A study was done to determine the extent to which effectiveness among a nationally representative sample of two-year colleges differs in terms of their dominant type of organizational culture. The study was based on a survey of 1,332 faculty and administrators in 30 colleges. Of these, 662 usable responses were received. Analysis yielded the…

The development of school culture within a comprehensive school in northern England, Deangate School, is examined in this case study, with a focus on the process of self-definition. Two aspects of school culture emerged as significant to the process of "becoming": generic culture, that which is common across secondary schools; and unique…

A synthesis of the research on educational improvement programs of the 60s and 70s provides the framework for this paper. Restructured schools featured the use of team teaching and shared decision making, and changes in curriculum content and delivery. Problem areas centered on role-related issues, ambiguous means of implementation, and lack of…

A second wave of educational reform is closely scrutinizing fundamental issues (structure, organization, management, curriculum, and instruction) and calling for at least partial restructuring of the public school system. After presenting a scenario of an ideally restructured elementary school, this paper explores the…

This paper examines the nature of change in educational institutions using a number of sociological variables including: (1) the internal and external environment; (2) organizational goals; (3) hierarchy of authority and power; and (4) professional standards. Each of these factors is discussed and related to one another in order to demonstrate why…

THE INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL CULTURES (CONVENTIONAL, WORK, AND IMPULSE EXPRESSION) ON SELECTED PUPIL AND TEACHER BEHAVIOR VARIABLES WAS STUDIED. THE VARIABLES INCLUDED PUPIL ACHIEVEMENT, TEACHER AND PUPIL ABSENTEEISM, AND TEACHER TURNOVER. ALSO STUDIED WAS THE SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL OF SCHOOL NEIGHBORHOODS AS RELATED TO SCHOOL CULTURE. TEACHERS AND PUPILS…

Author visits a school which, after ten years as a comprehensive, can boast academic results comparable to the grammar school formerly on the same site. (Editor)

Alternative secondary schools were placed in separate groups based on patterns of organizational variables including goals, instructional features, size, sources of funding, and target school population. Distinct patterns of student perceptions of their school learning environment seem to be associated with identifiable patters of organizational…

This text examines various features in the school culture and argues that the "extraordinary" represents an important dimension in the way a school is maintained and managed. It discusses various aspects of culture such as vestibules, speech night, school excursions, and festivities and looks at aspects of school administration from the…

Educational researchers and policy analysts concur increasingly that the organizational design and culture of schools can either enhance or hinder the effectiveness of school reform efforts. This book offers a series of essays that may help parents, educators, and policymakers understand and solve school organizational problems that get in the way…

This paper explores the deep-reform efforts of 9 secondary schools over a 3-year period. The reforms occurred in an Ontario, Canada, school district that empowered their secondary schools to develop site-specific organizational structures that deviated from the traditional subject, departmental structure. The sample for the study included all…

Significant educational reorganization depends on assumption of significantly different teacher roles. New teaching-learning roles and training programs are discussed as avenues of approach. (Author/KM)

Many educators have been too quick to use traditional statistical data as measures of school effectiveness. Instead, educators should develop means of understanding and communicating to the public measures of social variables that operate in effective schools. (JW)

Analyzes two private, secondary school rituals to determine why private schools are more effective than state schools in socializing students into acceptance of and support for the culture of the school. (Author/MW)

High-performing schools, it is noted, share an organizational culture in which administrators, staff, and students agree on a common purpose for educational outcomes and undertake cooperative team efforts to reach these goals. A Virginia high school transformed its culture by providing comprehensive professional development and teacher-leadership…