Engagement Culture Audit
Where to Look
Culture
Schein & Schein teach that there are three layers of culture:
Artifacts - These are the things you can see... detention forms, signs, dress codes, spirit signs, and more.
Espoused Values - These are the things people say they care about. Be careful... Espoused values are often aspirational!
Basic Underlying Assumptions - This is "the way we do things around here." It is the most accurate indicator but also the hardest to detect because it is hidden.
Policy
Engagement Culture is more strongly correlated with academic outcomes on high-poverty campuses than poverty rate (Hearnsberger, 2021).
Change at individal schools is limited to what the 'larger culture affords, tolerates, or supports' (Schein & Schein, 2017, p. 182).
Hearnsberger, 2021
Hearnsberger, 2021
District Level
Emphasize engagement culture over accountability ratings.
Ensure that district-level policies do not undercut campus initiatives to foster a culture of engagement.
Create a trusting environment in which principals feel safe prioritizing engagement culture over test scores.
Stop using test scores to justify dissatisfying practices.
Hire leaders with a proven record of building engaging cultures.
Seek applicants who embody the authoritative and affiliative leadership styles (Goleman, 2011).
Deemphasize test results, except as required by state and federal policy, when setting the agenda for committee and school board meetings.
Campus Level
Emphasize engagement culture over accountability ratings.
Rewrite coercive discipline policies.
Create a trusting environment in which teachers feel safe prioritizing engagement over test scores.
Hire counselors who will not use poverty as a basis for recommendations.
Engage parents. Parent satisfaction is strongly correlated with relative academic performance, r(145) = .52, p < .001 (Hearnsberger & Hyatt, 2023).
Stop using test scores to justify dissatisfying practices.
Update appraisal systems.
Satisfied teachers have satisfied students.
Increase teacher satisfaction by establishing trust; providing opportunities for advancement; giving them a say; being supportive and respectful; and recognizing teacher expertise.
Hearnsberger, 2021
What to Look For
Interact with the study variables to get some ideas of where to find Engagement Culture on your campus.
Hint: They include student, parent, and staff surveys; discipline data; and extracurricular participation.
How to 'See' Culture
Frederick Herzberg is a mainstay in organizational leadership. His essay on motivation is included in this top-notch collection of leadership essays.
