The European Educational Researcher

An Exploratory Analysis of School Culture within a Multi-School Charter School System

The European Educational Researcher, Volume 3, Issue 1, February 2020, pp. 1-19
OPEN ACCESS VIEWS: 1361 DOWNLOADS: 928 Publication date: 15 Feb 2020
ABSTRACT
The primary purpose of this study is to examine and understand how teachers of charter schools perceive their respective schools’ cultures. The research is based upon data gathered from teachers (n=372) in schools (n=18) within a Charter School System (CSS) in the southern United States. We used descriptive statistics, t-test and one-way ANOVA as our statistical tools. The findings revealed that teachers at the Charter Schools have a positive perception of the school culture within their respective schools. Teachers particularly favored professional development opportunities and collegial support in their respected schools. School size, grade span, and years of operation did not make significant differences in CSS’s school culture except collegial support. Collegial support scores for the K-12 school was significantly higher than the 9-12 schools.
KEYWORDS
Charter schools, School climate, School culture, Teacher perception
CITATION (APA)
Sahin, A., Takahashi, M., & Koyuncu, A. (2020). An Exploratory Analysis of School Culture within a Multi-School Charter School System. The European Educational Researcher, 3(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.31757/euer.311
REFERENCES
  1. Anderman, E. M. (2002). School effects on psychological outcomes during adolescence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 795-809.
  2. Bulkley, K. & Fisler, J. (2003). A decade of charter schools: From theory to practice. Educational Policy, 17, 317-342.
  3. Bulkley, J., & Schneider, M. (2007). Charter schools: Hope or hype? Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
  4. Konold, T., Cornell, D., Jia, Y., & Malone, M. (2018). School climate, student engagement, and academic achievement: a latent variable, multilevel multi-informant examination. AERA Open 4, 1–17. doi: 10.1177/2332858418815661
  5. Cogaltay, N., & Karadag, E. (2016). The effect of educational leadership on organizational variables: A meta-analysis study in the sample of Turkey. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 16(2), 603–646.
  6. Cotton, K. (1996). School size, school climate and student performance. School Improvement Research Series. Retrieved form https://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/SizeClimateandPerformance.pdf
  7. Chen, G. (2018). What is a charter school? Retrieved from https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/what-is-a-charter-school
  8. DuFour, R., DuFour, R., & Eaker, R. (2008). Revisiting professional learning communities: New insights for improving schools. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
  9. Gardner, P. W., Ritblatt, S. N., & Beatty, J. R. (2000). Academic achievement and parental school involvement as a function of high school size. The High School Journal, 83, 21-27.
  10. Gill, M. (2019). Frequent Misconceptions About Charter Schools. UCF Forum. 354. Retrieved from https://stars.library.ucf.edu/ucf-forum/354
  11. Griffin, N. C., & Wohlstetter, P. (2001). Building a plane while flying it: Early lessons from developing charter schools. Teachers College Record, 103, 336-365.
  12. Gruenert, S., & Valentine, J. (1998). School culture survey. Middle Level Leadership Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
  13. Gruenert, S. (2005). Correlations of collaborative school cultures with student achievement. Sage Journals, 89(645), 43-55.
  14. Gruenert, S., & Whitaker, T. (2015). School culture rewired: How to define, assess, and transform it. Alexandria, VA: Hawker Brownlow Education
  15. Hinde, E. R. (2004). School culture and change: An examination of the effects of school culture on the process of change. Essays in Education. Retrieved from: http://www. usca.edu/essays/vol12winter2004.html
  16. Huguet, B. C. S. (2017). Effective leadership can positively impact school performance. On the Horizon, 25(2), 96–102.
  17. Izumi, L. (2008). What works: Inside model charter schools. Lincoln, IL: Center for Innovation & Improvement.
  18. Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2016). Learning leadership. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  19. Lake, R. J. & Gross, B. (2012). Hopes, fears & reality: A balanced look at American charter schools in 2011. Retrieved from University of Washington, Center on Reinventing Public Education.
  20. Lee, V. E., & Loeb, S. (2000). School size in Chicago elementary schools: Effect on teachers’ attitudes and students’ achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 37, 3-31.
  21. Maslowski, R. (2006). A review of inventories diagnosing school culture. Journal of Educational Administration, 44, 6-35.
  22. Maslowski, R. (2001). School culture and school performance (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://worldcat.org/oclc/56823430.
  23. Manno, B. V., Finn, C. E., & Vanourek, G. (2000). Charter school accountability: Problems and prospects. Educational Policy, 14, 473-493.
  24. Malloy, C. L. (2003). Teacher professionalism in charter schools: An exploratory study. Dissertation Abstract International, 64, 4295A.
  25. McKinney, C. L., Labat, M. B., & Labat, C. A. (2015). Traits possessed by principals who transform school culture in national blue-ribbon schools. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 19(1), 152–166.
  26. Metcalfe, L (2014). A tale of two effective title one reward charter schools. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Web.
  27. Morris, J. E., Lummis, G. W., Lock, G., Ferguson, C., Hill, S., & Nykiel, A. (2019). The role of leadership in establishing a positive staff culture in a secondary school. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 1741143219864937.
  28. Newmann, F. & Wehlage, G. (1995). Successful school structuring. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Center on Organization and Restructuring Schools.
  29. Peterson, K. D., & Deal, T. E. (1998). How leaders influence the culture of schools. Educational Leadership, 56, 28-30.
  30. Peterson, K. D., (1999). Time use flows from school culture: river o values and traditions can nurture or poison staff development hours. Journal of Staff Development, 20,
  31. Rockoff, J. E. & Lockwood, B. B. (2010). Stuck in the middle: Impact of grade configuration in public schools. Journal of Public Economics, 94, 1051-1061.
  32. RPP International. (2000). The state of charter schools. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
  33. Schoen, L. T., & Teddlie, C. (2008). A new model of school culture: A response to a call for conceptual clarity. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 19, 129-153.
  34. Schreiber, J. L. (2019). How school leaders shape school culture: A qualitative case study. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2142/
  35. Stoll, L. (1998). School culture. SET: Research Information for Teachers, 3, 9-14.
  36. Sutherland, S. (2004). Creating a culture of data use for continuous improvement: A case study of an Edison project school. American Journal of Evaluation, 25, 277-293.
  37. Texas Education Agency. (2019). Charter schools. Retrieved from https://tea.texas.gov/ Texas_Schools/Charter_Schools/
  38. U.S. Department of Education. (2004). Innovations in education: Successful charter schools.
  39. Valentine, J., Clark, D., Hackmann, D., & Petzko, V. (2004). Leadership for highly successful middle level schools, v. 2: A national study of leadership in middle level schools. Reston, VA National Association of Secondary School Principals.
  40. Anna P. (2015). Developing excellent school principals to advance teaching and learning: Considerations for state policy. Retrieved from https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/pages/developing-excellent-school-principals.aspx
  41. Wagner, C. R. (2006). The school leader’s tool for assessing and improving school culture. Principal Leadership: Middle Level Edition, 7, 41-44.
  42. Weiss, C. C., & Kipnes, L. (2006). Reexamining middle school effects: A comparison of middle grades students in middle schools and K-8 schools. American Journal of Education, 112, 239-272.
  43. Wohlstetter, P., & Griffin, N. C. (1997). Creating and sustaining learning communities: Early lessons from charter schools. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
LICENSE
Creative Commons License