School Culture: "The Hidden Curriculum." Issue Brief

This is the sixth in a series of issue briefs to be written for The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement during 2006. The impact of organizational culture on student achievement is discussed in this issue brief. Gaining a deep understanding of what a strong, positive organizational culture looks like and how it works can help educators become more thoughtful about developing their own. A school's culture--positive or negative--stems from its vision and its established values. Whether the culture is strong or weak depends on the actions, traditions, symbols, ceremonies, and rituals that are closely aligned with that vision. Effective schools make sure that even the smallest aspects of daily life align with the core ideology and envisioned future. No symbol or ceremony is too minor to be coopted into serving the larger vision. As educators come under greater pressure to achieve much better and more equitable student outcomes, they will need to leverage every tool available to them, including organizational culture. The first step is to help educators recognize that having a strong, positive culture means much more than just safety and order. (Contains 26 endnotes.) [This document was produced by The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, administered by Learning Point Associates in partnership with the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) and WestEd, under contract with the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education.]