Veteran Teachers’ Perceptions of Principals’ Leadership Influence on School Culture

Abstract

School leadership and organizational culture both play an influential role in student success and academic achievement. Because school cultures consist of levels that are explicit (easily observable manifestations) and implicit (taken-for-granted, underlying assumptions), veteran teachers usually have deeper understandings of school cultures. This paper describes a qualitative study that examined veteran teachers’ perceptions of school principals’ leadership influence on school culture within the secondary school setting in Ontario. Upon reviewing the relevant literature and methodological underpinnings, we detail key themes from the study: a) effective leadership’s impact on school culture, which aligned with authentic and transformational leadership models; b) ineffective leadership’s impact on school culture, consistent with models of irresponsible leadership; and c) external factors mitigating the influence of school leadership on school culture. The paper concludes with implications for practice and further research.