Teacher perspectives on reform in a small, rural american school of historically finnish culture: Cultural transformations

Abstract

In summary, the supporting elements and obstacles to the success of the Naselle School included: 1. A focused vision. Whether developed through community collaborations or directed from a central set of essential learning requirements, successful schools find some point of educational focus. Fullan (2001, p. 50) identifies this as coherence over fragmentation of program and purpose. Naselle found a way to avoid the professional paralysis that many other schools experienced as a result of their disdain for the federal or state-mandated accountability requirements and used the mandate as a starting point to develop a focused vision. 2. Collaborative decision making. The Naselle teachers and administrators were able to develop and sustain authentic professional collaboration that functioned not only to align curricula and program but also to strengthen relationships, to enhance a sense of teacher professionalism and empowerment, and to lengthen the tenured teaching staff. The resulting teacher core group was able to sustain the successful reform momentum even through typical organizational challenges. 3. Curriculum development process. Naselle developed a unique curriculum development process using collaborative teaming to implement a process that honored the distinction between curriculum, on one hand, and instructional materials and programs, on the other. Through this process, the Naselle teachers were able to better realize authentic or enacted curriculum in the classroom as opposed to goals kept in a document on a shelf or simply adopting the latest "flavor of the month" program. 4. Authentic professional development. Naselle was able to provide and protect funding for teacher teams and individual teachers. Providing bona fide resources to realize the curricular and programmatic goals developed in teacher teams provided legitimization of the collaborative process and further confirmed teacher professionalism. In addition, teacher control of the professional development allowed for authentic, timely, and relevant professional development opportunities. 5. Culture over process. The Finnish community of Naselle, despite having declined in numbers, provides a unique, rich, and proud identity for the community that many school districts lack. The community maintains the school at the center of this culture and enriches the lives of the staff and students. Love of the community and its history compels educators to stay long-term allowing for the development of support systems, program coherence, loyalty, and a studentcentered focus on education. While national and state-level reform efforts and one-size-fits-all programs continue to churn through the educational landscape, there is an abiding understanding of the secret to educational success. It is to touch the heart and motivate the mind of each student. The Naselle School, though far from its past as an isolated Finnish enclave in America, has created a successful school by building on its unique history to enact a culture following the Finnish tradition of "the small rural school as the learning and activity center of the whole village" (Kimonen & Nevalainen, 2001, p. 183).