The Lamar University Electronic Journal of Student ResearchVohune 3, Spring 2006

A National Perspective: An Exploration of the Influenceof Principals on School Culture

Aliena Carter AndersonPhD Program Student in Educational

LeadershipPrairie View A & M University

CounselorDallas Independent School District

Dallas, Texas

William Allan Kritsonis, PhDProfessor

PhD Program in Educational LeadershipPrairie View A & M UniversityDistinguished Alumnus (2004)Central Washington University

College of Education and Professional StudiesVisiting Lecturer (2005)

Oxford Round TableUniversity of Oxford, Oxford, England

ACRL- Harvard Leadership Institute (2006)Harvard Graduate School of Education

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

ABSTRACT

School culture is rapidly changing as the United States becomes morediverse. Because of the need for student success, principals are changing tactics toincorporate leadership strategies to accommodate a more diverse studentpopulation. Strategies proven to be most effective must be used by school principalsto promote diversity and create a school culture where all students feel accepted anddesire success for themselves.

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa: How woulda principal determine which greeting would be used when speaking to a student or parentjust before Winter Break in December? Would the chosen greeting be based on skincolor, attire, or assumed cultural characteristics alone? The principal is the instructionalleader of the school and sets the tone for the climate and culture of the school. Culturaldiversity in the school must start with the principal and be influential on teachers, parents,community members and most importantly students.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the factors that influence the leadershipstrategies of school principals used to adapt to the changes in diversity of the studentpopulation. According to Educational Studies, school culture is changing rapidly, 90% ofpublic school teacher in the United States represent the majority race, whileapproximately 38% of the student population is composed of racial/ethnic students(Garmon, 2005).

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The Lamar University Electronic Journal of Student ResearchVolume 3, Spring 2006

According to Educational Studies, social foundations of education have minimalvisibility relating to diversity (Butin, 2005). Coincidently, the developmental strategiesare not working toward promoting diversity within the public school. Principals are giventhe facts, but are not given a formula to use in order to handle the change.

Leaders who work with members of ethnically diverse backgrounds need to beaware of cultural differences in their followers as relationships are established (Madsen,2002). The principal must acknowledge the cultural differences both teachers andstudents in an effort to build a more socially diverse with the common goal of studentsuccess. Teachers and students want to hold on to their culture, so the uniqueness inindividuals has to be welcomed and encouraged.

Group boundaries and cultural differences may create conflict when the leader ofa group does not consider culture (Madsen, 2002). Principals cannot ignore differencesand attempt to approach each situation the same way. Awareness of culture must be acontributing factor in the daily decisions made by the principal.

Diversity is not a problem to remedy and aspiring administrators should beexpected to be knowledgeable of multicultural issues and develop into leaders who showa "profound respect for and encouragement for diversity (Barth, 1990). Principals mustalways welcome the uniqueness of every culture in the school. It is important to makeeach person feel special valued and accepted. There should be no group in a school withmore control than any other. All students are equal and should all feel a sense ofownership about their school.

Students have to be seen as individuals and not identified by race or otherdiscerning specifics. Standardized tests are sometimes broken down into groups ofstudents and subgroups including; Black, White, Hispanic, ELL, as well as at risk. Thisbrings about the question, "What is the ultimate goal, to identifYone group as smart andanother as not smart?" There is need to change some of the procedures in standardizetesting categorization because the division it creates may supercede the intended benefit.

Students want to feel accepted and not teased or ridiculed for being different.Children who are bullied, teased and tormented in elementary school are more likely todrop out of school. Thus, the principal can incorporate the culture of all students andcreate a sensitive school climate that is conducive to learning and student success.Student success is deeper than meeting the standard of a standardized test. Studentsuccess includes student involvement in extracurricular events, a strong support system,and the development of good character. These attributes can all mark student success.

Awareness is an integral part of developing a culturally diverse schoolenvironment. Students, teachers, parents and community members must all know thegoal of achieving a culturally diverse school. It should never be a secret or disguisedapproach, because people may feel betrayed if there is a diversity initiative at the schooland the greatest stakeholders have not been informed. A negative result will protrude ifthis is not an open school wide effort.

Parental support is a critical ingredient in the recipe for creating a multiculturalschool where students feel accepted. Parents want cultural competence, which refers tothe ability of teacher and administrators to respond to all children. This includedunderstanding the richness and the limitations of their own sociocultural contexts(Berrera & Kramer, 1997). Parents want to know the principal is concerned about their

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The Lamar University Electronic Journal of Student ResearchVolume 3, Spring 2006

child. Parents are supportive of administrator who are visible in the school and who havean active role in the best interest of their child.

Principals must hire a multicultural staff in order to promote cultural awarenessand acceptance (Growe, Schmersahl, Perry, Henry 2002). The faculty and staff must bereflective of the students, so the students will have a connection to their culture. Astudent who feels alone may feel comfortable coming to a teacher that looks similar tothem and who may have a similar culture. This connection to students is not likely toexist if the staff is not representative of the students.

Students of the same race do not always have the same culture. Diversityacceptance is a commitment to surrender all preconceived notions on students anddevelop healthy relationships where the faculty and staff of the school are all on oneaccord to promote acceptance of all students. A Black History program and a Cinco deMayo celebration will not suffice in cultural acceptance. Culture has to be intertwineddaily in instruction, activities, conversations, treatment, and discipline of students.Sustainability is definitely a matter of changes in culture: powerful strategies enablingpeople to alter certain values and beliefs as they create new forms of learning within andbetween schools, as well as across levels of the system

In conclusion, schools are now diverse and in order to create a warm culturewhere students feel accepted, it must start with the principal. Specifically, principalsStudent successful can be attainable through a variety of means, some of which are notacademically propelled. Student success is defined by the success of the whole child andis defined by the inner feeling. There is a need for school principals to embrace culturaldiversity to address student needs and achieve student success. Importing culture isindependent of the ethnicity of the students, their and socioeconomic status (Reavis 99).An empowering school culture must be cultivated by the administrator in order forstudents of diverse racial, ethnic, and social groups believe they are valued andexperience respect, belonging, and encouragement (parks, 1999).

References

Barth, R. (1990). Improving schools from within. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.Berrera, I, Kramer, L. (1997). From monologues to skills dialogues: Teaching the process

of crafting culturally competent early childhood environments. In P.J. Winton,J.A. McCullum, & C. Catlett, Reforming personnel preparation in earlyintervention (pp. 217-251). Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks.

Butin (2005). Is Anyone Listening? Educational Policy Perspectives on the SocialFoundations of Education. 38, 286-297.

Gannon (2005). Six Key Factors for Changing Preservice Teachers' AttitudeslBeliefsabout Diversity. Educational Studies, 38(3),275-286.

Growe, R, Schmersahl, K, Perry, R., Henry (2002). A knowledge base for culturaldiversity in administrator training, 29(3).

Madsen, (2002). Leadership and Diversity: Creating Inclusive Schools. Peabody Journalof Education. 77(1), 1-6.

Parks, S. (1999). Reducing the effects of racism of schools. Educational Leadership,56(7).

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Reavis, C.A. (1999). Importing a culture of success via a strong principal. The ClearingHouse, 72(4), 199-202.

Formatted by Dr. Mary Alice Kritsonis, National Research and Manuscript PreparationEditor, NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS, Houston, Texas. www.nationalforum.com

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