2009

Dr. Kent D. PetersonUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison

1025 W. Johnson StreetMadison, WI 53706

kpeterson@education.wisc.edu

Dear Diary,

Please allow every teacher to realize what awesome power they hold in their hands and that they are the doors through which whole new worlds of possibility can open for their students. That by understanding students, day to day, and not judging them or shutting out the many opportunities for their success teachers can, and often do, make all the difference.

Sandi Redenbach (Autobiography of a Dropout)

“Effective leaders know that the hard work of reculturing is the sine qua non of progress.”

(Fullan, 2001, p.44)

“At a deeper level, all organizations, especially schools, improve performance by fostering a shared system of norms folkways, values, and traditions. These infuse the enterprise with passion, purpose, and a sense of spirit. Without a strong, positive culture, schools flounder and die.”

(Peterson and Deal, 2002)

School culture influences

how people think, feel, and act.

Culture is a key determinant of staff

focus, commitment, motivation, and productivity.

Norms, Values and Beliefs that underlie thinking, feeling and acting

Symbols and Artifacts that Communicate Meaning

Stories that Herald Values Cultural Network Heroes and Heroines Rituals, Traditions, and Ceremonies “Culture is “the way we do things around

here!”

Negative Values and beliefs hold sway in toxic cultures.

Sense of purpose is spiritually fragmented.

Relationships are negative and destructive.

The cultural network’s most powerful members negaholics (Carter-Scott, 1989)

The only heroes are anti-heroic. Few positive rituals, traditions, or

ceremonies exist to develop a sense of community and hopefulness.

Deal and Peterson (2009).

Culture is a powerful force that exists in any organization in which people share some history. It develops as people work together, solve problems, cope with conflicts, achieve successes, and deal with tragedy.

(Schein, 1985; Deal and Peterson,2009)

READ the CultureHistorian and Anthropologist

ASSESS the CultureAnalyst and Evaluator

REINFORCE or TRANSFORM the CultureVisionary, Symbol, Potter, Poet, Actor, and

Healer

(Deal and Peterson, 1994; 2009)

•Conduct a school history. •List Six Adjectives to describe your school.•Think of a song that depicts your culture.•Create a metaphor… If my school were an animal, it would be a _______ because_________________________.•Interview a school’s storytellers.

Divide into groups representing the decades one arrived in the school.

Discuss the major educational events that shaped the culture of the school during that decade.

See possible historical elements to include.

Major educational and other events Key formal and informal leaders Curriculum, instruction, assessment Types of educational technology Students and community characteristics Key successes, challenges, crises Rituals, traditions, and ceremonies People, personalities, and relationships Any unique events that shaped the decade Clothing, hairstyles and music of the

decade

•Conduct a school history. •List Six Adjectives to describe your school.•Think of a song that depicts your culture.•Create a metaphor… If my school were an animal, it would be a _______ because_________________________.•Interview a school’s storytellers.

an image of a desired state of affairs that inspires action, determines behavior, and fuels motivation.

Charles Garfield (Peak Performers)

Vision focuses attention Vision inspires the heart Vision directs action Vision reinforces meaning and purpose

(Bennis and Nanus; Peterson)

What are the core values of the culture?

Can you identify the shared purposes in the culture?

What is the culture’s hoped for future?

Is the vision and mission embedded in the culture?

Work with the informal network Recount stories and history Role model core norms and values Use symbols and artifacts Communicate core values in your actions Use ceremonies and celebrations to

recognize accomplishments

GossipsGossips Spies, Counterspies, MolesSpies, Counterspies, Moles StorytellersStorytellers CompassesCompasses NavigatorsNavigators Heroes and heroinesHeroes and heroines “ “ Keepers of the Dream “Keepers of the Dream “

Pessimistic Storytellers Rumor Mongers “Keepers of the Nightmare” Negaholics and Naysayers Prima Donnas-Prima Donalds Space Cadets Martyrs Deadwood, Driftwood, Ballast Saboteurs Rogue Pirates Resource Vultures

Reinforce Values Build Culture and Community Recharge Motivation Communicate Purpose Celebrate Success

Beginning of Year Fall Solstice Ethnic Events Battle Preparations Retirements End-of-Year Large and Small Accomplishments and Actions

Decide what in the school should be sorted into different places

Consider what you want to keep, store, repair, and discard

You will place aspects of the school in five different stations

The stations are: Museum, Not-For-Sale, Repair Shop, Garbage Can, Toxic Waste Hauler

Place items that have served the school well, but need to be “retired” to a valued place of honor.

These features of the school are some of the best things going on and are important to keep and celebrate.

These are aspects of the school that need some repair, fine-tuning, or improvement.

These are items that need to be thrown out. They no longer serve the good to the school.

These are negative, hostile, or toxic aspects of the school that take special handling. These need to be discarded carefully!

Anthropologist Historian Visionary Symbol Potter Poet Actor Healer

(Deal and Peterson, 2009)

1 Behavior Reinforced 2 Things Learned you want to share 3 Things to Do when you Return

“Teachers usually have no way of knowing that they have made a difference in a child’s life, even when they have made a dramatic one…

Good teachers put snags in the river of children passing by, and, over the years, they redirect hundreds of lives…

[Great schools are] made up of people who can never really know the good they have done.”

Kidder (1989): Among Schoolchildren

Effective Schools Research (Edmonds;Brookover; Lezotte)

Shaping School Culture (Deal and Peterson)School Reform Literature (Fullan)Professional Learning Communities (DuFour; Louis; Kruse)Good to Great (Collins)Balanced Leadership (Marzano et al)Execution (Bossidy et al)

a mission focused on student and teacher learning a rich sense of history and purpose core values of collegiality, performance, and improvement that

engender quality, achievement, and learning for everyone positive beliefs and assumptions about the potential of students

and staff to learn and grow a strong professional community that uses knowledge, experience,

and research to improve practice an informal network that fosters positive communication flows leadership that balances continuity and improvement rituals and ceremonies that reinforce core cultural values stories that celebrate successes and recognize heroines and

heroes a physical environment that symbolizes joy and pride a widely shared sense of respect and caring for everyone Source: Shaping School Culture: Pitfalls, Paradoxes and Promises 2nd Ed. (2009). Terrence Deal and

Kent Peterson, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.