Culture

Professional Standards for Primary Principals

CULTURE

Provide professional leadership that focuses the school culture on enhancing learning and teaching.

In conjunction with the board, develop and implement a school vision and shared goals focused on enhanced engagement and achievement for all students. Promote a culture whereby staff members take on appropriate leadership roles and work collaboratively to improve teaching and learning. Model respect for others in interactions with adults and students. Promote the bicultural nature of New Zealand by ensuring that it is evident in the school culture. Maintain a safe, learning-focused environment. Promote an inclusive environment in which the diversity and prior experiences of students are acknowledged and respected. Manage conflict and other challenging situations effectively, and actively work to achieve solutions. Demonstrate leadership through participating in professional learning.

Culture: "What we value around here"

Principals who focus the school culture on enhancing learning and teaching:

• have the skills to develop and implement shared goals and vision
• develop targets which set an expectation that all students will experience success in learning
• create a culture in which teamwork is expected and valued, and in which teachers are enabled to take on appropriate leadership roles
• build distributed leadership networks that secure commitment and responsibility for continued improvement through all levels of the school
• challenge and modify values and traditions which are not in students’ best interests
• lead and create opportunities to celebrate progress and success.

A school’s culture consists of the customs, rituals, and stories that are evident and valued throughout the whole school. An effective school culture is one in which the customs and values foster success for all; and where clear boundaries are set, known and agreed to by everyone (Stoll et al, 2003). In developing a positive culture, effective principals ensure that educational practices are inclusive. They make certain that students and their families do not feel alienated either from their own culture or from the culture of the school.

A school’s culture is also reflected in how, as an organisation, it solves the problems it faces. Effective school leadership ensures that the culture of the school is one that is safe and well organised, allowing teachers to focus on their teaching, and students on their learning (Robinson, 2007).

The Treaty of Waitangi provides a rationale for building a school culture that acknowledges kaupapa Māori, and promotes te reo Māori and tikanga Māori. New Zealand research indicates that student achievement is affected by the degree to which a student’s culture is respected by the school, and by the degree to which there is a connection between the culture of the community and whānau and the values of the school (Bishop et al, 2007).