<p> Change is one of the few constants in education. How a school views and responds to change may be related to factors deeply embedded in its school culture. This ethnography describes the dissertation project implemented at Desert Vision Public Charter School in Gilbert, Arizona. Using an ethnographic approach, the author studied the aspects of school culture and leadership, which she believes helped contribute to sustainable change at Desert Vision K-8. The author reviews the ever-present need and demand for change in education, describing the need to shift from transmissive to transformative education, the importance of professional development, and the challenge of educating students to be effective 21^st century citizens. Literature on school culture and the role of leadership is explored in the context of sustainable change. Rationale is provided for implementing ethnographic methodology, and methods for collecting data such as participant observation, focus group discussion, artifact collection, and survey analysis are specified in order to uncover significant cultural characteristics, which may have contributed to sustainable educational change. A model for school culture, highlighting significant cultural characteristics, is proposed in the context of the data collected. This model is also explored as a potentially useful tool for schools outside of this study. The implications of the study uncover a new perspective on leadership and the locus of control of school culture. Intentional hiring practices and the use of non-academic school data are highlighted as strengths in creating a culture for change, and a list of dispositions is shared to aid school leaders in identifying potential candidates who would fit well in a culture for change. The impact on the field of education is outlined, focusing on the potential solutions to current issues such as teacher shortages, teacher education enrollment decline, school culture reform, time/need for soft skills and social/emotional learning, and institutional best practices for transformational schools. The ethnography wraps with recommendations for future research in an effort to further validate the conclusions of this study. </p><p>

<p> This study explores the use of sustainability education, in terms of the work of Prince Charles&rsquo; <i>Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World,</i> and the principle of oneness, at the Ashley Church of England Primary School in Walton-on-Thames, England, and its replicability within an early childhood education classroom setting in the United States. The study&rsquo;s methodology, a qualitative analysis, was conducted in two stages, consisting of individual interviews and focus groups, which provided identification of a conceptual framework present in the Ashley Church of England Primary School and the creation of a plan for implementation and replicability within an early childhood education setting in the Midwestern United States. Stage One occurred during interviews and focus groups conducted at the Ashley Church of England Primary School outside of London, England. The purpose of this stage was to identify the process in which sustainability education and the principle of oneness were implemented in a cross-curricular, school-wide manner. It was during this stage that problem-based learning was identified as the conceptual framework necessary for implementing sustainability education at the Ashley Church of England Primary School. Stage Two analyzed data collected and produced a month-long curriculum for the implementation of instruction aimed at promoting the principle of oneness in an early childhood education classroom setting. Throughout this stage, the researcher identified mindsets regarding curriculum implementation. This study ultimately identified the conceptual framework of problem-based learning at the Ashley Church of England Primary School as a method of teaching sustainability education. However, the analysis revealed only partial replicability of the implementation of the principle of oneness in an early childhood education classroom setting. This study explored the roles of socioeconomic status, affluence, teacher preparation, problem-based learning, and mindsets required for the successful implementation of sustainability education in a classroom setting. The study also suggests the need for future research regarding the use of all Harmony principles, as well as a longitudinal study on the effects of sustainability education at the Ashley Church of England Primary School.</p><p>

The purpose of this study is to gain better understanding of the role of leadership in achieving sustainable business. I inquire how sustainability might be more embedded in the day-to-day operations of business beyond the rhetoric of strategic plans, vacuous mission statements and technological fixes. I am exploring how leadership might be embodied in behaviour to promote sustainable business practice. What approaches to leadership might we adopt that are more commensurate with the cyclical and relational nature of natural systems? How can we root discussions about leadership and sustainability in an understanding that both are socially constructed phenomena? This is the field to which my research aims to contribute an empirical study. What constitutes sustainable business practice remains unclear, and due to its very situated nature this is likely to remain the case. My research is prompted by reports in the literature suggesting that approaches taken to date to promote more sustainable ways of doing business have been limited and slow. Furthermore the mainly techno-centric approaches that have been applied in some cases are reputed to exacerbate the continued dualism between human activity and the environment. The leadership literature is swamped with books, conferences and workshops on the subject of sustainability. Despite this, a ‘how’ gap exists between the rhetorical ideals of sustainable business practice and their working application, which this situated inquiry addresses. This inquiry centres on a small to medium size service sector company comprising two hotels located in a small sea-side resort in the South West region of the UK. The philosophy of the company – known here for the purpose of anonymity as The Hotels – is to maintain a successful luxury hotel business whilst at the same time minimising its negative ecological impact. Undertaking a longitudinal ethnographic study, I witnessed first-hand the leadership challenges posed by working to uphold this philosophy. In conclusion, my findings do not highlight any one action, way of being or simple stepped approach. Instead they combine ways of thinking and behaviours, some of which run contrary to the dominant positivist paradigm; daring to do things differently enables a successful business to minimise its negative ecological impact.

The present study aimed to examine the relationship between national culture and organizational innovation, sustainable leadership (SL), and leaders’ consideration of future consequences (CFC), based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. An online survey was developed and sent out to employees of private organizations located in Greece and Sweden. Analysis of the data collected from 133 participants indicated that: (a) national culture is marginally significantly associated to perceived workplace innovation; (b) national culture is not significantly related to SL based on employees’ perceptions; and (c) national culture is not significantly related to perceived leaders’ CFC. Contrary to previous research that examined the culture-innovation relationship on a national level, the results of this study suggest that national culture is not strongly related to organizational level innovation, although it is significantly related to two of its examined dimensions: creativity and lack of organizational impediments. Moreover, the results indicated that SL and leaders’CFC are not significantly related to national culture, although four of the dimensions of SL varied significantly between the two examined countries. Practical implications, limitations of the study and future suggestions are discussed.