Leadership of the Educational Organization, Part 11

Question 1: Discuss the nature of culture and community, including how the two influence each other and how each pertains to the school community and the campus culture.

Answer 1: Culture is the personality of a community, which is comprised of people with diverse personalities from different cultures. When a principal is leading the proposal and preparation of a campus vision of learning, he or she must know and understand the culture of the community, because he or she ideally needs all community members to contribute to the proposal. A principal must also know who makes up the community, what values are represented, what fears and dreams are shared, what traditions and rituals are observed, and what problems are most discussed; all these of these factors are a reflection of the community’s culture. As a person’s experiences over time alter his or her personality, community cultures may also undergo transformation as the members of the community change. Effective principals must be attuned to such changes.

Question 2: Explain how a principle’s support of innovative thinking and risking taking can assist him or her in responding appropriately to diverse needs in shaping the campus culture.

Answer 2: If a group within the community—it need not be a racial group; it could be a group of people who differ from the mean in socioeconomic class, religion, or nationality—feels that its members have been excluded from participating in the campus vision, a principal has to try something new to reach those individuals. Trying something new is always a risk and uusally calls for new ways of thinking. Reaching out to others can be emotionally risky because people can be offended or get their feelings hurt. A principal might be afraid of offending the people whom he or she is attempting to reach, but that should not prevent him or her from trying. People who feel that they have been excluded will not go to a principal themselves; a principal must go to where they are. Lack of community support, and most especially a lack of parental involvement, is always a characteristic of a failing school. Because community involvement is so important to the vitality of a school, a principal must take whatever action he or she can in order to reach all the various members of a community, no matter what the risks.

Question 3: Explain what a principal can do to include in the campus vision those who have not felt as if they are part of the community.

Answer 3: Because the cooperation and participation of all community stakeholders is essential to the success of a school, a principal must strive to reach those who have declined to get involved or who feel that their participation in the school community is not welcomed. Oftentimes, these stakeholders are immigrants, minority races, or people of minority religions or low socioeconomic status within a community and believe that they have no ownership in the school because they are in the minority. As a result, these groups oftentimes consider themselves to be outsiders in the school’s community; indeed, they may have been treated as such in the past. The principal must change that perception by reaching out to all who have felt excluded from the community, especially those people who have children attending the school. Simply inviting them to participate in their children’s classroom activities can inspire people to work toward a vision in which they have ownership.

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