learning environments, collaboration and networking with others and mentoring colleagues. This book addresses the importance of considering these issues, researching them, and emphasising the importance of actively influencing and protecting the importance of the teacher role.

Building Strong School Cultures

Building Strong School Cultures PDF Author: Sharon D. Kruse
Publisher: Corwin Press
ISBN: 145229478X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 201

Book Description
"Standing on the back of their groundbreaking research on school culture, Kruse and Seashore Louis provide an insightful and very practical guide that should be a must-read for anyone preparing to become a school leader." —Kenneth Leithwood, Professor OISE/University of Toronto "A manageable, well-rehearsed plan for discussion, research, and lots of reflective thought for any school leader willing to develop their own leadership and the culture in which they desire to lead." —Teresa P. Cunningham, Principal Laurel Elementary School, TN Develop an integrated school culture that engages educators with their colleagues and communities! As a principal, you realize that effecting positive, long-lasting change requires support both within your school and in the wider community. This practical handbook shows school leaders how to build a climate of collaboration with staff, teachers, and parents as well as how to develop connections with foundations, business groups, social service providers, and government agencies. Sharon D. Kruse and Karen Seashore Louis call on principals to create a viable, sustainable school culture using organizational learning and trust to involve the professional community and to affect teaching and learning. This addition to the Leadership for Learning series presents a leadership approach that integrates teachers, parents, and community members into a coherent team. The authors examine schools that have achieved lasting cultural change and present practical strategies for: Diagnosing and shaping a school culture Revising leadership functions to broaden decision-making processes Rethinking organizational structures Supporting continuous improvement while ensuring stability Building Strong School Cultures draws from business and psychology research on motivating and organizing people to provide school leaders with the skills they need to promote effective change.

Shaping School Culture

Shaping School Culture PDF Author: Terrence E. Deal
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119210194
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Book Description
The most trusted guide to school culture, updated with current challenges and new solutions Shaping School Culture is the classic guide to exceptional school leadership, featuring concrete guidance on influencing the subtle symbolic features of schools that provide meaning, belief, and faith. Written by renowned experts in the area of school culture, this book tackles the increasing challenges facing public schools and provides clear, candid suggestions for more effective symbolic leadership. This new third edition has been revised to reflect the reality of schools today, including the increased emphasis on high-stakes testing, federal reforms such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), state sponsored improvement programs, and other major issues that impact organizational culture and the role of school leaders. Each chapter features new examples and cases that illustrate persistent problems, spelling out key cultural implications and offering concrete examples of overcoming the challenges while maintaining a meaningful learning environment. The chapter on toxic schools continues to provide the field's most trusted advice on navigating this rocky terrain, and the discussion's focus on how to manage negativity remains especially integral to besieged school administrators across the U.S. Recent years have jolted the nation's school system with a number of new developments that spell problems for the cultural tapestry of schools. This book provides expert perspective and sage, doable advice for administrators tending to external pressures while sustainingor evolvinga more positive school culture. Navigate new challenges including Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and waning confidence and faith Turn around a toxic school culture with confidence and success Foster a culture of passion, purpose, and meaning Adopt a more active form of symbolic leadership to support students, faculty, staff, parents, and community Test scores as the primary metric, relentless reforms, waning public support, and timid initiatives wrapped in bureaucratic packaging: while among the most prominent issues administrators face are only the tip of the iceberg. Shaping School Culture charts a route through competing pressures to help educational leaders hew a positive learning environment for schools.

Transformational Professional Learning

Transformational Professional Learning PDF Author: Deborah M. Netolicky
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000556549
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 169

Book Description
Emerging from an education world that sees professional learning as a tool to positively shape teaching practice in order to improve student learning, Transformational Professional Learning elucidates professional learning that is transformational for teachers, school leaders, and schools. Written from the unique ‘pracademic’ perspective of an author who is herself a practising teacher, school leader, and researcher, this book articulates the why and the what of professional learning. It acts as a bridge between research and practice by weaving scholarly literature together with the lived experience of the author and with the voices of those working in schools. It covers topics from conferences, coaching, and collaboration, to teacher standards and leadership of professional learning. This book questions the ways in which professional learning is often wielded in educational settings and shows where teachers, school leaders, system leaders, and researchers can best invest their time and resources in order to support and develop the individuals, teams, and cultures in schools. It will be of great interest to teachers, leaders within schools, staff responsible for professional learning in school contexts, professional learning consultants, professional learning providers, and education researchers.

School Culture Survey Constructs and Student Achievement Relationships in Title I K-8 Schools

School Culture Survey Constructs and Student Achievement Relationships in Title I K-8 Schools PDF Author: Carrol Hammonds
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Low-income students
Languages : en
Pages : 188

Book Description
This quantitative study investigated the correlation between school culture constructs and student achievement in 160 Title I K-8 schools from four Local Education Agencies. -- Title I schools receive funds from the federal government to fund programs and provide resources to help students meet rigorous standards on state assessments. School culture is defined as the beliefs, perceptions, relationships, attitudes, and written and unwritten rules that shape and influence every aspect of how a school functions. -- This study aimed to determine if any relationship existed between school culture constructs and student achievement. Statistical analysis included preexisting data collected from the 2016 North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey and 2014-2016 student achievement data from the North Carolina End-of-Grade tests. -- The School Culture Survey constructs developed by Gruenert and Valentine (1998) were used to conduct a multilevel random intercept model for statistical analysis. Data analysis revealed a significant relationship between 2 of the 6 constructs related to school culture. Statistical analysis results revealed that Professional Development and Learning Partnership constructs had a significant relationship to student achievement. Both constructs had a p value of 0.00, which means a significant relationship exists between them and student achievement. -- Based on the results, recommendations include (1) broadening sample to include more Title I schools; (2) conduct a study to see if non-Title I schools will have the same constructs that relate to student achievement, (3) conduct a study to evaluate Professional Development and Learning Partnership in Title I schools, (4) analyzing Title I Distinguished schools, and (5) conducting a qualitative study related to understanding Professional Development and Learning Partnership in Title I schools. Building capacity in Professional Learning and Learning Partnerships could be the key to making sustained changes.

A Study of the Relationship Between School Culture and Standardized Test Scores

A Study of the Relationship Between School Culture and Standardized Test Scores PDF Author: Andrew Lee Smith
Publisher: Universal-Publishers
ISBN: 1599426730
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 155

Book Description
The purpose of this quantitative study was to discover the perceptions of school culture and correlate those perceptions with standardized test scores in elementary and secondary schools in southwestern Arizona. The intention of this study was to contribute to the field of education leadership related to student achievement and factors contributing to student achievement including organizational culture. A survey of teachers and administrators in participating schools in southwestern Arizona was completed and correlated with existing student achievement data for those participating schools. The School Culture Survey by Leithwood, Aitken, and Jantzi (2001) was used for the survey instrument, and the Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition, was used to measure student achievement. The survey results and student achievement data were correlated and revealed that a relationship does exist between perceptions of school culture and student achievement.

Flip the System Australia

Flip the System Australia PDF Author: Deborah M. Netolicky
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429770502
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 262

Book Description
This is a book by educators, for educators. It grapples with the complexities, the humanity and the possibilities in education. In a climate of competing accountabilities and measurement mechanisms; corporate solutions to education ‘problems’; and narratives of ‘failing’ schools, ‘underperforming’ teachers and ‘disengaged’ students; this book asks ‘What matters?’ or ‘What should matter?’ in education. Based in the unique Australian context, this book situates Australian education policy, research and practice within the international education narrative. It argues that professionals within schools should be supported, empowered and welcomed into policy discourse, not dictated to by top-down bureaucracy. It advocates for a flipping, flattening and democratising of the education system, in Australia and around the world. Flip the System Australia: What matters in education brings together the voices of teachers, school leaders and scholars in order to offer diverse perspectives, important challenges and hopeful alternatives to the current education system.