Examining District Norms from a Rural School's Site-Based Improvement Perspective: Complementary or Obstructive?

Abstract

Schools with at-risk students can improve when district norms support school-based improvement efforts. The authors (a) studied a district's norms from a rural school leader's perspective and (b) examined the impact of these norms upon the school's revitalization goals. Data were collected through interview, observation, mining of documents, and the Group Development Assessment instrument. The five district norms (lack of district vision/focus, board and central office control orientation and lack of trust, blaming others/defensiveness, constant personnel turnover, and poor communication) were obstructive to achieving school goals. Despite progress made by school leaders in improving both the parent-teacher relationships and teacher work climate, the prognosis for achieving the crucial goal, redesigning instruction as more meaningful and engaging for high-risk students, seemed doubtful. Improving schools for at-risk students needs a normative environment engineered by a change-and-empowerment model binding the district to school improvement efforts.