This is an exploratory study of the coordination, control, and assessment procedures employed by superintendents in effective school districts. Both the types of mechanisms and the extent of their use by superintendents to direct the activities of the technical core in these districts are reported. Findings indicate that a number of approaches are used by superintendents to coordinate curriculum and instruction and to control the work of principals and teachers. These findings suggest the existence of tight linkages between the managerial level and the technical core in these school districts. This is in contrast to the types of linkages that have been reported in research indicating that schools operate as loosely coupled systems.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Astuto, T. A. , & Clark, D. L. (1985). The strength of organizational coupling in the instructionally effective school. Urban Education, 19(4), 331-353.
2.
Bossert, S. , Dwyer, D., Rowan, B., & Lee, G. (1982). The instructional management role of the principal. Educational Administration Quarterly, 18(3), 35-64.
3.
Bridges, E. M. (1982). Research on the school administrator: The state of the art, 1967-1980. Educational Administration Quarterly, 18(3), 12-33.
4.
Brophy, J. , & Good, T. L. (1986). Teacher behavior and student achievement. In M. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (pp. 328-375). New York: Macmillian.
5.
Cohen, E. G. , & Miller, R. H. (1980). Coordination and control of instruction in schools. Pacific Sociological Review, 23,446-473.
6.
Cohen, E. G. , Miller, R. H., Bredo, A., & Duckworth, K. (n.d.). Principal role and teacher morale under varying organizational conditions: Research memorandum (NIE Contract No. NE-C-003-00627). Stanford, CA: Stanford Center for Research and Development in Teaching.
7.
Corbett, H. D. , Dawson, J. A., & Firestone, W. A. (1984). School context and school change: Implications for effective planning.New York: Teachers College Press.
8.
Crowson, R. L. , & Morris, V. C. (1984, April). Administrative control in large city school systems. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.
9.
Cuban, L. (1984). Transforming the frog into a prince: Effective schools research, policy, and practice at the district level. Harvard Educational Review, 54(2), 129-151.
10.
Firestone, W. A. , & Wilson, B. L. (1986, April). Management and organizational outcomes: The effects of approach and environments in schools. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.
11.
Hallinger, P. , & Murphy, J. (1985). Assessing the instructional management behavior of principals. Elementary School Journal, 86(2), 217-247.
12.
Hannaway, J. , & Sproull, L. S. (1978). Who's running the show: Control and coordination in educational organizations. Administrator's Notebook, 27, 1-4.
13.
Hanson, E. M. (1981). Organizational control in educational systems: A case study of governance in schools. In S. B. Bacharach (Ed.), Organizational behavior in schools and school districts (pp. 245-276). New York: Praeger.
14.
Huberman, A. M. , & Miles, M. B. (1984). Innovation up close: How school improvement works.New York: Plenum.
15.
Kmetz, J. R. , & Willower, D. J. (1982, March). Elementary school principals' work behavior. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York.
16.
Lortie, D. C. (1969). The balance of control and autonomy in elementary school teaching. In A. Etzioni (Ed.), The semi-professions and their organizations (pp. 1-53). New York: Free Press.
17.
Lortie, D. C. , Crow, G., & Prolman, S. (1983). Elementary principals in suburbia: An occupational and organizational study.Washington, DC: National Institute of Education.
18.
Meyer, J. , & Rowan, B. (1977). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structures as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83,340-363.
19.
Mintzberg, H. (1979). The structuring of organizations.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
20.
Murphy, J. , & Hallinger, P. (1984). Policy analysis at the local level: A framework for expanded investigation. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 6, 5-13.
21.
Murphy, J. & Hallinger, P. (1986, April). Coordinating the work of principals: Lessons for effective school districts. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.
22.
Murphy, J. & Hallinger, P. (in press). Characteristics of instructionally effective school districts. Administrator's Notebook.
23.
Murphy J. , Hallinger, P., & Mesa, R. P. (1985). School effectiveness: Checking progress and assumptions and developing a role for state and federal government. Teachers College Record, 86,615-641.
24.
Murphy, J. , Hallinger, P., & Peterson, K. D. (in press). Supervising and evaluating principals: Lessons from effective districts. Urban Review.
25.
Murphy, J. , Weil, M., & McGreal, T. L. (in press). The basic practice model of instruction. Elementary School Journal.
26.
Ouchi, W. G. (1979). A conceptual framework for the design of organizational control systems. Management Science, 25,833-847.
27.
Peterson, K. D. (1984). Mechanisms of administrative control over managers in educational organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 29,573-597.
28.
Purkey, S. C. , and Smith, M. S. (1983). Effective schools: A review. Elementary School Journal, 83,427-452.
29.
Rosenholtz, S. J. (1985). Effective schools: Interpreting the evidence. American Journal of Education, 93,352-389.
30.
Rosenshine, B. (1983). Teaching functions in instructional programs. Elementary School Journal, 83,335-351.
31.
Rosenshine, B. , & Stevens, R. (1986). Instructional functions. In Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (pp. 376-391). New York: Macmillan.
32.
Sproull, L. S. (1981). Managing education programs: A micro-behavioral analysis. Human Organizations, 40,113-122.
33.
Thompson, J. D. (1967). Organizations in action.New York: McGraw-Hill.
34.
Weick, K. (1976). Educational organizations as loosely coupled systems. Administrative Science Quarterly, 21,1-19.
35.
Wise, A. E. (1979). Legislated learning: The bureaucratization of the American classroom.Berkeley: University of California Press.
