Despite the tendency of researchers to assume all schools share a common organizational form, analysis of thirteen elementary and secondary schools provides evidence that elementary schools exhibit characteristics of the rational bureaucracy, while high schools tend to be more loosely coupled. Over 600 classroom teachers and nonadministrative…

Declining enrollments in the seven elementary schools in the district caused a decrease in the number of classrooms per building and an unequal distribution of pupils with class sizes ranging from 13 to 32 students per classroom. Smaller classes and fewer teachers restricted the grouping of pupils for multilevel reading and mathematics…

Teacher involvement in decision making at the secondary school level was studied to analyze when, to what extent, and in which issues teachers should be involved. Implications which may benefit school administrators are discussed. (DF)

This book is about education system reform in Central and Eastern Europe, with emphasis on decentralization and management. In the past, local authorities served as implementation arms of the central ministry, while finance and decision-making were controlled by the central government, leaving local communities with little influence. New education…

The organizational outcomes of different types of policies that school administrators follow during times of retrenchment were studied. The effects of four retrenchment policies--in school consolidation and reduced staffs, on per-pupil costs, pupil-teacher ratios, and equity--are discussed. (PP)

A study examined the sociometric relationships in two schools with different structural organization, especially on a diffuseness-centrality dimension. The graded school had diffuseness at all levels, while the nongraded school had greater diffuseness at the lower than upper level. (MSE)

A case study of an innovative comprehensive school in Britain revealed both traditional and progressive tendencies in the headmaster's and the school's goals. The researchers label this duality the Janus Syndrome. The article concludes that the traditional and progressive can coexist to the benefit of all concerned. (Author/WD)

The findings suggest that more effective schools, as perceived by teachers, are characterized by more participative organizational processes, less centralized decision-making structures, more formalized general rules, and more professional activity. (Author)

This research indicates that educational organizations consist of a loose collection of individuals, units, or levels, each performing activities independently--as segmented units buffered from one another. The authors suggest ways administrators can be effective in this environment. (Author/IRT)

Describes research testing the hypothesis that complex technologies (or teaching methods) generate more complex organizational structures. Uses two sets of longitudinal data from San Francisco elementary schools. (CK)

Examines new forms of school organization that do not fit traditional definitions of public and private schools. Three case studies explore critical features of the public-private distinction, highlighting the fuzzy boundaries between schools that are clearly public and schools that are clearly private, and contending that their shared…

Develops conceptual framework to explore the impact of teacher-led development work, defined as strategic action initiated and sustained by teachers to improve instruction and student learning. Discusses impact of the framework on teachers, on the school as an organization, and on student learning. Includes evidence of impact and applications for…

The Teacher Job Questionnaire distributed to 3,150 elementary teachers received 31 percent response identifying teacher job interests and characteristics. Results demonstrate that it is critical for policymakers, administrators, teachers, and teacher educators to recognize the effects of their decisions on the design of teaching jobs and outcomes…

Discusses problems of uncertainty and imperfect information that affect organizational choices for schools. Develops two models suggesting that schools, whether public or private, resemble each other while offering diverse curricula and outcomes. Considers the question of institutional choice by applying transaction cost economics to the options…

Uses contingency theory to examine workplace conditions making high school teaching nonroutine; investigate whether organic management forms arise when teachers' work becomes nonroutine; and investigate whether such management forms have potential for enhancing teacher effectiveness by promoting job-related learning. There is little evidence that…