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Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership
Just as culture is critical to understanding the dynamics behind any thriving community, organization, or business, the daily realities and deep structure of school life hold the key to educational success. Reforms that strive for educational excellence are likely to fail unless they are meaningfully linked to the school's unique culture. In Shaping School Culture, Terrence E. Deal and Kent D. Peterson show how leaders can harness the power of school culture to build a lively, cooperative spirit and a sense of school identity.
The authors draw from over twenty years of research on school improvement as well as from their own extensive work with school leaders across the country to identify viable new strategies for effective school leadership. They describe the critical elements of culture--the purposes, traditions, norms, and values that guide and glue the community together--and show how a positive culture can make school reforms work. Deal and Peterson also explore the harmful characteristics of toxic cultures and suggest antidotes to negativity on the part of teachers, students, principals, or parents.
Using real-life cases from their own research, Deal and Peterson provide concrete, detailed illustrations of exemplary practice in different school cultures. They reveal the key symbolic roles that leaders play in school change and identify the specific skills needed to change school culture successfully. Shaping School Culture provides an action blueprint for school leaders committed to transforming their schools for success.
The authors draw from over twenty years of research on school improvement as well as from their own extensive work with school leaders across the country to identify viable new strategies for effective school leadership. They describe the critical elements of culture--the purposes, traditions, norms, and values that guide and glue the community together--and show how a positive culture can make school reforms work. Deal and Peterson also explore the harmful characteristics of toxic cultures and suggest antidotes to negativity on the part of teachers, students, principals, or parents.
Using real-life cases from their own research, Deal and Peterson provide concrete, detailed illustrations of exemplary practice in different school cultures. They reveal the key symbolic roles that leaders play in school change and identify the specific skills needed to change school culture successfully. Shaping School Culture provides an action blueprint for school leaders committed to transforming their schools for success.
152 pages, Hardcover
First published November 11, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 4, 2020
For Ed Leadership class
November 4, 2008
In Shaping School Culture: the Heart of Leadership, Terrence Deal and Kent Peterson illustrate that nothing is more important in schools than culture. They believe that school culture is vital to the success of schools. The authors state that "the culture of an enterprise plays the dominant role in exemplary performance" (p. 1). At first, I was skeptical. I did not believe that culture was more important than structure, strategy, goals, or management. I believed that culture was something that played a role in atmosphere and changed from year to year with the staff. I quickly came to realize that culture is the heart of schools and is a stable element.
The reason I was skeptical is because I did not believe that my school had much of a culture. I thought about a few traditions and pondered the high turnover among staff. This book opened my eyes to the fact that our school does have a relatively strong culture and that many of the changes that were made were based on our core norms.
In the first part of the book Deal and Peterson examine the components of school culture including values, beliefs, assumptions, and norms (p. 26).The authors expand upon this and include rituals, ceremonies, stories, architecture, artifacts, and logos in school culture. The authors use examples to distinguishing positive cultures from toxic cultures. This was interesting to me because I could see that the last two principals at our school did a great job of building school culture. They had revised our school motto, mission statement, and value statement. They had established rituals and ceremonies. They had started programs that included year-long rituals and ceremonies. These were all positive steps towards a better school culture. I was also better able to understand the toxic cultures within our school and how these subcultures create negative school environments for the students and the staff.
The second part of the book shows principals how to create a positive culture in their schools. The key components discussed are examining, reflecting, and reflection on events that have shaped culture in their schools. The final and most crucial component for establishing school culture is executing a plan of action. The last few chapters of the book are filled with advice on how to improve school culture such as developing student-centered mission and value statements, building upon established traditions and values, recruit staff that share values, and sustain core norms (p. 116).
The authors forced me to think about the relationships between school rituals, artifacts, ceremonies, symbolism and our school culture. I realized that our school has a great foundation on which to base school culture. I enjoyed this book because it challenged my previously held beliefs about my school. I was also impressed with the author's strategy for changing school culture and the components they outlined for a positive school culture (p. 117).
After reading this book I believe that nothing is more important about a school than its culture.
The reason I was skeptical is because I did not believe that my school had much of a culture. I thought about a few traditions and pondered the high turnover among staff. This book opened my eyes to the fact that our school does have a relatively strong culture and that many of the changes that were made were based on our core norms.
In the first part of the book Deal and Peterson examine the components of school culture including values, beliefs, assumptions, and norms (p. 26).The authors expand upon this and include rituals, ceremonies, stories, architecture, artifacts, and logos in school culture. The authors use examples to distinguishing positive cultures from toxic cultures. This was interesting to me because I could see that the last two principals at our school did a great job of building school culture. They had revised our school motto, mission statement, and value statement. They had established rituals and ceremonies. They had started programs that included year-long rituals and ceremonies. These were all positive steps towards a better school culture. I was also better able to understand the toxic cultures within our school and how these subcultures create negative school environments for the students and the staff.
The second part of the book shows principals how to create a positive culture in their schools. The key components discussed are examining, reflecting, and reflection on events that have shaped culture in their schools. The final and most crucial component for establishing school culture is executing a plan of action. The last few chapters of the book are filled with advice on how to improve school culture such as developing student-centered mission and value statements, building upon established traditions and values, recruit staff that share values, and sustain core norms (p. 116).
The authors forced me to think about the relationships between school rituals, artifacts, ceremonies, symbolism and our school culture. I realized that our school has a great foundation on which to base school culture. I enjoyed this book because it challenged my previously held beliefs about my school. I was also impressed with the author's strategy for changing school culture and the components they outlined for a positive school culture (p. 117).
After reading this book I believe that nothing is more important about a school than its culture.
August 25, 2009
Great book - a must read for intructional leaders.
November 16, 2009
Deal provides an excellent commentary on the importance of school culture and how leadership impacts and shapes that aspect of the school community
January 15, 2012
This is the 4th time I have read this book and each time I get more out of it. This book and the companion field book are going to be extremely helpful as we develop our Esperanza culture.
October 14, 2012
Some helpful tips and ideas, but probably most helpful in the descriptions of real schools.
May 10, 2013
Did not like it. At all.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews