Staff Culture - Teacher KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools Employee Review

At my school (and from what I hear, at other KIPP Philly schools), a significant minority of staff members partake in toxic gossip culture. This significant minority creates a major distraction from actual teaching. The gossip culture leads to an ongoing culture of microaggressions, backhandedness, and a lack of directness amongst some staff. Needless to say, all of this creates a culture lacking trust and collaboration. Students are highly observant. They observe the microaggressions, whether they are mature enough to fully digest the dynamics at play. Of course this negatively impacts students in a host of ways. I say all this acknowledging the many staff members who wanted no part in the foolishness, and were considerate and collaborative colleagues. The staff turnover rate is incredibly alarming. I think it is rooted in two ongoing issues at KIPP: 1) the pervasive toxic staff culture and 2) work-life balance. I won't go on about the work-life balance, because I do admire the hard work of KIPP staff. However, when one spends that much time working at and thinking about a place that lacks a critical piece of enriching work -- collective trust -- one burns out hard. Many staff leave in a place of disillusionment, which only compounds the general staff morale.