Improving Schools through the Administration and Analysis of School Culture Audits.

Conducting and analyzing a school culture audit can be a useful diagnostic tool and can enhance the impact of a school improvement plan. This paper describes the administration of a school culture audit and describes the use of the culture audit results to begin interaction with stakeholders relative to the school improvement process. The emphasis in this paper is on a culture audit, rather than a climate audit. Climate audits may cover a wide range of school characteristics. Culture is considered a deeper, more pervasive characteristic of a school, representing the composite of beliefs and values shared by those in the organization. The school culture profile is generated from the collection and analysis of data gathered from interviews, a survey, and unobtrusive observations at the school site. The audit begins when at least two trained facilitators meet with groups of faculty, parents, students, other staff, and administrators in groups of five to eight people. Informal observations supplement the interviews. A 13-item school culture audit is administered to teachers, teacher assistants, and school administrators. Results and differences are charted on the School Culture Profile template, a circular chart with a spoke for each item on the survey. Discussions with school personnel regarding audit findings and using the profile chart reveal opportunities for improvement and growth and show areas of strength. School culture audits and their results provide a starting point for improvement planning. (Contains 2 figures and 10 references.) (SLD)