Teach Middle East Magazine September 2014 Issue 1 Vol. 2 | Page 11

Administrators′ Corner

IS YOUR SCHOOL CULTURE
TOXIC OR POSITIVE?
By Leisa Simapili

S

chool culture often also referred
to as school climate is the
cornerstone of all schools.
It may be defined as the
quality and character of school life.
It encompasses patterns of student,
parent, and school staff experiences
within the school. It reflects norms,
goals,
values,
interpersonal
relationships, teaching and learning
practices and organisational structures.
It is that force that drives a school’s
success or failure. It is the foundation
for school improvement. Nonetheless,
this topic is rarely dealt with especially
here in the United Arab Emirates and
the MENA region.
Education in the United Arab Emirates
is at a defining moment, one with
the potential to shape the nation’s
educational future. There has been
considerable investment in buildings,
technology and staffing. However, it
can be argued that enough attention
has not been paid to ensuring that all
schools enjoy a positive school culture.
Building a positive school culture is
the responsibility of all stakeholders
from administration and teachers to
students and parents, as well as, policy
makers. For schools to successfully
build a positive school culture, they
must foster both excellent academic
achievement and good ethics. A school
with a positive school culture can be
defined as having an ethos of high
expectations for each student and staff.
In toxic school cultures, staff:
• View students as the problem
rather than their valued clients.
• Are sometimes part of negative
subcultures that are hostile and
critical of change.
• Believe they are doing the best
they can and don’t search out new
ideas.
• Frequently share stories and
historical perspectives on the
school that are often negative,
discouraging, and demoralising.
• Complain, criticise, and distrust
any new ideas, approaches, or

suggestions
for
improvement
raised by administration and fellow
colleagues.
• Rarely share ideas, materials, or
solu ѥ