Changing Schools Culture

Changing Schools Culture

EDU 688 Organizational Management for Student

Dysfunctional School Culture Traits

The dysfunctional traits in my school are mostly about values and people understanding the direction of the school. Even though we have the mission statement and the vision, we have never had a conversation to help employees better understand the meaning of what the mission and vision say. It has also never been a conversation at our values, ethics. It seems as though the administration is so wrapped up in other stuff that we have not addressed this.

I feel I am a good judge of characters and have the ability to observe the culture and figure out how to help fix it. I enjoy watching what people do, and I believe that a person’s actions are a direct reflection of their idea of what they feel are the values of the organization as stated in the article “How to understand your current company culture,” that an observer needs to be impartial to watch the culture in action. Watching for employees’ emotions and seeing their reactions. Emotions are an indication of values, which means that if people do not get excited or upset about things that are unimportant to them . I have also seen the teachers and the set-up of the building that is not conducive to influence the values to help with the culture. Keep in mind we are a military academy, and values are the heart of the military forces, so I expect a strong sense of values throughout the school.

Dysfunctional School Culture Explanation

As stated, the school has not put enough effort into building the culture in ways of establishing values and talking about them. I also feel the communication to build the culture has been overlooked. Some new teachers don’t even know what the mission and vision statement is. If this path is continued, we will end up with a school that doesn’t have a strong culture to support the goals of the school, especially since we are becoming a school whose identity is a military academy with structures similar to the military.

Develop Strategies for Changing School Culture

In an effort to offer strategies for changing the school culture, I would start with the values and belief system in place. The organization needs employees who have had buy-in as to what the values and beliefs are, which in turn will help with the attitude for all.

First, I would have a professional learning community set up to take a look at the culture of the school and give them specific goals in learning the values and beliefs of the employees and, at the same time, analyzing their attitude towards the culture present in the school.

Second, I would hold collaborative work groups with all employees to hear their concerns and ideas on the culture of the school. Too many times, employees may feel they are not a part of the process and be a part of the solution.

Thirdly I would offer a survey to help the employees who don’t want to speak out to have a voice in the process. In the effort to have a holistic view of the issue at hand and what everyone feels the culture is. Written surveys taken by people in the organization can also provide information about the organizational culture .

The rationale for Changes to School Culture

Values form the foundation for everything that happens in your workplace. The core values of the employees in your workplace, along with their experiences, upbringing, and so on, meld together to form your corporate culture . Changes to the school culture will come once the values of the organization come in line with the goals of the organization. Once the beliefs of the employees are going in a direction that makes everyone successful.

In changing the school’s culture, we can build a strong foundation in the military community. We are a military academy, and it is essential that we have strong values, and with the introduction of new employees, we must ensure the values and beliefs are in line with the desired culture. Being discipline is also very important, and we know that culture is learned, and the simple acknowledgment of a person’s action will go far to build the culture. A simple thank you from an executive for work performed in a particular manner, molds the culture .

New School Culture

The vision of Colorado Military Academy is to be the premier military academy in the region recognized for STEM excellence and developing strong leaders of character.

The guiding mission of CMA is to prepare cadets for today’s colleges and tomorrow’s careers by engaging cadets in a rigorous and high-tech curriculum in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) while building strong moral character through an environment of military leadership development.

The changes in the culture will support the mission and vision, which is aligned with the military — having employees who understand that the values are essential to the development of all students and teachers. Teachers must believe in what the values will do, and they must have the attitude that we will be successes full.

School Success

As the new culture starts to grow, we will see an increase in student performance. This will be shown through the higher levels of discipline and a changing of attitudes to have the beliefs and values needed to sustain a well-disciplined, highly motivated student body. The teachers will see this change and will be able to teach with fewer disturbances, with disciplined students who hold values near and belief in what they are a part of. With this growth and having pride in one’s school and teachers, the culture will become that of learning and growth.