Research shows that good schools do not occur without first establishing a positive, collaborative culture. This session will examine toxic cultures and show how they can be transformed into collaborative enterprises that will propel your school forward.

1. TRANSFORMING SCHOOL
CULTURE
NORTH CAROLINA MIDDLE SCHOOL ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
2013
LINDA HOPPING

2. EXPECTED OUTCOMES
participants will learn how to transform toxic cultures
into collaborative endeavors
participants will analyze their current school culture and
begin the development of a plan to make it more
collaborative

3. ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What would a middle school look
like if the culture was inviting,
supportive, and safe for all
stakeholders?

4. HOW BIG IS THE GORILLA IN YOUR
SCHOOL?
In most schools, the
800 pound gorilla
that impairs
performance and
stifles change is
CULTURE.

5. CHANGE IN THE GULCH
trailblazers
pioneers
settlers
stay at
homes
saboteurs

6. THREE LEVELS OF CHANGE
Procedural
Structural
Cultural
Leading School Change

7. RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
• teachers who have seen similar changes
fail
• new teachers who lack confidence to try
something unfamiliar
• lackluster teachers who throw a wrench
in the process in an attempt to derail it

8. FOUR TYPES OF TEACHERS
Believers “Tweeners”
“Yes we can” “I don’t know”
School
Culture
Survivors
Fundamentalists
“Get me through the
“No way”
day”
Transforming School Culture, Anthony Muhammad

9. WHERE ARE YOUR TEACHERS?
Believers Tweeners
?
Survivors Fundamentalists

10. FOUR TYPES OF CULTURE
collaborative
contrived
dictator/administration
rules
isolated
Where is the culture in YOUR school?

11. RATE YOUR SCHOOL CULTURE
A SINGING VERSION
Toxic Healthy
I Can’t Get No Satisfaction Stairway to Heaven
Who Let the Dogs Out? Celebrate
I Will Survive We Are the Champions
16 Tons Top of the World
Take This Job and Shove It
I Am a Believer
Help!
We Are Family
Hard Day’s Night
The Hero Is In You
Wrong Again
Send in the Clowns Lean on Me
The Sounds of Silence Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
Bridge Over Troubled Waters Imagine
Rainy Days and Mondays One Moment in Time
Empty Chairs at Empty Tables I’m A Believer

12. THE LOOK OF A TOXIC CULTURE
negative
values
negative
beliefs fragmented
Toxic
pessimistic
staff destructive
lack of
negative integrity
relationships
and values
Shaping School Culture

13. HOW DO YOU CHANGE A TOXIC
CULTURE?
• be a role model for the change
• realize that the first impression when instituting change is all
important
• emphasize that the change is in the best interests of the
students
• instill an awareness of both the existing culture and the need
for change
• invite teachers to be part of the change
• support positive cultural elements and staff

14. HOW DO YOU CHANGE A TOXIC
CULTURE?
• gather support of the superstar teachers and then bring the
others along
• pretend almost everyone is on board
• focus on recruitment, selection, and retention of effective,
positive staff
• focus on eradicating the negative
• meet on the negativity head-on

15. HOW DO YOU CHANGE A TOXIC
CULTURE?
• diminish fear and apprehension
• rebuild around positive norms and beliefs
• consistently celebrate the positive and the possible
• develop new stories of success, renewal, and accomplishment
• help toxic teachers make the move to a new school

16. TRICKS TO DEALING WITH
COMPLAINERS
disperse their negative power
do not treat them as a group
realize they cannot influence the
believers
remember they complain
EVERYWHERE
Leading School Change

17. TRICKS TO DEALING WITH
COMPLAINERS
redesign staff meeting arrangements
meet with them INDIVIDUALLY to
discuss plans for change
do not put them in adjacent
classrooms, common teams or PLC’s
match them up with trailblazers and
pioneers
Leading School Change

18. Strong, positive school cultures
result in increased student
achievement and motivation
Guiding Your School Community to Live a Culture of Caring and Learning

19. SHIFTING SCHOOL CULTURE
FROM TO
• teaching • learning
• teacher isolation • collaboration
• pass/fail mindset • elimination of failure
• compliance • commitment
• curriculum overload • guaranteed curriculum
• general goals • specific goals
• static assessment • dynamic assessment
• independence • interdependence
• planning to plan • planning to improve
• time and staff fixed • learning fixed
• learning for most • learning for all

20. BUILDING A POSITIVE CULTURE
“Trust is the glue that holds a collaborative culture together.”
Skillful Leader II
Absence
Risk- of threat
taking
trust
Collaborative Culture

21. common
understanding
adjust efforts common
based on data commitment
Successful
Collaboration
data to monitor efficiency and
performance effectiveness

22. SHAPING A SUCCESSFUL CULTURE
focus on a student-centered mission and
purpose
strengthen positive elements of existing
culture
build on established traditions and
values
hire staff who share the values of the
culture
use history to fortify and sustain values
and beliefs
Shaping School Culture

23. POWERFUL, POSITIVE CULTURES
collegiality
experimentation
high expectations
trust and confidence
tangible support
reaching out to the knowledge bases

24. POWERFUL, POSITIVE CULTURES
appreciation and recognition
caring, celebration, humor
involvement in decision making
protection of what is important
honor traditions
honest, open communication
Butler and Dickson, 1987

25. TODAY’S PRINCIPAL
• provides an atmosphere conducive to shared decision-
making and collaboration at all levels
• asks questions rather than providing answers
• facilitates the process of school improvement rather than
prescribing how it should be done
• collaboratively explores alternatives to ineffective
policies and practices rather than dictate the ones that
will be used
This We Believe in Action

26. TODAY’S TEACHERS
• are active leaders in the school learning community
• participate in instructional discussions within learning
communities that are centered on student success
• are involved members of their teams
• seek ways to make curriculum integrative, relevant, and
challenging for students

27. TODAY’S TEACHERS
• share instructional strategies to help meet individual
student needs
• discuss data with their colleagues and use it to inform
instruction
• share their expertise to help the school solve problems,
make decisions, and set policy and direction
This We Believe in Action

28. SCHOOL RITUALS AS PART OF
CULTURE
coffee and
doughnuts
schedule RITUALS attendance
dismissal

29. SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS AS PART OF
CULTURE
Celebration is a key element in building and maintaining a positive,
collaborative culture – embrace ALL partners in your celebrations

30. WHAT DO YOU CELEBRATE?
PA I R , S H A R E W I T H A PA R T N E R

31. BUILDING A POSITIVE SCHOOL
CULTURE
responsibility
is everyone’s

32. TICKET OUT THE DOOR
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO AT YOUR SCHOOL?

33. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barth, Roland. (2001). Learning by heart. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Burgess, Jan & Bates, Donna. (2009). Other duties as assigned. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Clark, Sally & Clark, Donald. (2008). Leadership that makes a difference. Westerville, OH: National Middle School
Association.
Covey, Stephen R. (2008}. The leader in me. New York, NY: Free Press.
Darling-Hammond, L. (1997). The right to learn: A blueprint for creating schools that work. San Francisco: Jossey-
Bass.
Deal, Terrence E. (1999). Shaping school culture: The heart of leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
DuFour, Richard & Eaker, Robert. (1998). Professional learning communities at work. Bloomington, IN: Solution
Tree Press.
Fullan, M. (1998). Leadership for the 21st century-Breaking the bonds of dependency. Educational Leadership, 55 (7),
6-10.
DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., and Karhanek, G. (2004). Whatever it takes: How professional learning
communities respond when kids don’t learn. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

34. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gibbs, Jeanne. (2007). Guiding your school community to live a culture of caring and learning: The process is called
tribes. Windsor, CA: Centersource Systems.
Muhammad, Anthony. (2009). Transforming school culture. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Peterson, Kent D. (1999). Shaping school culture. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Platt, A., Tripp, C., Fraser, R., Warnock, J., Curtis, R. (2008). The skillful leader II. Acton, MA: Ready Action Press.
This we believe: Keys to educating young adolescents. (2010). Westerville, OH: National Middle School Association.
This we believe in action: Implementing successful middle level schools. (2012). Westerville, OH. Association for
Middle Level Education.
Whitaker, Todd. (2010). Leading school change. Larchmont, NY: Eye On Education.