Transforming School Culture: Stories, Symbols, Values & the Leader's Role
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 386 783 EA 026 696 AUTHOR Stolp, Stephen; Smith, Stuart C. TITLE Transforming School Culture: Stories, Symbols, Values & the Leader's Role. INSTITUTION ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, Eugene, Oreg. SPONS AGENCY Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. REPORT NO ISBN-0-86552-132-8 PUB DATE 95 CONTRACT RR93002006 NOTE 104p. AVAILABLE FROMERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, 5207 University of Oregon, 1787 Agate Street, Eugene, OR 97403-5207 ($12.50 plus $4 shipping and handling). PUB TYPE Books (010) Information Analyses ERIC Clearinghouse Products (071) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Educational Assessment; Educational Change; *Educational Environment; Elementary Secondary Education; Institutional Characteristics; *Institutional Mission; *Leadership; *Organizational Change; *Organizational Climate; Systems Approach IDENTIFIERS *School Culture ABSTRACT This book is designed to help educators recognize and,if necessary, change a schoel's culttlre.It guides principals, other administrators, and teachers in the process of shaping the culture of their schools. For those who have already begun the process, the book provides insights, examples, and reassurance that their efforts are headed in the right direction. Chapter 1 provides a framework to help :,aders understand the terms "cuiture" and "climate." Chapter etablishes the importance of culture by reviewing some of the research evidence, which shows that school culture influences student and teacher motivation, school improvement, leadership effectiveness, and academic achievement. The third chapter examines three levels of organizational cultitre outlined by Edgar H. Schein (1984)--tangible artifacts, values and beliefs, and underlying assumptions. Chapter 4 describes several instruments and qualitative procedures that a leader can use to identify and measure school culture at each of Schein's three levels.
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