Educational Administration: Foundations

THEORY & RESEARCH

Frederick C. Lunenburg & Allan C. Ornstein spend considerable time abstracting the subject of research and theory, both past and present.

Is there a relationship between theory and research?

- Based on my understanding of the Authors’ work, the theory is equally important to research where research has not yet been conducted. It is the theories that help guide intuitive thinking and decision-making processes within an organization where a decision needs to be made without the necessary research available. Although research holds its own value in the most common research methodologies expressed. We cannot solely rely on research in order to advocate for new policy and reform. We need to rely on the humanistic and emotional component of a theory which factors in the learning environment of students, faculty, and staff which may go beyond the scope of the controlled environment of a research study. In a sense, both research and theory should be used as indicators towards decisions, but should not replace acrid thinking and utilizing strong intuition and emotionally intelligent thinking to solve leadership questions as they arise.

SCHOOL ASSESSMENTS

If we propose working with staff on school environment assessments and had to select one that best fits the results that we would hope to achieve what would be the pro and con reception of our selection from the district superintendent (or line supervisor), teachers, staff members, parents, and other groups connected with your school or district?

A successful school environment assessment covers everyone that is, directly and indirectly, related to the school environment. This extends to parents and caregivers alike. A student’s learning does not conclude at school but is extended into their home life, especially during younger years.

The guiding principles, support, and education that a parent provides at home and their overall attitude towards education generally manifest in the students’ performance in the classroom. If a parent does not ensure that their child goes to bed at a reasonable hour, a student will be tired and half-awake throughout the day and learning capacity is greatly reduced.

Therefore, it’s important that the assessment is comprehensive and covers all aspects of the student’s life and environment to fully measure learning and adoption. I would use a video questionnaire tool such as videoask.com to gain responses.

In order to build the assessment, there would be a form administered to school staff, parents, and students. Each one would answer questions in the form of a video or voice response that pertain to their idea surrounding what they believe a good school environment or education is.

What would give them greater confidence that learning is taking place, and allow them to reflect on changes and improvements they’d like to see in order to harbor a potentially more satisfying learning culture?

After the assessments are submitted there would be a follow-up marketing campaign to ensure that all form responses are submitted with a 60% submission target rate by the school administration. Later a meeting or series of meetings would be held with the school board to review responses and begin drafting an improvement plan of action to build a culture of learning that supports students, staff, and parents.

LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS & PETER SENGE

Today school administrators are reading and hearing a great deal about Learning Organizations. What is a Learning Organization and what is its relationship with the open systems model, the work of Peter Senge, and his best-selling book The Fifth Discipline?

As defined by Lunenburg & Ornstein, a learning organization is, “A strategic commitment to capture and share learning in the organization for the benefit of individuals, teams, and the organization. It does this through alignment and the collective capacity to sense and interpret a changing environment; to input new knowledge through continuous learning and change; to imbed this knowledge in systems and practices, and to transform this knowledge into outputs.” In a sense the learning organization is an extension of the open systems model adding a “brain” to the living organization. Senge describes five disciplines necessary for an organization to pursue learning. The fifth is systems thinking. Systems thinking: A conceptual framework that sees all parts as interrelated and affecting each other.

In order to pursue learning at the highest level, we must employ systems thinking in our education process, which ties into how teachers communicate with students, how directors communicate with teachers, and how all parties communicate with parents. A systems thinking approach goes hand in hand with building a learning organization and it’s imperative that we apply this rationale to any change initiative. I’ve had the pleasure of studying with Dr. Jerome Brightman at Harvard, who was a student of Peter Senge. Seeing his enthusiasm and direction of how he coordinated the classroom environment still stays with me until today and most importantly learning from him what it means to apply systems thinking in practice.

SEVEN ACTION IMPERATIVES OF A LEARNING ORGANIZATION

Watkins and Marsicks list Seven Action Imperatives of a Learning Organization. Essentially, these indicate what must change for a school to become a learning organization.

They are:

1. Create Continuous Learning Opportunities.
2. Promote Inquiry and Dialogue.
3. Encourage Collaboration and Team Learning.
4. Create Systems to Capture and Share Learning.
5. Empower People toward a Collective Vision.
6. Connect the Organization to Its Environment
7. Provide Strategic Leadership for Learning.

By improving on these measures in a school, you slowly transform the school into a superior learning environment for teachers and students.

PARTICIPATORY MANAGEMENT

Developing a theme of participatory management to bring about improvement in the education of all children in the school system:

McGregor, Argyris, and Likert oppose the kinds of organizations that hew to the bureaucratic model. Specifically, Likert’s theory treats the structural prescriptions for organizational effectiveness more explicitly and completely and builds his structural recommendations around three key elements that undergird four systems of organization. A system four organization essentially includes group think, focuses on self-control, and many aspects which underline developing high EQ in the organization/school. It’s a shame that there is so much advanced research on the topic yet so little reform that has occurred in the school systems despite all the information in the open. Define School-based management, and explain how it changes the roles and responsibilities of the school staff. What authority needs to be granted to implement a school-based management plan? “School-based management (SBM) represents a change in how a school district is structured, that is, how authority and responsibility are shared between the district and its schools. It changes roles and responsibilities of staff within schools and how the school district’s central office staff is organized with respect to its size, roles, and responsibilities.” Essentially, SBM functions like a Co-op on a school level. Everyone who is involved in the benefits the school can bring and contributes to it either through attendance or education gets a say in the school policy. This is a sense removes a layer of bureaucracy and allows the shareholders to motivate the decision-making within the school. The authority responsible for implementing an SMB is “a school-site council with representatives from the school’s major stakeholder groups. The composition of this council, how members are selected, and what their responsibilities vary considerably between and within school districts.”

THE SCHOOL AS A SOCIAL SYSTEM

Getzels’s models of the school as a social system have proven to have enduring appeal and widespread application in the administration of schools. Getzel breaks apart the role from the person in a school-based model. Where soldiers may follow a more role-based approach in their behavior, artists are more personality-driven in their approach to their work. By viewing the school as a social system we can successfully break apart the student from the role of ‘student’, and allow students to express themselves as ‘people. Combining a hybrid approach where discipline is enacted by being aware of coming to school to engage in scholarly activities, but yet, choosing subjects that interest them specifically, can build on a progressive school hierarchy.

Lunenburg & Ornstein in Educational Adminsitration (2012) remind us that, “according to nearly four decades of annual Gallup Polls, pupil control remains a key concern of teachers, administrators, and citizens.”

HUMANISTIC VS. CUSTODIAL SCHOOL

Via the lens of the construct of Pupil Control Ideology: Humanistic vs. the Custodial School.

The humanistic approach certainly minimizes the ‘child not loved’ mantra. Specifically, because it transfers free rein to students to define the rules of engagement and treat education as a passionate endeavor instead of a chore. The custodial approach is the more commonly seen system used in schools today and it focused on strict discipline and an authoritarian model of leadership. I believe that in low-context cultures and highly violent children or those that exhibit aggressive tendencies based on mental illness or sociological factors the custodial approach has its place. However, in the majority of cases, the humanistic approach is possible when an environment that is shared with the students and topic selection is voted on by students vs. being set by a curriculum team is far more effective. We witness the humanistic approach in schools all across Finland and high context cultures and private schools successfully utilize this approach in their learning organizations.

References

OECD. (2011). Equity and Quality in Education SUPPORTING DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS. Equity and Quality in Education SUPPORTING DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS and SCHOOLS. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264130852-en

Suni, E. (2021, February 5). Later School Start Times: Benefits & Cons. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/school-and-sleep/later-school-start-times

Typeform. (n.d.). VideoAsk (by Typeform). VideoAsk. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.videoask.com/

Lunenburg, F. C. (2012). Educational administration: concepts and practices. Wadsworth.

Richard F. Elmore, School Reform from the Inside Out Policy, Practice, and Performance (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Publishing Group, 2004).

Addendum and comments

Dr. Lisa Reason added the following comments:

When considering the connection between research and theory, it is important to remember that theory is unsubstantiated until it is tested through research. Multiple Intelligence Theory (Gardner) is one such example. That theory has not been tested enough to determine its effectiveness. In addition, it is vital that we are good consumers of research in order to make sound decisions. Quality research provides us with insights into the realities of the effect of a treatment or strategy, situation, experience, phenomena, etc. Therefore, we need to consult research (and even do our own research) to ensure that our decisions are based on what will truly work.

Regarding your discussion about the open system model, one thing to consider is that such systems encourage/invite collaboration and innovation from within and beyond the walls of the organization. This ability to be open and to share findings, thoughts, and ideas with people you have never met is certainly a demarcation of a changing learning and research agenda (Howe, 2008). It is also something that has been shown to support the accelerated growth capacity of an organization.

Regarding your discussion of the humanistic approach (showing care and concern for students), research shows that believing in students and having high expectations for them will create an environment that is more learning-centered in nature. Research also shows that when students feel cared for they will engage in new learning to a greater extent. Likewise, research suggests that confidence levels and academic engagement are linked. Therefore, exhibiting a belief in your students’ ability to achieve key goals, giving them challenging (but not overly challenging) and meaningful work, will invariably help build their own confidence and help them to engage to a greater degree in the new learning. In fact, such care and concern are supported by the self-determination theory that proposes when students feel valued and cared for they will more enthusiastically behave in ways that are valued by those to whom they feel a connection (Steiner, 2009).

Dr. Reason

References

Steiner, G. (2009). Forgetting while learning: a plea for specific consolidation. Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology, 8(2), 117–127.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.