The Infrastructure of School Culture: Measuring Commitment, Discourse, Efficacy, and Sensemaking in Adequate Yearly Progress

Abstract

While achievement test results lead to after-the-fact AYP results, this research delves into measures behind and beyond test scores, the matter-of-fact workplace norms of schools. Elementary teachers completed items in the VISTAA survey as analysis revealed five constructs of school culture: commitment to student learning, commitment to collegiality, discourse, efficacy, and sensemaking. As a single aggregate factor, defined standard deviation gains in the school culture composite increased the likelihood of attaining AYP by 81%. The results also show positive associations for individual predictors concerning the infrastructure of school culture with the outcome of AYP.