CULTURE IS KEY: INCREASING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT OF RURAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BY CREATING A POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE

After receiving the results of a school culture study in the spring of 2017, staff at a rural high school in a Midwestern state wanted to change the negative perception of the school’s culture into a more positive one while also creating more student success. The school decided to implement 4 changes: Care and Connect, a house structure, a one-to-one Chromebook access, and improve the building’s appearance. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact these intentional changes had on student perceptions about the school’s culture and on student success. A qualitative design was employed to collect data from staff and students using a questionnaire and face-to-face interviews. Results of the interviews were analyzed after In Vivo coding. The themes of relationships, community, efficiency, and atmosphere emerged from the study