Making Sense of Social Networks in Schools

Terrence E. Deal is the Irving R. Melbo Professor at University of Southern California’s Rossier School. He is an internationally known lecturer and author who has written numerous books on leadership and organizations. In addition to those written with Lee Bolman, he is the coauthor of Corporate Cultures (with Alan Kennedy, 1982) and Shaping School Culture (with Kent Peterson, 1999). Ted Purinton is assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at National-Louis University in Chicago. His research interests are in organizational theory, educational policy, and innovation diffusion. He has worked with various organizations in their explorations of their own internal social networks. Daria Cook Waetjen is a veteran teacher, special educator, and administrator. Currently at the Orange County Department of Education in Southern California, her focus is on organizational innovations and school reform.

"In an era of accountability and simplistic management ′quick fixes,′ it is refreshing to see a volume dedicated first and foremost to understanding and building human relationships in schools. By developing strong networks, schools can foster open systems committed to distributive leadership and exemplary academic outcomes."

• AcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorsForeword by Guilbert HentschkePreface: What′s in a Song?Lyrics to Green DoorIntroduction: The New Principal Encounters a Locked Door: Through a Smoky CloudOutside Looking InOverview of the Book1. A Glimmer of Networks: Saw an Eyeball Peepin′Business ResearchPredominance of NetworksImpact on SchoolsMisreading CluesThe Context of LeadershipManaging NetworksFinding Direction2. Network Basics: Green Door, What’s That Secret You’re Keepin’Nuts and BoltsNetwork PlayersWhole NetworksThe Key to the Green Door3. Limitations of Task Networks: Door Slammed, Hospitality′s Thin ThereSearching for the BossTurned Down by the BossNo AccessFinding AccessAwarenessResourcesStephanie Relaxes the Rule Book4. Friendship Networks: The Happy CrowdFinding FriendsSomeone Who Understands MeSomeone ConvenientThe Impact of Comfortable ConnectionsEmotional ContagionInformal InductionJasmine’s Cost-Benefit DecisionFriendship and ProductivityAntipathy and Its ProblemsThe Blessings and Curses of Friendship Networks5. Power Networks: Wish They’d Let Me InPolitics as UsualPower StarsPower as PerceptionPower PlayersBaskets and EggsWorking the Power NetworksPrincipals as Politicians6. Culture Networks: They Laugh a Lot Behind the Green DoorStories and TraditionsTies That BindThe Way Things Are Done Around HereTribal Leaders, Mavericks, Mavens, Gossips, and SpiesThe Door AjarCultural PlayersTrust Thy NeighborThe Spirit Moves Her: A Principal Assumes the DaisThe Ghost of GarveyA Bonding MomentReflecting on Garvey’s Green Door7. Scoping and Working the Networks: Midnight, One More Night Without Sleepin’Promises and Caveats of Network StudyBeyond Individual PlayersLearning Communities, Culture, and CommunicationMaking Sense of School NetworksOpening a Can of Worms: Big Brother or the Future of LeadershipInside the Green DoorAppendix: Research on Networks in Sociology, Business, and EducationNetwork LiteratureNetwork and Related Literature in EducationOur Endeavors in Social Network AnalysisReferencesIndex