ERIC Number: ED333526
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1990
Pages: 229
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Weaving a New Paradigm: Steps to Organizing for Excellence.
Duttweiler, Patricia Cloud; Mutchler, Sue E.
The U.S. public education system, encumbered by an organizational structure developed at the turn of the century, is in trouble. This document presents a culminating discussion of the need to restructure the educational system. A strategy is suggested for examining the paradigms that maintain our educational system. A set of questions is provided for districts and schools to consider when redesigning the organizational structure. New methods are suggested that involve the whole community in defining and improving the system to ensure greater student success. Section 1 is a philosophical framework that reviews previous publications; considers the cultural misalignment between the community, the home, and the school; examines the failure of past reforms; and discusses shifts in the paradigms that shape the organizational structure of schools. Section 2 presents the practical application of the process and also contains an illustration of a new decision-making paradigm in action with examples from a gorup of Texas educators. The workbook included at the end of this section suggests one possible strategy for changing the system based on community beliefs and values. The appendixes include information about participating Texas educators and districts as well as a compilation of statements of belief about improving educational practice. Approximately 80 references are cited. (MLF)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Administrator Role, Beliefs, Change Strategies, Cultural Context, Disadvantaged, Educational Change, Educational Trends, Effective Schools Research, Elementary Secondary Education, Excellence in Education, Futures (of Society), Hidden Curriculum, Models, Organizational Climate, Organizational Effectiveness, Public Schools, School Organization, School Restructuring, Social Change, Student School Relationship, Teacher Role
Publication Type: Guides - Non-Classroom; Information Analyses; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Southwest Educational Development Lab., Austin, TX.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A