Transforming School Culture through Teaching Teams

Abstract

This study uses the experiences of school restructuring and reform as a context for the study of cultural change and cultural learning. Drawing on theories of organizational culture and cultural change, the article considers a particular school as a culture in transition. Instructional teams are central to the school's reform efforts and person-to-person relationships are at the heart of shared cultural assumptions. The study explores the impact of changing structures, policies, artifacts, and events in directing cultural change; the central role shared assumptions play within the process; the impact of cultural change on teachers’ images of themselves as teachers; and the role of school leaders in initiating cultural change.