Impact of school culture on effectiveness of secondary schools with disadvantaged students

Cultural differences between effective secondary schools and average secondary schools were investigated in terms of student participation in school affairs, teamwork, adaptation to school customers' demands, orderliness, continuous school improvement, and emphasis on academic achievement All the schools were populated primarily by disadvantaged students. The sample included 20 secondary schools in development towns in Israel—10 effective secondary schools (5 religious state schools and 5 nonreligious state schools) and 10 average secondary schools (5 religious state schools and 5 nonreligious state schools). The full-time teachers of the 20 schools involved were asked to complete a Perceived School Culture Inventory, and 66% returned questionnaires (N = 724). The results revealed that schools vary in their cultural dimensions, and this variation correlates with differences in student achievement.