Presents information concerning the range of external interruptions experienced by junior high school teachers. Examines the ways in which interruptions become disruptions. Provides suggestions on how to manage these interruptions and discusses the difference between "proactive" and "reactive" class management. Finds that size…

A preliminary analysis of the Organizational Culture Assessment Inventory yielded four root metaphors descriptive of the type of culture likely to be found in public schools: the family, the machine, the circus, and the "little shop of horrors." (10 references) (SI)

In Connecticut programs and services vary greatly from district to district; these variations are caused mainly by wide disparities in local tax contributions that affect state aid distribution. This study shows a marginal relationship among some selected financial variables and organizational health characteristics of randomly selected high…

Examines Hong Kong secondary schools' organizational values, using the School Values Inventory. Uses LISREL modeling techniques with a sample of 554 teachers to develop a four-factor model of organizational values. Binding forces such as bureaucratic and cultural linkages and tight and loose couplings provide insights for understanding school…

Explores perceived stress and job satisfaction among 36 primary British headteachers. Around half reported high levels of occupational stress; half were satisfied with their work. Highest satisfaction levels came from personal and organizational factors. School organization was a source of stress and satisfaction. Social support was perceived as…

Analysis of 22 definitions of decentralization shows how they are encompassed in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's taxonomy. Data from 14 nations suggest that decentralization of instruction, planning, personnel management, and resource allocation and use has less effect on learning than do conditions in classrooms and…

A study examined the influence of differences in school district organization on internal school organizational processes that are central to reform strategies, such as teacher cooperation and instructional leadership. Data were obtained from interviews conducted with the principals of 98 Tennessee elementary schools that participated in the…

Findings from a study that examined the attitudes of California school district superintendents toward school restructuring are presented in this paper. Interviews were conducted with a total of 30 superintendents and senior staff members in 22 California school districts to explore their orientations toward school restructuring in general and…

The study examined change in the role of Director of University Services and Auxiliary Enterprises (USAE) at the College of William and Mary (Virginia) as a result of reorganization of the Business Affairs Office. A review of the literature on organizational development and higher education leadership was conducted. A questionnaire was then…

A report is given on the second phase of a 3-year study on change in American high schools. Data are presented from 17 schools for two of the study questions: What types of changes are occurring and what are the key units of change? Information was collected through approximately 28 hours of interviews in each school with students, faculty, and…

This paper describes a structure for assessing the school evaluation use process developed from a longitudinal case study of districtwide and school level evaluation procedures in a large urban school district. Two fundamental questions guided the study: (1) Why isn't the evaluation process more useful to decision-makers and practitioners? and (2)…

The five papers compiled in this report discuss several distinctive components of the National Development Center for School Management Training (NDC), particularly research and development work on school leadership, management development, and training. Titles and authors of the papers are as follows: (1) "The Role of a National Agency for…

Based on inspections of 80 first schools for children either 5 to 8 years or 5 to 9 years of age, this survey reports data on school organization and staffing, and offers narrative descriptions of children's work. An introductory first chapter offers generalizations about features common to most first schools. The second chapter describes aspects…

Current knowledge about universities is such that approaches to their study should be both more frequently and more carefully made through organizational theory. While observers tend to agree about universities' general characteristics, important questions about their nature and viability are as yet unsettled. Michael Crozier's framework is…

Models of organizational structures developed through the study of commercial organizations are not necessarily applicable to educational organizations. Technical organizations such as factories act to regulate the flow of their processes and products and, thus, to buffer them from external forces. Institutional organizations such as schools or…