Espoused or In-Action?

Schools, like other organizations, have two kinds of rules:

1. espoused

2. in-action

Espoused rules are the ones that we claim we do; we tout them to parents, alumni, students...to everyone. "At our school, all students do x,y, or z." "At our school, we abide by a strict honor code." "At our school, all students--regardless of race, gender, [etc.]--are treated equally." "At our school, all students are encouraged to learn from failure." And so on.

In-action rules, however, are what the real rules are on the ground, in the trenches. The schools whose in-action rules equal their espoused rules are phenomenal places, and there are many of them. There are also many schools whose in-action rules differ (sometimes profoundly) from their espoused rules.

Can you think of examples of schools where the in-action rules fly in the face of the espoused rules? I'm sure you can; we all can.

Of course, it's not just about rules; it's about the program, too. How many schools proclaim a program that "prepares students for the 21st century"? In reality, the kids still sit in industrial-era rows, learning information by rote memorization, while the teacher remains at the epicenter of the daily "learning experience." Where is the collaboration? Where is the "global learning"? Where is the infusion of technology...you know, the kind that permeates their life and that they're expected to master?

How does one change such a school culture? How does one integrate the espoused program with the in-action one?