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EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION: SITE-BASED MANAGEMENT.   Term Paper ID:25753 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines theory & practice of school-based management, effectiveness, implementation, pros & cons, role of parents, personal conclusion.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines theory & practice of school-based management, effectiveness, implementation, pros & cons, role of parents, personal conclusion. Paper Introduction: EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION: SITE-BASED MANAGEMENT Concern for the quality of the public school education that today's students are receiving has given rise to a mind-boggling list of concepts intended to reform our schools. The list includes a bottom-to-top reorganization of management, often referred to as school-based management (SBM). School-based management (SBM) is a "strategy to improve education by transferring significant decision-making authority from state and district offices to individual schools" (Myers & Stonehill, 1993, p. 1). The traditional participants in the educational process, specifically, principals, teachers, students and parents, are given "greater control over the education process by giving them responsibility for decisions about the budget, personnel, and the curriculum" (Myers & Stonehill, 1993, p. 1). Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Improve morale of teachers and nurture new leadership at all levels (Myers & Stonehill, 1993, pp. Available:http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed344329.html Cross, B. School and district staff must be given administrative training, but also must learn how to adjust to new roles and channels of communication; 1. SBM is more successful if it is implemented gradually. Research tells us that principals need to be effective change agentsand team players in order for SBM to succeed. No longer could the district be the rainmaker or issue fiats,mandating ALL the rules, policies and budget decisions. Allow competent individuals in the schools to make decisions that will improve learning; 1. Evaluating SBM has run into difficulty because there are manyvariations in how it is practiced, as well as differences in the level ofauthority that have been conferred upon various entities (Oswald, 1995, p.1). The involvement of parents is "essential tothe successful implementation of SBM. Site-based management has its critics as well because it is not clearthat SBM accomplishes any substantial changes; in fact, there is "virtuallyno evidence that SBM translates into improved student performance" (Summers& Johnson, as quoted in Oswald, 1995). Getting school-based managementright: What works and what doesn't (Special section: Studies on educationreform). (1996, October). Lead to greater creativity in the design of programs; 1. 3). Redirect resources to support the goals developed in each school; 1. Wohlstetter, P., & Briggs, K. Thetraditional participants in the educational process, specifically,principals, teachers, students and parents, are given "greater control overthe education process by giving them responsibility for decisions about thebudget, personnel, and the curriculum" (Myers & Stonehill, 1993, p. This will necessitate either a change of career if SBM continuesto metastasize across the United States or enrolling in management classesand seminars designed to encourage team player skills. It can be helpfultool for involving families, particularly those that feel marginalized dueto poverty, linguistic limitations, or family circumstances. Research has not found "a linkbetween SBM and gains in student academic achievement, lower dropout rates,increased attendance, and reduced disciplinary problems" (Oswald, 1995, p.2). Can the odds be changed? School-based management. Clearly, the "bottom line is that school-based managementis not an end in itself, although research indicates that it can helpfoster an improved school culture and higher-quality decisions" ("School-Based Management: Promise and Process", 1996, p. A. 1). Department of Education. (On theother hand, it could be argued that asking parents to accept greaterresponsibility for the operations of the school and insisting that teachersdonate extra hours of committee service in addition to their usual classtime, constitutes more than enough stress to go around.)Principals are no longer as free as they once were to do as they please:"Principals viewed the effects of restructuring on themselves almostexclusively in terms of power. Wohlstetter, P., Smyer, R., & Mohrman, S. While I understand thearguments on both sides of this issue, I side with the teachers who have alengthy history of implementing curricula, using instructional materials,contending with and accommodating different learning styles, and more. Using the standards for exemplary schools and the existing researchinto corporate decentralization, researchers have evaluated more than tenyears of SBM implementation. School social workersbuilding a multiethnic family-school-community partnership. SBM must have the strong support of school staff; 1. Political and religious conservatism,paired with cultural and educational and social differences among theparticipants, strikes me as fertile soil for censorship efforts. Adding to this baseline is a body of research in the private sector,where decentralization has been in operation for several decades. On the other side, parentsargue that they know their children's' needs and the community argues thatit has certain citizenship and work skills needs. If given a principalship and the responsibility for implementing SBMat my school, I would be a very unhappy principal. Strictly speaking, "as aform of governance, SBM will not in itself generate improvement in schoolperformance...SBM is simply a means through which school-level decisionmakers can implement various reforms that can improve teaching andlearning" (Wohlstetter, 1995, p. F., & Brown, K. Site-based management looked like a good idea when it wasannounced as the next cure for the modern school. Eugene, OR:ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management. EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION: SITE-BASED MANAGEMENT Concern for the quality of the public school education that today'sstudents are receiving has given rise to a mind-boggling list of conceptsintended to reform our schools. Finance brief, Consortium for Policy Research inEducation. Earlier literature (Wohlstetter & Briggs, 1994; Wohlstetter, Smyer, &Mohrman, 1994; Robertson & Briggs, 1993; Wohlstetter & Mohrman, 1993) wasoften more concerned with the politics of restructuring than the how-to.In the new and improved firm, the traditional power roles of administratorsand district players would have to change if site-based management was tobe effective, or so went the argument. 3). And most certainly, and perhaps most importantly, no longercould parents/guardians be simply the adults the principal called when allelse had failed with their child. Lead to realistic budgeting as parents and teachers become more aware of the school's financial status, spending limitations, and the cost of its programs; and, 1. 4). (1998, January). Ultimately, the argument for parentinvolvement rests on two benefits to children: better attitudes towardschool and higher grades" (Oswald, 1995, p. School-based management (SBM) is a "strategy to improve education bytransferring significant decision-making authority from state and districtoffices to individual schools" (Myers & Stonehill, 1993, p. 3). (1995, July). Available:http://www.ed.gov/pubs/OR/ConsumerGuides/baseman.html Oswald, L. (1996, October).Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research & Improvement, U.S.Department of Education. Contrary to one of the pro-arguments, group empowerment may not be"the most effective means of school management. 1 ) is a baseline for evaluating SBM schools. (1996,October). Aprincipal's ability to "transition from one leadership style to another, toperceive power as something that is multiplied rather than reduced when itis shared, seems to be one of the key issues affecting the long-termsuccess of restructuring" (Conley, 1992, p. Eugene,OR: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management. Department of Education. Myers, D., & Stonehill, R. Department of Education.Available: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/SchBasedMgmt/generate.html High Involvement Framework, The. School-based decision-making is one aspect of systemic school reform--an approach to improving schools that also includes changes in instruction and curriculum and in the institutional web that surrounds schools to achieve an integrated focus on the outcomes of education" ("School-Based Management: Promise and Process", 1996, p. Washington, DC: Office ofEducational Research & Improvement, U.S. I am not by nature a teamplayer. I naively thought thatdistricts were embarking on a plan, a well-thought out plan, and not a pie-in-the-sky promise. Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research & Improvement,U.S. No longer could bethe principal be the senior partner in the firm, possessing all district-level knowledge and final veto power. Parents andcommunity members will be more supportive of schools because they have moreof a say" (Oswald, 1995, p. Available:http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/SchBasedMgmt/generat2.html Conley, D. Perhapsone of the good things about centralized leadership is that textbook andcurriculum decisions are/were made by folks who, hopefully, are above self-interest and partisanship. (1993). The truth of the matteris that it is very possible to successfully circumvent the intent and, to adebilitating degree, the process of SBM by creating committees and keepingthem in a perpetual learning mode, with an endless round-robin of meetingsleading to nowhere in the slow lane, thereby maintaining the authority andresponsibility that I might prefer to have as principal. 2). (1993). A. They forecast new roles with fewerdecisions to make by themselves leading to a loss of control and power"(Hallinger, as quoted in Conley, 1992). 1-11). Washington, DC:Office of Educational Research & Improvement, U.S. On the otherhand, if I had little or no choice in the matter, I suppose I would adoptthe attitude of afacilitator for growth and informed decision-making and hope for the bestfrom my committees. 1-2). Department of Education.Available: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/SchBasedMgmt/promise.html Wohlstetter, P. The research also indicates that vision is a key partner in a ventureas large scale as transitioning to SBM. The first decade of SBM implementation has come to a close and thereality is that SBM imposes a greater degree of change on the principalthan anyone else in the system (Myers & Stonehill, 1993, p.2). Nonetheless, I hardly thinkthat it is necessary to give the community the keys to the school in orderto empower and involve parents. And it canshake-up a dull listless school, infusing it with enthusiasm in a much moremeaningful way than can top-down governance ("School-Based Management:Promise and Process", 1996, p. Across the nation, we find that some principals are moving away frombeing the primary instructional leader; others see themselves as theprimary conveyor of a strong instructional vision; still others seethemselves as change agents, staff motivators, team cheerleaders, and/orprotectors of their teachers' best interests ("School-Based Management:Promise and Process", 1996, pp. In my opinion, SBM's most significant contribution to education may beits capacity for including the disenfranchised. Supporters of SBM argue that it provides better programs for students"because resources will be available to directly match student needs...SBMensures higher quality decisions because they are made by groups instead ofindividuals...it increases communication among the stakeholders" (Oswald,1995, p. 1-2; "The High Involvement Framework, 1996, pp. Social Work inEducation, 14, 16 -164. T. Principals play an important rolein the implementation of SBM and successful schools boast principals whoare "seen as effective leaders...active in managing the change process"("School-Based Management: Promise and Process", 1996, p. 3). School-based management: Promise and Process. However, research into what constitutes an exemplary school, mostnotably smallness, decision-making autonomy and accountability (Meier,1998, p. C. What troubles me the most is the fact thatSBM does not have a demonstrable impact on the education that our childrenare receiving. Washington, DC: Office ofEducational Research & Improvement, U.S. Available: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/SchBasedMgmt/himodel2.html Meier, D. L. Department of Education. (1996, October). (Barely discussed inthe early literature are the concepts of accountability and performancemeasurement.) Some school districts have preferred to jump in with both feet,adopting a sink or swim attitude toward the process; others began withsomething as small as an advisory council; but "most begin restructuring bydeveloping a project or projects. Examples include new governance models,block scheduling, integrated curriculum, or technology labs" (Conley, 1992,p. SBM will "not be successful unlessa compelling case is made for it. Give the entire school community a voice in key decisions; 1. Conditions supporting school-based management as a governancemechanism. J., & Briggs, K. Available:http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/SchBasedMgmt/promise.html School-based management: Strategies for success; Section two: Summaryreview of the literature. ED 384 95 ). (ERIC DocumentReproduction Service No. Washington, DC: Office ofEducational Research & Improvement, U.S. 1). (ERIC Document ReproductionService No. (1992, May). Los Angeles, CA: The School-Based ManagementProject, University of Southern California. Department of Education. Arguments pro and con notwithstanding, urban schools may best benefitfrom SBM in one major respect: its potential to enfranchise families,particularly minority families and their students (Chavkin & Brown, 1992,p. As touted, site-based management creates numerousopportunities for administration and teaching staff to be "more responsiveto students and their families...provides a context forsubstantive parent involvement... There are those who maintain that "most conventional schoolpractices were developed to educate the typical American student of thepast: white, middle-class, and living with both parents" (Cross & Reitzug,1996, p. (1994). Promoters of SBM hope that, given enough time, resistant principalswill discover what many of their peers have already recognized, namely,that it is imperative to redefine their role as that of a facilitator. Five key issues in restructuring. Wohlstetter, P., & Mohrman, S. (1996, October). School-based management owes at least part of its roots to thebusiness concept of total quality management, which asserts that decisionsmade closer to the actual product will produce a better product.Translated into school district language, the quality of the educationalexperience provided for students will improve if a partnership comprised ofteachers, parents, business leaders and school leaders is the entity thatcreates the decisions affecting students and schools. Available:http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/SchBasedMgmt/himodel4.html Chavkin, N. Roles reflect values, particularlythe roles assigned to principals, teachers, and parents, and those roleswould have to change. As an alternative to comprehensive structuralreorganization, current research informs us that small self-managing unitswith lump-sum budgets for local needs may be the best SBM model ("School-Based Management: Strategies for Success", 1996, p. Businessresearch indicates that the power to make binding decisions and policies;the skills, knowledge and materials needed to do the job; fiscalinformation about the organization; and rewards for performance are the keyresources that must be decentralized throughout the organization in orderto maximize improvement ("School-Based Management: Strategies for Success",1996, pp. Managing change throughschool-based management. No longer could teachers be merelydeliveryboys and deliverygirls, stocking children's minds with society'sidea of necessary information, and always at the beck-and-call of theprincipal. It may take 5 years or more to implement; 1. I assumed that someonehad looked below the surface, that maybe a study, or at the very least, apreliminary investigation had been conducted. Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research& Improvement, U.S. (1991, October). An impressive array of professional organizations have weighed infavorably on the issue of SBM, among them the American Association ofSchool Administrators, the National Association of Elementary SchoolPrincipals, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.They maintain, in an Education Research Consumer Guide dated January 1993,that school-based management can: 1. It has been argued that the principal must use a team approach todecision-making because "teachers will feel more positive toward schoolleaders and more committed to school goals and objectives. (1996, October). (1994). Phi Delta Kappan, 77, 22-26. Phi DeltaKappan, 79, 358-363. 1). Isuspect that I would advocate for more teacher positions than parent orcommunity seats. and influences teachers' relationshipswith children" (Cross & Reitzug, 1996, pp. After reviewing almost 2 documents one researcher asserts that "site-based management in most instances does not achieve its stated objectives"(Malen, as quoted in Petersen, 1991) Prior research "and the experiences of a myriad of schools makes itclear that a shift to school-based management does not guarantee subsequentschool improvement" ("Generating", 1996, p. Generating curriculum and instructional innovations through school-based management (abstract). Educational Leadership, 53, 16-19. Focus accountability for decisions; 1. (OR 93-3 58, Number 4). ED 336 845).Available: http://www.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed336845.html Robertson, P. 1). However, the specter ofcensorship haunts me, quite frankly. Central office administrators must transfer authority to principals, and principals in turn must share this authority with teachers and parents (Myers & Stonehill, 1993, p. The research tells us that it is critical to pair a solid educationalcomponent, namely curriculum and teacher professionalism, with theimplementation of SBM. (1995, September). Eugene, OR: ERIC Clearinghouse on EducationalManagement. 1-2). 1). (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. Applyingexemplary school standards to public and private schools. 1). 8). EducationalEvaluation and Policy Analysis, 16, 268-286. 1-3). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University. The question remains whether SBM is academically beneficial for thestudent. With this in mind, I suspect that my first taskwould be to help the committee understand curriculum and conduct researchinto the various kinds of curricula available. If it cannot produce higher functioning students, with abroader base of knowledge and critical thinking skills, then it strikes meas a waste of time, energy and money. If they are to have any hope of succeeding, they must understandthat "restructuring requires a systems perspective...restructuring israrely accomplished through a series of disconnected projects, no matterhow innovative" (Conley, 1992, p. New boundariesfor school-based management: The high involvement model. E., & Reitzug, U. J. That deceptively simple change in how schools are managed and governed, as attractive as it is to many teachers, principals and parents, turns out to be rather meaningless unless it is part of a focused, even passionate, quest for improvement. (1995-1996, December-January). Districts embarking on SBM should bevery clear about the need for change and the ultimate purpose of the changeprocess" ("School-Based Management: Strategies for Success", 1996, p. 1). One of the complaints I have heard about SBM is that teachers aregiven an equal number of seats as parents...read that equal influence.With years of professional training and field experience, they argue thatwhat they have to offer to the process is far more valuable than what aparent or a local businessowner has to offer. 1). Quite frankly, just the thought of implementing SBM gives me thewillies. References Assessment of school-based management: Results and discussion. The principal's role in school-based management. Available:http://www.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed38495 .html Peterson, David. 1). Principal, 74, 14-17. 2). Studies of effectivepublic schools agree that a strong central leader, like the principal, iskey to successful management" ("School-Based Management: Strategies forSuccess", 1996, p. The Department of Education funded an assessment of school-basedmanagement, which stated, "So far, there is scant evidence that schools get better just because decisions are made by those closer to the classroom. 9).Nor will SBM be successful in the absence of an instructional guidancesystem, "which includes a state or district curriculum framework along withthe school's teaching and learning objectives and the means by which theyare to be accomplished" ("Conditions", 1996, p. ED 344 329). School-based management:Strategies for success. In summary, the analysis informs us that: 1. School-based management andstudent performance. Financial support must be provided to make training and time for regular staff meetings available; 1. 1). Education researchconsumer guide: School-based management. 1). No wonder some of the teachers I know feel likethey're drowning in a sea of snake oil. (1992, July). (1993, January). 2). How tobuild ownership in city schools. The list includes a bottom-to-topreorganization of management, often referred to as school-based management(SBM). I read the newspapers and I know what is going on in the schoolsystems. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.