Why It’s Important to Assess Your School Culture
"I'm afraid I'm going to burnout as a teacher."
These words came from an aspiring teacher who was still completing her credentialing program. It’s concerning to hear this fear from someone who hasn't even started their teaching career yet.
When future educators are already worried about burnout before entering the classroom, it shows that something needs to change in our educational system.
What needs to change is prioritizing the care of the people who keep our schools running - the district leaders, school leaders, teachers, and support staff.
While there are many other systemic challenges in education, there's one solution that's within our control right now: creating a school culture that truly cares for its people.
What is school culture and why assess it?
School culture consists of clear expectations that create alignment and a foundation for how things work and how individuals interact and engage within a school environment. School culture is also the feeling that one experiences when working within the educational ecosystem.
Why assess a school culture? A school’s culture is the most significant predictor of the resilience of the school population (leadership, staff, and students) and instructional and academic outcomes.
When the people in the system feel and know that they are cared for; as evidenced by the cultural practices and expectations, it positively impacts their effectiveness, performance, and creativity at work.
So, to improve the retention rates of your staff and improve instructional and academic outcomes, you need to assess your school’s culture because it’s the foundation of the entire educational ecosystem within your school.
This is similar to how classroom cultures are created with your students. When students know the expectations, trust their teacher and peers, and feel psychologically safe and comfortable in the classroom, it supports their academic success and growth.
Key components of a healthy school culture
Let’s first get clear on what factors contribute to a healthy school culture. Here are the 6 Domains, and the Key Components of each domain of a school culture that embodies holistic care. Each domain addresses an aspect that is needed in every school culture for everyone (leaders, teachers, support staff) to thrive and stay in the profession so they can make an impact with their students.
Leadership & Communication
Clear expectations and goals
Regular, meaningful feedback loops
Transparent decision-making processes
Autonomy & Trust
Professional judgment respected
Innovation encouraged
Flexibility within structure
Community & Connection
Authentic relationships
Collaborative opportunities
Celebration of successes
Support & Resources
Adequate planning time
Mental health support
Professional development
Work-Life Integration
Sustainable workload
Boundaries respected
Wellness prioritized
Equity & Inclusion
Fair opportunities for growth and leadership
Diverse perspectives valued and integrated
Inclusive decision-making process
Signs your school culture needs attention
Now that we’ve gone through the 6 domains of what makes a healthy school culture. I invite you to pause to reflect on your current school culture with this question:
How would you describe your school’s current culture in three words?
Next, reflect on whether your school culture needs tending to. Here are tangible indicators to look out for:
Low staff morale
High teacher absenteeism
High teacher turnover
Lack of collaboration among staff and with leadership
Now that you have a general gauge of the state of your current school culture, to determine which of the 6 domains needs to be addressed, is to utilize an assessment framework.
Before diving into the assessment, take a moment to reflect: What patterns have you already noticed in your school's culture?
Introduction to the assessment framework
Just like in the classroom with your students, in order to identify which instructional strategies to utilize, you need to assess your students’ needs and schema.
Therefore, the first step towards transforming your school culture is to utilize this assessment framework:
Initial Assessment Phase
Assess the state of your current school culture in the six domains of a healthy school culture. Assessing these six domains of your current school culture will provide you with the data to inform what needs to be addressed and what opportunities can be created to foster intentional shifts in your school culture.
Just like you assess your student's needs at the start of the year, your school culture needs a clear starting point.
Here's how to begin:
- Survey your staff using simple, focused questions about each domain
- Hold small group conversations to gather honest feedback
- Look at key data points like staff attendance and turnover rates
- Document the "feeling" of your school through observation
Timeline: Plan for 2-3 weeks to gather this initial data thoughtfully.
Creating Your Culture Framework
Create your school’s customized culture of care framework by utilizing the data collected to establish clear expectations and evidence-based intentional actions using the multi-tiered systems of support framework.
Take what you've learned and turn it into action:
- Pick 1-2 priority areas based on your assessment
- Set clear, measurable goals for each area
- Create simple and sustainable action steps that feel doable
- Define what success looks like for your school
Think of this like creating a lesson plan - you need clear objectives and steps to get there.
Building Team Capacity
Build capacity and momentum within your leadership team and staff. This involves intentional training and collaboration through conversations and actions while also monitoring progress along the way. You want to know that what you’re putting into action is making an impact while celebrating the successes along the way. Building capacity creates sustainability, even through inevitable future changes in leadership and staff.
Just like we differentiate for students, support your staff where they are:
- Start with small wins to build confidence
- Share successful strategies among team members
- Check-in regularly with your staff
- Celebrate progress, no matter how small
Remember: Culture change happens one conversation at a time.
Grow by Monitoring and Adjusting
Grow and strengthen the foundational culture of care framework you’ve built with your staff. This requires continuous progress monitoring of the impact and making refinements based on the data collected through progress monitoring.
Keep track of what's working:
- Do quick pulse checks with your staff monthly
- Look for signs of positive change in daily interactions
- Ask your team what they notice is different
- Make adjustments based on what you learn
Think of this like a formative assessment - you're gathering evidence to guide the next steps.
The Potential Impact of a Culture of Care
Every educator enters this profession wanting to make an impact.
When a school intentionally fosters a culture of care, it positively affects the well-being of leaders, educators, staff, and students.
Research shows that enhancing the well-being of educators leads to:
more effective instructional practices
improved classroom management resulting in fewer extreme behaviors
strengthened relationships with students
improved academic performance among students.
Imagine your school where:
- Teams collaborate and support each other naturally.
- There is a stronger and more connected community among leaders, educators, and students.
- Incidents of extreme student behavior are reduced.
Think about the ripple effects this could create in your school.
By building a culture of care, we can create an environment where that's possible. Students will remember how they felt at school - and those feelings start with how your leaders, teachers, and staff feel showing up each day.
Think about it:
What kind of school environment do you want your students to remember?
What stories do you want your staff to tell about working at your school?
The question isn't whether to create a culture of care - it's when to start.
Why not begin building an environment where everyone can thrive, stay, and make their biggest impact with students and families?
The future of education depends on the cultures we create in our schools today. You have the power to create this change.
As you reflect on your school's culture, consider:
- What aspects of your current culture energize your staff?
- Where do you see the greatest potential for positive change?
- How might a stronger culture of care impact your specific community?
I share these insights and frameworks because I believe in how powerful intentional culture-building can be. If any of these ideas resonate with your vision for your school, I'd love to hear your thoughts and explore possibilities together.
You can reach out to learn more at hello@nurturedsolutions.org or visit https://www.nurturedsolutions.org/cultureassessmentguide to download our free Culture Assessment Guide.
Together, we can create school environments where everyone thrives.
