Office of School Improvement

K-12 Jobs · Teach21 · School Directory

Skip Navigation

Downloads 21st CCLC Adult Education Arts Alive Assessment Office Career Tech Ed Cedar Lakes Child Nutrition Coaching for Learning Collaborative Teams Network eLearning GED Global21 Globaloria Golden Horseshoe Gov. Schools

Healthy Schools HSTW Human Resources Innovation Zones Instructional Guides Intel Teach Internal Ops. Learn and Serve LINKS Program LSIC Mentorship National Board OEPA OIEP Office of Research Office of Technology

RESAs SAS Curriculum Pathways Schools of Excellence School Counseling School Finance School Improvement School Readiness Special Programs Student Services Support for Personalized Learning Sustainable Schools Teach21 Teach IEP Tech Ed Textbook Adoption

Thinkfinity Title I Transition to Teaching Troops to Teachers Videoconference Webtop WESTEST WV Connections WVCPTS WVEIS WVHEAT WV Learns WV Schools for the Deaf and Blind WV State Museum Education WV Virtual School

Other WVDE sites

Office of School Improvement Banner

School Culture Survey

In the process of improving schools we must address school culture and its relationship to school improvement. Stephen Gruenert and Jerry Valentine's research (University of Missouri - Columbia), as well as other school culture research, concludes that improving how adults in a school work together improves student learning. School leaders must explore what relationships are like, how things are done, and what matters most in their schools. With the use of a quality measurement, school leaders can see the reality of adult working relationships within their schools. Then school leadership teams can use the data to gain insights and improve their school culture.

With the permission of Valentine and Gruenert, the WVDE is able to provide a research-based School Culture Survey for its schools. This instrument assesses the culture of a school. With the data from this survey, school leaders can begin to understand the present status of their school's culture, particularly the collaborative nature of their culture. Given time and concerted effort, leaders can assess changes in their school culture. This insight should be valuable as school leaders work to create a highly effective school for their students.

History of the school culture survey: An initial instrument was developed based upon a review of school culture literature. That instrument was administered to 632 teachers in Missouri. Through factor analysis, six factors were established. The factors and the factor descriptions are: (1) Collaborative Leadership, describes the degree to which school leaders establish and maintain collaborative relationships with school staff. (2) Teacher Collaboration, describes the degree to which teachers engage in constructive dialogue that furthers the educational vision of the school. (3) Professional Development, describes the degree to which teachers value continuous personal development and school-wide improvement. (4) Unity of Purpose, describes the degree to which teachers work toward a common mission for the school. (5) Collegial Support, describes the degree to which teachers work together effectively. (6) Learning Partnership, describes the degree to which teachers, parents, and students work together for the common good of the student. Chronbach's Alphas were computed to establish reliability of the new instrument. Validity of the instrument was established through correlational analysis of the six factors with selected factors from the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) School Climate Survey.

Using the School Culture Survey: To maximize the benefit from the survey data, we ask that schools first contact either our office or their RESA before introducing the use of the culture survey to the entire school staff. We find it imperative that a trained WVDE or RESA staff member work with each school through this process. We will need to debrief with schools to understand the limitations and implications and of the data. Use this link to access the culture survey.

Contact Kenny Moles (kmoles@access.k12.wv.us) or Nancy Cline (nmcline@access.k12.wv.us) for additional assistance. They both can be reached at 304-558-3199.