School Improvement is More than Curriculum and Instruction Expertise

Curriculum and instruction. Those are the foundation of what we do in education, but they are not the center of successful school improvement. Many improvement efforts fail because they focus completely on curriculum and instruction. Campus leaders are prone to making this mistake. After all, principals were teachers, instructional specialists, and curriculum experts. District support staff lean towards making this mistake because most support staff work in curriculum and instruction. And rightfully so - curriculum and instruction are at the center of our business. They just are not the center of successful school improvement.

Culture is the center of successful School Improvement

Think of Southwest Airlines, General Motors, Facebook, and Google. These are the names of thriving businesses. They are the result of successful on-going improvement efforts focused on organizational culture. They continue as a part of our everyday lives because they have strong organizational cultures. The way they do business defines their culture. The ways they go about their business - their culture and climate - make people want to be involved. People want to work there. A thriving organizational culture is engaging, stimulating, innovative, and welcoming. School organizations are no different. 

Who carries the responsibility for establishing a campus culture? The principal. Rest assured, the culture will determine the long-term success of the campus. You could have access to the best technology, best curricula, and best instructional practices. If those are not situated in a strong organizational culture, they alone will not create long-term school improvement. School improvement is the result of people, and people are what make the culture. People who want to be involved. People who are committed to a vision. People who are passionate about what they’re doing. That is what creates school improvement, and principals have the ultimate role in making it happen. If you’re not sold on the idea, let’s examine the impact of two toxic cultures.

Toxic Cultures Kill School Improvement

Toxic cultures kill quickly. The first example we'll look at is a toxic culture that’s created by a principal's own fears. The principal fears making mistakes (see "Fear of Failure"). He desperately avoids ever doing anything "wrong". And I’m not just talking careless, sloppy mistakes, which really should be avoided. We’re talking about the inevitable mistakes involved with innovating, taking risks, or trying to learn new things. To this principal, all mistakes are bad. Consequently, his staff are constantly on the lookout. They're always looking over their shoulders and afraid they’re being watched for making a mistake. They’re going to be hammered by the principal if they mess up. The fears of one person have become a toxic culture for the school. 

In this example, when teachers collaborate, the room goes silent when the principal walks in. No one expresses ideas no one questions anything everyone feels the sense of beer. When the principal leaves everyone talks and usually they talk about things that are not even on task. Why should they? Any new and fresh ideas are surely going to be shot down by the principle or by the principal’s leadership team. It’s a toxic culture. It’s a culture of fear and it comes unknowingly from one person’s own fear of failure.

The second example is a culture in which there is no accountability. You have the best teachers, the best curriculum documents, and the best instruction. However, improvement is not occurring campus -wide. For example, almost all of the teachers in transition have their students move through the hallways quietly and orderly. Inevitably, there are two classrooms who create a sense of chaos. Even the orderly classrooms become disruptive as a result. Individual teachers cannot improve this scenario. They cannot even manage their own students because it is a campus problem...in spite of their greatest efforts. Transitions become a headache for all involved and students become disruptive in the classroom afterward. It's not due to poor teacher performance. The culture of no accountability has created the disaster. The teachers are great, the curriculum is great, but alone it is not enough. Because of the toxic culture, there’s a lack of accountability and a few problems create a domino effect. This halts any long-term school improvement.

The Culture is the Principal's Primary Responsibility

Our primary business is curriculum and instruction. They are our work. They are our products and services. Not to be mistaken, school improvement does not occur without good curriculum and instruction. But remember, curriculum and instruction cannot create school improvement. It is the campus culture that creates school improvement. And therefore, it is the primary responsibility of the principal to nurture and create an effective school culture. Culture, not curriculum and instruction, is the driver of school improvement.

Here are quick steps a principal can take in summer break to enhance school climate!

More to come...school improvement: systems, data dashboards, professional learning, vision casting, and the power of teams.