Implementing site-based decision making : one secondary principal's challenge /
When Texas joined the wave of school reform and mandated
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1996.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/304366098?accountid=7082 |
| Summary: | When Texas joined the wave of school reform and mandated site-based management in 1991 (House Bill 2885), it literally turned the school business upside down, presenting many challenges for those involved in implementing site- based management. No one faced a bigger challenge than the school principal, whose importance was cited by Cohen (1986) when he stated his five correlates for effective schools, one correlate being, "Strong administrative leadership by the school principal, especially in regard to instructional matters" (pp. 13-15). The study of the challenges facing a principal implementing site-based management is one that is chock full of subtleties, subtleties that can only be discovered by using a naturalistic paradigm as opposed to a positivistic paradigm. The research question in this study was: What are the challenges the principal at Falls High School faces in implementing site-based decision making and how does he handle them? This research used the naturalistic inquiry process of Lincoln and Guba (1985) to chronicle the challenges the principal of Falls High School faced in implementing site-based management. Data were gathered from both structured and unstructured interviews administered by a participant observer. This information was unitized and transferred to index cards. From this, a case study was developed. The study found that the principal's first challenge was to adapt his management style to site-based management. Although that did not prove to be a problem for the principal in this study, other challenges arose. A primary challenge for the principal was to lead teachers who had no training in how to wield power. The lack of training for all concerned, including the principal, proved to be a major stumbling block in the implementation of site-based management. Another stumbling block was the principal having to deal with teachers who wanted to make changes that the superintendent did not want to go into effect. In summary, even though site-based management gave power to teachers, teachers are not automatically ready to assume that power. Also, the school district did a woeful job of preparing for the implementation of site-based management. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Educational Administration". |
| Physical Description: | x, 126 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references: pages 113-118. |