Volume 4, Number 1 1994

f SSffeS. . . o,bout change

Schools as Learning Communities

Learning community has become a popularlyused term in educational literature,particularly with regard to school reform. Theidea of a learning community is an adaptationof the concept of learning organizations,described by Senge (1990). Learningorganizations are comprised of people who seethemselves as connected to each other and theworld, where creative thinking is nurtured, and". . . where people are continually learning howto learn together" (Senge, 1990, p.3).Sergiovanni (1992) observed that "the idea ofaschool as a learning community suggests a kindof connectedness among members thatresembles what is found in a family, aneighborhood, or some other closely knit group,where bonds tend to be familial or even sacred"1p. a7). Arelated concept, a "school-basedprofessional community," was characterized byKruse and Louis (1993) as one where teachersengage in reflective dialogue, where there is de-privatization of practice, collective focus onstudent learning, collaboration, and sharednorms and values.

In an extensive review ofthe school reformliterature focusing on school context,Boyd( 1992a) identifi ed indicators that facilitatechange. Seventeen of these indicators (Boyd,1992b) describe a school as a learningcommunity, whose culture reduces isolation,increases staffcapacity, provides a caring,productive environment, and promotesincreased quality (Boyd & Hord, 1994). Alearning community is a place where criticalinquiry is practiced by collegial partners whoshare a common vision and engage in shareddecision-making. This continuous criticalinquiry provides a basis for seamless schoolimprovement.

Leadership, however, is essential for thecreation of a learning community, whoseculture is shaped by an accumulation ofhundreds ofleaders'actions - no single oneseen as critical. In combination, however, theyprofoundly affect a school's context for changeand improvement (Peterson, 1988). Beckhardand Pritchard (1992) cite this leadership andnote that "a learning mode only occurs when anorganization's top leaders understand theprocess, see learning as something to bevalued, and are prepared to personally committhemselves to it" 1p. 1a). Through this kind ofleadership provided by four principals, alearning community was created at JohnDibert Elementary School.

A Crisis Opportunity

John Dibert Elementary School is located onthe fringes of the downtown business andindustrial area ofa large, southern, urban city.This kindergarten through grade six schoolserving400 students is surrounded by houses inneed of refurbishing where a majority of thestudents come from low-income families. Theseventy-year old building is close to a large citypark, and there is a community college not faraway.

As has happened in many urbanneighborhoods, the population ofthe schooldwindled as families grew older and residentsmoved to the suburbs. In the early'70s, theschool became highly bureaucratic and rigldlystructured, and hierarchically dominated by itssingle administrator as the sole decisionmaker.Because of the ever-decreasing studentpopulation, the school board discussed closingthe school, and this crisis stimulatedsignificant action by a few tenacious parents

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory211 East Seventh Street, Austin, Texas 78701 (512) 476-6861

who did not want to lose their school.

These parents developed a coalition of otherinterested parents who initiated dialogue withthe board to keep the school open. As a result,a decision was made to maintain the school asan open-enrollment magnet school. With thenew concept of magnet school came newadministrators and the challenge to generatesufficient student enrollment to remain open.This paper is the story of that challenge, of there-creation of the school, and of the principalswho played a major role in the re-formulationof the school.

Regeneration: The Principal Factor

As noted, four principals contributed to theDibert Difference, as it came to be known.They were Lucianne Carmichael, Clif St.Germain, Nancy Picard, and Wiley Ates.

Lucy's Legacy

Lucianne Carmichael favored a child-centeredapproach, and she suggested this idea to theparents who came seeking her advice. Thechanges at Dibert began with her idea that "atrue child-centered approach is really a person-centered approach. . . because teachers can'thonor children until they have been honoredthemselves." One part of this person-centeredapproach was giving staffthe option oftransferring to another school if they did notwant to be part of the new program. Any newstaff who came to the school to replace thosewho chose to leave were to be selected byLucianne. This was quite unusual in 1975. Infact, Lucianne reports, "I'm sure I was the firstprincipal that ever interviewed teachers [in thedistrictl. It was a battle to achieve that, but[the district] agreed."

Originally, Lucianne lobbied for a summer-longtraining program for the teachers, but moneywas available for only one week. With somenew materials and one week of training, theybegan to re-create the school. They ungradedclassrooms and grouped children of severalages in family groupings. Carmichae;articulated the philosophy underlying this

arrangement. "Children learn by copying otherchildren more than from any other source. Weknow that from raising our own children. . . .In schools we don't use that because we thinkthat children are going to learn (a) out of thebook and (b) from the teacher. They learn fromother kids and by doing it themselves."

Another part of Lucianne's philosophy wasexpressed in the continuous opportunitiesprovided to children to deveiop anddemonstrate artistic creativity. Whetherthrough music, drama, dance, or the visualarts, children could share themselves and theirrichly divergent culture and backgrounds. Inthis way, children were honored for theirspecial differences that collectively contributedto Dibert, their "rainbow school." This wascongruent with Lucianne's own experiences asanart ist-apotter.

"Until thinking changes, nothing will change,"Lucianne observed. "I spent a long, long timewith teachers. My total investment of time ormoney or anything was always in the staff.Before I would buy any kind of equipment orspend money on the building, the money wouldfirst be spent on opportunities for the teachersor time for teachers, for all of us. I learnedfrom the beginning that the most importantresource that we had was the staff. No amountof money was too much to invest in them."

Lucianne took several teachers to visit schoolsin England that were using the child-centeredapproach. "It's just like any kind of learning.To read about it falls short; if you go andexperience something you can really knowwhat it is we are talking about. I always feltfor myself and the other teachers that we hadto get into other schools. We had to really goand see and experience and do. . . . So everypenny that I could get for teachers or me totravel, we did."

"We have to feed ourselves, invest in ourselves,teach ourselves; we have to be the firstlearners. Unless the teachers are the primarylearners in that building, the children don'tlearn much. Teachers have to have time to dothat; they have to have support."

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Time, thus, was another resource Lucianneprovided for the staff and their development.Because the district did not provide any morepaid time, the staff began to rethink the timethat they already had available. They realizedthat time was "a very malleable resource." Thestaffdecided to reallocate time by teachinglonger on four days of the week and dismissingthe children early on Thursdays. The timegained on that day was used for teachers tomeet together, but never for "regular" facultymeetings. "The underlying idea was always itwas for some kind of self-development process."Thus Faculty Study began on Thursdays. Tothat end, the teachers "were bombarded fromthe first, surrounded as much as possible withgood reading, with good materials that weworked on together."

Through extensive interaction with teachers,Lucianne nurtured a shared vision. "Icontinuously wrote notes and letters toteachers. I went in classrooms; I would comeout and write notes supporting every positivething that I saw. . . . In my job as principal, theteachers were my students in a sense, and Ihad to do with them everything that I wantedthem to do with the students. I had to trustthem, and honor them, and support them, andinspire them, and nurture them, and reinforcethe good things that I saw them doing. Whenthey began to experience that, I think theybegan to have more vision and ability to havethings like that happening in their classroom.. . When that starts in the teacher's mind, itdoesn't end. It snowballs."

The entire school community -administrators, teachers, children, parents whodropped in - also met together daily atMorning Meeting. Each day in the school'sbasement, they shared school and classroomevents. and honored children'saccomplishments. A sense of family wasstrengthened through this daily interaction.

The Second Principal, Clif: Passing thePotter's Torch

The faculty remember Clif St. Germain as atwenty-seven year old guidance counselor whobecame assistant principal at Dibert, to becomeprincipal a bit later. Clif said of his mentor,Lucianne, "She was the spirit of the school andthe embodiment of tenacity and focus onbeauty." If she was the spirit, he was theheart, suggested the long-time Dibert teachers.His goal was to develop a happy place wherechildren could learn, and where Be Kind andShare was the guiding principle in howeveryone (administrators, teachers, students,support staff, parents) would interactpersonally and professionally with each other.

The faculty, as noted, had the option to stay atDibert, now a magnet school, and sign on aspart of the new school and its development, orto go elsewhere. As Clif reported, some peopledecided they didn't want to go, but they didn'twant to stay either. Other issues that facedClif and the faculty in the first year were toomany kids in the classrooms, not enough books,no release time for faculty planning, too muchrough kids'play, not enough consistency indiscipline, and many others.

One of his strategies was to meet with theentire faculty at Faculty Study on Thursdayafternoons and work on the problems they werehaving to deal with. His thinking was that ifhe could help resolve some of the problems,then they would be more willing to share a newmind-set, to come with him to a new vision ofschooling, to create a happy place wherechildren learn. He believed that the first twoor three years ofenergy would need to be usedto build a vision that could be articulated interms of culture, curriculum, and kids.

One of the symbols of the new Dibert was therainbow that represented the multiculturaldimension of the school's mission: to honorchildren of diverse backgrounds and cultures,and to value the contributions that diversitycan bring. To make this idea quite clear, St.Germain and the faculty painted a rainbow onthe front of the school. In addition, they posted

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a banner on which a large goose invited passingmotorists on the school's busy boulevard tohonk if they loved Dibert. For years, studentsreckoned that much of the traveling worldloved Dibert. Other symbolic acts werecleaning up the dingy, unattractive schoolfacility and putting flowers, music, poetry andsong "into the walls."

Because Dibert was competing for studentswith private schools in the area, St. Germainwent out into the community to talk withfamilies and to tell them about the programs atDibert and solicit their attendance. At thesame time, he and the faculty were creating theprograms and developing relationships toproductively work with each other. Becausethe faculty was young and many staff hadsmall children, they frequently would gather atsomeone's home with children for informalmeals. Occasionally on Friday afternoons, Clifwould suggest that they all get together andstop after school at one ofthe local restaurantsfor an end-of-the-week celebration. After-school volleyball games were also organized byCiif on an impromptu basis, where the staffcould knock the ball around and play together,release tension, and go back to work the nextday more relaxed.

One of his pieces of advice to others who wishto re-invent and found a school on newassumptions - on a new paradigm - is totrust that teachers know best about teachingand "when they bellow at you, know that theyare coming from wanting to have a goodschool." Understand also, he cautioned, thattime will always be problematic in any processand accept that. But, first of all, anadministrator should know his or heradministrative strengths, frnd out what givesthe person energ:y, and never let that go. Sothat when things get rough or harried, "you gointo that enerry space to rejuvenate yourself.The principalship is a lonely place, so if youknow yourself and who you are in terms of theschool," you can stay whole and not "crash intothe rocks."

Continuing into years four and five, the facultyand Clif met together weekly about how to

operate the school and how to work with kids,so that "our being here is going to amount tosomething in the lives of these kids, and theyare going to amount to something in our livesbecause they are going to teach us something."Believing that he had accomplished his purposeat Dibert, Clif felt it was time to leave, but notbefore he made sure that the new principalwould take the school in a strong direction.Thus, he had coffee with Nancy to ask her, canyou do this? She looked him straight in the eyeand replied with a strong "yes!"

The Third Principal: Now It's Nancy

Nancy Picard's primary goal'\vasempowerment; I believed that it was theprincipal's job to empower teachers, students,and parents both as a means for creating aquality school and as an end in itself." Thisempowerment meant removing barriers andexpanding what had been started underLucianne and Clif. "I put something of anacademic focus on and tried to model this atMorning Meeting. I felt like my job was toempower people around me."

To make teachers feel appreciated and valued,and to know that they were important, Nancyencouraged special events such as a parent-sponsored potluck lunch for teachers on thefirst day of school. 'You'd hear kids say, TVedon't do that at Dibert.' I wanted teachers tosay with pride that, We do this at Dibert; Iteach at Dibert."' New school T-shirts werecreated using a kindergartner's desiga and akindergarten coffee was initiated, where Picardwould speak to different parent groups andinvite them to the school for a tour given byDibert parents. It was an effort at publicrelations, and "it gave the teachers a chance toshow off." All these activities were directedtoward the goal of increasing teachers' self-esteem.

Nancy's strategies included communicating toteachers that they had the power to set goalsand that the school as a community wouldsupport them in accomplishing those goals.Nancy takes pride in the Arts Connectionprogram as an example of the way a sense of

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empowerment developed among teachers atDibert. Teachers were interested in writing a Under Nancy's administration, a new reportproposal to get a program to provide more card was designed that was bothopportunities for children in the visual arts. administratively easy and reflected what the"The fact that teachers would work on their school was trying to do with the students.own to seek an arts grant and then plan and Nancy reviewed every child's report card andexecute the program was a testament to the modeled the type of comments she felt teachersaccomplishment of my personal goal at the should include. She developed "a handout withschool, which was not simply to establish an suggested ways of communicating difficultarts program but to establish an atmosphere messages to parents in a positive manner."and a mind-set that would encourage and The new report card eliminated duplication ofenable others in the school to establish a record keeping by teachers and moreprogram as well." "adequately reflected the skills that were being

taught at each level." Teachers were highlyAnother goal Nancy accomplished was that of involved with Nancy in the process throughremoving administrative procedures that "many lengthy and loud discussions ofinterrupted teachers'instructional activities. curriculum, child development, grade levels,"My message to teachers was, You are etc. We produced a new report card thatprofessionals. I value you for your work with reflected our curriculum, our expectations forstudents. I don't want you to have to spend our children and was easier to complete in theany more energy on other tasks than bargain."necessary." Her efforts resulted in limitingnon-instructional tasks required of teachers, Nancy surveyed parents to solicit theirand providing structures for shared decision suggestions, comments, concerns. This wasmaking and teacher professional development. done in concert with the school's management

team she organized, including the lower- andDuring Nancy's tenure, parents contributed upper-grade chairpersons, special educationtime and took responsibility for projects at the chairperson, a union representative, twoschool, thus freeing teachers to teach. She parents, a university professor, and ainvolved parents in the process for lunch money community person constituted the first team.collection. In this way, Nancy moved toward The management team was designed asempowering parents as well as teachers. another way to reserve Faculty Study forImproving the parents'bulletin also helped to teachers'professional development needs. Theinvolve parents. The monthly bulletin was team represented the teachers and was aupgraded with pictures and a logo, nicely smaller body of people that would be moreprinted and mailed out to parents, local efficient in soliciting information and makingbusinesses, and to community people monthly. decisions about how the school would operate

- decisions that their colleagues wouldEncouraging the elimination of anything that support.detracted from teaching, Nancy takes somecredit for the computerization of the daily Nancy sought to empower students as well asattendance report required by the district. She teachers and parents. The Dibert studentdeveloped a weekly faculty bulletin to eliminate council conducted meetings where junior highadministrative items that took time in faculty principals from across the district came tomeeting. Included were celebrations and inform Dibert parents and students aboutpraises for children and teachers who were grades and other requirements of the variousdoing those kinds of things she liked to see schools. "I wanted students to know they had ahappen, making sure that over time she choice about what they could do with theirmentioned something about each teacher. The lives, the direction they could take, the schoolsbulletin reduced administrivia and highlighted they could choose, etc."activities she wanted to foster in the school.

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The Fourth and Current Principal:Wiley's Way

"The three principals who preceded me had areal commitment to share decision making andmove teachers toward ownership in what wasgoing on in the school, so when I came it wasclearly understood when I interviewed for theposition that was the way business was done atDibert." Thus, Wiley came with the attitudethat he would maintain things and, if possible,bring new ideas into the school. He had asincere appreciation for the management teamthat represented experience, knowledge, andleadership in the school. The team served ashis colleagues as well as his guide in thetransition period. "If you are not intimidatedby that, then you put your faith in people youwork with, and you can become oriented veryquickly and get a great deal accomplished," henoted.

A teachers' strike in the district led toconsiderable tension across the faculty, and itwas resolved through "circle table" discussionthat was beneficial to both Wiley and thefaculty. They sat and leveled with each otherabout how they were feeling about the strikeand their role in it. It was hard for everyone todeal with, but in so doing, they learned how togive Wiley and each other feedback in a groupsetting or individually. Wiley solicits feedbackat times, but on some occasions the faculty letshim know they need to talk about some issues.At other times he pulls them together for aseries of meetings to discuss things, where theyare "very blunt and deal with emotional kindsof things where people have a hard time sayingwhat they are really feeling . . . but we workour way through it."

This kind of catharsis is used regularly,sometimes with a facilitator. They believe theymake the best progress when they sit down asa faculty with an agenda and lay their cards onthe table, giving each other explanations aboutwhy and how things happen. They liken theirprocess to that of a family where feelings gethurt and where concerns and animosities buildup. They recognize the need for a vehicle todissipate some of that through talking it out.

Another family aspect is that staffmembersaddress each other and Wiley by their firstnames. Tlpically in classrooms, they addresseach other as "Mr." or "Mrs." but it's notunusual for first names to be used in thepresence ofchildren.

To set the family tone, Morning Meeting isused to start the day together. This specialdaily time with all children, staff, and numbersof parents who attend, is used for sharing andfor honoring students. The children havelearned how to focus and to listen as theirpeers contribute to the meeting. Thesecontributions could be a child reading a poemhe or she has written; first graders reading abit from the first primer they have completed;reports about field trips that have been taken;presentations of projects underway or finished;or a demonstration of peer mediation from fifthor sixth graders who use their skills toameliorate problems on the play yard. Wileyconducts this meeting, but it is really thechildren who are the participants.

Wiley's area of specialization and professionalpreparation is in curriculum. The teachersreport that he has brought an emphasis on theuse oftechnology as an instructional tool and afocus on curriculum. His tenure as middleschool assistant principal shaped his concernsthat students be ready to matriculate from theelementary to middle school. With Wiley, thefaculty examines their California AchievementTest data to identify areas of non-mastery andpartial mastery. Their goal is to move all kidsup, with particular - attention to students inthe bottom quartile with whom they have hadgood success in moving into the secondquartile.

One of the goals that Wiley and the faculty setfor the new school year was to explore andadopt a curriculum to which they could allsubscribe. They had been thinking for quite along time about the need for a consistentcurriculum so that every child received anadequate and appropriate set oflearningopportunities. Further, they wanted acurriculum that would foster their vision ofmulticulturalism, since the school had always

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been diverse, the rainbow school, and they wantto perpetuate that.

From attendance at a national conference, oneof the teachers brought information about acurriculum for exploration. Wiley and this keyteacher planned how to share information andsupport the staffin their curriculum decision-making process. An initial activity,led byWiley, was to revisit the school's mission andreiterate its operating principles, and then tolook at the curriculum in light of the vision thatthe faculty shared for the school. Tleey did aforce-field analysis of the benefits anddisadvantages of the curriculum in relationshipto their vision for the school and itsmulticultural mission. They planned athematic unit from the curriculum so they couldfeel a real sense of how the curriculum wouldwork, the materials needed to start, and areasof need for inservice. They also planned how touse a consultant (a teacher from another statewho was using the curriculum).

In addition to spending a great deal of time atthe copy machine preparing materials forteachers' inspection and analysis, Wileyencouraged staffto go to a national conferencein another state, that would focus on thecurriculum, its users, and adaptations made byschools. Sixteen teachers and Wiley flew to thetwo-day conference at their own expense toattend general sessions and breakout sessionsrelated to their own teaching assignments.TWice daily Wiley gathered them around theswimming pool to discuss their learnings andhow to share them with their colleagues athome.

At various times in the curriculum searchprocess, Wiley was seen by observers as"pushing" and at other times as showingpatience and reassuring the staff that he wasnot unequivocally "for" this curriculum. Hisrole in the process could best be described as"guide on the side" in contrast to "sage onstage," to borrow terms from the popular press."Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked asthey all became weary. "Yes," they said," it'sjust that it's going to be a lot of work and we allneed to commit to it." Thev did.

Creating a Learning Community at Dibert

Dibert was richly blessed with a series oftalented and unique principals, each of whomwas apparently the right person at the righttime. Clifjudged first principal Lucianne as the"embodiment of tenacity and beauty." Hervision required that children be honored andrespected for who they were and what theybrought of themselves to school. Further,Lucianne's vision included children whorespected and appreciated themselves, who hadhigh self-esteem and self-regard. Lucianne,herselfan artist, encouraged teachers to use thearts - visual and performing - to providechildren with opportunities for self-expressionthat would lead to feelings of self-worthiness.Above all, she invested time, enerry, and otherresources in honoring teachers to develop theircapacity to honor the children.

Whereas Lucianne was the "quiet but forcefulcenter of things," teachers observed that Clifwas the "energ;rmeister," cheerleading andbringing about bonding of faculty and children."He's a people person, going around talkingwith and touching everyone, connecting to themand connecting them with each other."Teachers without fail acknowledged his energyand the way he used it to turn the schoolaround with a well-articulated and consistentlyenforced discipline process. Teachers studiedthe process together in the early days of FacultyStudy, and through this activity they bondedaround a common goal.

Nancy's goals for the school included theachievement of increased teacher self esteemand the empowerment of teachers, parents, andstudents. She promoted activities with parentsthat would recognize and show appreciation forteachers. Nancy freed teachers to devote theirattention to professional development andinnovative practices for children, practices theywere empowered to develop themselves. Byproactively streamlining procedures andprocesses, she was able to reduce administriviaand other distractions.

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Each succeeding principal maintained theevolving culture - its values, beliefs, andoperations - and added to it. Such was thecase with Wiley, the current principal.Teachers report that Wiley has responded to theneed to think about academics by promotinginterest in looking critically at the academicprogram of the school. He has imbued thisexamination with his own expertise incurriculum. Teachers credit him with furtherinfluence on academics through his introductionof computer hardware and software. Thequalities that described Dibert earlier remain inWiley's administration; they have beeninstitutionalized. For example, MorningMeeting still happens daily, "We meet as afamily to start the day," explains Wiley. "It is atime when we can honor our students andapplaud and celebrate their accomplishments."

fn succession all four of these principals - thevision person, the people person, theempowering person, and the academic person -added important dimensions to Dibert. None ofit could have happened as it did, with a widelyheld vision and shared decision making,without the structures and schedules thatpermitted the conversation to develop in thefrrst piace: Morning Meeting, where everyonein the school shares the first twenty minutes ofthe day; and Faculty Study, where faculty as alearning community continue to learn, grow,and improve their work with children.

John Dibert Elementary School sees itself as afamily and a community of learners. Teachersare encouraged to innovate. They are involvedin shared decision making, and they share acommon vision of what the school should be andwhere it is headed. Reflection is encouraged. Ifconflict occurs, it is brought to the surface,shared openly, and resolved. The entire schooilearns together: students, teachers, parents,all. The school continually discovers how tocreate and change its reality.

References

Beckhard, R. & Pritchard, W. (1992). Changingthe essence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.

Boyd, V. (1992a). Creating a context for change.Issues ...about Change,2(2). Austin, TX:Southwest Educational DevelopmentLaboratory.

Boyd, V. (1992b). School contert: Bridge orbarrier to change? Austin, TX: SouthwestEducational Development Laboratory.

Boyd, V. & Hord, S. M.(1994). Principals andthe new paradigm: Schools as learningcommunities. Paper presented at theAnnual Meeting of the AmericanEducational Research Association. NewOrleans, LA.

I(ruse, S.D., & Louis, K.S. (1993). An emergingfrarnework for analyzing school-basedprofessional community. Paper presented atthe annual meeting of the AmericanEducational Research Association, Atlanta,GA.

Peterson, K.D. (1988). Mechanisms of culturebuilding and principals' work. Educationand Urban Society, 20(3),250-26L.

Sergiovanni, T. (1992). Moral leadership:Getting to the heart of school improuement.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline. New York:Doubleday.

Issues...about Change is published and producedquarterly by the Leadership for Change Project oftl e Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.This issue was written by Victoria Boyd, ResearchAssociate, and Shirley M. Hord, Senior ResearchAssociate, Seryices for School Improvement, SEDL.

SEDL I OnnrThis publication is based on work sponsored wholly, or inpart, by the Office of Educational Research & Improvement,U.S. Department of Education, under Contract NumberRP91002003. The contents of this publication do notnecessarily reflect the views of OERI, the Department, or anyother agency of the U. S. Government.

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