We live in a parallel universe. Here at ASCD, we are committed to ensuring that each child, in each school and in each community, is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. And one of the things we know for sure is that for that to happen for kids, the adults around them must also be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. That parallel need is particularly striking this month as we consider the best questions about school culture.
Culture—school, community, workplace, political, and so on—is a direct reflection of adult behaviors. Where adults bully, children will bully. Where adults cheat, children will cheat. Where adults feel and act helpless, children will feel and act helpless. Where adults are motivated to work hard, children will work hard. Where adults are supported by supervisors and colleagues, neighbors and friends, children will be supported. It's exactly that simple and exactly that complex.
From the Indicators of a Whole Child Approach
Leading and Changing School Culture
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Michael Fullan wrote about the principal's role in leading sustainable cultural change in schools (and school districts) in the May 2002 issue of Educational Leadership saying,
Michael Fullan wrote about the principal's role in leading sustainable cultural change in schools (and school districts) in the May 2002 issue of Educational Leadership saying,
"An organization cannot flourish—at least, not for long—on the actions of the top leader alone. Schools and districts need many leaders at many levels. Learning in context helps produce such leaders. Further, for leaders to be able to deal with complex problems, they need many years of experience and professional development on the job. To a certain extent, a school leader's effectiveness in creating a culture of sustained change will be determined by the leaders he or she leaves behind."Students are a part of the school community and can play powerful roles as leaders in a positive school culture. In cultivating students as leaders, schools provide opportunities for personal engagement; skill development for
Building School Culture: A Tale of Two Cities
Academics are important in any school, but some school leaders say the idea of school culture is perhaps just as important. In this video, a reporter visited schools in Detroit and New Orleans to see what school culture is all about.
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In 2010, Michigan Radio's "Rebuilding Detroit Schools: A Tale of Two Cities" took a look at educational challenges in Detroit and reform strategies being used in New Orleans. Reporters Jennifer Guerra and Sarah Hulett spent weeks looking at the two school systems and talking with students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and experts. Learn more at http://twocities.michiganradio.org.
In 2010, Michigan Radio's "Rebuilding Detroit Schools: A Tale of Two Cities" took a look at educational challenges in Detroit and reform strategies being used in New Orleans. Reporters Jennifer Guerra and Sarah Hulett spent weeks looking at the two school systems and talking with students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and experts. Learn more at http://twocities.michiganradio.org.