No description available.

The purpose of the study was to compare preferred with actual student participation in the decision-making process as perceived by Indiana public secondary school principals.

The purpose of this research was to determine student involvement in secondary school administrative decision making. Sixteen principals were selected to participate in the research representing secondary schools having a minimum enrollment of fifteen hundred in grades ten through twelve and nine through twelve in the Indianapolis school system and Marion County school districts.Interview data were catagorized under four major concerns dealing with fifteen major topics: assembly programs, athletic activities, building plans, curriculum, discipline policy, dress code and appearance, extracurricular activities, grading procedure, length of periods and school day, school board representation, staff employment, use of building, teacher appraisal, faculty meetings, and parent-teacher association.The first concern through the selection of one of three statements was to determine the administrator's philosophy on student involvement as a part of administrative decision making. The second concern was to determine the administrator's perception of the degree of student involvement in the fifteen selected areas. The third concern was to determine the administrator's perception of the degree of student involvement in related functions within the framework of the fifteen selected areas. The fourth concern was to determine the administrator's perception of future involvement in the fifteen selected areas.A value scale with numerical weights for interpretative purposes determined answers in the following manner:Individual Compilation SCALEWord ChoiceValueTotal #PrincipalsValueTotalVery reasonable516x580Reasonable416x464Undecided316x348Unreasonable216x232Highly unreasonable116x116Compilation of the sixteen principals' responses to the role of student involvement in secondary school administrative decision making thus were recorded in numerical degrees of acceptance and rejection of the very reasonable 65-80; reasonable 49-64; undecided 33-48; unreasonable 17-32; and highly unreasonable 1-16. Numerical weights were based on the individual value multiplied by the total principals as a unit, indicating the perceived role of student in secondary school decision making as a group.Participants were personally interviewed in their school offices by appointment. Informality characterized the interviews in which the instrument was used to secure data and additional comments were tape-recorded.All sixteen respondents reflected degrees of interest and recognition of student involvement in secondary school administrative decision making in their representative schools. Those topics receiving the greatest perceived degree of student involvement were: extracurricular activities, assembly programs, curriculum, dress code and appearance, building plans, faculty meetings and building use. The principals were undecided in involving students in grading procedure, teacher appraisal, school board representation, length of periods and school day, and athletic activities. They rejected discipline policies and staff employment as unreasonable involvement of students. The sixteen principals envisioned future student involvement as increasing in curriculum and extracurricular activities along with teacher appraisal and parent-teacher association.All sixteen principals believed in the philosophy of student involvement as a part of secondary school administrative decision making. The seven topics receiving the highest value scores for student involvement resulted in the following conclusions: (1) student involvement in the organization, leadership and after-school structure patterns in extracurricular activities; (2) assembly programs with emphasis on student performing groups for greater student contribution and participation; (3) student involvement in curriculum planning concerning organization and content of elective subjects; (4) more administrative support in parent-teacher association drive for student membership; (5) student participation in new building plans to gain insight of functional design and equipment from the users of those facilities; (6) student involvement in faculty meetings only when participation contributes to a particular student related subject on the meeting agenda; (7) students help supervise the use of the building to promote better understanding of the maintenance and tax value of a public building.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 1975. / Title from title page screen, viewed Nov. 12, 2004. Dissertation Committee: Max Rennels (chair), Fred Mills, Charles Edwards, Susan Amster, Sherron Hill. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-67) and abstract. Also available in print.

As South Africa prepares to reconstruct its education system for a post-apartheid, democratic society, many facets of educational life will of necessity come under re-examination. One such area is that of school governance which traditionally was the domain of principals, teachers and more recently parents, with little, if any, input by students. After 1985, however, with the formation of the Congress of South African Students (CaSAS), backed by the National Education Co-ordinating Committee (NECC), the demand for student participation in the management of schools began to gain momentum. Parent-Teacher -Student Associations (PTSA's), although not recognised by the education authorities, were established in many black schools throughout the country. They afforded students the opportunity to become involved, as equal partners with teachers and parents, in decision-making in the management of secondary schools. During the past decade, however, the question of student participation in decision-making in the management of schools has become a point of controversy. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of students in decision-making in the administration and management of secondary schools. For this purpose case studies were conducted in two schools with active student participation in joint decision-making. The schools were selected after a preliminary investigation of the state of PTSA's in schools in the greater Durban area. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with teacher, parent and student representatives and principals and non-participant observation of PTSA meetings, workshops and social functions were used to survey attitudes and opinions pertinent to this study. The results of the study indicate that student participation in the management of schools is crucial for the creation of a climate of learning and teaching and that it is seen in itself as an integral part of the process of students' development. The study also points to the dilemma that students face in participating jointly with parents and teachers in decision-making while maintaining their autonomy. The recommendations that emerge from the study include the involvement of students as equal partners in decision-making in secondary schools, the establishment of Internal Disciplinary Committees in which students participate, the appointment of a member of staff as a liaison officer for student affairs with the task of establishing a Students' Representative Council (SRC) and the implementation of training programmes that would assist students in joint decision-making. The study acknowledges the existence of conflict between the participants but proposes that such conflict can be constructively addressed tbrough "creative consensus" that would benefit both the participants and the school. The researcher recommends that for the present, students should not be involved in any discussions of teacher misconduct and that students should not be entrusted with handling the finances of the school without teacher or parent supervision. However, in keeping with the developmental approach adopted in the study, it is envisaged that when the element of trust is developed between students and teachers, students would be allowed to participate in these sensitive areas of decision-making.

This study explored, described, and attempted to explain the process of change in two school districts in British Columbia. The study sought to determine why and how the two districts selected and put into place the same staff development program. A comparative case study method was used. A purposive sample of thirty-two persons from the two districts was interviewed to obtain their perceptions of the processes of change in their respective districts. The individuals in the sample represented three levels of district organizational structure -- classroom teachers, school principals, and district officials. Other data sources were district documents and the researcher's field notes. The data were first analyzed descriptively using as a framework Fullan's three phases of the change process: (1) initiation, (2) implementation, and (3) continuation (including perceived outcomes). Secondly, a comparative analysis between the districts was undertaken. Thirdly, an interpretive analysis, in relation to the current literature on change in education was completed. The three analyses yielded twenty-nine findings, most of which are in accord with the current literature. Some findings, however, do not fit that literature. An analysis of these findings has led to speculative conclusions in the following areas: (1) explaining program selection, (2) emphasizing the importance of certain process issues (timing, conflict, and central office involvement), (3) participation of personnel in relation to position in the organizational structure, and (4) the importance of context. Four recommendations based on the findings and conclusions are made. Two are addressed to practitioners: (1) careful attention should be paid to the contemporary literature because it does explain much of what happens, (2) practitioners should consider carefully the lessons to be learned from local variations because every case appears to have its contingencies that affect the process. The other two recommendations are addressed to those who would do further research: (3) future research which seeks to explain what it is that accounts for local variations could enhance our understanding of change, and (4) a number of methodological limitations of the present study should be addressed in future research attempts of this kind. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

Highly qualified teachers became a federal mandate with the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2002. When teachers are evaluated and acquire tenure status, it does not mean the performance of the teacher remains effective. If they have unsatisfactory performing tenured teachers on their staff, principals need an effective program to assist and support their teachers in improving their level of teaching. Therefore, this study analyzed the effectiveness of the California Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) program based on the perceptions of public school principals in five southern California counties. Data w~s collected through the administration of a survey. Of the 1,000 surveys distributed to public school principals in five southern California counties, 114 were completed. The results indicate that public school principals do not perceive California's Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) program to be effective. However, they find the Consulting Teacher and some of the PAR strategies to be effective. It is recommended that further research be conducted on PAR programs in other parts of California, and that researchers study consulting teachers who support the I participating teachers in the PAR program.

No description available.

The purpose of this single site case study was to identify how four advising teams in a medium-sized public university adapt to the changes presented to them and what role leadership and culture play in that adaptation. This was accomplished through analysis of advisor and administrator interviews, office and meeting observations, and reviews of documents relating to advising and university changes in curriculum and systems. The study was guided by team culture and the five core adaptation strategies described by Eckel and Kezar (2003). The study indicates that although part of the same institution, each advising team has a unique culture and approach to doing their work. In turn each team has a different approach to their adaptation to the change that affects them. The study began with an examination of how and if the advising teams use the five core adaptation strategies described by Eckel and Kezar (2003). It was found that these adaptation strategies were not utilized because they require authority and the advisors do not have the organizational control necessary to use these strategies. However, the study revealed that the advising teams adapt to their environment through coping mechanisms depending on the type of adaptation. It was also found that the responses the advising teams have to particular change events depends on when they find out about the change as well as the culture and leadership of the teams. Consequently, their resilience to changes is a result of their ability to either absorb the change or alter their system quickly in reaction to the change. Implications are presented for universities and the advising teams in addition to recommendations for future study. / by Leigh A. McFarland. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The problem of this study was to analyze faculty perceptions of the performance of current institutional governing boards in academic affairs, and the alternate patterns of faculty participation in governance in Texas senior colleges and universities. The purposes of the study were (1) to determine the current faculty perceptions of the importance and effectiveness of governing boards in academic boards in academic affairs, (2) to discover the level of satisfaction and knowledge of faculty of governing boards in their handling of academic affairs, and (3) to determine the faculty perceptions of the potential alternative patterns of governance in academic affairs.