SCHOOL AS A

CULTURAL
INSTITUTION
WHAT IS CULTURE?
OBJECTIVES

This lesson highlights the role of the school

as a cultural institution. It includes the
different guiding principles and practical
strategies in turning school culture to a
positive one.
W H AT I S C U LT U R E ?

“As an educator, one should be

knowledgeable not only on the content or
what to teach and the pedagogy or how to
teach but also the culture or where to teach.”
 T H E S C H O O L A S A C U LT U R A L I N S T I T U T I O N

David O. Selznick (1957)

claimed that culture is a
distinctive identity of school
from other schools. Some
school cultures the 20 th
century.
 T H E S C H O O L A S A C U LT U R A L I N S T I T U T I O N

Edward Tyler, a well-known

anthropologist define culture as a
complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, arts, morals,
laws, custom and any other
capabilities and habits acquired
by man as a member of a society.
W H AT I S C U LT U R E ?

Deal and Peterson (2002) claimed that the term culture

best denotes the complex elements of values, traditions,
language, and purpose in a given setting. Moreover,
Wincek (1995) further stated that culture is comprise of
intertwining of assumptions, values, beliefs from which
a group’s norms, practices, rituals etc.
W H AT I S C U LT U R E ?

NONE IS UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED AS THE

ONE BEST DEFINITION
W H AT I S S C H O O L C U LT U R E ?

Kruse & Louis (2009)

Characterized by deeply rooted traditions, values,
and beliefs.
Culture informs the ways in which “things get
done around here”
W H AT I S S C H O O L C U LT U R E ?

Schein (1985)
Defined school culture as a complex webs of
traditions and rituals that have built up over time
as teachers, students, parents, and administrators
work together and deal with crises and
accomplishments.”
W H AT I S S C H O O L C U LT U R E ?

Starrat (1993)
The term culture in the school context refers to the
basic assumptions, beliefs, and practices that are
shared by the members of a school community.
School culture affects the way people in a school
think, perform, and learn.
W H AT I S S C H O O L C U LT U R E ?

Starrat (1993)
The term culture in the school context refers to the
basic assumptions, beliefs, and practices that are
shared by the members of a school community.
School culture affects the way people in a school
think, perform, and learn.
 W H AT I S S C H O O L C U LT U R E ?

Waller (2009)
Opined that schools have a culture that is definitely
their own. There are, in school, complex rituals of
personal relationships, a set of folkways, mores, and
irrational sanctions, a moral code based upon them.
 W H AT I S S C H O O L C U LT U R E ?

Stoll & Fink (1998)

School culture is most clearly seen in the ways people
relate to and work together; the management of the
school’s structures, systems, and physical
environment.
 W H AT I S S C H O O L C U LT U R E ?

Stoll & Fink (1998)

School culture is most clearly seen in the ways people
relate to and work together; the management of the
school’s structures, systems, and physical
environment.
Let us test how creative you are. Define school culture by
thinking if an adjective that starts with each letter of the
t e r m . Wr i t e y o u r a n s w e r i n a p i e c e o f p a p e r.
S– C–
C– U–
H– L– 1 MINUTE
2 MINUTES
O– T–
O– U–
L– R–
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E–
Other Cultures
in a School
Among the different cultures
existing in a school, teacher
cultures have received most
attention in relation to
school’s improvement.

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 Other Cultures in School
Hargreaves (1994) highlights the four existing
teaching cultures:
1. Individualism- refers to classrooms as "egg-crates"
or "castles". Autonomy isolation and insulation
prevail, and blame and support are avoided.
2. Collaboration- refers to the teachers who choose
spontaneously and voluntarily, to work together,
without external control agenda.
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 Other Cultures in School

3. Contrived Collegiality- refers to the teacher's

collaborative working relationships which are
compulsorily imposed, with fixed and times and
places set for collaboration.
4. Balkanization- refers to the teachers who are
neither isolated nor work as a whole school.
Smaller collaborative groups form.
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 Other Cultures in School
Becoming familiar with the culture of a particular
school takes time. Some tangible things that may
give an initial indication include the following:

• school statement purpose

• school management plan
• school policies such as student welfare policy

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 Other Cultures in School

• school's prospectus
• school's motto
• school's newsletter
• interactions between teachers and students

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 Typology of
Schools Culture
 Ty p o l o g y o f S c h o o l s C u l t u r e

Stoll and Fink (1996) Develop a model in

determining a school culture. They focused on
school's current effectiveness, but also argue that the
rapidly accelerating space of change make standing
still impossible and therefore schools are either
getting better or getting worse.

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 Ty p o l o g y o f S c h o o l s C u l t u r e

1. Moving refers on the following:

• Boosting pupil's progress and development
• Working together and respond to changing
context
• Know where they are going nd having the
will and skill to get there
• Possess norms of including schools

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 Ty p o l o g y o f S c h o o l s C u l t u r e

2. Cruising focuses on the following:

• Appear to be effective
• Usually in more affluent areas
• Pupils achieve in spite of teaching quality
• Not preparing pupils to change world
• Possess powerful norms that inhibit change

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 Ty p o l o g y o f S c h o o l s C u l t u r e

3. Strolling highlights the following:

• Neither particularly effective nor ineffective
• Moving at inadequate rate to cope with pace of
change
• Meandering into future to pupil's detriment
• Ill defined and sometimes conflicting aims
inhibit improvement
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 Ty p o l o g y o f S c h o o l s C u l t u r e

4. Struggling centers the following:

• Ineffective and they know it
• Expend considerable energy to improve
• Unproductive "trashing about"
• Will ultimately succeed because have the
will if not the skill
• Often identified as "failing", which is
demotivational
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 Ty p o l o g y o f S c h o o l s C u l t u r e

5. Sinking refers on the following:

• Ineffective: norms of isolation, blame, self
reliance, and loss of faith powerfully inhibit
improvement.
• Staff unable to change
• Often in deprived areas where they blame
parenting or unprepared children
• Need dramatic action and significant support
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Ty p o l o g y o f S c h o o l s C u l t u r e

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School Mission,
Vision, and
Values
 S c h o o l M i s s i o n , Vi s i o n , a n d Va l u e s

The foundation of school culture's elements lay

at the mission vision of the school. Underlying the
mission vision statements are the values the
schools holds which determine what philosophies
and standards the individuals will assimilate and
incorporate into his/her everyday teaching and
learning (Rhodes, Stevens and Hemming's 2011)
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 S c h o o l M i s s i o n , Vi s i o n , a n d Va l u e s

Every school crafts their mission and vision

statements to draw the direction of the institution.
The mission vision mirror what the school wishes
and hopes to eventually become and accomplish
(Peterson & Deal, 2009). Even though these are
called statement they are embodied by all of the
values, beliefs, norms, assumption that the school
holds (Confeld, 2016)
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THE DEPED VISION
We dream of Filipinos
who passionately love their country
and whose values and competencies
enable them to realize their full potential
and contribute meaningfully to building the nation.
As a learner-centered public institution,
the Department of Education
continuously improves itself
to better serve its stakeholders.

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THE DEPED MISSION
To protect and promote the right of every Filipino to quality, equitable,
culture-based, and complete basic education where:
Students learn in a child-friendly, gender-sensitive, safe, and
motivating environment.
Teachers facilitate learning and constantly nurture every learner.
Administrators and staff, as stewards of the institution, ensure an
enabling and supportive environment for effective learning to happen.
Family, community, and other stakeholders are actively engaged and
share responsibility for developing life-long learners.

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DEPED CORE VALUES
Maka-Diyos
Maka-tao
Makakalikasan
Makabansa

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