School Governance EDU 224 | Newberry College

Please read the minutes from Newberry County’s recent 3/16/2010 STAC meeting. What are your thoughts?

School Governance Who holds the legitimate and covert power that affects a school? What are the problems? What are Schlechty’s Images of Schools? Who is “Who Is Howard Rich?” By the end of class you should be able to answer these questions.

Sources of Legitimate Power in Schools Legal Control of Schools (pp State government (courts, governor, legislature) State board of education Chief state school officer (state superintendent) and state department of education Local boards of education Local superintendents and district central offices Schools (principals, teachers, students, and parents) 2010 – Look at SCASA (SC Association of School Administrators) candidate analysis and discuss.

State Board of Education Members appointed by governor or elected Chief State School Officer (State Superintendent), who is elected or appointed, implements policies of Board State Department of Education performs all administrative tasks of implementation and answers to Chief State School Officer Local school districts often mirror this structure – they must operate within the rules and regulations specified by the State Board. DISCUSS: What are the potential problems or conflicts? State Department responsibilities include… Licensing Providing information and training Conducting educational research and development Setting standards for school attendance and safety Outlining minimum curricular and graduation standards Monitoring student progress Distributing state and federal funds Monitoring local compliance. Local School Board responsibilities include… School construction Taxing Budgeting Hiring Curriculum decisions Local policy

District Board of Education Elected or appointed (depending on state constitution) Does the hiring and firing – when you apply for a job, you are actually applying to the School Board Mostly white, male, and middle or upper class Trustee versus delegate representation “At-large” versus delegate representation Problems (see p. 232) DISCUSS: Should we continue to have district boards of education? Why or why not? Criticism of school boards Have become immersed in administrative detail Not representing communities Politics create conflict Composition is not representative Retard educational change and reform Too limited in scope Less influential as state controls funds Reform calls for site-based management Discussion Question – Do you think the time has passed for local boards of education? Why or why not?

District Superintendent School Board’s chief executive officer (administrative employee → educational expert) High-visibility, high-stress position Tend to be white males An effective superintendent is politically savvy and can work his school board; Superintendent must be an educational expert and an effective manager DISCUSS: How does a district superintendent affect the work of teachers? What would you look for in a superintendent? Share experience – Bennett versus Gorman

School Principal Bears brunt of pressure on school from the top, the bottom, and all sides. In the average elementary level position the principal supervises 30 teachers, 14 other staff members, 425 students, and works 9-10 hours per day, 54 or more hours per week. Current principals face a changing leadership landscape. (manager → instructional leader ) DISCUSS: Given the fact that principals make more money than teachers, why is there a shortage of good principals?

Hidden Government in Schools People and groups with covert power – who are they? School secretary (and other staff) Parents Teachers Business community Discuss: People and groups with covert power – who are they? Business values have long influenced school practices, and decades ago educators adopted a school vocabulary – superintendent, physical plant, quality control, efficiency, etc. (p. 238) School values often mirror the values of business – hard work, competition, dependability, punctuality, neatness, conformity, and loyalty (p. 238)

Where do teachers fit? Traditional power structures must change if schools are to be more responsive and effective. Look at Phillip Schlechty’s Images of Schools.  Discussion Questions Which school image did you experience as a student? Where were teachers in that image? Schlechty’s image of a well-functioning school is _________. Where are teachers in that image?

Read Robert Dalton’s State article, “Who Is Howard Rich?” Have students answer the nine questions listed on the article. Share instructor bias, but make point that students need to make up their own minds. (Morrison = public school advocate, no prob with private as long as inclusive of diversity, every child deserves a great teacher) Discuss big questions: What is privatization? (vouchers, tax credits, charter schools, magnet schools) Why is there such a push for privatization in SC? What is the relationship between money, power, and schools? Where does our current State Superintendent for Education stand?

Elevator Speech Legislators want to know what teachers think. What if you ended up on an elevator with the State Superintendent of Education? Write a two-minute speech outlining the issues you think are most important and what should be done about them. Have student write their speeches and share.

Class Wiki Assign/discuss homework. Discuss next steps.