How School Culture Can Be Optimized

Hey everybody, what’s up? This is Seth with sethperler.com. I’m glad you’re here.

Today I want to take a quick look at school culture—what makes an awesome school culture.

I am in a lot of schools for various IEP, 504, RTI meetings, and all kinds of things, so I get to see a lot of different schools. I get to see and feel a lot of different school cultures, and the second you walk into a school, you can feel the culture.

Today I went to an IEP meeting and walked out of there, and I was so impressed. I love it when I walk out of these meetings and just feel so appreciative of teachers, schools, and school culture.

I do think that 99% of the time, school culture is a top-down thing. Unfortunately, the principal tends to set the tone for the culture.

In this case, it was just a great principal who really provided a great environment where teachers could feel like they can be their best—which is what teachers want to do. They want to be empowered, they want to feel like they can really shine, and they want to serve kids.

Of course, as you know, teachers often get burnt out. In fact, over 50% of all teachers quit by year five. That’s an extraordinarily high percentage of people getting burnt out and leaving a profession that we need to serve our kids.

Anyhow, I’m going to talk a little bit about school culture and some of the things I see schools doing right to make school culture a positive, awesome place.

First of all, I see there are three basic different vibes that culture tends to provide.

First, there is a happy vibe where people feel at peace, safe, and like they belong. They feel like they are part of the place.

Then there are schools where people feel overwhelmed and suffocated. They feel like they are being watched too much, monitored too much, and that everything is too strict and restrictive. There is a lot of pressure.

Then there is another type, where people feel like they have been thrown to the sharks. They feel abandoned, neglected, and unsupported—like they are just told to go figure it out without enough resources, time, or money.

So those are the three basic types I see: one healthy and supportive, one overly strict and suffocating, and one too loose and neglectful.

Now, some of the things I see in schools that have a great culture—again, when I walk into a school, I can feel what the culture is like.

You can tell there are some schools that really put kids first. That means teachers are free to have real conversations. They don’t just have to follow rules blindly; they can say, “Wait, this rule doesn’t fit this kid,” or “This doesn’t fit my class.”

They are able to openly express that. They are able to think for themselves and ask what is best for the kid, not just follow rules with blinders on.

A great school culture is also a place that holds space for people. I’ll talk more about what “holding space” means, but it’s about creating an environment where people feel safe, where they can shine, and where they can serve kids—and where kids can also grow and shine.

How do we do that?

People need to feel emotionally safe. Teachers must feel like they can be themselves, use their strengths, and serve kids. They need to feel safe to speak their mind without being shunned, judged, or stifled by administration.

When teachers and staff feel emotionally safe, kids then feel more emotionally safe too. Teachers can then hold space for kids to feel safe, be themselves, and express who they are.

People also need to feel heard. They need to feel that it is important to be heard, and that administration will listen to them—not just criticize or force conformity, but actually listen and care about what people say.

So the environment must support emotional safety and being heard.

These healthy cultures are also places where teachers are happy and having fun. You see staff laughing together, talking together, and supporting each other.

There are some schools I walk into where there is a heavy seriousness among staff—almost a sense of stress and tension. You can feel it immediately.

When staff looks uncomfortable, how do you think kids feel?

But when teachers are happy, feel like they belong, feel safe, and feel heard, they help kids feel happier too, and kids are able to have more fun.

In a great school culture, people are also able to question old systems.

For example, teachers can openly discuss letter grades—whether they even make sense—or whether portfolio systems or rubrics might be better. They can talk about standardized testing and how it affects both teachers and students.

In many schools, people don’t feel safe to question these systems. They feel like they just have to comply.

But in healthy cultures, people can have these conversations openly.

Another important part of strong school culture is clarity.

People know what the mission is. I’ve been in several schools where staff doesn’t even know the mission. Sometimes even administration isn’t fully aware of it.

But in strong schools, even if people can’t perfectly articulate the mission, there is a shared understanding and alignment. You can feel that people are on the same page.

Finally, in healthy school cultures, there is praise and appreciation.

Teachers praise students. Parents praise teachers. Teachers and parents feel like they are on the same team.

In unhealthy cultures, parents and teachers often feel like they are in conflict. But in strong cultures, there is mutual respect and appreciation.

Principals openly recognize teachers—not in a superficial way, but by noticing effort, heart, and hard work.

The focus is on what is positive, what is growing, and what is working.

So that’s my take on what creates a great school culture. This is not scientific—just things I’ve observed.

To me, it’s not rocket science. Leadership has to lead, not just manage. When leadership creates a safe environment for people to grow and serve kids, the culture becomes strong.

I hope you have an awesome week. I’ll see you soon. If you like what I’m doing, please subscribe to my YouTube channel, and if you liked this video, please share it with someone you care about.

Be well.