SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS
Abstract
Research shows the principal to be the major force in good education. This study examines the relationship between the principal's management system and the vital learning-related behaviors of teachers. Twenty elementary schools in three Northeast Counties were grouped according to Likert's typology of management systems on a continuum from participative to authoritarian. To determine the management system, 125 teachers in these schools assessed the communication flow, decision-making process, principal's leadership style, and the goal commitment of both the principal and teachers using the Profile of a School questionnaire. To assess the presence of effective teacher behaviors, 815 students in the twenty schools completed Our Class and Its Work, an eleven factor scale. An analysis of these data placed the schools into four groups according to management system: (1) Authoritarian, wherein principals rarely consult with their staffs before making decisions; (2) Consultative-Centralized, whereby the administrator selectively consults with staff based on teachers' expertise but ultimately makes the decisions; (3) Consultative-Decentralized, in which the principal non-selectively seeks input from teachers individually and in groups but still makes decisions; and (4) Participative, wherein the teachers share the prerogatives of the office with the administrator. Analyses of variance and t tests were performed and significant inter-group differences among managerial styles in promoting teacher effectiveness were confirmed. Results of the study indicate that the mean scores on the Our Class and Its Work scale were significantly higher for teachers working in group 2, Consulative-Centralized, schools where the principal is in charge of decision-making but elects to consult in a selective manner with teachers who are somewhat expert and directly involved. In Group 2 schools, communication is two-way and commitment is high because the consultative model gives teachers an appropriate role in the operation of the schools. Teachers in Participative and Consultative-Decentralized schools evidence less effective behaviors and Authoritarian schools have the least effective teachers. These results indicate that the Consultative-Centralized mode of management may be the most desirable for school administrators.
Subject Area
School administration
Recommended Citation
GREENBLATT, RUTH BARBARA, "SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS" (1982). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8308474.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8308474
