The authors write that the longer they study and work in organizations, the more they discover power to be one of the central issues which researchers and students must understand. Researchers who ignore power run the risk of spurious, irrelevant findings. Students who assume administrative positions without a proper understanding of power and how…

Proposes a conceptual framework for viewing alternative schools. Identifies four educational ideologies and explores how they may influence school goals, program, formal structure, environment, and informal processes and norms. Develops propositions related to (1) the relationship between alternative schools and the external environment and (2)…

This research indicates that educational organizations consist of a loose collection of individuals, units, or levels, each performing activities independently--as segmented units buffered from one another. The authors suggest ways administrators can be effective in this environment. (Author/IRT)

This memorandum describes an approach to the development of school organization in which the basic research hypothesis is that the structure of a school or school district must be congruent with its technology and its environment if problems are to be solved and educational innovations are to succeed. Current environmental, instructional, and…

Since educational organizations must constantly change to meet the demands of a changing society, educational administrators might look to the social sciences for help in managing change and innovation. This paper argues that an organizational approach to educational innovation is likely to be more successful than an individualistic approach.…

Linking activities between knowledge production and actual practices in schools need to be guided by understanding of how educational organizations work. Educational organizations evidence unique organizational patterns, including diffuse goals, weak connections between activities and outcomes, political vulnerability, and working conditions that…

Using information gathered in 1973 and again in 1975, this study examined the relationship between instructional configurations, on the one hand, and organizational factors at three levels (district, school, and classroom), on the other hand. Data for the study were gathered from questionnaires and interviews with superintendents in 34 San…

This paper provides an analysis of alternative schools that may help understand their problems and kindle future interest, together with guidelines as to how these schools might be more effectively organized. Two case studies are provided to illustrate the importance of authority patterns in these schools. (AM)

Examines the organizational implications of the recent education reform panels and commissions, including the question of expected linkage between reports and action at the local level. Looks at the commissions as ceremonies with deep symbolic meaning and the potential power to express, shape, reorganize, or create educational values. (RDN)

A brief introduction to organizational theory and organizational development for educational administrators is provided in this document. The first section contrasts individualistic and organizational approaches to educational problems. It is intended to give administrators two distinct perspectives for viewing day-to-day events. The second…

This book shows how educators can become more versatile managers and more artistic leaders. In part 1, chapter 1 shows why reframing--the use of multiple lenses--is vital to effective leadership and management. It introduces the four basic lenses for organizational analysis--the structural, human resource, political, and symbolic frames--and show…

Using the ERIC system, a library search of textbooks, publications from school administrator associations, and the recommendations of educators and researchers, the authors survey the literature from 1970 through 1981 on the principalship, especially on educational leadership and administrative practices. They identify two types of…

This report builds a case for survey feedback as a useful method of assisting schools to respond actively, rather than passively, to uncertainty and complexity in the school environment. The main argument is that passive responses, such as defensiveness and buffering, reduce educational effectiveness. Planning, an active response, creates…