Vision and School Culture

By George E. Pawlas
My Opinion

are frustrated in their efforts to

he words of the &dquo;I Have a
Dream&dquo; speech of Martin make the dream a reality. Knowing
J~ Luther King, Jr., have echoed where one wants to go and know-

through our country for many years. ing how to get there are two differ-
This famous phrase represents a ent issues. Unfortunately, the maps
used by school principals in trans-
powerful symbolic statement made
by an effective leader. The meaning forming schools often omit critical
and feelings associated with these information.
words continue to serve as a focal There are principals who
many
point for people who are deeply are knowledgeable about the effec-
committed fairness and tive schools research; who are
to equity for
all individuals. experts in the development of school
improvement plans; who can recall
The Principals’ Dream and recite all state and national pro-
School principals also need a grams and requirements; who have
dream. First, however, they must participated in leadership develop-
ment activities and workshops; who
possess a passion for making the
school a better place for the chil- believe in the involvement of their
dren and teachers who spend time teachers, parents, students, and com-
there. Then principals should have a munity resources; who score &dquo;out-
vision of the school as they wish it standing&dquo; on principal evaluation
to be. This picture, or dream, must instruments-and yet they experi-
be clearly defined and capable of ence frustration in reaching their goal
of improving their schools.
being communicated to teachers,
staff members, students, parents, Perhaps there is a critical pre-
and community members. But more requisite that must be met before

important, principals must have doing all the &dquo;stuff’ related to one’s
strong, emotional feelings about the dream for an effective school. That
dream. It must be one for which prerequisite is the development of a
they are willing to work hard, strong, positive school culture.
endure criticism and failure, and If the school principal is to effect
walk, if necessary, on the edge of change in the school, he or she must
illegality and insubordination. focus not so much on the words
Most have such a
principals &dquo;needs assessment,&dquo; &dquo;objectives,&dquo;
vision for their schools, but many &dquo;evaluation,&dquo; and &dquo;school effective-

George E. Pawlas is assistant professor of education at the University of Central Florida, Orlando.
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ness correlates,&dquo; but rather on the organization. In addition to educat-
language of culture. Some of those ing members of the organization,
words include the following: shared they also serve as motivators for the
values, humor, storytelling, empow- population. The stories that are told
erment, networks, rituals and cere- about an organization should reflect
monies, and collegiality. meaning for most of the people in it.
Finally, stories or myths can serve as

Key Components agents that create bonds among the

These key components of a strong, members of the organization.
effective school culture are defined as: Principals should collect stories and
disseminate them every appropri-
at
~ Shared Values. These values
are obvious to everyone in the insti-
ateopportunity. They should become
tution and
the storytellers of the culture, the
pervade every activity the
ones who transmit the values through
organization undertakes. They are
the criteria which individual and a medium that all can understand.
by
collective behavior can be judged. ~ Empowerment. As members
Values are often not written down, of an organization accept and
but they are manifested in everything embody the components of the cul-
the school does because they guide ture, they also become more
the choices that are made-choices empowered to strengthen each
about content and method of teach- aspect of the organization. The
ing, choices about how time is spent shared governance and acceptance
(both faculty and student), and for the total welfare of the school are
choices about whom we reward and what building a vision and strong
for what we reward them. culture are all about.
~ Humor. The amount of laugh- ~ Networks. Each organization
ter in a school is an indicator of a and culture has a communication
strong culture. Humor and laughter system that is used spread infor-
to
are signs that the people in an orga- mation about &dquo;what is really happen-
nization are experiencing positive ing&dquo; in an institution. To some extent

encounters on a regular basis. On a the system is informal, like a

managing-by-walking-around &dquo;grapevine&dquo; to which every success-

(MBWA) tour of the school, care ful principal knows he or she must
should be taken to listen for laughter have access to get information
and humor being shared. spread rapidly throughout the sys-
~ StoryteUing. Every organiza- tem. In many cases the hierarchy of

tion, schools included, have stories power in the network is hidden from
embedded in them. The stories that obvious view. Participants in the net-
can and should be told relate the work may not even know who the

saga of the culture. These stories, &dquo;real&dquo; power leader is.

sometimes told in the form of myths, ~ Rituals and Ceremonies. An
communicate historical aspects of the organization’s rituals are the day-to-

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119
 day operations of the school, while Summary
the ceremonies those
are special While no exact science exists to tell
recognitions that celebrate heroes,
principals how to improve their
myths, or special events. Together, schools, some principals have made
they shape much of the behavior in educational excellence part of their
a culture. Each ritual is a belief that is
schools’ cultures by:
central to the school’s culture and
-
Developing a vision of what the
can be experienced by a principal
who stands at the entrance each school should be

morning and greets students by

9
Selecting staff members with cor-

name. Sometimes rituals become responding values

procedures, such as taking daily -
Facing conflict rather than avoid-
attendance at the start of each class. ing it
Ceremonies, conversely, provide -
Setting a consistent example of
a dramatic illustration of what the core values in daily routines
organization values. Ceremonies can .
Nurturing the traditions, rituals,
and should be extraordinary because ceremonies, and symbols that
they are the celebration of the cul- reinforce the school culture. -B
ture. They can be episodic, such as a

faculty retreat, or they can be dra- References

matic, conveying the message that
&dquo;Something special happening
here. We are giving special recogni-
tion to someone or something.&dquo;
Ceremonies put the school’s culture
on display and can, and usually do,
have long-lasting effects. While cere-
monies are often thought of for
Barth, R. Improving Schools from
is
Within. San Francisco, Calif.:
Jossey-Bass, 1990.
Deal, T., and Kennedy, A. Corporate
Cultures. The Rites and Rituals
of Corporate Life. Reading,
Addison-Wesley, 1982.
Mass.:

recognition of athletes, other appro- Deal, T., and Peterson, K. The

priate ceremonies of equal splendor Principal’s Role in Shaping
should be planned for scholars, com- School Culture. Washington,
munity members, artists, and other D.C.: U.S. Department of
&dquo;heroes or heroines.&dquo; Education, 1990.
Collegiality. The words of
Roland Barth sum up the important
aspects of collegiality: &dquo;The nature of
the relationships among the adults
who inhabit a school has more to do
with the school’s quality and charac-
ter and with the accomplishments of
&dquo;
its pupils than any other factor.&dquo;

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