School Centralization and Organizational Effectiveness: The Role of Teacher Alienation.

The focus of educational reform in recent years has shifted to the restructuring of schools. Many reformers have defined restructuring in terms of the decentralization of power within schools (Elmore et al., 1990). Yet, there is little research to suggest how such decentralization will affect teachers and improve schools. Given this scarcity, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between the degree of centralized decision-making which exists in a school, teachers\u27 cognitive and affective work alienation, and multiple indices of school effectiveness. Such relationships were examined within the context of Seeman\u27s (1972) framework of social change as applied to schools. Viewing teacher work alienation as a mediator of the relationship between school centralization and effectiveness, five hypotheses were constructed and tested. Sixty schools were selected for study. Survey data were collected from teachers in this sample; each school made available the appropriate effectiveness data. Using schools as the unit of analysis, the following results were obtained: (1) a significant, positive correlation was found to exist between centralization and both measures of work alienation; (2) relationships between work alienation and the various effectiveness indices were mixed in both direction and magnitude; (3) relationships between centralization and the effectiveness indices were likewise mixed in direction and magnitude; and (4) when the effects of alienation were statistically controlled, the magnitude of the relationship between centralization and effectiveness was considerably reduced. These results suggest that Seeman\u27s framework is formulated at a level of abstraction that does not easily fit schools as organizations. The framework fails to account for the mixed results obtained between centralization and the various indices of effectiveness. Given this inconsistency, it would appear that the concept of school effectiveness stands in need of further clarification. Development of a taxonomy which considers the various levels and nuances of school effectiveness is needed to guide future research. In addition, it would appear that work alienation does mediate the relationship between school centralization and effectiveness. Such findings call into question the appropriateness of the tight-ship metaphor as a descriptor of the effective school

Preliminary test results for Li-SOCl2 high-rate D cells

The performance and abuse characteristics of 55 D-size lithium-thionyl chloride (Li-SOCl2) cells are evaluated at relatively high rates. Results from the following tests are presented: shock test, vibration test, capacity performance, uninsulated short circuit, high temperature exposure, and overdischarge

Chronicles of Oklahoma

Article provides a review and investigation of reports written by Oklahoma Territory governors to the Secretary of the interior from 1891 to 1899. B. H. Johnson explores the ways the four governors promoted the area in these reports

Isolation and Identification of Some Volatile Constituents of Roasted Peanuts

Chemistry (Biochemistry

I\u27m Going To Tell Your Mother

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/3598/thumbnail.jp

Chronicles of Oklahoma

Article describes the booster attitudes of frontier editors who promoted land in Oklahoma Territory in order to draw settlers to the area. Major newspapers discussed include the El Reno Democrat, the Kingfisher Free Press, the Watonga Republican, the Arapahoe Arrow, and the Arapohoe Bee