A STUDY WAS MADE OF A REPRESENTATIVE MIDWESTERN SCHOOL DISTRICT TO DETERMINE SCHOOL LEADERS' AWARENESS OF (1) INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE INFLUENTIAL IN THE DECISIONMAKING PROCESS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT REORGANIZATION AND (2) ACTIONS PERFORMED BY EACH INFLUENTIAL INDIVIDUAL IN THE DECISIONAL PROCESS. THE RESEARCH PROCEDURE INCLUDES IDENTIFICATION AND RANK…

Regarding county-level leadership, evidence is presented to support four main contentions. County leadership is dominated by a relatively small number of very influential people. By and large they are the same people in 1968 as they were in 1964. While no appreciable change has occurred in the constituency of this dominant group as a result of the…

A study, made of how a southern city school system successfully complied with court orders to integrate, found that social change and innovation in school desegregation were directly attributable to the elitist nature of leadership and decision-making in Southern City.'' (Author/JM)

This report discusses theories about and studies on the relationship between school districts and community power structures. It offers practical techniques for decisionmakers to use in dealing with such power structures. Various participants and influentials in the community power structure are identified and discussed. Two major power typologies…

Acceptance or rejection of school policy hinges on the role played by formal and informal groups within the community power structure. Kimbrough's research suggests that formal groups are subordinate to the informal power structure in establishing policy, though formal groups make important contributions to decision-making. Some researchers…

This compilation of symposium papers on community power structure research focuses on the theme that community power structure research must shift away from case study methods and move toward aggregate data analysis. Advocating comparative analysis, seven authors present their views under the following topics: (1) Charles R. Adrian, "Several Loose…

Purposes of this guide for change agents are to (1) present four methods for identifying community power actors (community leaders), (2) provide a description of how change agents might use each of the four methods, (3) compare the four methods, (4) suggest ways to use a combination of methods or combine elements from various methods, and (5)…

THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE DEVELOPED IN THIS MONOGRAPH (PART OF A KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY SERIES ON COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT) FOCUSES ON THE DEMOGRAPHIC AND ECOLOGICAL STRUCTURING OF COMMUNITIES BOTH LARGE AND SMALL, THE CHARACTER OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND OF INTERACTION IN COMMUNITIES, (INCLUDING PATTERNS OF VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION…

A CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOR STUDYING THE OPERATION OF SOCIAL POWER IN SCHOOL SYSTEMS WAS DEVELOPED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT A SCHOOL SYSTEM MUST BE UNDERSTOOD IN TERMS OF ITS SUPPORTING ENVIRONMENT. TWELVE DIRECTIONAL HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED TO DETERMINE CORRELATIONS BETWEEN FOUR TYPES OF COMMUNITY POWER STRUCTURES (DOMINATED, FACTIONAL, PLURALISTIC, AND…

This paper focuses on defining and comparing four approaches for identifying the community's power actors. It outlines how professional change agents might use each of the four approaches to identify community power actors who are relevant for community development. The four approaches include the positional, the reputational, the decision-making,…

Social power is defined as the ability to affect group decisions; power actors are those individuals who seek and exercise power and affect group decisions. Power structure research was conducted in Kershaw County, South Carolina in 1971 and 1977. Although methodologies differed, both surveys identified and interviewed power actors for the county,…

In a study of the critical factors affecting local decision making on school fiscal policy, socioeconomic factors, educational leadership, and community power structure were related to one another and to local financial effort in relation to ability. The study included 122 school districts of 20,000 population and above located in the states of…

Using techniques of the reputational method to study community power structure, this report identifies components of power structure in a Tennessee school district, demonstrates that proven methodologies can facilitate educational leaders' reform efforts, and serves as a pilot study for further investigation. Researchers investigated the district…

THIS NATIONAL TRAINING LABORATORIES (NTL) CONFERENCE, DEPARTING SOMEWHAT FROM ITS USUAL EXPERIENCE-BASED LEARNING PROGRAMS, FOCUSED LABORATORY TRAINING METHODS ON THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS IN URBAN COMMUNITY PROBLEM SOLVING. THE CONFERENCE PRESENTED THEORY, INFORMATION, AND OPINION ON THE NATURE OF CITIES AND THEIR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES.…