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School Based Decision Making and Student Learning

In: Social Issues

Submitted By 164life
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The idea of increased autonomy in schools is similar to the claims directed at many organizations today, and with which I see a valid argument. I think that organizational decisions should be made by the people know best what needs to be done. The restructuring movement in business and industry has recognized that it is possible to improve employee performance when workers and managers have more authority and collegiality in their work. The same should hold true for the field of education, especially since education is a human oriented and dedicated service. Similar to other services such as the medical field, highly trained practitioners should enjoy the confidence of autonomy in deciding what is best for the people they serve. This is not a novel idea and has been researched for decades. Little (1982) argued that successful schools appear to be those which allow staff a greater say in educational decisions, and which open up communication between parents, teachers, and students. Finn (1984) also contended that the more efficient schools are those who allow their staff high levels of responsibility and decision-making. It is my belief, along with many researchers, that these environments foster higher teacher morale, teachers’ sense of efficacy, sense of community, and collegiality, which all lead to a rich school climate conducive to enhanced student learning. I am completely aware that there are demographic variables beyond teachers’ control that play a role in school effectiveness such as, class size, school size, socio-economic status of the student population, etc. However, independence over the variables that can be controlled such as curriculum, staff development, teacher evaluation, pedagogical decisions, school policy, and budget allocation, could account for a large percentage of improvement. Although I am in agreement with the SBM model, I must

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