Questions to consider:

 

The reading you have is one that involves the Organizational Culture and Climate of organizations (not necessarily schools). Think about how the definitions of organizational climate and culture applies to school settings.

In what ways do traditional notions of culture and change apply to educational settings? (For instance, what would you identify as the artifacts and values associated with school settings?) What would you identify as the basic assumptions of school settings? What types of observations would "confirm" these basic assumptions?

In what ways does the theory behind the discussion of organizations not necessarily apply to schools? For instance, what issues unique to schools make discussions of power different from other organizations?

Do individuals in a school system (regardless of elementary, secondary, or higher education) think about the mission of the organization? How might different individuals in a school see a different mission? (For example, are you aware of and familiar with the mission statement of the University of Michigan? If not, what do you think the mission of the university is? If you are familiar with the mission statement, is what is stated by the University President what you experience in your life as a student? Do you see yourself as having a role in that mission?)

 

The chapter also addresses cultural change - criteria for needed change, types of change, and change strategies. How might the aforementioned work in school settings? Some argue that schools - in terms of structure and functioning - have changed little over the past 100 years, despite the fact that many would say that schools meet the criteria for cultural change. Why might it be difficult for schools to change? What factors inside and outside of the school contribute to this difficulty? How is talking about and implementing change in schools different from change in other types of organizations?

Finally, the chapter addresses and describes the effects of organizational culture. How do the effects discussed for business/industrial organizations relate to the effects of school culture. What would be the analogous effects in school settings? What would be effects unique to schools? What types of effects or outputs are actually valued the most?