Creating a positive school culture is a recipe, rather than a single action.
It takes the right ingredients鈥攈iring staff who truly believe in the district鈥檚 goals, supporting those staff members鈥� personal and professional growth, celebrating their (and their students鈥�) accomplishments, and having a bit of fun along the way.
If districts can strike a good balance of all these things, they can create a school culture that staff members don鈥檛 want to leave, as evidenced by Colleyville Middle School in Texas.
The work is nuanced and takes time, but the payoff is worth it, experts say.
A positive school culture can help retain employees and recruit new ones, when needed. And it can lead to more satisfied鈥攁nd therefore more effective鈥攖eachers and better student performance on standardized tests.
Here are some tips from Principal David Arencibia, who has built up a school culture so enticing that staff members have been known to forgo big raises and shorter commutes to stay at Colleyville.
