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An exploration of perceived decision making influence for teachers in public schools: relationships between influence, charter schools, and school performance

Rosen, Jeffrey A
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1181055232

Abstract Details

2007, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Public Policy and Management.
This research investigates perceived decision influence for teachers in K-12 education. First, the ability of charter schools to provide teachers with an environment that fosters more perceived decision making influence is examined. Then, the relationship between perceived decision making influence for teachers and school performance is explored. Five different areas of decision, which cover both classroom and management level decisions in schools are considered in this research. Research and theory on decision making decentralization in the public sector provides the context for this inquiry. There are two major findings from this research. First, the data employed in this study suggest that status as a charter school may increase the influence teachers perceive they have, not only over the work they do in their classrooms, but over the management decisions that affect the school as a whole. In terms of decision making influence in school decision-making, charter schools appear to be providing the freer environment envisioned by their proponents (Nathan, 1996; Fussarelli, 1999). Charter schools may even be responding to the demands of public administration scholars who have argued that the environments of public organizations restrict public service deliverers and compromise their ability to make critical decisions (Diulio, Garvey and Kettl, 1993). The second major finding in this research relates to the ability of perceived decision influence for teachers to link to school performance. The results suggest that school performance may benefit some when teachers perceive themselves as having more decision influence in their schools. But any benefit in terms of performance that schools receive may be at best marginal, relative to important student and family inputs. These patterns appear to be similar regardless of the decision area; management and classroom decisions show similar relationships to school level performance. The findings in this research related to curriculum influence for teachers are particularly notable. Even when teachers perceived more influence over curriculum issues in their schools, no relationship between decision influence and school performance could be identified. Decentralization based reforms may succeed in changing the decision making structure of schools, however, consistent with the predictions of some education scholars (e.g. Elmore, 1990), decision making decentralization may not be enough to stimulate performance improvements in schools.
David Landsbergen (Advisor)
206 p.
Education, Social Sciences
school decision making; decentralization; charter schools;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Rosen, J. A. (2007). An exploration of perceived decision making influence for teachers in public schools: relationships between influence, charter schools, and school performance [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1181055232

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Rosen, Jeffrey. An exploration of perceived decision making influence for teachers in public schools: relationships between influence, charter schools, and school performance. 2007. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1181055232.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Rosen, Jeffrey. "An exploration of perceived decision making influence for teachers in public schools: relationships between influence, charter schools, and school performance." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1181055232

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1181055232
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© 2007, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.