This qualitative study examined organizational change including the
necessary steps that a large school district took in planning and implementing a
reform effort. This project told a story of one school district's experience.
The study covered a five year period from 1990 to 1995 in the 30,000 student
Salem-Keizer School District of Salem, Oregon. The examination included a
description of school board action in 1989 where a staff recommendation to reform
middle schools and move sixth graders to middle schools with a seven-eight grade
configuration was denied. The study then continued with an examination of the
change process during which sixth graders were moved to middle schools, reforms
were implemented, three new schools were opened and five schools were
remodeled to accommodate the new programs. This reform, however, was not
without problems. Those issues were discussed in the study.
The retrospective part of the study reflected upon the project through the
analysis of district documents and the results of nine field interviews of middle
school principals using a set of seven questions designed to reveal the principals'
perceptions of the process. The study then triangulated the results of the interviews
by examining information from a focus group comprised of Salem-Keizer curriculum
directors and staff development specialists who were asked the same seven
questions. The study answered the questions: "Did the district do what the
community asked it to do in creating middle schools that afford students a more
effective educational program?" and "What are the implications for the district in
undertaking a major reform effort?"
Themes that emerged from the study included the following: organizational
change is highly personalized; change should have a literature and research
foundation; stakeholders must participate in the change process; communication
must be consistent and must be "two way"; one person must be the individual in
charge of the change; a change process requires vigilance, constant reevaluation
and refinement; staff development is crucial in a change process; and if a district
wants new thinking, then new people must help in organization change. / Graduation date: 1997
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/34387 |
| Date | 01 April 1997 |
| Creators | Hanneman, Kathleen D. |
| Contributors | Engel, Joanne B. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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