School management and organization

Changing demographics, high minority failure, high dropout rates, and evidence of poor race relations are all indications that our nation's educational systems must reexamine the way they view ethnically diverse populations. Efforts are underway to reduce incidents of minority failure and racial conflict by addressing concerns in the areas of school curricula and teacher preparation. Surprisingly, school administrators, to a large extent, have not joined in the multicultural dialogue. The place to begin in order to help administrators accept the leadership role in meeting the educational needs of minority students is to elicit input from principals with experiences in managing culturally diverse schools. Few research studies have been geared toward the investigation of administrative practices in managing ethnically diverse schools. Even fewer have included listening to the views of administrators who direct these schools. Furthermore, there exists only a modest number of administrative training programs specifically designed to address cultural issues in American schools. As a result there are only limited resources for learning how to lead multicultural schools. Clearly, research is needed that will fully examine the perspectives of the small number of school administrators who have both managed culturally diverse schools and had the opportunity to receive comprehensive training in dealing with cultural issues. The purpose of this study is to identify knowledge and management practices necessary to facilitate a school climate that encourages equity and success for ethnic and minority students in Broward County Public Schools. The results of this study will help to shape further development of needed competencies for school administrators, using a previously administered training program as a foundation for discussion. Without adequate research to identify what an administrator needs to know and be able to do to manage a diverse school community, school administrators have no well-formulated guidelines by which to pattern their efforts in serving these populations. This research has also extended efforts to add to the current limited theory through qualitative inquiry. An analysis of the data collected as a result of this study adds to the discussion related to the dynamics and dimensions involved in leading multicultural schools. In addition, the results help to lay important groundwork for the development of practical and up-to date training programs and university courses for future educational leaders. School administrators lead our nation's educational efforts in preparing future generations of responsible citizens. How prepared they are to lead our schools of increasing cultural and language diversity will depend, in large measure, upon the quality of the research in discovering the management practices found to be useful with minority student populations.

This exploratory and descriptive case study of a cadre of teachers focused on their involvement in school reform through their participation as facilitators and coordinators in the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) in the Broward County, FL Public School System. The purpose of the research was twofold. First, the research was conducted for the purpose of trying to discover characteristics common to the CES facilitators and coordinators used in this study. Second, the research was conducted to describe the experiences and attitudes of these CES facilitators and coordinators in regard to their school reform efforts. Thirty-seven CES facilitators and coordinators participated in the quantitative part of the study. Thirteen of those 37 were interviewed for the qualitative portion of the research. Research showed that the participants in this study were highly self-directed, lifelong learners who were committed to education and school reform. Besides revealing the participants' perceptions of the benefits of involvement in school reform, the research also showed that many of the participants spent less time in the classroom as their role in school reform increased. Finally, the research showed that there are a growing number of teacher leaders who, having taken on new roles and responsibilities, do not fit in the present school organizational structure.

This research study investigated the relationship between a conflict resolution/peer mediation program and school climate as evidenced by selected critical disciplinary incidents and climate surveys. Variables investigated were survey participants' status: faculty or student. The subjects of this study were 225 students and 129 faculty members of Port St. Lucie High School in St. Lucie County, Florida. The critical incidents were compared between Port St. Lucie High School which implemented the program and another comprehensive high school in St. Lucie County. The findings showed two major results: (a) although there was some increase in positive perception about school climate after the implementation of the conflict resolution/peer mediation program, it was not significant and (b) there was a decline in the rate of three of the disciplinary incidents measured, attempting to fight, fighting and striking another student were less than expected. Disrespect for others, however, was not decreased.

This study consists of three parts. The first part determined if significant differences exist in the scores of students on four standardized tests between two block and two traditional scheduling schools. The assessment instruments were standardized tests given to students in Palm Beach County School District in the state of Florida: (a) Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) for grade 9, (b) Grade Ten Assessment Test (GTAT), (c) Florida Writes (FW) for grade 10, and (d) High School Competency Test (HSCT) for grade 11. Approximately 2,000 students took each of the four tests for each grade, a total of 8,000 participants. Significant differences (p <.00125) were found between students scores on the FW and the HSCT. The traditional scheduling students outperformed those at the block scheduling schools in regards to the FW and the HSCT. Results of statistical analysis indicated a significant difference between the 4 x 4 schedule and the alternate day schedule only in terms of achievement on the Florida Writes. Students at the alternate day school outperformed those at the 4 x 4 scheduling school on the Florida Writes test. Schools' records indicated that the rate of suspension has decreased during the year of implementing block scheduling for the alternate day scheduling school, and increased for the 4 x 4 scheduling school. There was no change in the absentee rate at both types of block scheduling schools. The second part of this study was to compare differences in perceptions among teachers and students towards the two types of block scheduling. A Likert-type survey was answered by 101 teachers from both types of schools. Statistical analysis indicated a significant difference between the perceptions of teachers from the 4 x 4 and the alternate day scheduling schools in terms of class size. Teachers disagreed that class size has decreased because of the implementation of block scheduling. Regarding students' perceptions, 931 students from both schools participated in answering the questionnaire. There were significant differences among students on their preference to remain on block scheduling. The third part of this study examined differences between the perceptions of administrators of different types of block scheduling. A Likert-type survey consisting of 26 items was sent to selected principals throughout the nation. Twenty two out of the 24 items did not prove to be significant at the 0.0021 level. There were differences in administrators perceptions towards the failure rate. Similar results were found in regards to discipline problems. The Scheffe post hoc test was administered to determine which pairwise group differences were significant. Survey results indicated that administrators perceived that the science department is the happiest department with block scheduling, and that mathematics and foreign language are the least happy.

The purpose of the study was to determine whether a relationship exists between school climate and school performance in Miami Dade County's schools of choice. More specifically, the study sought to determine: (a) the climate in Miami Dade County's magnet programs/schools of choice; (b) whether high performing (A/B) magnet programs schools have a different climate than low performing (D/F) magnet programs/schools of choice; (c) if the relationship between school climate and school performance is moderated by contextual factors; and (d) if a model can be developed to predict school performance using the variables in the study. Archival data was retrieved from the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) website to determine school performance and from Miami Dade County Public Schools' (MDCPS') website, District Profiles and Statistical Abstracts from 1998-1999 to 2003-2004 to determine school climate. The MDCPS' data is based on survey responses from The School Climate Survey that is administered annually to 100 parents, staff and students in all 356 K-12 schools. Four questions guided the research and nine related hypotheses aligned to specific questions were analyzed and presented. The school was the unit of study. The results from School Climate Responses for 73 magnet programs/schools representing 12 percent of Miami Dade County Public Schools' 356 schools were analyzed. After determining a mean score for each selected item in the survey, the overall mean scores for each year was computed. The analysis employed a variety of procedures including Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), graphical analyses and Multiple Regression/Correlational Analyses. The study has implications for policy makers at the state and district level, principals, teachers and parents as they relate to reduction of school size and a trend towards schools-within-a school or theme schools. There are also issues that will inform future research and leadership development at the university level.

States, districts and schools continuously institute school reforms that propose to meet the needs of all students. Reform efforts come and go at such a rapid pace, it is often difficult for a school to participate in a reform effort long enough to give it a chance to succeed. This study looked at the internal and external contextual factors that contribute to the sustainability of a reform effort within a school. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of the level of integration of the core values of the Coalition Of Essential Schools (CES) into the management and instructional practices of the school and sustainability of the reform effort. This research is based on the belief that reform efforts must be maintained long enough to become the "way we do things" to have a significant impact on student achievement. Thirty schools within Broward County participated in this study. A survey questionnaire was developed by the researcher and 252 responses were returned. This study employed a quantitative study that was correlational in nature. Principal turnover results were surprising, as principals changed, sustainability rates rose. Findings indicate principal turnover and coordinator turnover had little impact on integration levels of the core values into the school's practices. The correlation between a school's socio economic status and sustainability found that schools with high numbers of students on free and reduced priced lunch had lower rates of sustainability. Research also indicated schools who were CES members for more than four years had high levels of integration of the core values into the school's practices. Finally, research showed that teacher turnover had a significant relationship to the level of integration of the core values of the CES into the school's practices and to the sustainability of the reform effort within the school.

The purpose of this study was to determine turnover trends of administrators in Florida's Jewish day schools, and to ascertain the reasons Jewish day school administrators leave the field despite the demand for professionals in that field. The study fills a gap in available data and research in this area, and helps shed light on a serious leadership crisis in Jewish education from the perspective of the administrators. A survey of documents and a series of interviews with school officials revealed that 105 administrative positions turned over in Florida's 36 Jewish day schools during the 1994-2004 school years. A third of those who left their positions opted to leave the field of day school administration entirely. Utilizing qualitative methodology, the researcher interviewed 11 of the administrators who left. The study found that day school administrators who leave the field are motivated and growth-oriented individuals who do not actualize their personal challenges in the field. Day school administrators who leave are disillusioned by what they find in the day school system, from the way administrators are treated by the various constituents of the school to the values under which the day school system operates. The study also found that there are no clear predictors of which administrators will leave the field; however, circumstances that lead to departure are similar.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of leadership and its effectiveness in an elementary school setting. This investigation viewed distribution as a horizontal continuous process, rather than a hierarchical process with administrators, teachers and support staff each demonstrating varying degrees of involvement in leadership activities according to roles, situations, leadership styles and organizational relationships. This study was anchored in a democratic, distributed perspective using the work of Jack Gibb, Richard E. Elmore, Peter Gronn, and James Spillane as its foundation. The design of this study involved the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative path involved data collection through surveys and existing documents. The qualitative data collection involved interviews and observations. In order to maximize the probability for identifying the dynamics and effects of distributed leadership in elementary schools, the settings for this study included schools engaged in a guidance grant model in both Broward County and Pasco County Public School Districts in Florida, which, on the surface, appeared to have distributed leadership components already in practice. The sample for this study included six Florida elementary schools, three located in Broward County and three in Pasco County. Four of these schools, two from Broward County and two from Pasco County, had been implementing the guidance reform effort. The two remaining schools, one in Broward County and one in Pasco County, demonstrated similar demographics and closely matched socioeconomic status of the grant schools, but were outside the guidance grant program. The population used in this sampling included principals, assistant principals, teachers, titled teacher leaders, school counselors and support staff. The findings of this study confirmed the theories of Gibb, Elmore, Gronn, and Spillane through the development of the Distributed Leadership Cycle. Distributed leadership is the key to effective collaboration that will positively impact the quality of teaching and learning, thus impacting student achievement. It is this integrative, relational model of distribution that will propel schools forward. Distributed leadership is the theoretical lens through which leadership practice in school can be reconfigured and re-conceptualized for the 21st century.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of scheduling alternatives on (a) student achievement, student behavior, and attendance rates and (b) teacher and administrator perceptions. Archival data for student achievement, behavior, and attendance were obtained from the Palm Beach County School District. Perceptions of teachers and administrators were obtained through data collected from questionnaires administered through participating schools in this study. The research took place at three high schools using either 4 x 4, A/B, or modified block schedules and two high schools using traditional schedules. The block-scheduled schools were used in a similar study in 1996 after 1 year of implementation. The current study investigated the impact of block scheduling for year 1 (1996) and year 6 (2001). Perceptions toward block scheduling were obtained from teachers and administrators working in the three block-scheduled schools. The findings in this study support prior research which found that block scheduling may enhance student achievement levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Based on the findings, it appears that the modified block schedule may be a better choice over the 4 x 4 and the A/B schedules in terms of increasing student achievement, decreasing student behavior problems, and increasing student attendance rates. Tentative findings on the perceptions of teachers and administrators appeared to indicate a preference toward remaining on the block schedule over the traditional schedule.

This single site qualitative case study of a large high school was conducted during the course of one school year. The study focused on how secondary level teachers of the four core content areas, language arts, science, social studies and mathematics, responded to a program of whole school change. In addition to teachers, the administration and support staff were interviewed. The primary sources of data were the results of one hour interviews, document analysis and researcher non-participant observations. The purpose of this study was to identify and understand teachers' various responses to a program of whole school change. The major concepts underlying the study were the meaning of change, the need for schools to change, the change process, the role of people involved in the change process and the proliferation of various programs of whole school change. The research findings highlighted the importance of: recognizing only one whole school change initiative as the primary focus, being knowledgeable of the whole school change initiative, constantly working on personalizing the school's vision, facing external and internal change forces, handling challenges and dealing with the rate of change. The conclusions of the study are that from attempted implementation of multiple school change initiatives perhaps only one change initiative will rise to prominence, teacher involvement and buy-in are important components of successful whole school change, educators face both internal and external factors while implementing whole school change and the principal plays a crucial role in successful whole school change.