Preparing New Principals

Leadership for School Culture:

Knowing the Norms,
Behaviors, and Issues
By Jo Roberts

The right preparation program can go

a long way toward improving the
cultural leadership skills of beginning
principals. Here’s an outline for such
a program.

tor a beginning administrator, understanding what school

culture is, identifying the existing school culture, and main-
taining the school’s cultural elements can be a major chal-
lenge. Dimensions of school culture are, in fact, often over-
looked during the first year in the principalship.
How can an aspiring principal prepare to recognize cultural
elements and lead in issues of school culture? How can an aspir-
ing principal prepare to inspire-rather than merely super-
vise-teachers ? Can one learn ways to ensure that solid values
are embodied in the daily actions of all school staff members?
And once on the job, how can a beginning principal learn
about the potentially puzzling value system operating in a
school and, at the same time, gain acceptance for his or her
efforts to change or build a school’s culture?
The answers may lie in a preparation program that blends

Jo Roberts is assistant professor of supervision, University of Geor-

gia, Athens; and a former middle level and senior high school prin-
cipal.
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64

understanding about school culture
with an acknowledgment of the
beginning administrator’s level of
professional development.
Becoming a Principal
While the literature on preparation
programs lacks an extensive
research base (Miklos, 1988), recent
studies indicate ways in which the
process of becoming a principal
might be improved with regard to
the cultural orientation component.
It is helpful to first consider what
occurs when one becomes a principal.
The transition from aspiring
principal to principal appears to be
much the same as Veenman’s (1984)
description of the transition from
teacher training to the first teaching
job-a dramatic shift resulting in
&dquo;reality shock.&dquo;
Like the teacher’s first year, the
principal’s beginning year is imbued
with aseries of frightening or unset-
tling situations. The beginners
struggle with the relationships, his-
tory, and legacies of those who went
before them, and their own occasion-
al errors or failures undermine their
self-confidence. Research studies of
beginning principals have described
these as problems of socialization
(Daresh, 1986), succession (Hart,
1985), and a need for security and
acceptance (Greenfield, 1985).
The difficulties of learning the
ropes present extended challenges
for beginning principals. Discovering
and understanding the school’s value
system and gaining acceptance for
one’s efforts to change or build a
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65
school’s culture are difficult tasks.
A recentstudy (Parkay and Hall,
in press) has documented problems
that beginning principals, in particu-
lar, have with school cultural orienta-
tions. The four most pressing issues
center on the beginning principal’s:
o Limited efforts to build cultural
linkages throughout the school that
can have the effect of improving
instruction
o
Rigid control of structure or tech-
nical aspects of achieving the
school’s mission
o
Limited efforts at clarifying pur-
poses, empowering others, helping
others to be successful
o Limited display of culture-related
leadership behaviors that reflect the
principal’s values and enable teach-
ers to find significance in their work.
How can we ease the new princi-
pal’s transition period regarding
school culture? What elements of
conceptual knowledge, technical
skill development, and personal
platform development can make the
initial years less traumatic for the
principal and more productive for
the school?
The Developmental Stages
Katz (1972) characterized four
developmental stages of teachers
that can also apply to beginning
principals. They include:
0
Stage 1: Survivczl. During this
stage, I am primarily concentrating
on my survival. Rather than
own
focusing the others in the school,
on
I am mainly concerned with whether
I can survive the day, until the end

of the week, or until the next vaca-
tion. As a new professional, I need
support, on-site instruction in specif-
ic skills, and insight into my own
functioning as well as school prob-
lems I may not perceive myself.
o
Stage 2: Consolidation. At this
stage, I am beginning to look outside
myself and focus on other individu-
als (students and staff members). I
have survived the early stage and
now need help in interpreting my
experiences and moving toward
solutions to problems I can identify
9
Stage 3: Renewal: Now I am
ready to seek out new developments,
to design a new order of things, to
improve what exists. During this
stage, I can benefit from feedback
and visits with other professionals,
and I am accepting of help with a
close examination of my own work.
o
Stage 4: Maturity: I have begun
to ask deeper and more abstract
questions. I need opportunities to
participate in introspective and
searching discussions with others
whom I respect.
Since the experiences of begin-
ning principals appear to echo these
developmental stages, we could con-
sider structuring our preparation
and support programs accordingly.
Beginning principals who are in the
&dquo;survival&dquo; stage, for example, need
an awareness of school culture
issues and assistance seeing or
noticing elements of school culture
in operation. They may also need
supportive feedback on behaviors
that affect the school culture.
It is likely, then, that beginning
principals will benefit from having
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66
frequent and ready access to advisers.
Experienced principals may be the
most capable persons to assist with
that necessary reflection-on-action
that enlightens beginning principals.
Furthermore, the typical stages of
professional development imply that
expanded preservice training would
also be helpful. For example, prepa-
ration programs could include an
orientation period that would pro-
vide exposure to a multitude of expe-
riences in a variety of schools. This
could include observing, analyzing,
and synthesizing activities related to
school culture. Performing brief,
monitored administrative tasks
(such as holding planning sessions
or meetings, organizing school pro-
grams with faculty members, com-
municating with others in group ses-
sions, developing a proposal, or
evaluating a program) would help
ease the entry into the principalship.
Building School Culture
During these preservice and orien-
tation periods, the principal prepa-
ration steps should conform to the
pattern of theory, demonstration,
practice/feedback, and coaching that
is known to produce the maximum
learning and growth (Joyce and
Showers, 1983). Mentors and peer
administrators should share knowl-
edge, model good practice, and
guide the professional practice of
the beginning principals.
By combining knowledge, practice
of skills, and the development of one’s
personal belief system or &dquo;platform&dquo;
(see, for example, Daresh, 1990) in a
 67

An Agenda for Culture-Related Learnings for Beginning Principals

During Preparation and Orientation

Objective 1: To gain an understanding of school culture.
Strategy: Through readings, interviews with practicing principals and community
members, and personal reflection, find answers to the following questions:
~
School culture: What is it?
~
What is the impact of school culture on the school and community?
~ In my school, do I find a true commitment to quality service that pervades all
school activity? What rituals and symbolic elements reflect the school’s vision
and values?
~
What are some examples of loose and tight coupling or control patterns in
schools?
~
What are my personal leadership values? How do these relate to establishing a
positive school culture?

Objective 2: To identify culture-related elements in a variety of schools.

Strategy: Visit at least three schools in order to:
~
Compare internal communications (those that take place within the school) and
external communications (those that go to or come from the community). What
operational systems support these communications?
~
Observe different principals’ culture-related behaviors. Consider which principals
exhibit skills in
building school culture.
~
Explore leaders’ thinking as they work. Ask the principals to share their
reflections on their behaviors, the decisions they make, and the effect of their
actions on the school. What norms are established or reinforced? What
characterizes the leader’s influence on school culture?
~
Reflect on the effectiveness of
culture-building efforts in the three schools. Why
are some schools stronger, culturally speaking? What messages are conveyed

by the climate and leaming environment in these schools?

~
Analyze written and oral communication patterns at all levels of school
operations. How do they reflect school culture?
~
Compare and contrast the cultural dimensions of the three schools.
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 68

coached program of preparation and A sample design for such a pro-

orientation, it may be possible to
diminish the survival concerns and
improve the cultural leadership skills
of beginning principals.
New principals would feel better
equipped to deal with the norms,
behaviors, and issues that make up
school culture. They would move
more quickly to reinforce behaviors
essential to the enactment of our val-
ues and the school’s vision. Finally,
they would decisively and comfort-
ably stand for the democratic princi-
ples that form the very foundation of
our school experience.
gram appears in the box.
Implications for Programs
In its best form, a principal prepara-
tion program that addresses the
topics outlined here would necessar-
ily include extensive clinical as well
as academic preparation. Later,
post-preparation or orientation,
induction, and post-induction com-
ponents would provide a bridge into
practice and ensure success during
the critical first two years. Coaching
by able and sensitive colleagues,

During Orientation and First Year in the Principalship ,

Objective: To practice and develop abilities in the areas of- _

.

~
active listening
~
risk taking
~
personally influencing the school culture
~
making sophisticated external (community) linkages
~
&dquo;playing politics&dquo;
~
blending tradition with change
.
deliberately creating cultural symbols and rituals in our school
.
actively developing commitment internally
.
maintaining effective communication (emphasizing the positive while dealing
with criticism)
.
holding tight to values while allowing appropriately looser systems (including
emphasizing and controlling instruction and resources, providing instructional
support, encouraging staff involvement with mission/goals/priorities, and providing
consistency and fairness in supervision)
.
demonstrating values (vision, authenticity, sincerity, and empowerment).
Strategies: Assess myself periodically on the dimensions of culture listed
above. Ask for feedback from trusted colleagues and mentors. Develop ways to
measure my personal growth as well as school progress on each dimension.

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 69

During Second Year in the Principalship

Objective: To develop high-level culture-building leadership skills.

Strategy: Gather feedback and data. Consider whether I am:
.
attending to others
.
creating more potent linkages between culture and instruction
.
letting go instead of controlling systems that may improve with flexibility or
experimentation
.
focusing on instruction
.
gaining goal agreement
.
measuring the effect of cultural elements on learning.
From this snapshot of &dquo;our school culture,&dquo; devise a plan to continuously support
a positive school culture. In words and behavior, always convey the message
&dquo;Learning is number one in our school!&dquo;

advisers, or mentors who create —. "Formation: The Missing

opportunities for guided reflection is
necessary. Finally, the development
of a personal platform must be inte-
grated into an aspirant’s growing
ability to deal with school culture.
The culture-related continuing
education needs of principals after
their first two years in practice are
not known, but further research
Ingredient in Administrator Prepara-
NASSP Bulletin, May 1990.
tion."
Greenfield, W. D. "Being and Becoming a
Principal: Responses to Work Contexts
and Socialization Processes." Paper
presented at the Annual Meeting of
the American Educational Research
Association, Chicago, 1985.
Hart, A. W. "Leadership Succession as

may confirm that is the time when a
principal best learns how to deal
with the complexities and unpre-
dictability inherent in building a
school culture. Such powerful poten-
tial must be explored.
References
Daresh, J. C. "Support for Beginning
Principals: First Hurdles Are Highest."
Theory Into Practice, Summer 1986.
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Social Validation: The View from
Inside the Principalship." Paper
presented at the Annual Meeting of
the American Educational Research
Association, Chicago, 1985.
Joyce, B., and Showers, B. Power in Staff
Development Through Research on
Training. Alexandria, Va.: ASCD, 1983.
Katz, L. "Developmental Stages of
Preschool Teachers." Elementary
School Journal 73(1972): 50-54.
Miklos, E. "Administrator Selection,
 70

Career Patterns, Succession, and presented at the Annual Meeting of

Socialization." In Handbook of
Research on Educational Administra-
tion, edited by N. J. Boyan. New York:
Longman, 1988.
Murphy, J.; Hallinger, P.; and Mesa, R.
P. "Strategies for Coupling Schools:
The Effective Schools Approach."
NASSP Bulletin, February 1985.
Parkay, F. W., and Hall, G. E., eds.
Becoming a Principal: Challenges of
Beginning Leadership. Boston, Mass.:
Allyn & Bacon, in press.
Roberts, J. "Cultural Orientations of
First-time High School Principals
During Selection and Entry." Paper
the American Educational Research
Association, San Francisco, 1989.
Rutter, M.; Maugham, B.; Mortimore, P.;
Ouston, J.; and Smith, A. Fifteen
Thousand Hours: Secondary Schools
and Their Effects on Children. Cam-
bridge, Mass.: Harvard University
Press, 1979.
Spradling, R. L. "We Can Make Prin-
cipalship Induction Less Traumatic."
NASSP Bulletin, November 1989.
Veenman, S. "Perceived Problems of
Beginning Teachers." Review of
Educational Research 2(1984):
143-78.

Where Do All the Teachers Go?

Why do teachers change careers? One common belief is that they go on to nnd

more money better career opportunities. However, the National Center for
or

Education Statistics reports that about 34.7 percent of the public school
teachers and 47.3 percent of the private school teachers left teaching in
1988-89 because of family or personal moves, health, or
pregnancy/childrearing.
Other reasons cited include:
.
Retirement (public school teachers: 22.5 percent; private school teachers: 5.5
percent)
. To pursue another career outside education (14.8 percent; 12.5 percent)
.
Dissatisfaction with teaching as a career (8.9 percent; 6.7 percent)
.
For better salary or benefits (4.5 percent; 9.2 percent)
The data are based on NCES’ 1987-88 Schools and Staffing Survey and the
:
.
1988-89 Teacher Follow-Up Survey

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