This study was designed to determine: (a) the nature and extent of programmatic changes that occurred in the nine Indiana "High Schools That Work" pilot sites, (b) how the implementation of these changes has impacted administrative roles and responsibilities, and (c) whether the principal's role is different in program implementation when another educator is directly responsible for a specific school-improvement initiative. Questionnaires were mailed to principals and site coordinators at each pilot site, and personal interviews were subsequently conducted with each of them.Findings and conclusions were:1. All pilot sites used some form of integrated, non-linear planning. Integrated, non-linear planning helped pilot-site principals and site coordinators gain support for their programs and implement a greater number of changes than the researcher expected to find.2. Communication and finding time to plan were the two most significant planning problems. When there was a breakdown in communication among constituent groups, the level of support for various initiatives diminished. Releasing teachers from classroom activities to plan this initiative provided help in the planning process.3. Administrators at each school incorporated programmatic changes to reflect changes in philosophy, curriculum, and instruction. These changes included: (a) raising academic expectations, (b) eliminating the general track, (c) revising curriculum and instructional techniques, (d) integrating subject areas across academic disciplines and between academic and vocational subjects, (e) restructuring guidance programs, (f) collaborating with business communities, (g) modifying student assessment methods, and (h) changing the structure of the school day. Changes made through the "High Schools That Work" initiative have impacted all constituent groups affiliated with the pilot-site schools.4. Educators in dual roles of principal and site coordinator maintained direct control of their projects, and their time commitments were significantly greater than those of principals at schools with separate site coordinators. In situations where a site coordinator was present, the principal primarily assumed the role of supporter. This support role was especially critical with regard to communication and problem-solving.5. When there was no separate site coordinator, the principal assumed a broader range of responsibilities and acted as initiator, supporter, facilitator, and problem-solver for the initiative. When a site coordinator was present, the principal delegated power and leadership responsibilities to him or her. / Department of Educational Leadership

This study examined the social work environment and the innovation or change potential of administrators in a large midwestern school district. It examined three dimensions of the social work environment: (a) relationships, (b) personal growth, and (c) system maintenance and change. It also examined 10 dimensions of innovation and change potential: (a) challenge, (b) freedom, (c) dynamism, (d) trust/openness, (e) idea time, (f) playfulness/humor, (g) conflict, (h) idea support, (e) debates, and (j) risk-taking. The primary purposes were as follows: (a) to determine if relationships existed between dimensions of the social work environment and the administrative group's propensity for change, and (b) to determine if selected demographic variables (age, gender, race, length of service in the district, employee classification) are associated with the group's propensity for change.The study population included 214 administrators and professional and technical staff members responsible for leadership functions within the district. Two standard instruments were used to gather data. The Work Environment Scale (WES) developed by Moos at Stanford University in 1986, was used to assess the social environment. The second instrument, used to assess the 10 dimensions, was the Climate for Innovation Questionnaire (CIQ), developed by Ekvall and Arnonen in 1983; it provided a measure of the propensity of the work climate to support change as perceived by organizational members.Findings indicated that this school district is innovative, that there was a positive potential for change, that the administrative employees were committed to and concerned about their jobs, and that friendly, supportive relationships existed and were supported by organizational leaders.The personal growth dimension suggested that change within the district was moving in a positive direction and that administrators felt encouraged to be self-sufficient. Idea support (i.e., the manner in which an organization treats new ideas) was strongly related to the work environment, again suggesting conduciveness to change.Results of this study were used by the school district to move toward substantial school renewal. The process used in this research provides a framework that can be replicated in other school districts to determine possible factors in the work environment that support or inhibit personal dispositions toward change and innovation. / Department of Educational Leadership

The early twentieth century marked a period of intense efforts toward reform of the American educational system. Rural education was not excluded from these efforts. The most dramatic change in rural education during the period was the closure and consolidation of "ungraded," one-room schools into consolidated high schools. These efforts met with intense resistance, often with the fear that rural communities would be destroyed by such educational reforms. Scholars have written very little on this subject, and what they have written has viewed the reform efforts quite negatively. One Indiana county, Randolph County, was generally regarded as the model rural school system during the period. Lee L. Driver, the county superintendent of schools, led the consolidation efforts in Randolph County. In many ways a typical Indiana county superintendent, Driver helped to transform his county and eventually became regarded as one of the national experts in the rural school reform movement. As evidenced by the number of visitors to its schools and by the attention it received from both the popular press and the academic press, Randolph County was a national model for more than a decade. Consolidation's impact on minorities and women was uneven in this county. As other locations made similar progress, Randolph County's exceptionalism waned, though there is an enduring legacy both for Lee L. Driver and the county's system of schools in the present educational system of the area. / Department of Educational Leadership