Degree of participation among secondary school-based planning team members in the shared decision-making process
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the level of participation among secondary school-based planning team members in the shared decision-making process. School-based planning teams became an important part of the educational reform movement as the educational community sought ways to involve all stakeholders in school improvement designs. In order for the schools to become involved in various ways of including the public and the staff in important decisions governing the running and operation of the building and its vision, many of the state's mandated teams that were in place with specifically outlined plans as to their function toward educational growth. The study determined the level of participation in school management and leadership by the members of the school-based planning team. The research design incorporated a combination of research methods using multiple sites in a multiple case study design including semi-structured interviews, focus groups interviews, document analysis, and survey data. The study determined the perspectives of principals, teachers, and parents with respect to team participation in important areas of school leadership and management. The data were collected from the perspective of each member, and assessed if differences existed in these perceptions between the team members and the other stakeholders in the school community. Of particular interest is the degree to which the school-based teams are fulfilling New York State mandates, specifically the manner in which they evaluate improvement in student achievement and to what degree they are being held accountable for the decisions they make. The data collected to address the research questions in this study generated a series of findings relative to the degree of participation among secondary school-based planning team members in the shared decision-making process. Each group or individual studied saw themselves quite differently than the other two groups on the team relative to their participation level. As a result of this study, it can be concluded that school-based management as a form of governance will not in itself generate improvement in school performance. Rather, school-based management and shared decision making are simply a means through which school-level decision making may implement various types of generic, policy or non-policy reforms, that may impact on building operations, mission, and/or curriculum.
Subject Area
Educational administration|Secondary education
Recommended Citation
Zazza, Kathleen Joan, "Degree of participation among secondary school-based planning team members in the shared decision-making process" (1998). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI9923449.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI9923449
