This study extends a long line of research on factors that promote or undermine school effectiveness. Taking as the criteria two dimensions of effective internal organization, teacher community and principal leadership, the article examines effects of school context variables generally excluded from prior research. It further explores the possibility that models of context effects on internal school conditions differ for urban, suburban, and rural schools, given substantial differences in their social and organizational environments. The findings show distinct patterns for schools in urban, suburban, and rural settings and challenge researchers to take into account the diversity among U.S. schools in their research
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bacharach, S. B. , & Shedd, J. B. (1989). Power and empowerment: The constraining myths and emerging structures of teacher unionism in an age of reform. In J. Hannaway & R. Crowson (Eds.), The politics of reforning school administration (pp. 139-160). New York: Falmer.
2.
Bidwell, C. E. , & Kasarda, J. D. (1979). School district organization and student achievement. American Sociological Review, 40, 55-70.
3.
Bryk, A. S. , & Driscoll, M. E. (1988). The high school's community: Contextual influences and consequences for students and teachers. Madison: University of Wisconsin-Madison, National Center on Effective Secondary Schools.
4.
Chubb, J. , & Moe, T. (1990). Politics, markets and American schools. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
5.
Coleman, J. S. , & Hoffer, T. (1987). Public and private high schools: The impact of communities. New York: Basic Books.
6.
Coleman, J. S. , Hoffer, T., & Kilgore, S. (1982). High school achievement. New York: Basic Books.
7.
Darling-Hammond, L. , & Wise, A. C. (1985). Beyond standardization: State standards and school improvement. Elementary School Journal, 85, 315-356.
8.
Dillon, W. R. , & Goldstein, M. (1984). Multivariate analysis: Methods and applications. New York: Wlley.
9.
Edmonds, R. (1979). Effective schools for the urban poor. Educational Leadership, 37, 15-27.
10.
Friedkin, N. E. , & Necochea, J. (1988). School system size and performance: A contingency perspective. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 10, 237-249.
11.
Guthnie, J. W. (1979). Organizational scale and school success. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 1, 17-27.
12.
Hannaway, J. (in press). Political pressure and centralization: The case of school districts. Sociology of Education.
13.
Kim, J.-O. , & Mueller, C. W. (1978). Factor analysis: Statistical methods and practical issues. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
14.
Louis, K. S. , & Miles, M. (1990). Improving the urban high school: What works and why. New York: Teachers College Press.
15.
McDonnell, L. M. , & Pascal, A. (1979). Organized teachers in American schools. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
16.
McDonnell, L. M. , & Pascal, A. (1988). Teacher unions and educational reform. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
17.
McNeil, L. (1986). Contradictions of control: School structure and school knowledge. New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
18.
Mitchell, D. E. (1989). Alternative approaches to labor-mangagement relations for public schools teachers and administrators. In J. Hannaway & R. Crowson (Eds.), The politics of reforming school administration (pp. 161-182). New York: Falmer.
19.
Moles, 0. (Ed.). (1988). High School and Beyond Administrator and Teacher Survey: Data file user's manual. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
20.
Monk, D. H. , & Haller, E. J. (1986). Organizational alternatives for small rural schools. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, Department of Education.
21.
Newman, F. M. , Rutter, R. A., & Smith, M. S. (1989). Organizational factors affecting school sense of efficacy, community and expectations. Sociology of Education, 62, 221-238.
22.
Niskanen, W. , & Levy, M. (1975). Cities and schools: A case for community government in California. Berkeley: University of California, Graduate School of Public Policy. (ERIC Document No. 135 507)
23.
Purkey, S. C. , & Rutter, R. A. (1987). High school teaching: Teacher practices and beliefs in urban and suburban public schools. Educational Policy, 1, 375-393.
24.
Purkey, S. C. , & Smith, M. S. (1983). Effective schools: A review. Elementary School Journal, 83,427-452.
25.
Rowan, B. , Bossert, S. T., & Dwyer, D. C. (1983). Research on effective schools: A cautionary note. Educational Researcher, 12, 24-31.
26.
Rowan, B. , Raudenbush, S. W., & Kang, S. J. (1991). Organizational design in high schools: A multilevel analysis. American Joumal of Education, 99, 238-266.
27.
Rutter, M. , Maughan, B., Mortinore, P., & Ouston, J., with Smith, A. (1979). Fifteen thousand hours: Secondary schools and their effects on children. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
28.
Schmuck, R. A. , & Schmuck, P. A. (1992). Small districts, big problems. Newbury Park, CA: Corwin.
29.
U.S. General Accounting Office . (1989). Effective schools programs: Their extent and characteristics (GAO/HRD-89-132BR). Washington, DC: Author.
30.
Walberg, H. J. (1989). District size and learning. Education and Urban Society, 21, 154-163.
31.
Walberg, H. J. , & Fowler, W. F. (1987). Expenditure and size efficiencies of public school districts. Educational Researcher, 16, 5-15.
32.
Webb, F. R. (1989). A district of a certain size: An exploration of the debate on school district size. Education and Urban Society, 21, 125-139.
33.
Weber, G. (1971). Inner-city children can be taught to read: Four successful schools. Washington, DC: Council for Basic Education.
34.
Witte, J. F. , & Walsh, D. J. (1990). A systematic test of the effective schools model. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 12, 188-212.
