Shaping Positive and Transforming
Negative School Cultures
in International Schools
NESA Conference
Istanbul, Turkey
Dr. Kent D. Peterson
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Emeritus Professor
2014
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)
Culture is a Powerful Force
School culture influences
how people think, feel, and act.
Culture shapes focus, commitment,
motivation, and student success.
Culture and Effectiveness
“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, p. 7)
CULTURE
??
Climate
??
or Both?
"School culture is like soil and structure
is like a seed. If the soil is healthy the
seed will grow, if the soil is toxic the
seed will die."
(Anthony Muhammad)
School Culture and
Achievement
 Reinforces school improvement actions
 Creates trust, collegiality, and sense of community
 Fosters teacher learning
 Enhances student engagement and academic
achievement
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(See research detailed in Deal and Peterson; Louis and
Leithwood; Fullan; Tschannen-Moran; Hargreaves; Bryk; and
others.)
Elements of Culture
 Norms, Values and Beliefs that underlie
thinking, feeling and acting
 Symbols and Artifacts that Communicate
Meaning
 Stories that Herald Values
 Cultural Networks
 Heroes and Heroines
 Rituals, Traditions, and Ceremonies
 “Culture is ”The way we do things around
here!” (Bowers)
Types of Culture
 Positive—Negative
 Strong—Weak
 Learning-Growing—Static-Floating—Toxic-Dying
 Organizationally Joyous—Organizationally
“Depressed”
 Coherent--Fragmented
Elements of Toxic or Dysfunctional Cultures
 Negative or dysfunctional values or beliefs
 Little sense of shared purpose
 Existence of negative relationships
 The presence of negative or hostile members
 Few heroes or heroines--or unrecognized ones
 Shallow or meaningless ceremonies and traditions
 Harmful stories or a jaded sense of history
 Little laughter or camaraderie
 The existence of aspects of these
Leader’s Actions to Address Culture
 READ the culture; its past and present.
 ASSESS effectiveness of cultural elements.
 SHAPE the culture by reinforcing the positive and
transforming the negative.
Unpacking Core Values
 What makes a good day?
 What makes a good week?
 What makes a good year?
Symbols and Artifacts Communicate Meaning
 The school logo should communicate core values.
 The entryway to the school can reinforce the
purpose of the school.
 The display of student work reinforces hard work,
meaning and purpose to students.
 Historical artifacts of school accomplishments
supports a sense of commitment to the values of the
school’s mission.
Presidio Hill School
Riverstone International School
“Walk the Halls and Talk to the
Walls”
 Imagine you are new to the school. Walk outside
and leave your “To Do List” at home.
 Now, walk through the school.
 What to you see, hear, and feel? What
messages are sent by what is on the walls and
what is going on in the classrooms?
 What does this tell you about the culture?
 What should be kept and what should be
changed?
Stories and the Culture
 Stories are the foundation of a culture.
 Stories communicate purpose, reinforce
success, and maintain traditions.
 What are the histories, myths, and stories of the
culture?
 Discuss the key stories to tell newcomers that
reinforce the culture.
Positive Informal Network
 Heroines and Heroes
 Storytellers
 Gossips and “Social Media Specialists”
 Keepers of the Dream
 Navigators and Compasses
 Spirit Guides
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(Deal and Peterson, 2009)
Toxic Informal Network
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Anti-Heroes and Anti-Heroines
Pessimistic Storytellers
Rumor Mongers
“Keepers of the Nightmare”
Negaholics and Naysayers (Carter-Scott, 1989)
Prima Donnas-Prima Donalds
Space Cadets
Martyrs
Deadwood, Driftwood, Ballast
Saboteurs
Rogue Pirates
Resource Vultures
 (Deal and Peterson, 2009)
Cultural Networks Transmit Values to Students,
Staff, and Community
 Positive cultural networks should be nurtured and
given time to thrive.
 Dysfunctional roles should be counteracted.
Making the Informal Network
Effective
 Know who resides in each role.
 Provide stages for storytellers.
 Recognize heroes and heroines.
 Use Gossips to pass positive information.
 Work to counteract the negative impact of hostile
roles.
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 Discuss: Who are the members of your informal
networks? How to you work with them to foster
learning?
The Special Case of Millennials
 Desire for flexibility
 Orientation to teams
 Intense Social Media communicators
 Wish for work and life balance
 Need to regular contact, feedback, support, and
recognition
 ???How do they fit in your culture???
 What do you to bring Millennials into your culture?
(http://humanresources.about.com/od/managementtips/a/millenials.htm;
see Brack, 2012)
Using Social Media to Shape the
Culture
 Communicating, reinforcing, and celebrating the
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culture through multiple medias
Face-to-Face Contact
Handwritten Notes
YouTube videos
Twitter Stories
Email and Texting
Snapchat
Vine
Instagram
Community Exemplars Model Core Values:
A Heroine or Hero
 Those who are deeply respected by all.
 Their actions mirror core values and commitments.
 Remembered fondly.
 Their lives are the stuff of legend.
 Exemplars of what is best about the school.
Share a Story of a
Heroine or Hero
Rituals, Traditions, Ceremonies, and
Celebrations
 Rituals are regular routines.
 Traditions occur yearly and bring people together.
 Ceremonies and Celebrations are larger events.
 These events are crucial times to communicate and
reinforce core values, beliefs, and purpose.
 Without these cultural events, the culture can
stagnate, wither, or die.
The Importance of Ceremonies
and Celebrations
 Reinforce Values
 Build Culture and Community
 Recharge Motivation
 Communicate Purpose
 Celebrate Successes
Types of Celebrations
 Welcoming Staff
 Beginning of Year
 Fall Solstice
 End of Break
 Host Country Traditions
 Ethnic Events
 Recognition Ceremonies
 Retirements or Departures
 End-of-Year Gatherings
 Large and Small Successes
Elements of Ceremonies
 A special and value-linked purpose
 Symbolic clothing and adornments
 Symbols, signs, banners, flags
 Stories and sagas
 Music
 Setting and Decorations
 Food and drink
 Special language and tone
 Message of hope and recognition
Map Your Ceremonies and
Celebrations Over the Year
Analyzing
Ceremonies and Celebrations
As you examine your “map,” what are the core
values and beliefs communicated in the
ceremonies and celebrations?
Are new messages needed? Are the activities
in tune with the message?
Are new ceremonies or celebrations needed to
be scheduled?
•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_________________________.
•Conduct a school history.
•Conduct an “Educational Garage Sale”
•Interview a school’s storytellers.
Conduct a School History
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Major Events
Key Formal and Informal Leaders
Ideas about Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment
Technology and its Transformation
Key Successes and Challenges
Rituals, Traditions, and Ceremonies
Students, Community, and Locale
Major Events and Changes
People and Personalities
Clothing, Hairstyles, Music of the Time
Conducting an Educational
Garage Sale
 Purpose: To assess the culture.
 Stations of the Sale:
 Museum,
 Not For Sale,
 Repair Shop,
 Reclamation Station,
 Garbage Can,
 Toxic Waste Hauler
 Individuals place items in each station.
 Discuss the items, prioritize positive ones and
negative ones, then make a plan to address
the issues.
(Peterson and Deal, 2009)
Shaping School Culture
 Hiring and Socialization
 Recounting History and Telling Stories
 Communicating Vision and Values
 Walking the Talk; Modeling Values
 Transforming Dysfunctional Cultures
 Making All Leaders Culture Shapers
 Celebrating Accomplishments
8 Culture Shaping Roles
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Anthropologist
Historian
Visionary
Symbol
Potter
Poet
Actor
Healer
(Deal and Peterson, 2009)
Effective and Less Used Roles
 Which roles are you most effective?
 When do you take on these roles?
 Which roles are less used?
 Which roles would you like to use more or to
strengthen further?
“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
Thank you for your energy, hard work,
and collaboration today.
Good luck as you return home to serve
your schools!
These materials have been developed by the
presenter with parts adapted from work by
Kent Peterson, Terrence Deal and Pam
Robbins. Please appropriately cite the
source if utilizing them to serve your schools.
Resources and Research
 Kent Peterson and Deal, Terrence. 2nd Edition (2009). The
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Shaping School Culture Fieldbook. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Publishers.
Deal, Terrence and Peterson, Kent. 2nd Edition (2009). Shaping
School Culture: Pitfalls, Paradoxes, and Promises. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Muhammad, Anthony. (2009). Transforming School Culture.
Solution Tree.
Kruse, Sharon and Louis, Karen. (2008). Building Strong School
Cultures. Corwin Press.
See books by Pam Robbins and Harvey Alvy, Fullan, and Others.