Who influences educational decisions?

Abstract

As part of a larger exploration of four school districts, this single case analyzes teachers' perceptions about the hierarchical or collaborative nature of decision making in their district and how this perception is related to their beliefs about who has influence over decision making. The two sets of perceptions are moderately related, suggesting to educational leaders that affecting one will affect the other. Leaders who understand these dynamics are better equipped to foster collaborative decision making appropriate for working through central instructional challenges.

Introduction

When school districts and their schools encounter student performance that falls short of expectations, they strive to make change that will improve the quality of instruction (Schlechty, 2001). Such is the case in the Piedmont Public School District (The names of the district and the superintendent used in this paper are pseudonyms.), currently embarking on an effort to change literacy-related teaching K-12. This paper explains how perceptions of hierarchy in decision making are related to beliefs about influence over change and implementation decisions in Piedmont. We conclude from these findings that changing perceptions from hierarchical to collaborative and low influence to high influence is critical to making and implementing important instructional decisions.

Studying the influences of multiple individuals and groups on decision making against the backdrop of perceived hierarchy serves to elucidate previously unexplored territory. Apart from a few exceptions (Allison & Zelikow, 1999; Cohen, March, & Olsen, 1972; Gersick 1988; 1989), theorists, empirical researchers, and authors oriented toward practice largely ignore the dynamics of varying influence on decision making from different stakeholders. This is particularly true in the educational leadership literature (Blase & Blase, 1997; Bolman & Deal, 2003; Fullan, 2001; Sergiovanni, 2001). Yet, educational leaders need a better understanding of how different constituencies influence them and one another if they wish to embark on more collaborative decision making. As this case demonstrates, perceptions of the nature of decision making and beliefs about who has influence go hand in hand. Explaining how decisions are worked out with multiple players begins with the question, Who influences the process of educational decision making? We provide a preliminary answer to this question for the Piedmont Public School District by exploring the perceptions of teachers regarding how decisions are made in their district. As one case of four we are studying, Piedmont displays trends we are finding in the other districts. To analyze perceptions of influence in decision making, we employ a theoretical perspective that takes into account numerous people participating in decisions over time.

Theoretical Perspective …