School culture is a powerful but often invisible force that promotes or thwarts the continuous improvement of teaching and learning.

Because culture is often experienced as "just how things are," its negative effects are often only indirectly felt:

• Parking lot conversations are more meaningful than those that occur in meeting rooms.
• School community members do not expect that others will be honest with them and keep their promises.
• School goals are often vague and unclear and give little direction to classroom or school practices.
• Meetings are unproductive.
• Teachers are administrators are resigned to the status quo, believing that their individual and collective efforts can do little to improve teaching and learning.
• Professional development is perfunctory with no expectations that it will meaningfully affect teaching and learning.
• Teamwork in which participants depend on one another to achieve important, stretching goals is weak or nonexistent.

To what extent does the culture of your school or school system promote or interfere with the continuous improvement of teaching and learning?