Effective Schools: The Role of Culture in Student Achievement

students in a school classroom

Throughout most of the developed world, education has been considered a vital process for societal development. While success may not seem the same in each and every country and every culture, many people universally agree that the purpose of education is primarily to equip a child with two things: to become a successful, well-rounded adult and to prepare a person to function well in society. To do these goals, a person will need to learn, at varying levels, the fundamental concepts of reading, writing, and arithmetic. This article briefly covers some of the key elements involved in learning to read and write in order to prepare young minds for the future.

A number of decades ago, high school education was viewed as a privilege for the very elite. Since then, however, that has changed, with many students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. Still, given the social and economic developments that have occurred throughout the developed world, there has been little change in the criteria that govern schools with regard to admission. The admission standards remain highly rigid, despite new developments that enable some students who otherwise would have been denied admittance to university or college to get a degree. In recent years, educators have been forced to reevaluate their approach to school culture, focusing almost immediately on students' behaviour in the classroom.

The prevailing educational theory now admits that behaviour is one of the most powerful forces shaping education. Thus, effective schools must be organized around an effective, orderly, cooperative, and respectful school climate. Parents and other adults in the home are important in creating this climate, but so too are the school administrators who are responsible for ensuring that it stays that way. One of the most effective ways to organize an orderly and respectful school climate is through what is called the organizational culture of a school.

The organizational culture of an institution may be defined as the shared values, beliefs, and actions that exist among its faculty, staff members, parents, and other students. These shared values and beliefs can vary from one student to another. But one thing in common: these must be demonstrated repeatedly to each student and applied consistently in order to promote student achievement. In fact, these behaviours are instrumental in generating student achievement in the first place.

Bookshelves in a Library

This is why effective schools must have consistent and routine culture. The same goes for teachers, who are supposed to teach and learn together in order to contribute to student achievement. A set of shared behaviours and practices must be established and enforced, which go far beyond mere classroom decorum. These behaviours and practices are then used to create an environment where learning can take place without fear of disruption or intervention.

One of the most effective practices to promote a school's organizational culture is to create a climate of trust and openness in which people can work together. Trust refers to the ability of people to respect each other's time and efforts. openness refers to a willingness to listen to and discuss ideas and concerns. Without the former, the latter is unlikely to occur. This kind of environment fosters open communication, which is essential for building a healthy culture.

But it takes more than a simple exchange of information and views to create this kind of culture. Teachers are supposed to adopt a set of attitudes in order to be able to contribute to the desired educational system. Consistency and reliability also play a key role. This is why it is important to develop the educational practice of encouraging staff members (including teachers) to share their own visions and feelings, as well as their personal goals for the school. Such personal and group discussions are meant to contribute to the overall well-being of staff members and students alike.

In sum, the goal of any educational system is to ensure that all students can reach their fullest potential. Educational practices may vary depending on the specific needs of each individual, but whatever the system is, it should seek to promote orderly and reliable processes through an inclusive educational environment. This is the only way to ensure that students can realize their full educational potentials. This is what an effective school's culture can contribute toward student achievement. The best way to achieve that goal is to create an environment that encourages and rewards constructive involvement and collaboration.