Socio-economic and Cultural factors

School Culture and socio- economic factors

Culture describes how things are and acts as a screen or lens through which the world is viewed.  It defines reality for those within a social organisation, gives them support and identify and creates a framework for learning Louise Stoll (1998)

Every school culture is unique and is the glue that keeps everybody together and can be seen as a development force.  It is true that Cultures change as participant change, however, this force must be nurtured and guided by a driving force.  It is mostly seen as how people relate to and work together from management of the school’s structures, systems, and physical environment to the learning focus for students and adults.

 I like how a school culture is described as: a complex web of values and believes, norms and social and power relationships and emotions.  That is because teachers, parents, political and economic forces all have an influence on the culture of a school.

In our school, we are aiming to build a culture of care, empathy, respect, effort in learning and developing young people into responsible members of society. This is reflected in our school CARE/PB4L values. School culture is also manifested in our School Mission Statement and Vision which can be found in our Charter and School Curriculum Plan. These were developed over time in consultation and with input from staff, board, parents/whanau, students and also with a clear sense of purpose from the principal. Our core driver is to aim for continual improvement.

 

Norms of Improving Schools

According to Stoll and Fink (1996) norms shape reactions to internally or externally proposed or impose improvements. It is, therefore important for those working in schools and outsiders supporting them to understand their norms because acceptance of improvement projects by a school depends on the fit between norms embedded in the changes and those within the school’s own culture.

Socio-economic factors

Currently I am teaching at a West Auckland Primary school.  We are a Decile 5 school.  Statistical data about the socio-economic status of our community is reflected in the decile rating of the school. This data is gathered from the census and is used to resource school to take in to account disparities of income and employment in communities. This data is public information.

Do we agree?

Research indicates that children from low-SES households and communities develop academic skills more slowly compared to children from higher SES groups (Morgan, Farkas, Hillemeier, & Maczuga, 2009).  It is also mentioned in the same article that the school systems in low-SES communities are often underresourced.  I would like to get some feedback on this because I have only visited a few low decile schools in Auckland and I was impressed by the resources in these schools.  I believe it takes more than just a well-resourced school for students to achieve.

Professional Environment

Our current focus is on professional standards and behaviour as we prepare for the introduction of the new Code of Responsibility for Teachers developed and mandated by the New Zealand Education Council in July 2017.
We focus on developing a professional environment where teachers are expected to use professional language, to be reflective and to engage in inquiry about their own practice, to take responsibility for on-going professional learning development, and to work collaboratively to uphold the school vision and curriculum plan.

Cultural Responsiveness is a major part of the school curriculum plan and strategic direction-which breaks down to yearly (Annual Plan) goals. Student voice is valued and leaves a sense of belonging and purpose for students.

References

Educational leaders  Stoll and Fink (1996)  
Morgan, Farkas, Hillemeier, & Maczuga,( 2009).