Book Description
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.
Back Cover Copy
— Roland S. Barth, educator and author of Improving Schools from Within
"Every successful school leader knows that culture is everything! Deal and Peterson offer principals and other school leaders a genuinely useful guide to recognizing, nurturing, and reshaping the cultures of their schools. This practical book demonstrates the many cultural roles that school leaders play and provides clear, helpful examples of how effective leaders apply their knowledge of culture to improve their schools."
— Laraine Roberts, director of research and development, California School Leadership Academy
"Deal and Peterson marinate the reader in a wealth of stories, anecdotes, case studies, and strategies— all of which vividly illustrate how school leaders can shape the culture of their schools in order to make an impact on student learning and achievement. This book is a must read for school leaders at all levels."
— Karen M. Dyer, executive director, Chicago Academy for School Leadership
