School Culture Rewired

Brief Description:
"Education experts Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker update their bestseller to offer strategies and advice for defining, assessing, and transforming your school's culture into one that is positive, productive, and actively working to enrich students' lives"--

Commendation Quotes:

The 2nd edition of School Culture Rewired is an essential guide for every teacher and school leader. Gruenert and Whitaker expertly bridge the gap between research and practical implementation, empowering educators to achieve lasting success in their schools. They dispel myths about culture and clarify the true distinction between culture and climate. Packed with practical tools for school assessment and culture "rewiring," this book is a trusted companion for educators driving positive change.

What sets Gruenert and Whitaker's approach apart is their rejection of simplistic labels like "good" or "bad" cultures. Instead, they view culture as a framework for solving problems, guiding leaders to understand how cultures function and optimize success. Their enlightening framework offers insights into the current reality and paves the way for a brighter future.

This book offers multiple entry points, inviting teachers, staff, and school leaders to explore and evaluate their school's culture. Emphasizing the crucial link between change and school improvement, Gruenert and Whitaker fearlessly confront this topic, empowering readers to navigate the dynamic interplay between the two.

For those school leaders embarking on systematic changes or revisions, School Culture Rewired should be mandatory reading. Its wisdom and guidance will prove invaluable in shaping a successful and thriving educational environment for students and staff alike.

--Dr. Chad Lang
assistant superintendent of school improvement and human resources, Glenwood, Iowa 2023 Iowa Central Office Administrator of the Year

School Culture Rewired is an essential read for understanding and transforming organizational culture in schools. Gruenert and Whitaker emphasize the importance of visionary leadership and offer practical strategies for defining, assessing, and shaping culture. They highlight the power of stories in shaping beliefs and the role of influential colleagues in amplifying or dampening culture.

This book provides valuable insights and a renewed sense of urgency to create positive change in schools. Gruenert and Whitaker emphasize that leaders, not culture, should guide schools. School leaders have the responsibility to transform culture to support what truly matters in education, and guidance on crafting a compelling vision of the future is detailed throughout this resource. The authors emphasize that a strong vision goes beyond mere positivity; it requires imagination and an understanding of the intricate components necessary for its realization. Leaders of all experiences can learn from School Culture Rewired!

--Amber Teamann
executive director of technology and innovation, Crandall Independent School District, Texas

Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker return with an updated edition of School Culture Rewired. The first edition was a game changer for my school leadership practice. The 2nd edition is a logical enhancement of practical, research-based practices that you can use to enhance the culture of the schoolhouse. I highly recommend this book as required reading for all school leaders. The authors provide several entry points in building an inspiring school culture where an authentic sense of belonging thrives for all.

--Sean Gaillard
principal, author, and podcaster

In this new edition of School Culture Rewired, Gruenert and Whitaker have made great updates with new information on how to lead culture in schools. Everyone knows that culture matters more than anything, but what does that really mean? The authors not only clarify what "culture" is for school leaders but also help them see how to move one forward in their schools. We loved every word of it.

--Joseph Jones & T.J. Vari
authors, speakers, and leadership coaches at TheSchoolHouse302

Publisher Marketing:

Your school is a lot more than a center of student learning--it represents a self-contained culture with traditions and expectations that reflect its unique mission and demographics.

In School Culture Rewired, education experts Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker offer strategies and advice for defining, assessing, and transforming your school's culture into one that is positive, productive, and actively working to enrich students' lives.

Drawing from decades of research on organizational cultures and school leadership, the authors provide everything you need to optimize both the culture and climate of your school. In this revised and retooled second edition of their bestselling book, Gruenert and Whitaker

* Explore the difference between school culture and school climate.
* Show how to ensure developmentally appropriate culture change.
* Contrast collaborative and toxic school cultures.
* Address the symbiotic relationship between culture management and leadership.
* Present a framework for pinpointing the type of culture you have, the type you want, and how to bridge the two.

Though often invisible to the naked eye, a school's culture influences everything that takes place under its roof. Whether your school is urban or rural, proficient or struggling, School Culture Rewired helps you make sure its culture is guided by what's best for your students.

Contributor Bio:Gruenert, Steve

Steve Gruenert is the department chair of the educational leadership department at Indiana State University (ISU). He helped design the Indiana Principal Leadership Institute, has coordinated the Principal Preparation Program at ISU, and has been a principal at both the high school and middle school levels. His research passion is school culture and climate, and he continues to engage with leaders at the national and international levels, helping them think about the role of culture in school improvement.

Contributor Bio:Whitaker, Todd

Todd Whitaker has been fortunate to be able to blend his passion with his career. Recognized as a leading presenter in the field of education, his message about the importance of teaching has resonated with hundreds of thousands of educators around the world. Todd is a professor of educational leadership at the University of Missouri. Prior to moving into higher education, he was a math teacher and basketball coach in Missouri. Todd then served as a principal at the middle school, junior high, and high school levels. One of the world's leading authorities on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness, Todd has written more than 60 books.