10 About the Author Dr. Chad Nichols serves as Upper School Principal in the Prestonwood Christian School System. Other previous positions held include Director of Prestonwood Christian Academy Online, and 20 years as an English teacher. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master of Education degree in English/Language Arts also from Texas Wesleyan Universtiy, and a Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership K-12 from Dallas Baptist University. He can be reached at cnichols@prestonwoodchristian.org. References Capp, G. (2018). School staff perceptions of school climate: A mixed-methods multistudy examination of staff school climate at the state, regional, and school levels (Publication No. 11016842) [Doctoral disser- tation, University of Southern California]. Pro Quest Dissertations and Theses Global. Craig, A. V. (2012). A new framework for school climate: Exploring predictive capability of school climate attributes and impact on school performance scores (Publication No. 3548367) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Louisiana at Lafayette]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Fink-Hafner, D., Dagen, T., Doušak, M., Novak, M., & Hafner-Fink, M. (2019). Delphi Method: Strengths and Weaknesses. 2, 1–19. Greer, P., & Horst, C. (2014). Mission drift [Kindle Book]. Bethany House Publishers. Gruenert, S., & Whitaker, T. (2015). School culture rewired: How to define, assess, and transform it [Kindle Book]. ASCD. Hofer, M. A. (2001). Salient components of successful inde- pendent private high schools: A Delphi study (Publication No. 3032551) [Doctoral dissertations, Seattle University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Iqbal, S., & Pipon-Young, L. (2009). The Delphi method. Psychologist, 22(7), 598–600. Longin, J. A. (1995). School culture and school improvement: A study of the culture of a school organization (Publication No. 9630618) [Doctoral dissertations, University of Wyoming]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Mills, K. A. (2003). The culture of the Christian school. Journal of Education and Christian Belief, 7(2), 129–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/205699710300700 205 Peterson, K. D., & Deal, T. E. (2009). The shaping school culture fieldbook (2nd ed.) [Kindle Book]. Jossey- Bass. Robbins, P., & Alvy, H. B. (2014). The principal’s companion: Strategies to lead schools for student and teacher success (4th ed.) [Kindle Book]. Corwin, a SAGE company. Schultz, G. (2002). Kingdom education: God’s plan for educating future generations. LifeWay Press. Chad Adam Nichols, EdD it becomes in all stakeholders. Relationships among and between stakeholder groups coalesce around the unifying mission which reflects the values and beliefs of the school. As a result, stakeholders adopt the values and beliefs reflected in the other stakeholders in the school community. The school culture then takes on a type of synergy whereby it perpetuates itself. This synergy is the ultimate reflection of cultural integrity, as the culture breeds deliberate actions in the individual stakeholders that reflect the fulfillment of the school’s mission. In the context of the private Christian school, the significance of the findings of the current study represents the ability to effectively educate in an environment dedicated to advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through intentional employment of the 10 axioms, private Christian schools can be proactive in preventing a negative, organic change in the school culture.
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