Antecedents and Implications of School Culture in the Northeast Bradford School District

The Northeast Bradford School District has had high levels of administrative turnover in all levels of administration in the past fifteen years. The administrative turnover and prior cultural studies created a renewed interest in analyzing school culture within the District. The turnover led the researcher to study the current and historical roots of the school culture and how the school culture impacts staff members. Specifically, the study analyzed the current culture in the district, administrative impact, impact of culture on attendance, job performance and mental health, and the relationship between staff morale and staff agency.
A mixed methods research design was created with two quantitative and one qualitative data collection methods. The researcher analyzed staff attendance data, survey data, and interview data. 73 staff members participated in the survey and 37 staff members participated in the interview. The results of the study indicated that the quality of the school culture varies between the two buildings in the District, and administration was identified as having a strong impact on school culture. The results also indicated school culture has an impact on job performance, job satisfaction and mental health, but there was not enough evidence to conclusively state cultures impact on attendance. Lastly, the results indicated a weak correlation between staff members morale and agency
over culture.