ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on that research and, more tellingly, the practical knowledge of how effective leaders build strong adult professional cultures (APC) through their daily interactions with others. Educational studies of adult culture started rolling out more frequently in the 1990s. So, for at least 25 years we had major authors advocating for the importance of APC, the latest being Hargreaves and Fullan and some excellent how-to guides produced for educators by practitioners like Guernert and Whitaker. The argument was simple: it's a cause and effect chain. Strong APC leads to more teaching expertise in more classrooms for more children more of the time because it creates the kind of deep collaboration and use of data that support constant learning about teaching practice. Strengthening APC in each school is a foundational element of school improvement, but it cannot be dependent on placing inspired culture builders one finds ready formed into leadership positions.