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A Case Study: Archbishop Hoban High School’s Journey to Coeducation

Beiting, Mary Anne

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2005, Doctor of Education, University of Akron, Educational Administration.
Archbishop Hoban High School changed from an all boys to a coeducational school in 1973. This case study looked at internal and external influences that led Hoban to change to a coeducational school. The research was guided by these questions: What internal and external influences played a role in the decisions that led Archbishop Hoban High School to change to a coeducational school? How did Hoban as an organization react to these influences? The theoretical framework for the study combined several strands of research: the history and philosophy of Holy Cross education; organizational theories of decision making and change; research on the culture of Catholic schools; and research on the social context of the 1960s and 1970s in the United States. This case study analyzed primary and secondary documents about the school’s history during the period from the late 1960s through 1973. The researcher also conducted interviews with eleven key participants in the decision making process and added their responses to the data collected. Results indicated that the decision to become coeducational was expedient and natural, but that structural, political, human resources, and symbolic factors influenced the decision. The change was also consistent with the Holy Cross philosophy of education that encouraged its schools to meet the individual needs of those it served. As the cultural and social context of the Catholic Church changed after Vatican II, as parents became more interested in coeducation, as the social context changed, and as economic factors pushed the Brothers of Holy Cross to reframe the organization, changing to coeducation became a natural and pragmatic decision. By reviewing this study, other schools facing critical incidents can find a method to frame an analysis of the decision that needs to be made. Looking at the problem from its historical basis, studying the cultural context, and analyzing the structural, political, human resources, and symbolic nature of the decision may help the organization respond positively to change.
Sandra Spickard Prettyman (Advisor)
226 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Beiting, M. A. (2005). A Case Study: Archbishop Hoban High School’s Journey to Coeducation [Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1132329970

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Beiting, Mary Anne. A Case Study: Archbishop Hoban High School’s Journey to Coeducation. 2005. University of Akron, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1132329970.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Beiting, Mary Anne. "A Case Study: Archbishop Hoban High School’s Journey to Coeducation." Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1132329970

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)