457,435 research outputs found

    Implementing Site-Based Management in the Rural South: The Process and the Challenge

    Get PDF
    School systems across the United States have implemented various forms of site-based management (SBM) to restructure their schools and ultimately improve education. Educators have been disappointed with the results of SBM and some have related its failure to the way SBM was implemented in many school systems. Too often, SBM was implemented as a top-down decision and viewed as a goal to obtain rather than a continuous learning process. This study was an ethnohistorical, single-case study of a small, rural elementary school in Southeast Georgia that implemented a form of site-based management, shared governance. Data collection consisted of a combination of qualitative techniques which included interview, observation, and a review of relevant documents. A combination of the constant comparison method of analysis and the use of the QSR Nud.ist computer program was used to process and analyze the data. This study emphasized the importance of the transformational leader and his/her ability to create conditions in schools which support change. Including teachers in the decision-making process created ownership, increased teacher satisfaction and was vital to sustaining the improvement process. Once teachers and principals collaborated together in decision making, traditional roles changed. Teachers assumed leadership roles and the principal became a facilitator instead of a dictator. The process of change was complex and took a considerable length of time before improvement occurred. Essential elements to Optima sustaining the process was support from the League of Professional Schools, the climate the principal had created at Optima, and the parental and community involvement in the school

    Principal Empowerment: Leader Perspectives In Rural Georgia Charter Systems

    Get PDF
    This dissertation examines the perspectives of principals leading rural Georgia schools within districts following charter system governance and addresses the overarching research question, “How do rural Georgia charter system principals perceive their level of empowerment in local school decision making?” Georgia charter system governance is available for any public school district in the state and offers empowerment and flexibility at the school house level. Charter system governance operates similarly to traditional charter schools but includes all public schools in the system charter contract. Little research is available on the process of local leader empowerment in rural Georgia charter systems because Georgia is the only state to offer charter governance to districts and charter systems are relatively new having been created in 2007. Rural school systems are defined by the county the district is located in, having less than 50,000 people according to the 2010 census. This multiple case study utilized semi-structured interviews of seven principals in rural Georgia charter systems to understand the level of local empowerment and autonomy perceived by these leaders. Additionally, an internal and external document review took place to achieve triangulation during the data collection process. Internal documents included the local system charter contract and the governance team documents from the local district. The external documents included the rules, regulations, and by-laws of charter system governance from the Georgia Department of Education and the Charter System Foundation. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes collected through principal interviews and document reviews. Results indicate that principals in rural Georgia charter systems perceive empowerment in decision-making at the local school level. Five major themes emerged during the data analysis portion of the study: charter system governance, system-level support, the principalship, rural impact, and the local community. The results of this dissertation can help guide state, district, and school-level leaders, especially in rural settings, by understanding the perspectives of principals regarding empowerment and autonomy to make decisions in the best interest of the local school and community

    Monitoring and evaluation of human resources for health: an international perspective

    Get PDF
    BACKGROUND: Despite the undoubted importance of human resources to the functions of health systems, there is little consistency between countries in how human resource strategies are monitored and evaluated. This paper presents an integrated approach for developing an evidence base on human resources for health (HRH) to support decision-making, drawing on a framework for health systems performance assessment. METHODS: Conceptual and methodological issues for selecting indicators for HRH monitoring and evaluation are discussed, and a range of primary and secondary data sources that might be used to generate indicators are reviewed. Descriptive analyses are conducted drawing primarily on one type of source, namely routinely reported data on the numbers of health personnel and medical schools as covered by national reporting systems and compiled by the World Health Organization. Regression techniques are used to triangulate a given HRH indicator calculated from different data sources across multiple countries. RESULTS: Major variations in the supply of health personnel and training opportunities are found to occur by region. However, certain discrepancies are also observed in measuring the same indicator from different sources, possibly related to the occupational classification or to the sources' representation. CONCLUSION: Evidence-based information is needed to better understand trends in HRH. Although a range of sources exist that can potentially be used for HRH assessment, the information that can be derived from many of these individual sources precludes refined analysis. A variety of data sources and analytical approaches, each with its own strengths and limitations, is required to reflect the complexity of HRH issues. In order to enhance cross-national comparability, data collection efforts should be processed through the use of internationally standardized classifications (in particular, for occupation, industry and education) at the greatest level of detail possible

    Data-Driven Decision-Making in Urban Schools That Transitioned From Focus or Priority to Good Standing

    Get PDF
    Despite the importance an urban school district places on data-driven decision-making (DDDM) to drive instruction, implementation continues to remain a challenge. The purpose of this study was to investigate how support systems affected the implementation of DDDM to drive instructional practices in three urban schools that recently transitioned from priority or focus to good standing on the State Accountability Report. The study aligned with the organizational supports conceptual framework with an emphasis on data accessibility, collection methods, reliability and validity, the use of coaches and data teams, professional development, and data-driven leaders. Through the collection of qualitative data from one-on-one interviews, the research questions asked about the perspectives on data culture and data driven instructional practices of three school leaders and nine teachers. The data were triangulated to generate a thematic illustration of content that was coded and analyzed to identify solid patterns and themes. Findings suggest that leaders create a data-driven school culture by establishing a school-wide vision, developing a DDDM cycle, creating a collaborative DDDM support system, communicating data as a school community, and changing the way technology is used in DDDM initiatives. Based on the findings, a project in the form of a white paper was developed, using research to support that when data is regularly used to hone student skills, a positive shift in overall teacher practices occurs. This shift provides the potential for positive social change when students have opportunities to attain academic goals, resulting in increased student achievement and higher graduation rates

    PENGELOLAAN SISTEM INFORMASI TERHADAP PENGAMBILAN KEPUTUSAN KEPALA SEKOLAH (STUDI KASUS : SD MUHAMMADIYAH 2 SURAKARTA)

    Get PDF
    The main focus of this research is "Characteristics of Management Information Systems in Principal Decision Making." The purpose of this study are 1) To describe the characteristics of Management Information Systems 2 SD Muhammadiyah Surakarta 2) Describe the supporting documents in Management Information Systems 2 SD Muhammadiyah Surakarta. 3) Describe the characteristics of the manual in Management Information Systems 2 SD Muhammadiyah Surakarta . This research was conducted at 2 SD Muhammadiyah Surakarta, using a qualitative approach. Data collection methods used are in-depth interviews, observation (observation) and documentation. Analysis using four stages which include data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion / verification. The validity of the data was done by using triangulation. The results (1) Characteristics of Management Information Systems in SD Muhammadiyah Surakarta consists of two components in the form of sub-systems hardware, software and human resources. The hardware is a system that has a sub- system CPU, device I / O and memory, the supra system hardware is a computer system. Limit system ie principal, teachers, staff and students. Environment outside the system comprises parent role, the role of Education, the role of schools, standardization, and education funding. Liaison ie transaction processing, control and strategic planning. Enter in the form of raw data from teachers, students and school finance. The output of output data. Processing of the process of changing raw data into a data base and target or goal that is fleksibilotas, accountability and transparency. (2) Characteristics of Management Information Systems Supporting the 2 SD Muhammadiyah Surakarta, among other data base systems in the form of connections and settings, student management, academic management, teachers and staff management, library management and reporting. Decission support system named as the principal consideration in making decisions. Information Resources Management is to provide information about student management, academic management, teacher management and employees, management perpustakaa. User Machine operating system, namely human resources management information system school. Synergic organization that is a synergistic cooperation between principals, teachers, staff and students in using management information systems. (3) Characteristics of Management Information System Manual at 2 SD Muhammadiyah Surakarta, which consists of human resource information systems, information systems academic, student information systems and E learning systems

    Data in Practice: A Qualitative Investigation into Classroom Teachers’ Perspectives on Assessment Data Collection (ADC) and Analysis (ADA) Processes

    Full text link
    Education systems worldwide have encouraged data use initiatives with the aim of improving student learning by means of data-driven decision making (DDDM). The use of student assessment data in particular has been promoted to guide teaching practices and progress student learning. Despite this, the adoption of DDDM practices by Australian classroom teachers has been slow. A review of current DDDM models conducted for this investigation highlights that research tends to focus on the later stages of data use, such as decision-making skills and targeted instruction. However, the activities that precede these are not well understood. Targeting outcomes without understanding the context or procedural mechanisms that produce them yields little insight into how to support and enhance teachers’ data use practices. Investigating current organisational activities at a micro-level is imperative for change initiatives to gain momentum and adoption. Consequently, the aim of this study is to qualitatively examine two foundational activities that affect teachers’ use of student assessment data: assessment data collection (ADC) and assessment data analysis (ADA). The qualitative study employed grounded theory methods as articulated by Corbin and Strauss (2008) to map teachers’ existing ADC and ADA processes and the salient factors influencing these processes. Drawing on data from twenty-three semi-structured interviews with experienced teachers from New South Wales primary schools, twenty-one salient processes and sixteen factors were identified as affecting teachers’ use of student assessment data to guide instruction. The salient process steps were then constructed into a unified flow diagram to identify inefficiencies and discrepancies in teacher data processes. Meanwhile, the factors were mapped to a business change model to formalise and examine the obstacles that are preventing the adoption of DDDM recommendations in Australian classrooms. This study’s teacher-oriented insight into current practices provides a foundation that guides fit-for-purpose change initiatives to augment and foster data use in the classroom

    Beyond the Numbers: Data Use for Continuous Improvement of Programs Serving Disconnected Youth

    Get PDF
    The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) conducted a series of in-depth case studies to examine how three programs which serve a disconnected youth population are utilizing data as a tool for continuous program improvement and ongoing accountability. The resulting publication, Beyond the Numbers: Data Use for Continuous Improvement of Programs Serving Disconnected Youth, describes data collection and use at three successful programs, and distills the key lessons learned and issues to consider both for practitioners and policymakers aiming to improve outcomes for the disconnected youth population
    • 

    corecore