Home PublicationsJRTEPast IssuesVolume 28 Number 5

Edited by Diane McGrath

Volume 28 Number 5 Summer 1996

Technology, Multimedia, and Qualitative Research in Education, References, Rossman–Stiegelbauer

Kansas State University

Publications

Gretchen Rossman

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.; Salzman, Julianne
Title: Evaluating Inclusive Education Programs: A Survey of Current Practice. Preliminary Analysis and a Typology.
Year: 1995
Abstract:
Initial steps in a long-term effort to identify and analyze evaluations of inclusive education programs are discussed. Three activities have been initiated to survey current evaluation practice. A literature search revealed that "inclusion" is not yet a description for the ERIC system, but that some papers have been published on the topic. A telephone survey of state directors of special education has begun, with 10 interviewed to date. A mail survey has begun of schools and districts identified as part of the National Center on Educational Restructuring and Inclusion database on inclusive programs. When the three efforts are completed, a report will be written to suggest principles for comprehensive evaluation of inclusive education programs. Programs can be classified by purpose, complexity, scope, population served, and duration. A variety of evaluation designs and methods are being employed. Most evaluations studied so far have focused on student outcomes, specifically academic and social gains. Support from parents, staff, and students is another focus of many evaluations. (Contains 10 references.) (SLD)
Document Number: ED383768

Author(s): Anthony, Patricia G.; Rossman, Gretchen B.
Title: The Massachusetts Education Reform Act: What Is It and Will It Work?
Year: 1994
Abstract:
The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 introduced sweeping changes for public education. The planned changes are programmatic as well as fiscal: organizational modifications were introduced; administrator roles and responsibilities were redefined; particular student populations were targeted for additional academic support; and the method for funding education was completely revamped. This paper examines the significant programmatic and organizational reforms initiated by the legislation and discusses the new funding mechanism. It describes the impact of the act on school districts and on Massachusetts education. A conclusion is that the reforms hold great promise if properly implemented. Problems include the implementation of changes without allowing for sufficient planning time and the unclear status of future appropriations for education. Complicating the situation for towns is the continued effect of Proposition 2 1/2, the mandated tax cap on property taxes. (LMI)
Document Number: ED377559

Author(s): Anthony, Patricia G.; Rossman, Gretchen B.
Title: Massachusetts Educational Reform at the Crossroads.
Journal: International Journal of Educational Reform; v2 n1 p27 35 Jan 1993
Year: 1993
Abstract:
Massachusetts' public education system has a long history of excellence and high regard. Recently, a declining economy, changed demographics, and a conservative government have placed the commonwealth's schools in crisis. This article describes recent state educational reforms, particularly funding and programmatic initiatives, highlighting 1985 omnibus school improvement legislation, the current financial crisis, and tax support problems. (nine references) (MLH)
Document Number: EJ457336

Author(s): Wilson, Bruce L.; Rossman, Gretchen B.
Title: Mandating Academic Excellence: High School Responses to State Curriculum Reform. Sociology of Education Series.
Year: 1993
Abstract:
In the past decade, states have taken an increasingly active role in designing new policies intended to reform America's high schools. This book offers a systematic, empirical look at the most widely adopted policy reform strategy--mandatory changes in high school graduation requirements. Maryland is used as a case study, exploring five representative high schools and presenting an in-depth discussion of their experiences with mandated reform. The first of eight chapters, Chapter 1, "Introduction," sets the context and the research strategy. Chapter 2, "The Role of the States in the Reform Movement of the 1980s," deals with research on graduation requirements and tracking. Chapter 3, "Where's the Action? Students, Teachers, and the Curriculum," looks at student credits and courses, graduation requirements, and teachers' views on curricular change. Change 4, "Who's Winning? Tracks, Tracking Systems, and Access to Resources," gives the views of teachers and students on tracking. Chapter 5, "Who's Losing? Students and Teachers at Risk," investigates dropouts, students, teachers, and departments at risk. Chapter 6, "Who's in Control? Key Actors and Their Influence on Policy Implementation," gives the perspectives of state staff, district and school administrators, and counselors. Chapter 7, "What's the Bottom Line? Policy Intentions and the Perception of Effects," details policy intentions, and school-level and consumer perceptions of policy effects. Chapter 8, "Educational Reform: Retrospect and Prospect," looks at the first wave of reform, educational reform and challenges in the 1990s, and a framework for reform. Two appendices give the research methods and tables of sample sizes. (Contains 161 references.) (RR)
Document Number: ED373384

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.
Title: Building Explanations across Case Studies: A Framework for Synthesis.
Year: 1993
Abstract:
A framework is offered for fostering systematic, creative synthesis across various case studies. The challenge for those seeking to synthesize from case studies is to develop respect for the individual case context while permitting some blurring of unique features to occur in the synthesis. Case studies are meant to render an account of specific events in the present or immediate past, whether from qualitative or quantitative data. They cannot be aggregated as statistical studies can. Generalizing entails applying conclusions from one set of circumstances to another set of circumstances. It differs from synthesis, which is the process of forming something complex from simpler elements. The process of synthesizing across case studies presented comprises a number of phases which are as follows: (1) beginning, (2) bounding the scope of the synthesis, (3) inventorying the cases, (4) reading the studies, (5) developing an interpretation of each case, (6) juxtaposing the cases, (7) synthesizing the cases, and (8) writing the synthesis. Technical, political, cultural, and moral dimensions must be regarded in the synthesis process. Two case studies of teachers illustrate the application of the process. (Contains 41 references.) (SLD)
Document Number: ED373115

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.; Wilson, Bruce L.
Title: Numbers and Words Revisited: Being "Shamelessly Eclectic."
Year: 1991
Abstract:
This paper offers concrete examples from recent policy research about how qualitative and quantitative methods can be combined to better address research questions. Using a conceptual framework developed by Rossman and Wilson (1985), later expanded by Greene, Caracelli, and Graham (1989), the paper discusses how the design and analysis phases of research can apply mixed methods to enhance understandings of social phenomena. A purposive sample of 57 mixed-methods evaluation studies was used to test components of the framework. A new typology of mixed-methods purposes is developed that identifies: (1) corroboration; (2) elaboration; (3) development; and (4) initiation. Crossing the four purposes with research design or analysis stages yields a 4 x 2 matrix. Examples of how methods can be effectively combined are drawn from two policy studies that focused on the effects of state policies on local school districts. In both studies a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was consciously included. Mixed-methods approaches work best when more than one researcher is engaged, when norms of respect and collegiality prevail, and when an attitude of healthy skepticism about both theory and method exists. (Contains 25 references.) (SLD)
Document Number: ED377235

Author(s): Corbett, H. Dickson; Rossman, Gretchen B.
Title: How Teachers Empower Superordinates: Running Good Schools.
Year: 1988
Abstract:
Teachers in "good" schools often provide considerable input into curriculum decisions and other types of school policies. They are considered to be "empowered." This paper argues that the apparent empowerment of teachers in these situations is actually the opposite: In good schools superordinates do not empower teachers; instead, teachers empower their superiors. Methodology involved analysis of the practices of 30 secondary schools recognized as excellent by a panel convened by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) for the Secondary School Recognition Program (SSRP) during the school years 1982-83, 1983-84, and 1984-85. Data were derived from the written comments of principals and site visitors. Findings indicate that for teachers, the shift in power is one of kind rather than degree. Many of the strategies intended to empower teachers actually empower their superiors by giving superordinates a greater amount of information about classroom activities upon which to act. In return, teachers gain a different kind of influence, that of authorized power. In the process, the organization is more likely to become typified by common understandings and how best to achieve them. (LMI)
Document Number: ED374540

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.; And Others
Title: Change and Effectiveness in Schools: A Cultural Perspective. SUNY Series: Frontiers in Education.
Year: 1988
Abstract:
This book examines educators' norms, beliefs, and values in case studies of three "improving" high schools. The distinction between "sacred" and "profane" norms in the teaching profession is applied to the relationships among school culture, improvement efforts, and the effectiveness of change strategies. Schools' cultures, which vary in uniformity and alterability and which derive from a complex of national and local influences, react differently to the challenge of behavioral and cultural change. An introductory chapter explores factors involved in teacher response to improvement and effectiveness initiatives. Chapters 2 through 4 detail conditions and responses in the following three schools, respectively: (1) Monroe High School, located in a small city with a declining industrial base; (2) Westtown High School, serving a white-collar suburban community; and (3) Somerville High School, situated in a working-class neighborhood within a major city. Chapter 5 presents and expands on propositions relating school culture and change. Chapter 6 returns to definitions of effectiveness and urges change that respects the complexity and diversity of American high schools. A final chapter describes the study's procedures in the following categories: (1) research methods; (2) research approach; (3) site selection; (4) data collection plan; and (5) data analysis. A list of 98 references is appended. (AF)
Document Number: ED306335

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.; And Others
Title: Pathways through High School: Translating the Effects of New Graduation Requirements.
Year: 1987
Abstract:
The first phase of a study of the effects of new high school graduation requirements in Maryland was conducted in 1986. Interviews were conducted with 182 administrators, teachers, and students about their perspectives on new requirements instituted in 1985. Transcript records were analyzed for 249 students from 5 high schools. Interview data did not suggest that state initiatives had a large impact on local schools. An important finding of transcript analysis was that the program of studies had a significant impact on student choices. Specific recommendations for the Maryland State Department of Education staff and local school personnel focused on better communication and dissemination of information about the new requirements and in-depth examinations of school organization, course content, and approaches instead of concentration on numbers of credits and kinds of courses taken. Specific credit requirement recommendations were made. Appendices discuss the coding of transcript data and research design for future study. (SLD)
Document Number: ED291802

Author(s): Corbett, H. Dickson; Rossman, Gretchen B.
Title: Fanfare and Failure: Path Ways to Implementing Change.
Year: 1986
Abstract:
Educators participating in school improvement efforts are likely to follow one of three paths toward implementation of changes, and the most successful projects cut across all three, according to two recent studies. The three processes parallel the three perspectives adopted in research on innovation: technical, emphasizing a rational approach to improving job effectiveness; political, highlighting the power relations involved in altering behavior; and cultural, stressing the norms and values shared by practitioners and the symbolic meanings attached to change efforts. Researchers conducted a 3-year, longitudinal study of 14 elementary and secondary schools undergoing curriculum changes and a 1-year study of three "good" high schools trying to become better. This research report presents in chart form a model of a causal network that depicts the forces at work in schools implementing changes and shows how the three perspectives on innovation interact. The report then discusses the three typical pathways toward innovation and refers to the network model to explain the causal factors at work in each pathway. The report concludes that: (1) antecedent conditions significantly affect project success; and (2) the provision of encouragement and assistance and the alteration of rules and procedures are critical during the process of implementation. (PGD)
Document Number: ED274063

Author(s): Wilson, Bruce L.; Rossman, Gretchen B.
Title: Collaborative Links with the Community: Lessons from Exemplary Secondary Schools.
Journal: Phi Delta Kappan; v67 n10 p708 11 Jun 1986
Year: 1986
Abstract:
A review of the Department of Education's Secondary Schools Recognition Program shows that exemplary secondary schools often have formed collaborative links with their communities. The five ways schools do this are: recruiting volunteers, aggressive public relations, attracting financial resources, school members volunteering in the community, and building an identity with the community. (MD)
Document Number: EJ345223

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

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.; And Others
Title: Intentions and Impacts: A Comparison of Sources of Influence on Local School Systems.
Journal: Urban Education; v21 n1 p86 106 Apr 1986
Year: 1986
Abstract:
Reports findings of a 12-school district study examining differences in local perceptions about influences on their systems: Federal policies; State legislation; demographic trends; the local community; central offices. Presents case studies of three districts and recommendations for strengthening local capacity and sense of priorities. (KH)
Document Number: EJ337016

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.; And Others
Title: Professional Cultures, Improvement Efforts and Effectiveness: Findings from a Study of Three High Schools.
Year: 1985
Abstract:
This report summarizes a study that explored the relationships between efforts to improve schools, the definitions of effectiveness or success which drive those efforts, and how these are affected by the inner life, or cultures, of the schools. Three improving high schools were studied in an attempt to understand the deeply-held beliefs of the adults in the schools and how those cultures shaped definitions of effectiveness and local improvement efforts. The findings are presented as case studies of the three schools, and address three major questions: (1) What is presently known about the relationship between cultures in schools, improvement efforts, and effectiveness? (2) What is culture? and (3) What do we know about cultural change? The three cases provide data for a set of conclusions regarding cultures, change, and definitions of effectiveness which are presented and elaborated upon in the final chapter. Also included is a discussion of the ideology of improvement and effectiveness as it clashes with the comprehensive ideal of the American high school. (JD)
Document Number: ED263109

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.; Wilson, Bruce L.
Title: Numbers and Words: Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in a Single Large-Scale Evaluation Study.
Journal: Evaluation Review; v9 n5 p627 43 Oct 1985
Year: 1985
Abstract:
Three perspectives on combining quantitative and qualitative methods in one evaluation are reviewed: mutually exclusive; separate but equal; and integrated. Ways to corroborate, elaborate, or initiate findings from the other method are illustrated, using a large-scale, three-year evaluation of regional educational service agencies. (Author/GDC)
Document Number: EJ326003

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.; And Others
Title: Studying Professional Cultures in Improving High Schools.
Year: 1985
Abstract:
Effective schools research has identified many characteristics of schools that are unusually successful in fostering student achievement. One interpretation of these findings emphasizes the shared values of all school participants which constitute the ethos of the school. This paper presents a conceptual framework for studying the processes of cultural transformation, focusing on teachers whose beliefs, values, and behaviors affect student learning. The study concentrated on schools known to be improving in order to increase knowledge about how cultural changes lead to school improvement. A description is given of a perspective that emphasizes the cultural elements in effective schools and the interplay of culture and change. The concept of culture is defined and elaborated upon, identifying key assumptions about the cognitive and symbolic aspects of culture. Processes of cultural change and transformation are described. The paper concludes by describing five cultural domains or themes: (1) collegiality of faculty; (2) relationships within the community; (3) purposes and expectations of school leadership; (4) how work is conducted in the school; and (5) the knowledge base used for teaching by the school's faculty and administrators. (JD)
Document Number: ED256743

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.
Title: "I Owe You One": Considerations of Role and Reciprocity in a Study of Graduate Education for School Administrators.
Journal: Anthropology and Education Quarterly; v15 n3 p225 34 Fall 1984
Year: 1984
Abstract:
Explores the dilemmas of conducting research in a setting where one is employed. Uses concept of reciprocity to describe how trusting relationships with participants were built during a study of an off-campus doctoral program for school administrators. Presents strategies that emphasize affiliation with students. (Author/KH)
Document Number: EJ306128

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.; And Others
Title: Plan for the Study of Professional Cultures in Improving High Schools.
Year: 1984
Abstract:
Focusing upon the importance of the overall school climate, and viewing school improvement from a cultural perspective, this document presents a report on the first year of a study of culture and cultural processes involved in improving the effectiveness of high schools. The first section discusses the year's three major activities undertaken to design and plan for the study. The second section, on the conceptual framework, presents a rationale for the study that emphasizes the significance of cultural elements in effective schools, and the significance of the interplay between culture and change. It defines and elaborates the concept of culture and identifies some of the study's key assumptions. Processes of cultural change and transformation are described to clarify theoretical constructs that are applicable to educational settings. The section concludes by describing five cultural domains or themes that will guide field research. The third section, on research methods, presents the approach that will be used for field work, including a plan for data collection, site selection activities, and a proposed approach to data analysis. (JD)
Document Number: ED256744

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.; And Others
Title: Intentions and Impacts: A Comparison of Sources of Influence on Local School Systems.
Year: 1984
Abstract:
This report is based on data collected in a 2-year study of the implementation of Chapter 2 of the Educational Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981, which combined the funds from 28 federal programs into a single block grant. This study investigated the effects of the act on 12 school districts, in an effort to obtain a better general understanding of how school districts operate, to assess the significance of a specific federal policy for them, and to share this information with the state education agency (SEA) officials charged with administering Chapter 2. This final report argues that three fundamental processes link external policies, the community, and internal initiatives to school district operations: (1) rational-bureaucratic (direct supervision, monitoring, and standardization); (2) political (informal communication, delegation of authority, negotiation, and persuasion); and (3) economic (resource allocations, trade-offs, and consumer decisions). After describing the study's research methods, the paper examines local perceptions about several influences on their systems: federal policies, state legislation, demographic trends, the local community, and central office directives. Next, influence sources are compared according to the processes that link them with local operations. Finally, the paper describes contextual conditions that affect district responses to the influence attempts. (TE)
Document Number: ED251943

Author(s): Rossman, Gretchen B.; Wilson, Bruce L.
Title: Numbers and Words: Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in a Single Large-Scale Study.
Year: 1984
Abstract:
Using qualitative and quantitative methods in a single research project has been the subject of controversy. Purists argue that qualitative and quantitative approaches derive from different, mutually exclusive epistemologic and ontologic assumptions, and cannot be combined. Situationalists focus on methodology and assume that data collection and types of evidence flow logically from a particular methodology. Although both approaches may be used in a single study, quantitative and qualitative data cannot be combined. Pragmatists argue for the integration of methods in a single study. The authors agree with the pragmatic view, and further argue that both methods can be used fruitfully for corroboration, elaboration, or initiation, and that neither necessarily takes precedence over the other. To illustrate this point, specific examples of the contributions of qualitative and quantitative methods to corroboration, elaboration, and initiation are presented. They are taken from a large scale, three-year study of regional educational service agencies. The data collection methods included surveys as sources of quantitative data and open-ended interviews and reviews of documents as the primary sources of qualitative information. (BW)
Document Number: ED246123

Suzanne Stiegelbauer

Author(s): Anderson, Stephen E.; Stiegelbauer, Suzanne
Title: Institutionalization and Renewal in a Restructured Secondary School.
Journal: School Organisation; v14 n2 p279 93 1994
Year: 1994
Abstract:
Whether organizational and curricular changes introduced through restructuring endure and/or result in long-term benefits for students and teachers is hard to determine. Using a longitudinal case study of a restructured high school, this paper argues that the dynamics of "institutionalization" and "renewal" drawn from earlier research on implementation of educational innovations also apply to changes brought about by restructuring. (26 references) (MLH)
Document Number: EJ496183

Author(s): Stiegelbauer, Suzanne; Lacey, Veronica
Title: Where We Are, Where We Are Going, and How We Will Get There: North York's Benchmarks Process.
Year: 1992
Abstract:
This paper describes the organization, design, and adaptations of the North York's Benchmarks Project (Ontario, Canada). This project began in response to the interests and innovations of several schools within a large school board. Then the project moved to the regional and whole-board level, implemented as a top-down strategy. The term "benchmarks" refers to a measure that represents student learning outcomes at a particular point in time relative to program objectives. The benchmark serves as a point of reference against which future measures of student learning outcomes may be compared to monitor the extent of growth. The project was also intended to support teacher growth and to develop the subject area of focus. Organizational changes occurred as the project grew, including the following: (1) a key staff appointment was made in the board of education; (2) a supervisory officer was appointed to oversee development of the project; and (3) the project became a top priority for the school board. Teacher response to the project at the early stage was negative, reflecting anxiety about the standardized tests. The problem was resolved as the project went on and the teachers became experienced with the process. The top-down directive also acted to change teachers' behavior, as it indicated that teachers had to use the tests, regardless of their attitudes. The issue of teacher information and support needs to be addressed if the project is to continue to meet its objectives. Question and answer sheets describing the Benchmarks Project are included. (LP)
Document Number: ED350132

Author(s): Stiegelbauer, Suzanne
Title: The Individual is the Community; The Community is the World: Native Elders Talk about What Young People Need To Know.
Year: 1992
Abstract:
This paper describes an image of the learner and the relationship of the learner to society from the perspective of a set of Mohawk and Ojibway Elders participating in an Elders and Traditional Teachers Advisory Council at a Native Center in Toronto. Information from the Elders is presented in the following sequence: (1) traditional views of childhood, growth, and the "path of life"--the kinds of stages individuals go through as they progress through life and the educational implications of these stages; (2) discussion of the importance of experience in the learning process; (3) qualities of individual action and growth as expressed in the notion of the Medicine Wheel, which conceptualizes life into "empowerment" and "consciousness" sides, emphasizing people's responsibilities to themselves and to each other; (4) discussion of the relationship of the individual to the community in terms of the kinds of attitudes and activities that contribute to becoming a responsible adult within society; and (5) commentary on how this traditional "image of the learner" relates to the philosophical views of other educational institutions. Approaches such as active learning, cooperative learning, child-centered learning, and multi-age grouping consider the child's need to explore, to learn from experience, to share with others and to learn to cooperate for the common good. The school as community can help the individual become stronger and individuals can help the community become stronger. (KS)
Document Number: ED349151

Author(s): Stiegelbauer, Suzanne
Title: Why We Want To Be Teachers: New Teachers Talk about Their Reasons for Entering the Profession.
Year: 1992
Abstract:
This paper examines a random sample of applicants (n=203) accepted to the Faculty of Education, University of Toronto (Canada), and addresses the following questions: (1) what new teachers say about their reasons for entering the profession; (2) how those reasons align with current thinking about the qualities of teachers necessary to a changing profession; (3) whether their reasons differ by self-selected level of elementary, junior, or senior high school; and (4) what analysis of these statements suggests to program designers for the education of new teachers. The following themes emerge across all levels: (1) the need to make a difference to students and society; (2) teachers as role models for students; (3) the teacher-student exchange as one of mutual growth and continuous learning for both; (4) a wish to share personal knowledge and expertise; and (5) the creation of a positive learning environment. Beginning teachers appear to be optimistic and interested in making a difference to themselves, their students, and society. Teacher educators should strive to maintain these high levels of energy and idealism; focus on abilities that address the needs of a changing society, and assist beginning teachers to become effective agents of change. (LL)
Document Number: ED348367

Author(s): Stiegelbauer, Suzanne; Anderson, Stephen E.
Title: Seven Years Later: Revisiting a Restructured School in Northern Ontario.
Year: 1992
Abstract:
Findings of a study that examined the outcomes of longterm institutionalization of school reform are presented in this paper. Project Excellence, implemented in 1984 in a secondary school in Cochrane, Ontario, involved a comprehensive change in curriculum, instruction, and professional roles. An initial evaluation of the program, conducted during the 1988-89 school year, was based on document analysis; interviews with teachers and administrators; and surveys of teachers, parents, students, and support staff. A follow-up study, the focus of this paper, obtained data from interviews conducted with the former principal, the current principal and 2 vice principals, district office officials, 12 teachers, 5 students, and 2 parents. Findings indicate that in its seventh year of operation, structures for teacher participative decision-making and parental involvement had been dismantled and a top-down, laissez-faire administration was in place. Five lessons are highlighted. The case underscores the conclusion that governance structures must withstand the organizational cycles of institutionalization before outcomes of reform can be known. If governance structures lead to improvement, then the prospects for renewal are contingent upon their institutionalization. One figure is included. (18 references) (LMI)
Document Number: ED347686

Author(s): Fullan, Michael G.; Stiegelbauer, Suzanne
Title: The New Meaning of Educational Change. Second Edition.
Year: 1991
Abstract:
The issue of central interest in this book is not how many new policies have been approved or how many restructuring efforts are being undertaken, but rather what has actually changed in practice--if anything--as a result of change efforts. The book is divided into three main parts. Part 1, "Understanding Educational Change," provides an overview of the sources, processes, and outcomes of change, and the implications for dealing with change. The six chapters are entitled: (1) "The Purpose and Plan of the Book"; (2) "Sources of Educational Change"; (3) "The Meaning of Educational Change"; (4) "The Causes and Processes of Initiation"; (5) "Causes/Processes of Implementation and Continuation"; and (6) "Planning, Doing, and Coping with Change." Part 2, "Educational Change at the Local Level," contains six chapters on each of the main roles at the local level, examining the day-to-day situations people face and how change is part of these daily realities. They are entitled: (1) "The Teacher"; (2) "The Principal"; (3) "The Student"; (4) "The District Administrator"; (5) "The Consultant"; and (6) "The Parent and the Community." In Part 3, "Educational Change at the Regional and National Levels," the book returns to the larger scene. Four chapters are entitled: (1) "Governments"; (2) "Professional Preparation of Teachers"; (3) "Professional Development of Educators"; and (4) "The Future of Educational Change." (Contains 417 references.) (RR)
Document Number: ED354588

Author(s): Anderson, Stephen; Stiegelbauer, Suzanne
Title: Project Excellence: A Case Study of a Student-Centred Secondary School.
Year: 1990
Abstract:
This report presents a case study evaluation of a mastery system of individualized instruction called Project Excellence at Ecole Secondaire Cochrane High School, Ontario. The curriculum consists of 20-unit learning guides in all courses. Students work in subject area resource centers and consult with teachers as needed. Teachers act as consultants and developers for particular courses and as advisors to groups of 12 to 15 students. Students progress at their own rate and organize their own timetables. The focus of the evaluation covers project design and the process used to initiate, develop, implement, and maintain the project. The report concludes that a short (9-month) timeline for development hindered the initial adjustment to the system for teachers and students. The support system for early implementation, however, was highly effective. Average marks for students increased 15 to 20 percent in all subjects, grades, and levels. Teachers are highly satisfied with their new roles and the outcomes for students. With enough start-up time and support from all participating groups, this system could be replicated as an alternative high school in other school boards across the province. (18 references) (Author/LAP)
Document Number: ED342084

Author(s): Stiegelbauer, Suzanne M.; And Others
Title: The Facilitation of Change in Elementary and Secondary Schools--Similarities, Differences, and Interactions about the Process. R&D Report 3218.
Year: 1986
Abstract:
The process of change in elementary and secondary schools has been the topic of several major studies conducted during the past 15 years. To date, however, information about the change process in different school settings has not been considered comparatively. This document examines and compares the process of change and the role of the change facilitator in the context of both the elementary and the secondary school. After a brief review of significant research, the paper analyzes major variables involved in a change effort and presents case studies to illustrate how these variables work in different settings. A comparative synopsis of the findings suggests that effective change at either the elementary or the high school level requires the following: (1) a leader who sanctions and supports the change; (2) the use of a team of change facilitators; (3) a series of sequential strategies planned around the improvement process; (4) monitoring the system's responses to the implementation strategies; and (5) corrective action if and when the implementation plan strays off target. Four figures are included, and three pages of references are appended. (IW)
Document Number: ED276102

Author(s): Leary, Jim; Stiegelbauer, Suzanne M.
Title: School Success or School Failure: An Indian Example.
Year: 1985
Abstract:
Reporting on a study of Cree Indian students from Manitoba, this paper focuses on Native education as a minority experience within the majority culture and on the culture of the school as it is experienced by minority students. A theoretical discussion presents issues involved with schooling for minorities: discontinuities, socialization for competence, and the idea of caste. Student assessment, retention, and graduation data over the past 20 years indicate change in the Native students' success in the Manitoba education system is markedly below that of the general population. The "deficit syndrome" and "discontinuity/mismatch explanation" are examined. The "cultural diversity paradigm" is presented as a more contemporary explanation that has the greatest potential for impact upon educational practice for minority students. Initiatives undertaken by Manitoba's Frontier School Division to soften the system's negative regard for the cultural capital of Native students are outlined: cultural awareness workshops and inservice training to prepare non-Native teachers for work with Native classrooms and identification of program needs and development of curricula by Native educators. (NEC)

Document Number: ED267955

Author(s): Stiegelbauer, Suzanne M.; And Others
Title: Adding It All Up: A Checklist Approach to Determining the Influence of Situational Variables. R & D Report No. 3209.
Year: 1985
Abstract:
The Situational Factors Checklist was developed to describe variables which influence changes within a school and was used in two different school settings. In one application, it was used as a part of a case study method to study implementation of a microcomputer project, increasing faculty computer literacy, at different community colleges. The second application was in describing general influences on change in a study of high schools. The checklist was designed to provide a means of looking at school situations, individually or comparatively, for evaluating and planning for change. It was intended to indicate the way context influences a particular aspect of the setting, and to provide a means of quantifying and comparing what would otherwise be qualitative data. The interaction of factors was also considered. Results indicated that factors promoting faculty use of microcomputers were overall access, space, staffing, and training. Problems involved insufficient access, software, and lack of ideas for applications. Data from the High School Study were currently being processed. It was concluded that the benefits of the checklist supported further exploration. (One blank checklist, as well as one completed by one of the colleges, are appended.) (GDC)
Document Number: ED267109

Author(s): Stiegelbauer, Suzanne M.
Title: More Effective Leadership for Change: Some Findings from the Principal Teacher Interaction (PTI) Study. R&D Report No. 3207.
Year: 1984
Abstract:
A study was made of nine elementary school principals involved in implementing a curriculum innovation in their schools. The goal of this research was to determine what principals actually do on a day-to-day basis in their role as facilitators of change in their schools and to learn if there was a difference in the effectiveness of their actions in terms of changes they were engaged in. This year-long study, the Principal-Teacher Interaction (PTI) study, looked at the intervention behaviors, those actions influencing the change process, taken by principals and others to facilitate the changes occurring in their schools. This article reports some of the major PTI study findings regarding leadership for change. It also provides examples of what principals do to facilitate change, and concludes with some suggestions for practitioners that are based on the findings. A list is provided of the characteristics of effective leaders for change. (JO)
Document Number: ED263102

Author(s): Stiegelbauer, Suzanne M.
Title: Community, Context, and Co-Curriculum: Situational Factors Influencing School Improvements in a Study of High Schools. R&D Report No. 3186.
Year: 1984
Abstract:
The nature of the changes occuring in the high school, and the factors influencing the change process in different high schools across the nation, have been the focus of research being conducted by the Research and Improvement Process (RIP) Program of the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education. The study is designed to describe the types of changes occuring in the sample high schools, the units of change, the management of change factors, and the key situational factors influencing these efforts. This paper describes the situational factors viewed by the research staff in the High School Study. It also presents some examples of how these factors vary in their influence in different situations. Some factors were found by researchers to have more characteristic influence across cases than others; others varied more across sites. In every case, however, factors such as the nature of the change itself and its management by school leaders were found to be important to the total picture. The paper concludes with a preliminary analysis of the relation of different situational influences to the effectiveness of change efforts. (BW)
Document Number: ED250393

Author(s): Stiegelbauer, Suzanne M.; And Others
Title: Through the Eye of the Beholder: On the Use of Qualitative Methods in Data Analysis.
Year: 1982
Abstract:
Qualitative measures were developed within a Principal-Teacher Interaction (PTI) study by the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education, University of Texas at Austin, concerning the role of the principal and process of change as it occurs in school settings. Methodologies for data collection and analysis included quantitative measures of individual and group responses to change and qualitative dimensions concerning a sense of the context, interactions, and social meanings underlying the quantitative responses. These qualitative measures interpret and organize data to represent existing reality within a site and contribute to theory across sites. Qualitative methods can include coding of change action interventions, listing of effects, levels of use of an innovation, and configuration and concerns data. Qualitative information can be focused by using intervention mapping of planned action, antecedent mapping of how change evolved, critical incident maps and time lines, and "reality checks" by cross-site discussions involving "site expert" researchers and district representatives. These techniques provide a means for interpretation, cross verification, and validation of phenomena present in the data. (CM)
Document Number: ED223635

Author(s): Stiegelbauer, Suzanne M.
Title: Acculturation and the Change Process: An Exploratory Formulation From an Applied Model for Research and Facilitation.
Year: 1982
Abstract:
The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) Project conducted a study of the principals' role in managing change in their schools. The events in one school involved in implementing curriculum changes are described from an acculturation-based perspective. The term acculturation is used by anthropologists to describe the process of change resulting from culture contact. A mini-model of culture change, based on dimensions present in acculturation literature, is explored. The study applied dimensions of the model to events in one specific school, as a smaller unit of culture in the process of implementing the curriculum innovation. The study considered the relevance of the model to methodology and research on school change. An acculturative perspective allows for some prediction in terms of events and is valuable in research for providing an overview of the change process. This perspective has many important implications for use in facilitation and planning. (DWH)
Document Number: ED222514

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