Home PublicationsJRTEPast IssuesVolume 28 Number 5

Edited by Diane McGrath

Volume 28 Number 5 Summer 1996

Technology, Multimedia, and Qualitative Research in Education, References, Firestone 1

Kansas State University

Publications

William Firestone

Author(s): Heller, Marjorie F.; Firestone, William A.
Title: Who's in Charge Here? Sources of Leadership for Change in Eight Schools.
Journal: Elementary School Journal; v96 n1 p65 86 Sep 1995
Year: 1995
Abstract:
Identifies a set of change leadership functions including sustaining a vision for change, encouraging staff, modifying standard operating procedures, and monitoring progress. Suggests that these functions do contribute to change, but are also performed redundantly by persons in a variety of overlapping roles, including central office personnel, principals, teachers, and outside consultants. Discusses implications for teacher leadership. (AA)
Document Number: EJ510579

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; Nagle, Brianna
Title: Differential Regulation: Clever Customization or Unequal Interference?
Journal: Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis; v17 n1 p97 112 Spr 1995
Year: 1995
Abstract:
When New Jersey passed the Quality Education Act to equalize expenditures between rich and poor school districts, it increased regulatory oversight for its 30 poorest districts. The oversight system, the burdens it created for districts, and the political control are described. The new system is evaluated as moderately effective. (SLD)
Document Number: EJ505843

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; And Others
Title: Where Did the $800 Million Go? The First Year of New Jersey's Quality Education Act.
Journal: Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis; v16 n4 p359 73 Win 1994
Year: 1994
Abstract:
Budgetary and fiscal data from 11 school districts of varying wealth in New Jersey suggest that, in the first year of the state's Quality Education Act, the law has only modestly increased fiscal equality, with only minor cuts in funding in wealthy districts and some program improvement in poorer ones. (SLD)
Document Number: EJ500553

Author(s): Firestone, William A.
Title: Redesigning Teacher Salary Systems for Educational Reform.
Journal: American Educational Research Journal; v31 n3 p549 74 Fall 1994
Year: 1994
Abstract:
How changes in teacher pay can contribute to systemic educational reform and school restructuring is discussed, focusing on knowledge- and skill-based pay, job enlargement, and collective incentives. These alternatives have the potential to improve teacher motivation and support other reforms. (SLD)
Document Number: EJ497060

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; And Others
Title: Equity in Sexuality Education: An Exploratory Study of Family Life Education in New Jersey's Rich and Poor Districts.
Journal: Educational Policy; v8 n3 p289 314 Sep 1994
Year: 1994
Abstract:
Survey of 500 teachers of sexuality education in New Jersey shows differences between richer and poorer districts. Teachers in rich districts get more parental support and have greater access to training, colleagues, curricular guidance, instructional materials. Sexuality education is more likely to be required and is taken by more students. Differences are attributed to inadequate support for urban schools. (MLH)
Document Number: EJ487901

Author(s): Heller, Marjorie F.; Firestone, William A.
Title: Heroes, Teams, and Teachers: A Study of Leadership for Change.
Year: 1994
Abstract:
Research on leadership for change should focus more on what leaders do and less on who the key leaders are. This study identifies a set of change leadership functions, including providing and selling a vision of change, obtaining resources, providing encouragement and recognition, adapting standard operating procedures, monitoring the improvement effort, and handling disturbances. A study of program implementation in eight schools--four that successfully institutionalized an innovation, three that only institutionalized it in a token form, and one that institutionalized it among a subset of teachers--suggests that these functions do contribute to change and are performed by teams, including the central office, the principal, teachers, and outside consultants. In three of the fully institutionalized schools, the principal served as "head cheerleader," encouraging teachers after observations, during planning meetings, and through a positive demeanor toward the program. Analysis of specific functions showed that teachers contributed to a sustained vision of Social Problem Solving (the innovation), encouraged their peers, and served as informal monitors. However, teachers could not provide programmatic resources and lacked a formal mechanism for contributing to curriculum standardization decisions. There was no critical leader in the change process. Change leadership was a team enterprise, not the work of a single hero. Teachers need further leadership opportunities. (Contains 41 references.) (MLH)
Document Number: ED371445

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; Nagle, Brianna
Title: Regulatory Equity and Effectiveness: Issues of Will, Capacity, and Legitimation in New Jersey.
Year: 1993
Abstract:
When New Jersey passed the Quality Education Act to equalize expenditures between rich and poor school districts, it added a level of regulatory oversight to the "special needs districts," the 30 poorest districts in the state. This paper describes that oversight system and the additional paperwork burdens it created for those districts. It also explores the political context that contributed to the new system and the past abuses that it might help to correct. State-level policy development was tracked through document analysis and interviews with officials on the State Board of Education and in the Department of Education. Longitudinal case studies of 12 school districts involved analysis of district records and interviews with the district superintendent, administrative staff members, a union leader, the board president, a city government representative, principals, teachers, and school staff. A conclusion is that where coordination between the new system and the old was successful, the new system was moderately effective in improving the performance of those districts. However, it questions the use of an input criterion--legal status and expected funding increases--rather than a performance criterion such as student learning or avoidance of financial mismanagement for determining which districts should undergo such oversight. (LMI)
Document Number: ED363925

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; And Others
Title: Where the Money Went: Revenue, Expenditure, and Programmatic Changes in the First Year of New Jersey's Quality Education Act.
Year: 1993
Abstract:
Questions about inequities in educational funding were raised in New Jersey when the legislature enacted the state's second major education-finance-reform law, the Quality Education Act of 1990 (QEA). This paper describes changes in revenues, expenditures, and programs in 11 diverse New Jersey school districts during the first year of implementation of the QEA, the school year 1991-92. The sample included three types of school districts--special needs, transition aid, and foundation aid. District-level data were collected through document analysis and interviews. Site-level data were obtained through visits to at least four schools in each district, interviews with the principal and staff, and a teacher questionnaire that yielded a 60 percent response rate. Findings indicate that the QEA helped poor urban districts make significant but incremental changes in their educational programs. In contrast, the reduction of state aid to wealthy suburban districts did not undermine educational quality. Although the QEA had a modest impact on equalizing expenditures between rich and poor districts, it did produce noticeable increases in revenues and expenditures for special-needs districts. However, substantial disparities in expenditures remain between the special-needs and transition-aid districts. Finally, increased aid given to special-needs districts did not appear to be misspent. Eleven tables and five endnotes are included. (Contains 16 references.) (LMI)
Document Number: ED357504

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; Pennell, James R.
Title: Teacher Commitment, Working Conditions, and Differential Incentive Policies.
Journal: Review of Educational Research; v63 n4 p489 525 Win 1993
Year: 1993
Abstract:
This article develops a framework for assessing how differential incentive policies affect teacher commitment and identifies key workplace conditions contributing to commitment. The framework is used to assess effects of such differential incentive policies as merit pay and career ladders. Increasing participation, collaboration, and feedback is advocated over differential incentives. (SLD)
Document Number: EJ482589

Author(s): Firestone, William A.
Title: Why "Professionalizing" Teaching Is Not Enough.
Journal: Educational Leadership; v50 n6 p6 11 Mar 1993
Year: 1993
Abstract:
Efforts to professionalize teaching may increase teachers' commitment, but reforms may not be entirely successful without attention paid to their pedagogical content knowledge. One hypothetical district adopted a career enhancement plan offering curriculum-specialist and teacher-leader opportunities and encouraged teacher collaboration. The overall program improved incentives for good teachers to remain in the profession and improved morale. (13 references) (MLH)
Document Number: EJ459417

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; And Others
Title: Recent Trends in State Educational Reform: Assessment and Prospects.
Journal: Teachers College Record; v94 n2 p254 77 Win 1992
Year: 1992
Abstract:
A discussion of recent trends in state educational reform stresses the importance of addressing two challenges: teaching all students higher order thinking and developing more systematic, coherent policies. The article describes the challenges, examines how state policies in the 1980s addressed them and how districts responded, and suggests future directions. (SM)
Document Number: EJ460424

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; Bader, Beth D.
Title: Redesigning Teaching: Professionalism or Bureaucracy? Teacher Thinking and Development Series.
Year: 1992
Abstract:
This book clarifies current efforts to reform teaching by providing a conceptual analysis of what a professional and a bureaucratic view of teaching entail. Case studies are presented illustrating what happens when differing approaches to teachers' work are tried in three school districts. The first chapter describes the two approaches to reform by examining their conceptions of what students should learn and how and what teachers should teach. The next three chapters present the stories of three districts' efforts to redesign teaching; the teacher program is described in its district context, and issues of implementation are analyzed. Chapter 5 examines how the three districts implemented divergent conceptions of teacher reform. Chapter 6 analyzes the politics of redesign by examining the roles of different groups in shaping district policies. The final chapter synthesizes the arguments of the book and suggests that while short-term improvements can be accomplished through bureaucracy, serious reform requires professionalization. An extensive reference list and three appendices--research methods, a site visit guide, and an academy survey--complete the volume. (LL)
Document Number: ED357004

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; And Others
Title: Education Reform from 1983 to 1990: State Action and District Response.
Year: 1991
Abstract:
The 1980s were an exceptional period for state educational reform activity. The decade was notable for the breadth and persistence of the movement for educational reform centered at the state and local levels. To learn more about state reform activity, the consortium launched a study to examine policy making and practice in six states (Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania) from 1986 through 1990. The states varied in the scope of their reform efforts, the instruments used to get districts to change, and geographical location. Within these states, reform activity was documented in 21 districts through site visits, periodic phone calls, and a review of the documents. This report summarizes the initiatives. The introduction reviews the "waves" of reforms in the 1980s, trends, and problem areas. Trends in state reform policies constitute the next chapter, which includes a discussion on curriculum and academic standards, testing and accountability, teacher policies, and changes in educational governance. The next chapter offers an overview of the trends in local school districts, including local developments in curriculum, testing, teacher quality, current district priorities and concerns, and variations in local response to state reform. The fourth chapter examines school finance in the 1980s, and the concluding chapter presents challenges for future reform. (72 references) (RR)
Document Number: ED342077

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; Bader, Beth D.
Title: Restructuring Teaching: An Assessment of Frequently Considered Options.
Journal: Educational Policy; v5 n2 p119 36 Jun 1991
Year: 1991
Abstract:
To restructure teaching by changing teacher roles, five working condition must be enhanced, including support for teaching, collegiality, influence, recognition and advancement, and time. Three policies claiming to facilitate these conditions (differentiated staff, site-based management, and schools with learning communities) are true restructuring proposals. Implementation tactics are suggested. (33 references) (MLH)
Document Number: EJ426939

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; Bader, Beth D.
Title: Professionalism or Bureaucracy? Redesigning Teaching.
Journal: Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis; v13 n1 p67 86 Spr 1991
Year: 1991
Abstract:
This study examined three districts that redesigned teaching, two with career ladders and one with shared governance. The reforms, both professional and bureaucratic, had important consequences for the process and outcomes of the redesign of teaching. Discrete organizational and political factors were identified. (TJH)
Document Number: EJ426489

Author(s): Firestone, William A.
Title: Merit Pay and Job Enlargement as Reforms: Incentives, Implementation, and Teacher Response.
Journal: Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis; v13 n3 p269 88 Fall 1991
Year: 1991
Abstract:
Based on intensive case studies of two school districts, this study compared two teacher work reforms: merit pay and job enlargement. Interviews with 64 teachers and 53 administrators, supplemented by over 1,300 survey responses, indicate the efficacy of each approach and the potential advantages of job enlargement. (SLD)
Document Number: EJ435118

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; And Others
Title: State Educational Reform since 1983: Appraisal and the Future.
Journal: Educational Policy; v5 n3 p233 50 Sep 1991
Year: 1991
Abstract:
To increase understanding of the educational reform movement, the Center for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) embarked on a five-year study of the implementation and effects of state education reforms in six states (Arizona, California, Florida, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania) with diverse reform approaches. This article presents the center's research findings. (28 references) (MLH)
Document Number: EJ431189

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; Bader, Beth D.
Title: Restructuring Teaching: Form, Process, and Outcome.
Year: 1990
Abstract:
Educators have recently become more willing to realign the educational system. One approach is restructuring, which can take many forms. This study looks at three districts that restructured teaching, two with career ladders and one with shared governance. The reforms took two directions--professional and bureaucratic--which had important consequences for the process and outcomes of the restructuring. Many factors were encompassed in the direction taken, including how districts addressed certain dimensions of job and organizational design; i.e., authority and autonomy. Political factors that shaped the direction of development include the shape of the state program; the support of the board; the vision of the superintendent; and the interactions of board, superintendent, teachers and teachers' associations. Where the direction was bureaucratic--imposed from the top down with little or no teacher influence--there was significant teacher resistance, standardization of curriculum and instruction, and negative impacts on teacher motivation. Where the direction was professional--developed locally with significant teacher influence--there was widespread teacher acceptance, significant differentiation in curriculum and instruction, and positive impacts on teacher motivation. Where the direction was mixed--both top down and teacher-influenced design and implementation--results were mixed and difficult to assess. (Author/JD)
Document Number: ED322099

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; And Others
Title: Implementation, Effects of State Education Reform in the '80s.
Journal: NASSP Bulletin; v74 n523 p75 84 Feb 1990
Year: 1990
Abstract:
In 1986 the Center for Policy Research in Education began a five-year study of state educational reform implementations and effects in six states (California, Arizona, Texas, Minnesota, Florida, and Georgia) chosen for their diverse approaches. Most efforts (not all successful) concentrated on increased academics, teacher professionalism, and enhanced financial support. Includes 12 references. (MLH)
Document Number: EJ403791

Author(s): Firestone, William A.
Title: Succession and Bureaucracy: Gouldner Revisited.
Journal: Educational Administration Quarterly; v26 n4 p345 75 1990
Year: 1990
Abstract:
Using two case studies, this article amends Gouldner's findings about the effects of executive succession on bureaucracy in three ways. First, introducing an outside chief executive can lead to increased professionalism instead of increased bureaucracy. Also, superintendents cannot unilaterally determine the outcomes of change. Formal structural changes are also possible. (36 references) (MLH)
Document Number: EJ416506

Author(s): Firestone, William A.
Title: Using Reform: Conceptualizing District Initiative.
Journal: Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis; v11 n2 p151 64 Sum 1989
Year: 1989
Abstract:
School district use of state educational reform is reviewed. Active users want to and can respond positively. A dominant coalition, which believes it can set its own agenda and sees the reforms as ways of meeting its own ends, promotes willingness. Systems for managing key change functions/linkages are essential. (TJH)
Document Number: EJ409728

Author(s): Firestone, William A.
Title: Educational Policy as an Ecology of Games.
Journal: Educational Researcher; v18 n7 p18 23 Oct 1989
Year: 1989
Abstract:
Uses an ecology-of-games metaphor to highlight the messiness and discontinuities in the policy process, the variety of games played by different people for different reasons, and the linkages between those separate games. Suggests that educational research can also be conceived as a game that is related to various policy games. (FMW)
Document Number: EJ408015

Author(s): Firestone, William A.
Title: Beyond Order and Expectations in High Schools Serving At-Risk Youth.
Journal: Educational Leadership; v46 n5 p41 5 Feb 1989
Year: 1989
Abstract:
To break the cycle of alienation experienced by students and teachers in urban schools, we must accompany calls for order and high expectations with respect and relevance for students and professionalism for teachers. (Author/TE)
Document Number: EJ383931

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; Wilson, Bruce L.
Title: Administrative Behavior, School SES, and Student Achievement: A Preliminary Investigation.
Year: 1989
Abstract:
The school effects literature is replete with discussions of whether any factors, beyond socioeconomic status (SES), contribute to an explanation of student achievement. Recent attention has focused on the role of the school administrator. One argument is that a strong, controlling principal is a key to improved student performance. Another argument is that, through supportive efforts, administrators can facilitate teachers' work, which in turn affects student achievement. This paper presents findings of a study that examined two related issues--the administrative factors that influence student achievement and the effect of family SES on the working of those factors. Data were obtained from a survey of 175 elementary and 118 secondary southeastern Pennsylvania schools. Findings indicate that, independent of SES, supportive administrative behavior was positively associated with achievement at both the elementary and secondary levels. Tight administrative control over teaching was negatively associated with achievement, but only at the elementary level. In conclusion, school conditions do influence what students learn. Three figures are included. Appendices contain two statistical tables (LMI)
Document Number: ED374563

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; And Others
Title: The Progress of Reform: An Appraisal of State Education Initiatives. CPRE Research Report Series RR-014.
Year: 1989
Abstract:
More state activity aimed at improving public education took place in the 1980s than ever before. Many of their efforts concentrated on three themes: increasing academic content, upgrading the teaching force, and enhancing state and local financial support for schools. In addition to examining reform activities in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania, the research is drawn from other reports and studies on the status of reform and from conversation with national association representatives and reform leaders in other states. First an overview of the reform movement, its goals, and major accomplishments is reported. The overview identifies three themes in the current reform movement and highlights state and district action in each area. Second, state policies on raising academic standards are examined. Included here is a discussion of the most widespread reform found in the six states studied: increased high school graduation requirements. Third, policies directed at enhancing the supply and quality of teachers are examined. Next, the fiscal side of reform, including trends in school finance during the 1980s, is reviewed, followed by a look at future steps that might be taken and the political factors likely to influence their direction. (75 references) (SI)
Document Number: ED315901

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; Rosenblum, Sheila
Title: Building Commitment in Urban High Schools.
Journal: Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis; v10 n4 p285 99 Win 1988
Year: 1988
Abstract:
A conceptual framework for understanding student and teacher commitment is illustrated, using data from a field study of 10 urban high schools. Results indicate that alienation and commitment are multidimensional. Commitments of students and teachers are mutually reinforcing. Five school factors--relevance, respect, support, expectations, and influence--can increase commitment. (SLD)
Document Number: EJ422201

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; Rosenblum, Sheila
Title: The Alienation and Commitment of Students and Teachers in Urban High Schools.
Year: 1988
Abstract:
Problems of urban high schools, including poor attendance, high dropout rates, low achievement, and poor social relationships, are linked together by a strong sense of alienation among students and teachers. Yet much of the educational research and policy treat these issues separately. In this study a conceptual framework for understanding student and teacher commitment is presented and illustrated with data from a field study of 10 urban high schools. An open-ended interview approach was used to obtain information on school factors, student commitment, and teacher commitment. The findings showed how teachers and students are in conflict even though they are members of two mutually dependent subcultures. Teachers and students must respect and affiliate with one another. Teachers must make schoolwork interesting for students. Administrative tasks and paperwork must be decreased to a level that does not burden teachers. Administrative support for teachers is needed. Strategies for maximizing commitment must include attention to the following five school factors: (1) relevance; (2) respect; (3) support; (4) expectations; and (5) influence. (VM)
Document Number: ED294959

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; Drews, Dale H.
Title: The Coordination of Education and Social Services: Implications from Three Programs.
Year: 1987
Abstract:
This study addressed concerns of Pennsylvania legislators and government departments by examining coordination between education and other human service agencies in three program areas: early intervention (for preschool handicapped children); student assistance (for drug and alcohol abuse and other teenage problems); and teenage pregnancy and parenting. It sought to clarify the nature of the coordination problems that arose and the reasons for those problems in order to make recommendations about how to alleviate them in the future. Interagency conflict and service blockages were found to be independent problems for coordination. For teenage pregnancy, institutional survival concerns were the primary contributor to interagency conflict. The main cause of interagency conflict in student assistance was treatment philosophy and the main blockage to coordination was service capacity. For early intervention coordination, the main blockage was again service capacity. Conclusions and recommendations included: (1) coordination can increase the cost of services by increasing the demand; (2) coordination is facilitated by complementary interests; (3) arrangements that minimize competition between agencies should be established; (4) regulations contribute to coordination problems; (5) coordination is facilitated when programs have a clear purpose compatible with the philosophies of other involved parties; (6) local coordination councils can facilitate coordination; (7) planning and adjustment to facilitate coorddination must continue after new projects have started; and (8) increased resources are often needed to reduce service blockages. (ABL)
Document Number: ED291002

Author(s): Rosenblum, Sheila; Firestone, William A.
Title: Alienation and Commitment of High School Students and Teachers.
Year: 1987
Abstract:
The extent, nature, and sources of alienation among students and teachers in high school are being examined at two inner city comprehensive high schools in each of five large urban districts. Research methods include interviews with staff (over 300 individuals) and collection of statistical data. A conceptual framework for studying these issues is presented and the data collection procedures are discussed. Three types of teacher commitment and two types of student commitment have been found. Interrelationships between teacher commitment and student commitment have been uncovered. Correlates and results of this ongoing study are presented in figures, charts, and tables. Emerging themes in student and teacher commitment are listed. General preliminary findings suggest the following: (1) the district context influences student and teacher commitment; (2) there is an interplay between student and teacher commitment; and (3) a variety of school factors influence the interaction between teachers and students. (VM)
Document Number: ED289930

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; And Others
Title: Building Commitment among Students and Teachers: An Exploratory Study of Ten Urban High Schools.
Year: 1987
Abstract:
This report explores the commitment of students and teachers to the educational enterprise in ten urban comprehensive high schools in Baltimore (Maryland), Newark (New Jersey), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), and Washington (District of Columbia). Data were analyzed from interviews conducted in each school with the principal, assistant principals, a counselor, teachers and department heads from a variety of departments, and a high- and low-achieving ninth or tenth grade and senior student. Additional interviews were conducted with central office staff in each city. Major variables explored include the following: (1) district characteristics; (2) school characteristics; (3) interactions among teachers and students; and (4) teacher and student commitment. Major findings include the following: (1) student and teacher commitment are closely interrelated; (2) factors which affect the commitment of both students and teachers include relevance, respect, support, expectations, and influence; and (3) each of these factors can be reflected in a series of programmatic and administrative actions at both the district and the school level. Recommendations for ways to adjust these school and district factors to build commitment are included. Illustrative material is included on nine figures. A list of references is also included. The appendices include the following: (1) a review of the related literature; (2) a list of interview questions; and (3) definitions of the variables examined. (FMW)
Document Number: ED303535

Author(s): Firestone, William A.; Rossman, Gretchen B.
Title: Exploring Organizational Approaches to Dissemination and Training.
Journal: Knowledge: Creation, Diffusion, Utilization; v7 n3 p303 30 Mar 1986
Year: 1986
Abstract:
Discusses four case studies of regional educational service agencies in their role as disseminators of new knowledge. Three characteristic approaches to dissemination were identified, namely, laissez-faire, entrepreneurial, and authoritarian. These approaches were shaped by five factors in the agency's context: state policy initiatives; client concerns; staff interests; history; and leadership. (JN)
Document Number: EJ338111

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