School Change and the MicroSociety® Program

Cary Cherniss currently is Professor of Applied Psychology and Director of the Organizational Psycho­logy Program in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. He also has taught at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the University of Illinois in Chicago, the Chicago Medical School, and the Illinois Institute of Technol­ogy. He received his PhD in psychology from Yale University in 1972. Dr. Cherniss specializes in the areas of emotional intelligence, profes­sional burnout, management training and development, and planned organizational change. He has published more than 50 scholarly articles and book chapters on these topics, as well as six books: The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace (with Daniel Goleman); Promoting Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: Guidelines for Practitioners (with Mitchel Adler); The Human Side of Corporate Competitiveness (with Daniel Fishman); Professional Burnout in Human Service Organizations; Staff Burnout; and Beyond Burnout: Helping Teachers, Nurses, Therapists, and Lawyers Recover From Stress and Disillusionment. In addition to his research and writing, Dr. Cherniss has consulted with many schools and school districts. He also has consulted with other kinds of organizations in both the public and private sectors, including American Express Financial Advisors, Johnson & Johnson, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Honeywell, and PSEG Power. He currently is the director and cochair (with Daniel Goleman) of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and past president of its Division 27 (Society for Community Research and Action), and he is a member of the Academy of Management.

"A school′s MicroSociety program is not a gimmick, as Professor Cherniss carefully describes and discusses. It is a process that gives students responsibilities and obligations. They experience the benefits of collaboration and the problems of group cohesion, and they learn how and why the bottom line of their economic enterprise requires foresight, decision-making, flexibility, creativity, and more. Are there problems in creating and maintaining such an enterprise? Yes, but Professor Cherniss candidly, critically, sympathetically, and constructively explains why readers will have no doubt that the MicroSociety′s educational potential is indeed great. It is the opposite of a transient fad, of which there has been a surfeit."

• DedicationForeword by Roland S. BarthPrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorPart One: Overview of the Program1. The MicroSociety® ProgramA Day in the Life of a MicroSociety® Program SchoolThe Origins of the MicroSociety® ProgramThe MicroSociety® Idea SpreadsThe Guiding Philosophy Behind the MicroSociety® ProgramBasic Elements of the ProgramMicroSociety® Program Outcomes: What the Research ShowsThe Problem of ImplementationConclusion2. Challenges Encountered in Implementing the ProgramLack of Teacher Buy-inExcessive Time and Work DemandsMaking Links Between the MicroSociety® Program and the Core CurriculumWhat to Do With “Problem” Students?The Problem of Staff ConflictThe “Fog of Change”Threats to SustainabilityConclusionPart Two: Guidelines for Successful Implementation3. Creating a Favorable ContextGuideline 1: Relationships Among Teachers and PrincipalGuideline 2: Goodness of FitGuideline 3: Parent and Community InvolvementGuideline 4: Principal Support4. Introducing the Program to the SchoolGuideline 5: Giving Teachers a Meaningful VoiceGuideline 6: Planning Before the Program BeginsGuideline 7: Securing Additional FundingGuideline 8: Matching Teachers With VenturesGuideline 9: Realistic Goals and Time Perspectives5. Keeping It RunningGuideline 10: Expand Student ResponsibilityGuideline 11: Seek Out Additional ResourcesGuideline 12: Create a Culture of ExperimentationGuideline 13: Continue to Set Aside Time for PlanningGuideline 14: Create an Open and Flexible Decision-Making Structure6. Leadership – The Critical IngredientGuideline 15: The Principal as AdvocateGuideline 16: Emotionally Intelligent LeadershipPart Three: Case Studies in Implementation7. A Successful Replication: Mesquite Elementary SchoolBefore-the-Beginning: Providing a Favorable ContextIntroducing the Program to the SchoolMaking It Work: The Management Team, the Coordinator, and the ConsultantMaintaining Teacher Commitment Through Decision-Making, Planning, and TrainingSeeking Out and Using ResourcesA Supportive Principal and Organizational ClimateThe Principal’s Social Capital and Emotional IntelligenceConclusion8. Wellfleet Elementary: Everything That Can Go Wrong…The School and Its History With the ProgramWhat Went Wrong? The Before-the-Beginning PhaseSowing the Seeds of Trouble: Introducing the Program to the SchoolBecoming Operational: Trying to Cope With ChaosThe Organizational Context: Weak Leadership and a Negative Climate9. Montgomery Middle School: Success That Could Not Be SustainedThe School and Its CommunityIntroducing the Program to the School: The Principal Takes the LeadBecoming Operational: The Teachers Confront RealityThe Program EndsPart Four: Sustaining School Change in an Ever-Changing World10. Implications for Research, Policy, and PracticeImplementing Change Versus Sustaining ItTwo Central Lessons That Emerge From the StudyA First Step: The Selection and Training of EducatorsThe Role of the External EnvironmentConclusionResource A: A Description of the StudyResource B: The Implementation GuidelinesReferencesIndex