Enriching School Culture and Climate through Leadership in Collectivistic Educational Settings:  Cases from Nepal and South Africa

Schools play a major role in delivering behavioral health services to autistic youth. School culture and climate are strong predictors of the extent to which these services incorporate evidence-based practices; however, little is known about how school leaders shape culture and climate. Drawing on the concept of culture and climate embedding mechanisms, we conducted a qualitative study to understand the ways in which school principals embed cultures and climates that support effective implementation of evidence-based practices for youth with autism. Semi-structured interviews with 32 teachers in schools that implemented three closely related evidence-based practices for youth with autism (discrete trial training, pivotal response training, and visual schedules) explored teachers’ experiences regarding (a) implementation of the three evidence-based practices, (b) perceptions of school culture and climate, and (c) principals’ behaviors, practices, and decisions that supported or detracted from the aspects of culture and climate that supported successful implementation. Thematic analysis detailed seven mechanisms that principals used to embed cultures and climates that shaped evidence-based practice implementation. These mechanisms represent actionable targets for school leaders and inform strategies to improve the implementation of evidence-based practices for youth with autism in schools. Lay abstract Schools play a major role in providing services to youth with autism; however, not all schools use evidence-based practices, defined as interventions that are proven to improve youth well-being through rigorous research. School culture and climate are strong predictors of whether or not a school uses evidence-based practices; however, little is known about how principals can create school cultures and climates that support the use of these practices. This study interviewed 32 teachers in elementary schools that implemented three closely related evidence-based practices for youth with autism to better understand how principals create school cultures and climates that support effective services. Analysis of the teachers’ responses identified seven strategies principals can use to create school cultures and climates that support the implementation of effective practices for youth with autism. The strategies include the following: (a) support teachers to obtain professional development focused on autism, (b) align performance expectations and evaluations with the needs of students with autism and evidence-based practice delivery, (c) allocate resources to ensure adequate staff, materials, and training are available to implement evidence-based practices, (d) be open and flexible to allow teachers to use the building and resources as needed to meet students’ needs, (e) provide direct assistance, feedback, and coaching to troubleshoot challenges or involve outside experts to do so, (f) openly value the work of special education teachers and provide recognition to those who develop expertise in evidence-based practices, and (g) look for opportunities to integrate special and general education teachers and students to foster a truly inclusive climate.

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School culture and climate in the context of inclusion of students with learning disabilities in mainstream secondary schools in Tel‐Aviv, Israel

International Journal of Inclusive Education ◽

10.1080/13603110500224721 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 495-510 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Tsafi Timor ◽

Neil Burton

Keyword(s):

Learning Disabilities ◽

School Culture ◽

Secondary Schools ◽

Students With Learning Disabilities ◽

Tel Aviv ◽

Culture And Climate ◽

School Culture And Climate

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Staying, moving, or leaving : exploring how authentic leadership, school culture and climate, and attributes of trust and efficacy affect teacher longevity

10.32469/10355/72207 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Bradley K. Drace

Keyword(s):

School Culture ◽

Teacher Retention ◽

Authentic Leadership ◽

Leadership Traits ◽

Leadership Qualities ◽

Teacher Longevity ◽

Individual Interviews ◽

Culture And Climate ◽

School Culture And Climate

The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand how a principal with authentic leadership qualities, who builds a strong school culture based on trust and efficacy, affects teacher retention. A sampling of 16 secondary teachers participated in individual interviews. The interview questions were structured, and follow-up questions were asked based on the participants' responses. Notes were taken during the interviews to gather information about the participants that was not revealed through their responses. The questions focused on the participants' teaching careers and the paths they took to become a teacher. The questions were also designed to explore one of three teacher paths. The first was a stayer, or a teacher who chose to stay in the same position for more than five years. The second was a mover, or a teacher who was in search of a more compatible teaching environment and left one school to find another. The third was a leaver, or a teacher who decided within the first five years of teaching to leave the profession in pursuit of a different career path. The findings revealed that an authentic leader, who built a school culture based on trust and efficacy, had an impact on teachers when it came to their decisions to either stay, move, or leave. The responses from the teachers led the researcher to gain insight into the importance of a strong school culture and climate built on trust with a leader who has authentic leadership traits when it comes to teacher retention.

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