-‘ . ’2. <: ’ I :fli" $.51” ‘ if ..." > 5‘ _.-'.-V >. — k‘V‘ ma :1?“ This s ‘craaking Cha :re‘éfients 0': A stud ass-tracts was tgprevious st tapered to a it‘ic Schools :za-Lcted to a “:search find? fierviews are revs are basec ABSTRACT A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF A CURRICULAR CHANGE PROCESS INVOLVING PROFESSIONAL STAFF, PARENTS, AND STUDENTS USED IN A LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM By Richard Lee Fitzgerald This study was designed to look at factors most often credited for making change in schools in an attempt to determine which factors or elements of change may be expected to aide in successful change. A study of items reported in ERIC abstracts and dissertation abstracts was done to sort out the factors which have been determined by previous studies to be significant. The factors and elements were compared to a description of a change process used in the Edwardsburg Public Schools. Interviews with people involved in the changes were conducted to add credibility to the Edwardsburg process and to compare research findings to how people feel who participated in changes. The interviews are transcribed for the reader. The questions in the inter- views are based on the questions for study in the dissertation and were based on key terms found throughout the study. The key terms were: involvement, commitment, implementation, and acceptance of changes and the process. The following questions are answered in the dissertation as related to the research factors, the Edwardsburg process, and the feelings of those people interviewed: I. How Char than 3. What 3' THEN 4- THE 5 3' TDErq elen' Conr‘ ddifl This an o" S 5 ”To a! 16 . m; chaps: 55 F l": . adn'in1s "qVOTVERc haw. 40 WI ‘\' :fiqt ' rater Richard Lee Fitzgerald How might involvement and commitment be initiated within the change process? How do people tend to feel about their part in the process of change? What seems to affect the success of change? Why were people in the school system involved? The conclusions reached in the study tend to show that the most successful programs, where people were involved, had certain common characteristics: 1. 01wa 03 There was a plan; There was a time limit or restriction; There were stated expectations or goals; The subject was kept specific; There was leadership from either administrators or teachers and eventually both were committed; The people involved were going to live with the program; and Commitment support or acceptance was demonstrated by an administrator and teacher or director for the program. This study has approached the process of change from an internal change agent perspective and, therefore, may be of interest to change agents who are a part of the system in which they propose to assist in making change. This may apply to teachers to show the need to work with their administrators, for principals and superintendents to encourage the involvement of teachers, board members and parents, and for school boards who wish to find ways of providing a change atmosphere for their administrators and teachers. A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF A CURRICULAR CHANGE PROCESS INVOLVING PROFESSIONAL STAFF, PARENTS, AND STUDENTS USED IN A LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM By Richard Lee Fitzgerald A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Secondary Education and CurriculUm 1976 The at i: r P. teachers, Efnassburg Pub lazssfble. The :" tie cooperat To my C 31?*-"orst, Carl i'ld assist Very s; fili‘rtan Dale A weeds and de ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to express his sincere appreciation to the many teachers, administrators, board members, and parents of the Edwardsburg Public Schools for their cooperation in making this study possible. The time given to assist in this study was representative of the cooperation and encouragement felt for the past six years. To my Doctoral Guidance Committee members Dale Alam, Ben Bohnhorst, Carl Brautigam, and John Suehr my appreciation for the help and assistance. Very special thanks to my wife Ruth, William Shaw, and my chairman Dale Alam, who have been so close in support and understanding my needs and desires. ******* ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ........................ vi Chapter I - INTRODUCTION ...................... l The Study ...................... 2 Statement of the Problem ............... 2 Need for the Study ................. 5 The Purpose of the Study ............... 6 Definition of Terms ................. 6 Questions for Study ................. 8 Design of the Study ................. 8 II . REVIEW OF LITERATURE .................. 10 Introduction ..................... lO Involvement ..................... l7 Summary ..................... 20 Administrative Leadership .............. 21 Summary ..................... 24 Teacher Commitment, Acceptance, and Training . . . . 24 Summary ..................... 3O Administrators .................... 31 Summary ..................... 34 Board of Education .................. 35 Summary ..................... 38 Community ...................... 38 Students ....................... 39 Outside Resources and Influences ........... 39 Summary ..................... 42 Summary ....................... 43 I II. THE EDWARDSBURG MODEL ................. 44 Introduction ..................... 44 Part I. The Need for a Plan ............. 45 Role Definition and Administrator and Board Relationships .............. 50 Involvement and Commitment ............ 53 Afifir H . .. I Part )1- h (‘17 J Sunni n Ti “Pfhuw ‘ L|\l'_"\“] Boar< Tead Pare Int! Umpter IV. Mission Statement ................. The Quality Curriculum ............... Part II. Implementation ................ Brainstorming ................... Curriculum Workshop ................ Alternative Policy--Further Commitment to Change . . Unit Step, CPAC, and SOB Implementation ...... Summary ........................ A Review of the Steps ............... INTERVIEWS ........................ Board Members ..................... Interview l--Marge Rea ............... Interview 2--Dr. I. C. Madden ........... Teachers ........................ Interview 3--Joel Steinhauer ............ Interview 4--Diana Wright ............. Interview 5--Vi Ross ................ Interview 6--Judy Singley ............. Interview 7--Jerry Wright ............. Interview 8--Sharon Artley ............. Interview 9--Sheryl Schaap ............. Administrators ..................... Interview lO--Jo-Ann Boepple ............ Interview ll--Ilean Becraft ............ Interview lZ--Clyde Morningstar .......... Interview l3--Lyle Sisson ............. Parents and Citizens .................. Interview l4--Mel Freeman ............. Interview l5--Reverend Lowell Walsworth ...... Interview 16--Barbara Dempsey ........... Interview Analyses by the Author ............ Interview l--Marge Rea ............... Interview 2--Dr. I. C. Madden ........... Interview 3--Joel Steinhauer ............ Interview 4--Diana Wright ............. Interview 5--Vi Ross ................ Interview 6--Judy Singley ............. Interview 7--Jerry Wright ............. Interview 8--Sharon Artley ............. Interview 9--Sheryl Schaap ............. Interview lO--Jo-Ann Boepple ............ Interview ll--Ilean Becraft ............ Interview l2--Clyde Morningstar .......... Interview 13--Lyle Sisson ............. Interview l4--Mel Freeman ............. iv 122 125 125 129 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 LIIJCET ‘3' Su- 1 MAR“: lntrc ReSu Conc Finc PETS! Uiifix , l GOAL H D BRLINS 5 3m: 97 r"! Chapter Page Interview 15--Reverend Lowell Walsworth ...... 173 Interview 16--Barbara Dempsey ........... 174 V . SUMMARY OF THE STUDY ................... 175 Introduction ...................... 175 Results of the Questions ................ 176 Question One .................... 176 Summary of Question One .............. 179 Question Two .................... 180 Summary of Question Two .............. 184 Question Three ................... 185 Question Four ................... l91 Conclusions ...................... 193 Findings ........................ 193 Personal Reflections .................. 195 Appendix A- Q-SORT MATERIALS ..................... 197 B . GOAL WORKSHOP ...................... 208 (2 GOAL HANDBOOK ..................... 218 I). BRAINSTORMING EVALUATION (A REPORT) ........... 227 E BRAINSTORM SESSION FORM ................. 235 F COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE ................. 239 G EVALUATION OF SUMMER WORKSHOP .............. 244 H FOLLOW-UP OF WORKSHOP AFTER ONE YEAR ........... 247 I. INTERVIEW ANALYSIS BY THE AUTHOR ............. 250 B I BLIOGRAPHY ........................... 251 . Factors Schools ConfliC' - PCllcy ‘ Edwards The Phi H18810!" A1t9rne SCHOO15 LIST OF FIGURES Factors and Elements Influencing Change in Public Schools as Indicated by Research ............. Conflict Strategies ................... Policy Memorandum from Superintendent to the Edwardsburg Board of Education .............. The Philosophy of the Edwardsburg Public Schools ..... Mission Statement of the Edwardsburg Public Schools Alternative Programs Policy of the Edwardsburg Public Schools ......................... vi Page 12 15 47 49 58 77 The n‘ T: NW“ 5C" Radethat l Itseeos that ‘I Studied by exafiish a 1 3,9 mterla] At th thsx, meth aver,aoo S itaaoears $0 halvith the Educa Rifle prepar l at pace wit CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The need for finding acceptable methods for introducing changes in public schools has been implied by so many authors in the past decade that it is almost impossible to list their names and their works. It seems that change is almost contrary to the human processes when it 1'5 Studied by the observation of human activities. People build homes, e'51'-ab‘| ish a life style, and work toward a comfortable way of living by the material and spiritual things with which they surround themselves. At the same time, the human mind contrives to search for new ObJects, methods, machines, etc., in which to make this life better, easier, and safer. In this process the dilemma is evident and though it appears so obvious and conmon to us, we find it most difficult to deal with the conflict it presents. Education which is expected by most people to help our young Decple prepare for their role in our society seems to be less able to keQp pace with the changing world than we might expect. Most of the e"notional problems connected with change are evident in the parents, teachers, administrators, boards of education, and general public and Seem to give strength to the notion that schools should not change. It appears that we fear change will mean giving up our past and further disor the near {“1” There introdxe ché h to change This toaccoopllsi aperiod of i the Com-Jolt) suroort. The ionali 8. Hal further disorient us in the present and cause anxiety as we look to the near future. Therefore, what seems to be needed in our society are ways to introduce changes in our schools in such a way as to help people learn how to change and to understand that their trauma can be reduced. The Study This is a study designed to look at the internal process used to accomplish educational change in the Edwardsburg Public Schools over a Per'i 0d of five years and how this process encouraged involvement of the Comnunity, staff, and Board of Education in order to receive their Slippopt. The study may be most useful to internal change agents. Ronald G. Havelock has put together a Guide to Innovation1 and gives sever‘al models for change and innovation. Havelock's emphasis is placed on the external change agent. His models should be studied by individ- ua]$ planning to enter into a change program. This dissertation will be exal'Iining the process from an internal change agent point of view. Statement of the Problem The only sure thing in our lives is change. We recognize this Faet, but we find it difficult to face the uncertainty of this situation. SeVeral books and papers have been written that demonstrate this fact. A] Vin Toffler says, "We steadfastly refuse to face the fact and we stUbbornly refuse to recognize the speed of change. It makes us feel \ 1Ronald G. Havelock, A Guide to Innovation in Education, 1“Stitute for Social Research, The University of Michigan, 1970. getter to d9 of scieotlfl' chise- 5““ future is b“ The ' schools is a :mhions 0 ha". develofiS the conditio twat change I the change h. it is becausl icLoIr‘an says {iristcpher T loche't H9111! ’ "os 35f), if it better to defer the future. Even those closest to the cutting edge of scrientific research can scarcely believe the reality and speed of change. Even they routinely underestimate the speed at which the futur~ee is breaking on our shores."2 The evolution of factors that influence the need for change in schoo‘l s is as sure as the evolution of man and his mammal and plant life companions on this earth. Changes are seen in several different ways. Man develops new equipment for his comfort and in the process changes the conditions of his life. In this process man resists the notion that. c:hange will take place and in fact man finds himself resisting 'the (:thange he has created. The institution we call "school" is what it IS because we made it that way. If it is irrelevant, as Marshall MCLuhan says;3 if it is not significant in determining wealth as Chri stopher Jencks says;" if it shields children from reality, as "Orbert Weiner says;5 if it educates for obsolescence, as John Gardner Says;a if it does not develop intelligence as Jerome Bruner says;7 \ 1 9 2Alvin Toffler, Future Shock (New York: Random House, Inc., 70), p. 23. .1 3Marshall McLuhan, Mechanical Bride: Folklore of Industrial ii" "(New York. Vangard Press, Inc., 1951). “Christopher Jencks, Inequality: A Reassessment of the Effect {Pam y and SchoonmLin America (New Yam Basic Books, WC” 1972). 1n 5Norbert Weiner, Cybernetics. Or Control and Communication -~D‘_the Animal and the Machine (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1961). 'To 6John W. Gardner, Excellence: Can We Be Equal and Excellent 0? (New York: Harper & Row, 1961), p. 14. 7Jerome S. Bruner, Process of Education (New York. Random House. Inc. , 1960). if it is basec as Paul Goodoa Edgar Triedent be done, it ca heetI'I the primary or the education. stmeht are. and 11111 not iii: educator 53- The need 390'! by Ale 3551C ”ENS: 53:99“; (5) s. 13 each need Rance I0 DVD now and mode a i954). JOHN if it is based on fear as John Holt says;8 if it induces alienation as Paul Goodman says;9 if it punishes creativity and independence as Edgar Friedenberg says;‘° if, in short, it is not doing what needs to be done, it can be changed; it must be changed. Meeting the true and important needs of the student should be the primary purpose of the school. It is questioned whether or not the educational personnel know what the true and important needs of the student are. It is considered that all of the person's needs cannot and Ni 11 not be met by the school and it might be speculated further that educators and/or parents cannot agree as to what these needs might be. The needs of students have been outlined in a clear and manageable theory by Alexander Maslow.11 His theory of human motivation lists six basic needs: (1) physiological welfare; (2) safety; (3) love; (4) e'i‘teem; (5) self-actualization; and (6) needs to know and understand. As each need is met, the next has priority. Students must be given the chance to progress to the level of "self-actualization" and "needs to know and understand" where it is believed the major part of creative and cognitive learning takes place. \ °John Holt, How Children Fail (New York: Dell Publishing Co., 1 964). H 9Paul Goodman, Compulsory Mis-Education (New York: Random 0use, Inc., 1964). E3 l°Edgar Z. Friedenberg, The Vanishing Adolescent (Boston, Mass.: eacon Press, 1959) . llAlexander Maslow, The Psychology of Abraham Maslow: A Molutionary New View of Man, as reviewed by Frank Goble,The Third Eorce (New York: Simon Schuster, 1973), p. 52. The s legee upon i T: is lmorta 'otion, pract . 0 ‘ ‘ a: once en. b O. 6: :e is the c It is irria: ‘Ti u'. cal fa ii’tcess the ‘5 hiCTt all con {thirds burg b SitiEgng] be Wm ti thr ACCQp 31139;. '° 35 ex Need for the Study The success of a change, any change, depends to an important degree upon its acceptability by the people whom the change affects. It is important that there is validity of the ideas, clarity of the notion, practicability for application in the school or organization and competent leadership provided. Acceptability alone will not suf- fi ce as the criteria for success, but it is this author's belief that a sound program for change cannot be successful without acceptability. It is believed that the process used in making the change is a critical factor to its success. This study, therefore, describes a process that may be used to accomplish acceptability. It is not presumed that there is no method better than all others, but it is Suggested that the study of a successful change may show some of the important concepts to consider. The process of educational change in EFil‘vilardsburg between 1971 and 1974 appears to have been particularly su'l=<:essful because of the acceptability developed in the school and conflunity through the planning processes employed. Acceptability for this study is used to describe a measure of s“(Icess as expressed by the people, teachers, students, parents, or administration who are involved in the project. In this dissertation there will be found reports from some of the research studies that will c‘e'scribe acceptability or the lack of it in the change introduced. Later in the study a series of interviews will provide the reader the tRiportunity of seeing how some people who were involved feel about the Change with which they participated. The 1 access used to questions intimation that the sys :i organizat Then i‘zati on in to increase In. ‘ . ‘A Jet"; enced iii - 3Ttl ”‘3 Edwarr iETe‘ The Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to define and analyze the change process used in the Edwardsburg Public Schools and to offer some answers In addition, significant corroborative to questions about this example. It is hoped information found in research of the subject is presented. that the system described may be adapted to a number of different kinds of organizations that wish to change. When used by educators and others who are within the orga- n‘ization in which change is desired, the process appears to be able to increase the probability of successful change. The method of this Study exposes the thoughts and feelings of some of the significant peOple who were involved and thus provides a potential for more direct identification on the part of the reader with the people who actually experienced the change . Definition of Terms This section of the study offers the reader the author's inter- pretation of terms that will be used frequently in the dissertation. Quality Curriculum for this paper will refer to a paper called “A Quality Educational Program for the Edwardsburg Public Schools," January 25, 1973, written expressly for the Edwardsburg Schools (see PD. so through 66). Mission Statement is the brief and general statement adopted by the Edwardsburg Board of Education as the philos0phy for the development of programs adopted (Figure 5. page 58). W Corr p Irami U! 11 arerts 0t! 15‘ dd h M I .‘E'ld' or. 111A) t1 11") .1” r can p i" 11 Hm ‘1 19 o‘aereral . r ‘ r male 6 me i W The in [(1.qu r! inge i ' as“ Droc m were es' d . al C! c‘ 1&5 395 t 111 Community Members or Constituents are the users of the school program, not a member of the staff. These people will also be called parents, students, taxpayers (without students), etc. Q:Sort Materials are materials used in a work session (see Appendix A) to provide a quick method with which members of a large group can prioritize a list of goals. Workshops are identified more specifically in the study, but it: general refer to planned working sessions dealing with development of or implementation of the Quality Curriculum. Alternative Programs are programs that follow in this list of dEB‘Finitions which were actual programs developed during the time of the ‘3'1iinge process in the Edwardsburg Schools. Each alternative program was offered as a choice to the students in place of regular programs ()" classes they would normally have been placed in. - Skill Center--program in the Edwardsburg Middle Elementary School. 0 CPAC (Continuous Progress Alternative Classroom)--program in the Eagle Lake Elementary School. 0 Option Block--program in the Edwardsburg High School. - Unit Ste --program used in the Edwardsburg Junior High School For all seventh and eighth grade students. Environmental Description was a title given to written exPlanations of the design and purpose of an individual classroom. A description was developed by the teachers and principals for each a1ternative program listed above. til: fr Questions for Study 1. How might involvement and commitment be initiated within the change process? 2. How do people tend to feel about their part in the process of change? 3. What seems to affect the success of the change? 4. Why were people from Edwardsburg involved in the process from the staff, community, and outside resource people? Design of the Study There have been some significant changes introduced in recent years in the Edwardsburg Schools and these changes were made by the peciple working in the program being changed. The change process referred to in this study focuses on the "Quality Curriculum" because it provides the best vehicle to demonstrate the process and has become the instrument of the changes for the Edwardsburg Schools. The emphasis in the study is on its development, r‘ather than on content or subject matter of the "Quality Curriculum" S"‘ the implementation of its concept. In order to assist in the study of the Edwardsburg model, 1“We process of change in the schools from 1960 to 1975 is reviewed In Chapter II. Chapter II reviews the literature specific to articles, iilssertations and research studies from 1960 to 1975. The specific studies reviei in schools. Eduardshurg D' h) ase of a c' Chaot reliliing are Curriculum. " ities in whic that were inv ri-zular proce :omitment of A sel iieir reactio 1‘01 Study." irteriiehed W litters, and ccess or in. studies reviewed dealt with educational change and innovations used Internal change items were looked for because the in schools. The research is separated Edwardsburg process was an internal type. by use of a chart of descriptors called factors and elements of change. Chapter III describes the chronological sequence of events revolving around the development of and implementation of the "Quality Curriculum." In the explanation of the process, the events and activ- ities in which involvement and commitment were achieved by the people that were involved in the programs is brought into focus. The cur- ricular process inclusive of events and activities focused upon the COW-nitment of those people involved. A selected number of key people were interviewed to secure the‘ir reactions and feelings toward the process and the "questions for study." The interviews are transcribed in Chapter IV. The people interviewed were members of the teaching staff, administrators, board members, and parents, all of whom were involved in the developmental pr‘chss or implementation of the programs in the school. Chapter V includes the questions for the study considered in relation to the interview findings, relations of information from research in Chapter II, conclusions, and further questions for study. I“ this chapter the differences, if any, from the author's description of the process in Chapter III and those notions of the participants as revealed in Chapter IV. The final section presents personal weI’lections of the author. For i in-‘cnration '. Encyclopedia articles rel The The purpose has oegun wi change agent Lies; educa ‘i‘. was found ‘Ctim'ati on w CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE Introduction For the review of literature a search consisting of the ERIC information system, Dissertation Abstracts International, and the Encyclopedia of Educational Research was made with only scientific ai"1.:icles relevant to change in education being sought for this study. ' The search on process of change in schools began with 1960. The purpose of this study being change and change processes, the search "as begun with the following descriptors in mind: educational change; (:tiiinge agents; educational philosophy; systems approach; changing atti- tlIdes; educational attitudes; and educational innovation. Of this list 1 t was found that educational change, change agents, and educational i r\r'lovation were the most productive descriptors for the study. There "Ere sixty five references extracted for further screening and evalua- tion. Items were chosen in the final screening that revealed factors judged by the article writer as influencing change or factors that impeded change in schools. Because of the descriptive nature of this Setudy, it was determined that these secondary sources would adequately 1“Ormulate the theoretical framework for the study. 10 The ke) Trternational n nifllfmnsi These key words resentled the 1 emmgma For th licexes were 11 iii ‘urther re The 9 article to be The re “thldl Chang 11793 to mills 1‘9 fitters TC Show ”0‘14 this :5 the trite”- if ii teacher, a 1. Sm] be him PA... ‘mrdSbUl‘g No my. 5) eaCh DQ’ f'11.;11 Went) cc 11 The key words used in the review of Dissertation Abstracts International materials were: attitude, innovation, change, philosophy, and all forms of these words (attitudes, innovative, changing, etc.). These key words were used because it was felt that they most nearly twesembled the purpose and questions of this study. In the final gathering of data, thirty-three abstracts were selected. For these volumes from 1960-1972 the Comprehensive Dissertation Index 1961-1972 was used. For the years following, the cumulative indexes were used which are published each year. Articles were chosen for further review. The Encyclopedia of Educational Research provided only one a"ticle to be used in the review and evaluation of literature. The review of literature consists of selecting factors concerned ”i th (a) change processes, (b) change agents, (c) innovation, (d) guide- } Tues to implement (trends), and (e) factors of acceptance or rejection. The factors identified in this chapter will be coded (see Figure l) to Show how this writer views the significance of the factor in relation to the criteria being studied. The purpose is to show how frequently t1he teacher, administrator, Board of Education, community members, and the students are reported as key factors of the studies reviewed in the 1 iterature. Later, in Chapters III and IV of this paper, the same 1=3<2tors will be used to identify similar items that took place in the EClinitardsburg Model. In addition to the people categories listed in the paragraph above, each people factor will be coded as to their part in planning, involvement, commitment, implementation, and acceptance (see Figure 1). 2.0 F 3.0 1 4.0 1 5.0 F 12 1.0 Role of the Teacher 1.1 Involvement 1.2 Planning 1.3 Commitment 1.4 Implementation 1.5 Acceptance 1.6 Other 1.7 Training 2.0 Role of the Administrator (Principal and Superintendent) 2.1 Involvement 2.2 Planning 2.3 Commitment 2.4 Implementation 2.5 Acceptance 2.6 Organizational Structure 2.7 Leadership 2.8 Administrative Characteristics 3.0 Role of the Board of Education 3.1 Involvement 3.2 Planning 3.3 Commitment 3.4 Implementation 3.5 Acceptance 3.6 Size of District 3.7 Policies and Rules Adopted 4.0 Role of the Community Members 4.1 Involvement 4.2 Planning 4.3 Commitment 4.4 Implementation 4.5 Acceptance 4.6 Type of Community 5.0 Role of the Students 5.1 Involvement 5.2 Planning 5.3 Commitment 5.4 Implementation 5.5 Acceptance 6.0 General and Broad Responses Figure 1. Factors and Elements Influencing Change in Public Schools as Indicated by Research. The 1' to pmvlde a ’th dld not . researched. of factors to were based on contribute to The N tnoagnts conc¢ and procedure: 1974. Key wc 11; comitmenl A? a .hese and s tens that rel “Penditure; c h ”959. however There hi 1 . C1 was expe '13 n ‘ UF- : enfore, it 13 The items listed under each section of Figure l were chosen to provide a common list of factors by which each article was studied. They did not always represent items that were found in the articles researched. The coding system was set up to help in the organization crf factors taken from the research. The selection of the terms used wuere based on some assumptions of the author as to what ideas contribute to the success or failure of a change program. The research was undertaken to compare the available records and thoughts concerning the change process in schools between the literature and procedures used by the Edwardsburg Public Schools between 1971 and 1 974. Key words used in this study were (1) involvement, (2) planning, (3) comitment, and (4) acceptance. Special note was taken of the use or these and similar terms as used or reflected in the research. Other teI‘ms that related were found to be: training; leadership; district expenditure; district policies and practices; outside factors; sputnik. 1r11£ese, however, reflected only a minor role. There were many references to the importance of the teacher, "hi ch was expected. In almost every case, the reference inferred what ”as needed was support from the Board, administration, and/or conmunity. Therefore, it follows that a consensus model may be ideal. For use in this study, the consensus model is a process used 'tc> reach agreement and is defined herein. Methods most frequently used for organizational decision making are (1) arbitrary decision making-- ‘lhere the person with the power or authority in an organization makes thedecisi tie groun, :msmhas- neprotle echion i he consid hnce agre likely to indcated Vo tonote th fRhone 3 factors me it ch ange we. "WUP‘ “:LEd &‘ tzfibates Shten, (a 14 the decision; (2) democratic decision making--where the majority of the group, by taking a vote, will determine the decision; and (3) consensus--which is a win/win strategy (see Figure 2). In this case the problem and the alternatives are discussed by the group until a decision is made by agreement. That is, when all ideas introduced are considered, all agree that this is the best possible decision. Since agreement has been reached by all parties, they are then more ‘1 i kely to agree to a comnitment to make the project succeed as indicated by Harold Ross Sargent's work. When reading materials for this chapter, it was interesting to note that there were frequent inconsistencies and contradictions from one study to another. These differences were related to what the factors meant in the way of being a positive or negative influence on the change. Items in which there seemed to be some inconsistent factors reported are (1) money spent per student in the system, (2) personal attr‘i butes of teachers, (3) characteristics of the school or a school system, (4) training of teachers, (5) size of the school or school ”Stern, and (6) salary of the teachers. A majority of the articles, by far, referred to the teacher, which seemed to be the key to the change process. The administrator was a very close second to the teacher in the number of studies I‘epOWlsed. The student and parent were considered least of the people leectly involved or affected by the programs of a school in the studies written. It would appear that more could be done to involve students, Parents, and comnunity members in research and in practice. The Vin/Vin Stra W 1' AVOldanc. 15 Win/Win Strategies: 10. Synergy 8. Consensus 9. Third Alternative Win/Lose Strategies: 7. Compromise 6. Vote 5. Arbitrate 4. Fight anlict Avoiding Stratchies: 3. Co-Existence 2. Procrastination 1 . Avoidance Figure 2. Conflict Strategies. (From: Charles W. Millar and Robert H. Richardson, "Learning to Use Conflict," as cited in Frank Blom, "Alternatives in Education," L"WDublished paper [East Lansing, Mich.: Michigan State University, 1974], p. 9). triter's exper continue progr his did not 5 The n1 Flute 1 (9,9. teachers and Board of Educ lsed TOr repo SHUNT] in F19“ the conslexit F: ' a 0Vmailllr Of ti the 24 liens T a leather aCCe; icant imDOrt; The l 131' Use Hlth hive 1) UE( are ”d .1 de by1 ee. .. 1.13; .6d frc 16 writer's experience and feelings indicated that the support needed to continue programs, many times, depended on community acceptance, and this did not show up in the research. The number of factors that were identified specifically in Figure 1 (page 12) showed a decisive number of items related to teachers and administrators as compared to the other categories-- Board of Education, community members, and students. The procedure used for reporting the research was to study for the common factors shown in Figure 1. The factors were not easily separated because of the complexity of the task and thus there was found to be a problem 01’ overlapping of factors. Of the 37 items selected referring to the role of the teacher, 1 3 references show the emphasis on item 1.1, teacher involvement. Of the 24 items for administrators, 8 items pertained to leadership (2.7). Teacher acceptance (1.5) and teacher training (1.7) ranked of signif- icant importance while commitment (2.3) for administrators also seemed important in the change process. The remaining pages of this chapter report the factors selected for use with the "Factors and Elements" shown in Figure 1. The items are grouped into sections by basic numbers 1.0 through 6.0 as shown in Figure 1, beginning with 1.1, involvement. A few occasional comments are made by the writer in presenting these items which appear as extracted from the abstracts. research about ck used in Ofciari in lists l7 Involvement In the next few pages, selected references are taken from the research materials used to show specifically what has been reported about change in schools. The numbers in parentheses are the numbers used in the original work as assigned by its author. For the sake of clarity, this writer has eliminated some of the original numbers in lists which would add confusion to this study. The first series of statements quoted from the research has been classified primarily as 1.1 teacher involvement (see Figure 1). As stated previously, these were the most frequent items found. The reader will note that every item is not clearly or specifically attributable to the factor being named in the code number. It was concluded [in this study] that teachers' attitudes do change when they are involved in a teacher education rogram to increase competence in the process of science teaching field]. Previous teaching experience and school location appear unrelated to attitude change.1 This operation model views teachers as the key variable in the introduction of planned change. Their commitment to change, it is claimed, comes about when teachers are given responsibility for making decisions about the change in areas where their professional expertise is dominant . . . and that substantially more investment will be needed in directly training teachers to use the innovation effectively.2 1David P. Butts and Chester E. Raun, A Study in Teacher Attitude Chan e (Austin: Texas University, ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 531 806, 1967). 2K. A. Leithwood and H. H. Russell, The Development and Evaluation of One Strategyforlmplementing Change in Schools (New 0rleans: ERIC Document Reproduction ervice, O , March 1973). The study successfu‘ selec'ted i all do” change is If thls “‘ it would worthwhil' had SUCce increased Professl0 are Ema“ .. , (3) their sug who visit to try “9 gove high WM 9” other W offerent Education teachers Art were In th under "select whoTehearted l1 recomendati 18 The study revealed that educational innovations can be successfully introduced by involving only a small team of selected and highly respected teachers. The inclusion of all district personnel from the beginning in initiating change is not a necessary factor. If this holds true for teachers, administrators and others it would support my theory that practice in changing is worthwhile--change for change's sake. Teachers who have had success in one innovative experience demonstrate increased willingness to try other innovations. Professional attitude, alertness, and educational concern are enhanced by involvement on an innovational team.3 . . . (3) Teachers usually support curricular change when their suggestions are sought and implemented. (4) Teachers who visit exemplary programs in other schools frequently want to try new things in their own classrooms. . . . (9) Teachers gave highest ratings to such innovative practices as variable- sized groupings of students, employment of teacher aides and other paraprofessionals, variations in use of time, and differentiated staffing. (10) Teachers of English, Special Education and Social Studies were most open to change, while teachers of Driver Training, Boys' Physical Education and Art were least receptive to change.“ In this study the author contradicts his information by saying under "selected conclusions" that "(3) teachers are not ready to give wholehearted support to . . . or differentiated staffing." Under his "recommendations": . . . (2) Teachers should be helped to create a classroom environment in which "Teacher talk" is de-emphasized and "student learning" brought to fore. . . . (5) Administrators should screen teacher candidates carefully in terms of (a) demonstrated qualities of creativity, (b) openness to change, 3Robert Francis Hardenbrook, "Identification of Processes of Selected Schools in Santa Barbara County" (Ed.D. dissertation, University of Southern California, 1967). “C. William Dohmann, "Teachers' Perceptions Toward Innovations and Change" (Ed.D. dissertation, University of Southern California, 1970 . and (c) that is Effecti' War genuine Suggest the We It was for the a Stnth Stitute 0f Crar a orotc the tea removes innovat Childre of lnnc “F ‘4 )a‘ '\ 19 and (c) a student-oriented identification rather than one that is primarily subject matter oriented.s Effectiveness of a Changg,Strategy . . . It was found that the participating teachers felt they had been active in a genuine problem solving situation and felt that their suggestions and criticisms had been used extensively in the preparation of the final product. It was concluded from this study that when it is not possible for the change-agent to be with the client system in person a synthetic change strategy appears to be an adequate sub- stitute. The change-agent can create a climate for acceptance of change by interacting with the teachers through the use of a prototype of the innovation. Furthermore, the responses of the teachers indicated that this preliminary interaction also removes some of the anxieties usually attending use of innovations. One result of the study suggests that the response of the children to the innovation plays a greater role in acceptance of innovation by teachers than had been assumed.6 In conclusion as a result of authors such as Butts and Raun, Leithwood and Russell, Hardenbrook, and Dohmann, how the teacher feels about the change will determine its chances of success. Further, the teachers' anxieties will be less if they are involved in the planning and design of the change. Some of the preceding examples are almost identical to what was done in Edwardsburg and will be reported in Chapter III. The reader will note from some of the following statements that the lack of involvement may be given as the reason for failure of successful change. 5Ibid. 6Priscilla Lynch, "A Study of the Effectiveness of a Change Strategy in the Acceptance of an Innovative REading Program" (Ed.D. dissertation, New York University, 1971). lnitia member is to Cootlu about rather The me have t author ill) c and t) Sister the )5 learnt R958m the Dt edita‘ r9390: t0 use 20 . . Although few school personnel may be involved in initiating change and determining need, a majority of staff members must be involved in development activities if change is to be successful. Conclusions . . . (4) most school personnel gain knowledge about principles underlying successful change through actual rather than educative experiences.7 The major conclusion of this study was that when teachers have the freedom to determine their own purposes, and the authority to act upon decisions that they have made, they will demonstrate initiative in changing the curriculum, and that the directions of change will tend to be con- sistent with what is known about the nature of the learner, the learning process and about desirable conditions for learning.8 Reasons why this neomobilistic change does not occur include the poor performance of previously formulated solutions to educational problems, lack of involvement by professionals responsible for the total educational program, and failure to use resources already available.9 Summary Teacher involvement was reported as significant in the largest number of studies found in research of the articles. Changes in teacher attitudes, in their commitment to the change, to their investment of themselves for time and resources, and recognition of the use of their talents for the final decision would seem to be very essential in the process . 7Robert Howard Whiting, "A Study of Change Processes as Inves- tigated Through Case Studies Conducted in Selected Colorado Secondary Schools" (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Colorado, 1972). 8James Louis Casebere, "Teacher-Initiated Change in a Junior High School" (Ed.D. dissertation, Wayne State University, 1972). 9Egon G. Guba, A Model of Change for Instructional Development (Bloomington, Ind.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 028 497, June 1968). The he) into the categc assumption made given in the pi aofiinistrative 'i-dhinistrators inc‘uded. . . 5W Participe The re; “actors“ in tl it is impl' find ways . tEChnques ““06er b 21 Administrative Leadership The next most frequent items referred to in the research fell into the category described as administrative leadership (2.7). An assumption made by this writer is that a good many of the examples given in the previous section may only apply when the element of administrative leadership is demonstrated. As DalSanto stated, "Administrators surveyed felt some critical factors needed for change included . . . an administrative staff which encourages change and staff participation in innovation."‘° The reader will find further evidence of overlapping of "factors" in this next group of quotations. It is implied by the research that administrators must find ways to involve teachers in meaningful programs and techniques of change. Efforts at introducing innovations in public schools are hampered by the organizational structure of the schools and the attitudes of some school personnel toward change. The power to effect change is lodged with administrators and board members.11 It was found that all administrators use Catharsis concepts nearly twice as often as Reward and Punishment concepts and Rational concepts over twice as often as Reward and Punishment concepts. 0 Reward and Punishment . . . no difference between High and Low innovators. loJohn DalSanto, Research and Developmentiv A Study of Educational Change infilllinois (DeKalb, 111.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 043 590, 1970). 11Raymond C. Hummel and Leslie S. Cox, Change in Teacher Attitudes Toward Decjsjon Makingand School Or anization (Minneapolis, Minn.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 044 798, 1970). 0 Ratio betvt vator the ings cate basi ' Catt evi< iter con aut was of dis [Recocr 3 cont leader m U .3 (‘f .1 n. ’1” ——1 car—‘4 «an 0 t1 cv"§’ev c:'C? ,_ A H "3 (3’ /f‘D {1. O ‘* C? r4 E’ C? 9’ *4 — 22 o Rational Category . . . A significant difference did exist between High innovators and Low innovators. . . . Low inno- vators showed less desire to place the process of change in the hand of teachers, to trust teachers' judgment and find- ings, and to use principles of research. They also indi- cated a tendency to try to accomplish change without the basic resources. ' Catharsis Category . . . A significant difference was evident in this category at the .05 level. Analysis of items where these differences occurred centered on the concepts of open discussion, free criticism, and greater autonomy when placing these programs into operation. It was concluded that low innovators manifest basic feelings of insecurity by attempting to limit debate and free discussion where controversy could occur. [Recommendation] Change strategy should be conceived as a continuous process that demands dynamic administrative leadership and community involvement. ‘3 Contributingfactors . The factor checked most often on the questionnaire as having contributed to the adoption process was teacher leadership followed closely by principal leadership. 0 University leadership was listed by the least number of principals. . . During the interview, principal leadership was listed as a contributing factor more than any other factor. . . . - Principals indicated that student leadership should have been included on the list as a factor in the adoption process. ImpedingiFactors - The single factor listed frequently on the questionnaire as impeding the adoption of innovation was no improvement over existing practice with inadequate funds being listed next most frequently. - The three factors concerning teachers' lack of knowledge or preparation when combined constituted the most frequently listed impeding factor. 12Harold Ross Sargeant, "A Test of Motivational Appeals Judged Effective by Chief School Administrators to Induce Teacher Acceptance of Educational Innovation" (Ed.D. dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University, 1965). 13Dohman. o In 1 ind' othe RelatiOr ' rir be31 res; . Scht that that 0 An 1 leac more iron ' Inec in t ° PFir fOrc o By t test in I most ' Stud cont 0 H1” or i inno Vela 23 . In the interview, teacher resistance to change was indicated as a main barrier to adoption more than any other factor. Relationship 0 Principals indicated that teacher involvement was the best way to improve instruction. The six most frequent responses identified the teacher as the main ingredient. Conclusions 0 Schools were more inclined to adopt innovations that changed only parts of the operation as opposed to those that involved wide changes. 0 An internal combination of teacher and principal leadership with cooperation between the two produced more adoption of innovations than outside leadership from universities, regional centers, or the community. - Inadequate funds were significant as an impeding factor in the adoption process, but fiscal resources were not a main contributing factor. ' Principals viewed student leadership as an important force that contributed to the adoption of innovations. o By his lack of knowledge or preparation or by his resistance, the teacher was a main impeding factor in the adoption process (the teacher seems to be the most and/or the least). 0 Student teaching, intern, or similar programs had contributed to the adoption of innovations. - High rates of teacher attendance at professional meetings or institutes had not contributed to the adoption of innovations [is this a contradiction of other studies relating to this factor?].1“ Schools can be changed from the inside if one works with the dynamics that schools respond to. (l) Innovations must be comprehensible to the leadership of schools, i.e., innovations must be introduced to the administration of the schools as well as teachers. . . . Administrators need to understand the new practice, approve of it, and give it leadership and encouragement. . . . 5 1"James Jay Reynolds, "A Study of Factors Affecting the Adoption of Educational Innovations in Selected Secondary Schools (Ed.D. dissertation, Indiana University, 1970). 15Arthur H. Foshay, Chan e in Schools: An Insider's Look (New York: ERIC Document Repro uction Service, ED 079 217, June 1973). 24 This paper describes how the cooperation of the building administrator encourages change.16 The nature of change processes Operating in selected schools. 0 The school principal is a key factor in the successful implementation and establishment of any change program.17 In the study of the materials related to change in this section, confidence is felt in making the statement that the two sections reported to this point are imperative to a successful change program. Without the elements 1.1 teacher involvement and 2.7 administrative leadership, chances of success in innovation are judged to be minimal. Summary Leadership items in this section suggest that not only the fact that there is leadership from administrators which is important, but the type and quality will have an effect as well. A type of positive and rewarding leadership that provides continuous support from the building principal seems to have provided the most successful approach. Teacher Commitment, Acceptance, and Training_ The next 11 items are factors specifically related to teacher commitment (1.3), acceptance (1.5), training (1.7), and other teacher references taken from the research study. These items were all judged 'as critical in a particular study done. The reader will perhaps 16Holt, Ladd et al., Student Teachigg_as a Facilitator of Change (ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 100 901, 1975). l7Ibid. the pie and uit lnv Slit; to fat on“ it it hicag 25 recognize some areas of contradiction from one study to another for some of these items. This will show most clearly in comparisons of statements by several authors about teacher training and teacher perceptions of self and the findings starting on pages 28 and 29. [Dwight Allen's] goal for a school is to achieve "critical mass," that is, enough school personnel committed to change to make trying our and adopting or discarding changes a way of life. . . . That schools experience failure from being too cautious about change, which frustrates a staff geared for a change, and from expecting successful results from change too soon.18 . . . Consistent critical factors necessary for educational change identified . . . a well trained staff, organized planning . . . staff commitment favorable to change.19 The power to effect change is lodged with administrators and Board members, but teachers, who are charged with ultimate responsibility of implementing innovations, often resist changes. . . .2° In a study of teacher perceptions toward innovations recommendations from the study (1) principals should provide support and dynamic leadership to all persons involved in a projected change. . . . (5) Administrators should screen teacher-candidates carefully in terms of (a) demonstrated qualities of creativity, (b) openness to change, and (c) a student-oriented identification rather than one that is primarily subject-matter oriented.21 ' laDwight W. Allen, Staff Attitudes Toward Educational Change (Chicago, Ill.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 041 873, 1970). 19DalSanto. 2°Hummel and Cox. 21Dohmann. Schoc dyna: than; come and t leaci agent host for ; desc1 ieae Curr ? I this iati Dian The . Clion a Do 26 Schools can be changed from the inside if one works with the dynamics that schools respond to. The generalization about change in the schools are that: . (2) innovations must come from administrators (top down to make it legitimate) and teachers (bottom up to keep it honest). Teachers with appropriate training can be effective change agents with the school system. Most of the references make a point of the specific training for planned3 change that is needed by teachers in the programs described. Innovative districts, when compared with non-innovative districts, were found to . . .(3) employ younger teachers and also more highly prepared teachers. Conclusions . . . (4) Innovative systems employ generally2 younger teachers and also more highly prepared teachers. Teacher attitude is an important factor in implementing curriculum change. This study attempted to isolate factors that inhibit and facilitate the implementation phase of the process of planned organizational change. The report concludes that the extension of theory with respect to the implementation of proposed organizational change must take into account: (1) staff resistance as a potential obstacle. 22Foshay. 23Ruth S. Nickse, How to Chagge the Schools from Inside: Teach- egs as Chan e A ents (ERIC Document Reproduct1oniService, ED 084 224, 1 73). 2"Elvin Finley Peets, "A Comparative Study of Factors Related to Innovation in Selected Public School Districts of Southern Lower Michigan" (Ed.D. dissertation, Western Michigan University, 1970). 25Butts and Raun. 26Neal Gross et al. ,An Attempt to Implement a Major Educational Lnnovation: A Sociological Ingu1ry (Cambridge, Mass. ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 039 178.1970). 27 Training Change Agents in the Public School Context . and that school context is perhaps more important for the teacher than the type of training received. These results seem to indicate that special teacher training programs in themselves are not enough and that resistance to change from other school personnel may be a factor.27 The factor considered by teachers to be of greatest importance in successful implementation of any innovation was provision of adequate training, guidance, time, and resources for the teachers involved. Occasionally teachers' perceptions of events which affected them were at variance with the factual happenings. There appears to be a need for more effective channels of com- munication between administrators and teaching personnel. Teachers perceived themselves as relatively independent, autonomous, professional individuals who enthusiastically welcomed worthwhile innovations, yet they seldom instigated changes and welcomed detailed guidelines to be used in making changes.28 Results indicate that grade level is a relevant contributor to a positive change in the attitude of primary level teachers but not for those at the intermediate level.29 Conclusions of Study . . . (2) School personnel need not be aware of the existence of a body of knowledge concerning change models or strategies to implement a successful change program.3° in the Publig_School Context (Minneapolis, Minn 27Donald E. Edgar and Delbert K. Clear, Training Change Agents Document Reproduction Service, ED 039 178, 1970). 28Billie Marvis Doughty, "Some Facts Affecting Innovation as Identified in Educational Literature and as Perceived by Selected Teachers" (Ed.D. dissertation, University of Alabama, 1966). 29Butts and Raun. 3°Whiting. 28 The above item was reflected in several items of interviews with members of the Edwardsburg staff as noted in Chapter IV of this dissertation. Major Findings Teachers, on the average, had the tendency to accept educational innovations on a moderate basis. This was demonstrated by scores on both Miller's Inventory of Change- Proneness (“a1") and the responses of teachers tos specific innovations. Personal attributes of teachers (background socio- economic status, age, sex, geographical origins, religion, race, marital status, number of children) were not significantly related to the tendency of elementary school teachers to accept educational innovations ("a1"). Characteristics of the school system (number of students, number ofrteachers, number ofischools, type of district) were not significantly related to the tendency of elemen- Eary school teachers to accept educational innovations Ila] II Characteristics of the school (number of teachers, num- Bér of students, size officlass) were not significantly related to the tendency of elementary— school teachers to accept educational innovations ("a1"). Career patterns of teachers (graduate courses in education, length of time teaching, length of time in school district, length of time in school, income, subjects teaching, tenure, grade teaching) were not significantly related to the tendency of elementary school teachers to accept educational innovations ("a1"). Reference group orientation did not significantly interpret the relationships between: Residential Background, Organizational Membership; College Location: Type College; Academic Degree; and the tendency of 3school teachers to accept educational innovations ("a1").3 "What features involved in the introduction to the innovation, the training for it, and implementation of it, could have affected the staff's responses?" Thirteen hypotheses resulted 31Marvin Marshall Beckerman, "The Relationship Between Selected Characteristics of Teachers and Attitudes Toward Educational Innova- tions" (Ph.D. dissertation, Syracuse University, 1971). from it unstro couple hiie h were: H- innova that i will b H- anothe feel i H- ahiy i do not H- or DEr ihhrob the in H- teathe EXpect H- Person that b 29 from my thoughts about this question. Data were drawn from unstructured and structured observations, interviews, sentence completion questionnaires, memos, and formal school documents. Nine hypotheses received some support from these data. They were: H-2: The staff is unclear about the purpose of the innovation and is hesitant about taking steps to implement that innovation until it knows by what criteria its efforts will be evaluated. H-5: If staff members feel coerced by the principal or another staff member to undertake an innovation, they will feel low commitment to that decision. H-6: Staff members feel threatened and respond unfavor- ably if the steering committee members are not trusted and do not represent the teachers' interests and concerns. H-7: If the steering committee is not adequately trained, or perceives itself to be inadequately trained, it is improbable that it will be able to help the staff implement the innovation. H-8: If the principal changes his role as a supervisor, teachers become confused about what kind of behavior he expects from them. H-9: Teachers are reluctant to change their inter- personal and group behavior if they do not understand how that behavior change will benefit them. H-lO: If the follow-up training is inadequate, the steering committee will probably be unable to give the staff the kind of help they need to implement the innovation. H-ll: If teachers are forced to implement an innovation by taking time away from tasks they feel are crucial to doing a good job of teaching, they will respond unfavorably to the innovation. H-13: If information about the progress of the innovation in other schools is pessimistic, this information will be discouraging to those who are expected to implement the innovation in their own school. Four hypotheses did not receive support. They were: H-l: Classroom teachers are suspicious of university- sponsored programs. H-3: If teachers involved in an innovation perceive themselves as receiving fewer resources for implementing the innovation than other schools involved in the same project, the feeling of relative deprivation has a dis- couraging effect on their response to the innovation. H-4: Teachers are hesitant about committing themselves to an innovation if they are not sure whether those who reward or punish them (central office) for their job performance are also committed. 30 H-12: When too many minor changes and special programs are going on, teachers will not have the energy or the desire to implement a major change. In conclusion, the data in relation to the nine supported hypotheses and my analysis of the overall situation lead me to conclude two central points. First, Allen School was not ready for this innovation for the following reasons: (1) the innovation was not solving a problem for the staff. (2) The sense of interdependence among staff members was minimal. (3) The school did not have its own goals clarified, therefore, the goals of the innovation were not seen as helping the staff reach its own goals. Second, CASEA consultants' behavior was not consistent with our own theory of 00, as follows: (1) We did not involve the school in diagnosing its own ills. (2) We did not train a true subsystem. (3) Our training was directed at changing the norms of the steering committee rather than changing norms of the entire Allen School organization. (4) We expected the steering committee to train their peersh (5) We did not make it safe for the staff to change. Summary As one reads through the quotations in this section, he/she may become aware of the complexity of the change process. There are several references to teacher training and teacher attitude. The research does not explain what it means by "well trained" or "more highly prepared teachers," however, one might suspect that if this training or preparation is done in relation to changes that this would bring about a degree of commitment to the changes on the part of the teacher. 32William Maurice Starling, "An Unsuccessful Attempt to Implement an Educational Innovation: A Case Study" (Ed.D. dissertation, University of Oregon, 1973). ll of "other heaters" problem 0 [Wither 1.11589 of S'Jaerl‘r‘t The area in this 31 There is clear reference made in this section to the notion of "other staff members' resistance, good communication to other staff members" about the change, and "a need for the change" to solve a problem of the school. These items speak of individual or group commitment and/or acceptance. Administrators Factors related primarily to administrators are primarily those of building principals with some reference made toward the superintendent. The items of reference to the Superintendent of Schools seem to deal mostly on personality characteristics, image, and size of district. The area of size of district and cost per student may be found later in this chapter but seem to play a part in the superintendent role. The factors listed under the 2.0 section do indicate that the principal is the key administrator to change process. The principal by support and encouragement or lack thereof will determine the success of even the attempt to institute an innovation. The next few items make up the remaining specific items describing administrative involvement (2.2), commitment and support (2.3), organizational structure (2.6), and other administrative references. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality characteristics of school superintendents and their willingness to accept innovation in education. Within the total group of superintendents, a significant multiple correlation was found between personality and willingness to accept change. The contributions of 32 significance were made by six personality factors: (C) emotionally less stable to emotionally stable, (F) sober to happy-go-lucky, (H) shy to venturesome, (I) tough-minded to tender-minded, (L) trusting to suspicious, and (Q4) relaxed to tense. Examination of the personality characteristics of superintendents who scored at a high level (150) and those who scored at a low level (minus 150) on the innovation scales revealed that these superintendents differed sig- nificantly on 6 of the 16 personality factors: (A) reserved to outgoing, (E) humble to assertive, (H) shy to venturesome, (M) practical to imaginative, (Q) conservative to experimenting, and (Q4) relaxed to tense.33 Study of comparative factors of school innovation. Differences in innovative districts and non-innovative districts: . . . (2) greater superintendent status appears to be associated with the existence of the criterion programs, (3) more open-minded administrators appear to be associated with high status superintendents and a higher degree of district innovativeness.3“ Elementary teachers and administrators are markedly change- oriented, with administrators more so than teachers, and upper grade teachers than primary teachers. (Other factors are well done in this study but don't seem appropriate to other studies used.)35 . . Resistance of supervision to change is seen as related to . . . (c) The bureaucratic nature of school administration, which is geared almost exclusively to maintenance, not change.36 33Clifford Jex Lawrence, "Personality Characteristics of School Superintendents Who Implement Innovation in Public Schools" (Ed.D. dissertation, Utah State University, 1968). 3“Peets. 35Robert Warren Effler, "Teachers' and Administrators' Disposi- tions to Support, and Beliefs Regarding, Innovations and Change" (Ed.D. dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 1971). 3"‘Ben M. Harris, Strategies for Instructional Change--Promising Igeas and‘PerplexinggProblems (Washington, D.C. ASCD Publication, ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 013 799, 1966). LC) 0: —.a.ln 33 Some factors that prevent teachers from changing schools are identified. . . . Teacher fear of reprisal from administrators and colleagues, and lack of administrative support for teacher generated innovation.37 Check two parts from this study quoted in teacher section-- the importance of the administrative support and encourage— ment is suggested but not specifically referred to.38 Administrators and teachers tend to view educational improvement as a process of modification rather than of radical change. Supplementary financial support is not as essential to the longevity of innovation as is teacher enthusiasm and administrative commitment.39 The above statement cannot be overemphasized. The importance of follow-up to assist in continued teacher enthusiasm is essential to any program's continued success. Proposed innovations should be developed in detail before they are presented. Included should be a time-line, a clear pattern of innovational structure, specific goals and objec- tives, realistic schemes for accomplishment, and explicit methods of evaluation."0 The lack of both pre-planning for change and strong commu- nication links between school administrators and staff may result in the uneven diffusion of change programs within a school. This study of change processes in the public schools . . . (1) the administrator does make a difference . . . (4) there 37Nickse. 38Doughty. 39Hardenbrook. “olbid. “lWhiting. is a di advocat Crucial in pers the org regard] innovat Identif distric frequen The DOW initiati til by general. The Traj lie best Slana] E D'actiti p \ Pers tent. ”fire to atCEpt Ch it, "‘m°r€ 0o 34 is a distinction between the administrator acting as the advocate of change and acting as a mediator.“2 Crucial Elements of Change Strategies: . . . (9) A change in personnel usually near the top of the hierarchy of the organization is associated with innovation projects, regardless of their success, and regardless of their innovation content.“3 Identification of Processes of Innovation . . . The district curriculum specialist is the individual most frequently instrumental in initiating innovative change. The power and influence of curriculum specialists as initiators of innovative change has been underestimated both by the current literature and by the profession in general.““ The Trainer Change-Agent Role Within a School System . . . The best possible sources of change agents would be profes- sional educators, psychologists or social psychologists, or practitioners of personnel training."S Summary Personality is an important characteristic for the superin- dent. There is some suggestion that the superintendent's willingness to accept change can be a significant factor as well as the discovery that more open-minded administrators with high status superintendents will be more likely to provide a change atmosphere. “zDonald E. Tope et al., Seminar on Change Processes in the Public Schggls (Eugene: Oregon UniVersity. ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 012 385, February 1965). “3Harry L. Grabarz, "Crucial Elements of Change Strategies in Educational Innovation Projects" (Ph.D. dissertation, Yeshive University, 1972). ““Hardenbrook. “SCharles C. Jung, The Trainer Change-Agent Role Within a School System (Washington, D.C.: National Training Labs. ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 012 514, 1967). 35 The resistance of supervision to change and teachers' fear of reprisal from administrators along with lack of administrative support for teacher generated innovation are given as reasons for failure of change in schools. Board of Education Items in the role of the Board of Education (3.0) may be questioned by the reader as factors related specifically to the role of the Board. Our purpose for selecting these items and placing them in this category is to demonstrate that the Board may play a role in change by the selection of administrators and by the policies they adopt. These next nine items are the items selected for section 3.0; the most frequent factors are in acceptance (3.5). Inhibiting factors . . . (5) The compatibility of organizational conditions with the innovation."6 Factors related to innovation . . . [Conclusions] . . . (5) A generally high level of goal agreement exists among teachers, administrators, and board members of all districts studied; however, slightly greater administrator-board member agreement appears to be associated with a higher degree of innovativeness."7 Educational Change and the Role of Media . . . School systems differ greatly in capacity and willingness to adopt new practices in education. Measurable and objective I""Gross et al. “7Peets. 36 factors which seem to account for these differences are wealth, size, occupation and educational achievement level."8 Efforts at introducing innovations in the public schools are hampered by the organizational structure of the schools and the attitudes of some school personnel toward change. The power to effect change is lodged with administrators and board members. . . . 9 A significant relationship was found to exist between the size of the district and the degree of innovativeness of the superintendent; in the large district, the superintendent was more apt to be innovative. No association was found between age and degree of innova- tiveness, nor between the number of years a superintendent remained in a position and degree of innovativeness.5° Consultants in change agent roles frequently overlook the importance of adequate descriptive data on the target systems they seek to influence. The state of the organization's health may operate to nullify the best planned intervention efforts.s . . The degree of the change's success or failure depends to a large extent on the political environment existing within the school and the school district.52 How teachers perceived specific innovations. . . . The authors suggested that the expertise in the teaching profession is determined within the school organization l"’Truman M. Pierce, Educationalghange and the Role of Media (Auburn, Ala.: Auburn University. ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 14.16, November 1963). l"’Hummell and Cox. s°Lawrence. 51Robert B. Brumbaugh and Henry J. Christ, Organizational Climate and Attitudes Toward Educational Change: A Case Study (Kutztown, Pa.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 071 159, June71972). 52Kimball L. Howes, Pathways and Pitfalls in Introducing Change (Las)Vegas, Nev.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 101 462, 1975 . 37 rather than by the individual teacher. In this connection, it was observed that the teacher does not perceive his or her role as someone who should or can make decisions about educational innovations. Findings showed that most teachers see acceptance of a specific change as something contingent chiefly upon the relevant policies of their administration.53 Conclusions The Total school budget and enrollment size were those variables potentially most influential upon innovation adaption in the schools tested. The potential importance of other apparent variables such as faculty size and highest base salary was lessened by their dependence on total school budget and enrollment size. Finding; (The attitude of the school board members surveyed appeared to have no significant relationship to innovation adoption in the schools tested. The social and economic characteristics of the school board members surveyed appeared to have no significant relationship to innovation adoption in the schools tested. The size of the pupil enrollment appeared to have a significant relationship to innovation adoption in the schools tested. The size of the total school budget appeared to have a significant relationship to innovation adoption in the schools tested. The size of the faculty appeared to have a significant relationship to innovation adoption in the schools tested. The highest base teaching salary offered appeared to have a significant relationship to innovation adoption in the schools tested.5“ 53David Gottlieb and Wilbur B. Brookover, Social Factors in the Adoption of New Teaching-LearningTechniques in the Elementary School (East Lansing: Michigan State University, ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 011 958, May 1966). 5"Alan Lemuel MacCracken, Jr. "An Exploration of the Relationships of Selected Variables Upon Curriculum Innovation in the Public Secondary Schools of Medina, Summit and Portage Counties, Ohio" (Ph.D. dissertation, The University of Akron, 1973 38 This paper argues that an organizational approach to educational innovation is likely to be more successful than an individualistic approach.ss Summary As found in this section acceptance by the Board of Education is viewed as necessary to a high degree. Another factor may be the expectations of the Board for the school system, for the teachers, and the administrators. Community There was very little to be found relating to factors involving the community in the change process in public schools. Few educators would question the need for community acceptance for program success; however, there were few references made to these events. Factors Related to Innovation . . . [Conclusions] There appear to be differences in the characteristics of innovative and non-innovative public school districts: (1) Innovative district residents exhibited a willingness to support the criterion program and the concomitant high level of financial expenditures.56 Teachers' Perception Toward Innovation and Change . . . [Findings] (8) Prevailing community views exert a powerful influence upon the curriculum.57 55Terrence E. Deal and Victor J. Baldridge, An Organizational View of Egucational Innovation, Research and Development MemorandUm No. 126 (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford Universit , ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 097 757, October 1974 . 56Peets. 57Dohmann. 39 Change Within a Selected Junior High School . . . New goals for this particular school focused on the individual, and program agents were char ed with helping each student (1) become his own agent, (2) become personally involved in his learning, (3) develop confidence in himself and others, and (4) find true satisfaction in learning.58 Students There is very little data about student acceptance or student involvement. This would appear as a good dissertation study to be undertaken. It is believed that studies taken deeper into the reason for success would reflect more consideration for student acceptance of program innovation in final evaluations. "How a student feels about what he is to learn has a tremendous impact upon how much effort he will put forth."59 Outside Resources and Influences Some factors do not lend themselves to the categories previously used in this chapter and will be included under a listing of general (6.0). This does not minimize the importance of the materials, in fact, this section may prove to be necessary to any innovation plan because of the variety of the items. 58Larry J. Reynolds and Fred VanNoy, A Description of Educational Change Within a Selected Junior High School, a working paper (Eugene, Ore.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 057 444, 1970). 59Dohmann. 40 This section includes the use of outside resource people and other elements of change strategies that add the element of legitimacy to some innovations. Strategies for Change in Rural Communities . . . It is suggested that strategy for changing rural education should rely heavily on logic, reason, persuasion, showing, helping, involving, appeal to values and training, to the relative exclusion of telling, force, compulsion, intervention, and deprivation.60 . . . (10) Adequate pre-planning is essential for success- ful change. The more specific the planning in terms of defining tasks, delineating roles, and establishin time- lines for the completion of tasks the better. (11 Changes that affect the entire school tend to be more permanent than piecemeal changes which fail to attract the attention and support of the school staff in the absence of an adequate school-wide communications system. (12) Successful change depends upon a definite commitment from the majority of the school staff to implement the change program. Ideally, the commitment to act is preceded by a commitment to plan for change. Initiators and planners of change should differ- entiate between the two kinds of commitment if change efforts are to be successful.61 Crucial Elements of Change Strategies Conclusions . The use of outside resources in the change program is a critical element, one that discriminates consistently between the successful and unsuccessful cases. . To disseminate accounts of the methods and/or results of the change program to other systems, to recognize a need for change by the client system, and to establish a relationship with outside groups to the client system are important to the change process. 0 There exists an association between the use of outside resources in the change program in different stages of the change process and the success of the case. 6°George R. Bandy, Strategies for Change in Rural Communities (Denver, Colo.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, E07029 726, March 1969). 61Whiting. 41 0 A crisis situation more often than not precedes the beginning of an innovation project.62 Organization Climate . . . Consultants in change agent roles frequently overlook the importance of adequate descriptive data on the target systems they seek to influence.63 Change in Schools . . . Schools can be changed from inside if one works with the dynamics that schools respond to. . . Generalizations . . . (3) The strategy for introducing an innovation has to be consistent with the local reward system; and (4) Innovation must be locally verifiable and modifiable at the classroom level.5“ A Team Designed for School System Changing . . . A model, developed by Professor Goodson and his staff, deals with the design of a change—agent team and the work that such a team might perform. The model requires four functions to be performed. Diagnosing problems, planning action, transforming strategy into action, and evaluating action results.65 Implement a Major Educational Innovation . . . The Report concludes that the extension of theory with respect to the implementation of proposed organizational changes must take into account (1) staff resistance as a potential obstacle, (2) the clarity of an innovation, (3) members' capability to perform it, (4) the existence of necessary materials and resources, and (5) the compatibility of organizational conditions with the innovation. 62Grabars. 63Brumbaugh and Christ. ‘“Foshay. 65Max R. Goodson and Richard Hammes, A Team Designed for School System Changipg_(Madison, Wis.: Wisconsin University, ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 023 162, February 1968). 66Gross et a1. FKes 42 Some factors affecting innovation . . . (l) Forces outside a school system exert noticeable influence on educational innovation. More changes appear in areas such as mathe- matics, science, and foreign languages. (Is this because of Federal money and national concerns and are the other local problems to be considered?)67 R a D [A Study of Educational Change in Illinois] . . . Consistent critical factors necessary for educational change identified: adequate financial support, a well- trained staff, organized planning, an understanding of human relations, staff commitment favorable to change, adequate physical facilities, an administrative staff which encourages change and staff participation in innovation, awareness of community needs, a planned communication network for disseminating information, a supportive public opinion, and the use of evaluative techniques for continuous program evaluation. 5° The findings indicated that the pace and direction of change were greatly affected by the launching of the Soviet Sputnik. Factors inside and outside the educational system which affect change are identified as educational research, school personnel, recommendations and committees, pro- fessional and extra- legal agencies and organizations, the federal government, the courts, and society. 7° Summary Federal programs perhaps account for the largest influence and factors such as the launching of the Soviet Sputnik and national trends will be found to effect change in schools and schooling. 67Doughty. 68DalSanto. 69Henry M. Brickell, Organizing New York State for Educational Change (Albany, N. Y: University of the State of New York, ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 27 14, December 1961). 70Donald E. Orlosky and B. Othanel Smith, A Study_of Educational Change (ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 061'166, September 1971). 43 Summary The purpose for using the method of researching found in this chapter was to find factors already shown to be important to change and report them in relation to their similarity to the elements to be found in Chapter III of this dissertation. This method produced a large number of articles and because of the complexity of the actual review of literature, a scale was designed to assist in the separation of factors and elements of change; this is shown as Figure 1, page 12. The review of literature for this chapter has shown that teacher involvement in planning, implementation and their acceptance are perhaps the most significant items. Teacher training for the change would also be noted as important. The administrator role is considered to be significant as well. The author believes that the administrator's leadership is shown to be necessary, but also their style of involvement with teachers was emphasized as was their support and encouragement of the teachers efforts. These factors were reported from several studies. A summary statement that is found in this chapter is that resistance of supervision to change is seen as related to the bureaucratic nature of school administration which is geared almost exclusively to maintenance, not change. There was a noticeable lack of research studies for the role of citizen involvement and a similar lack of items related to the student's role in change. CHAPTER III THE EDWARDSBURG MODEL Introduction In the summer of 1970 the Edwardsburg Board of Education hired a new superintendent of schools. In the process of describing the schools and the community, the Board made it known to the new super- intendent that they expected leadership for improvement of services to the school community. Edwardsburg Public Schools are located in the small village of Edwardsburg, located on the Indiana border in southwestern Michigan. The urban influence comes mostly from South Bend and Elkhart, Indiana and Niles, Michigan. The school district is primarily a bedroom com- munity with little business or industry in the area. The major reason, other than rural small town, that tended to draw population to the area is the number of fine lakes located there. In 1970 the school system completed an extensive building program that remodeled or added rooms to each building in the system and built one completely new Junior High School for seventh and eighth grade students. This was an important consideration because for the few years before 1970, the secondary students were on a split schedule in order to have students from grades 7 to 12 use the same facilities. 44 45 The school population in 1970 and for the next few years was about 2,200 students. There were 1,000 in secondary grades and about 1,200 elementary students. The stage was set and change was the obvious expectation of the community, the Board of Education, the staff, etc. The new super- intendent began to look for the programs that must have been in the minds of the people who had planned the building program, but none were forthcoming. As early as the job interview with the prospective new superintendent candidate, the Board of Education began to show its expectation of new programs and curriculum expansion. It is the opinion of this author that the interview questions and the early acceptance of ideas and notions of the superintendent and his staff set the stage for the commitment of the Board. Some of the questions and answers were mentioned to show how the idea being sug- gested related to previous concern which had been raised. Evaluation and internalization of the questions and concerns were translated into the program or procedure suggestions found in this chapter. Part I. The Need for a Plan The Board had recognized the need for written policy in which direction would be given to the administration of the schools. The Board knew of the need, expressed this need, and the need was met with a plan for a policy (below); therein the seed of the model of planned change. The time and resources of the superintendent began working 46 knowing that commitment for the work was already a given fact in the form of the Board-identified need. This provided added incentive to the work of the individual. It would have been difficult to know exactly where each idea came from in the initial items; however, the job expectancies dictated the superintendent to initiate policy ideas for the majority of policy statements. In keeping with the concept of commitment, the Board was asked to approve a simple procedure for the adoption of policies, a commitment to give support to a plan of development. In a memorandum from the superintendent to the Board of Education, a procedure was outlined, as shown in Figure 3. Another example of change requested by the Board, or at least accepted by them, was the high school's plan to receive accreditation of the North Central Association of High Schools and Colleges. There were several questions raised about cost of accreditation and time used by administrators and staff, but the commitment was to the internal self study by the staff in which they would take a close look at how the staff was living up to their policy claim. Accreditation was granted in 1972 after the normal visitation and follow-up reports. These reports suggested certain changes. The result was a self-imposed quality and standard of education expected in the high school. This then gave additional direction to the staff and administration. North Central accreditation requires development of a school system philosophy which was among the first of the new policies considered. As one can recognize, an adopted philosophy also provides a good foundation and further commitment. 47 October 23, 1970 Policy Development for the Edwardsburg Public School In the development of policy I suggest the following as a procedure: 1. I will suggest areas for policies. I will suggest wording for the policy. These will be based on t0pics I think would be helpful to the operation and growth of the school district. 2. The suggested policies will be presented to the Board and Administrative Team for comments and changes before the second meeting of each month. Discussion of suggestions will be held during second meeting of each month. 3. Items for which I have not suggested policies should be suggested by Board members and administrators in any form they wish at any time they think of them. 4. After discussion, the policy will be presented in its final form for adoption in a regular or special Board meeting. 5. Administrative rules will be written to describe how each policy will be used. These will be presented for approval by the Board in regular or special meetings. 6. Any policy should be amended or changed as the need arises. 7. New policy suggestions should be made at any time it is needed by any Board member or administrator who is aware of the need. 8. Discussion of suggested policy should be in open meetings wherever possible. A method of public feedback may be suggested before final adoption. Figure 3. Policy Memorandum from Superintendent to the Edwardsburg Board of Education. that we niiicar 0f the and con now? H "9 Slade CHOCESSI was the 1” Figur aDDFO‘Jed 0f ACIioi 1 1133 far in Beard wit rewarding toward net 48 The above goals should be viewed as the key to the procedure that was to develop. Though it was a simple start, it became very sig- nificant in that the development was a commitment toward encouragement of the procedure. The procedure was planned change with involvement and commitment. The general plan was quite simple: What are we doing now? Where would we like to be? How do we get there? How will we know we made it? What do we do after we get where we think we wanted to go? Therefore, policy development became the first step in our process, and with it, Board commitment to the project. The next step was the adoption of a philosophy for the system, which follows in total in Figure 4. The Board recognized that when programs are written and approved, they could expect results with those ideas. When this kind of action was taken, it gave the people a notion of what support to expect and what the evaluation would be based upon. The significant part of operating in this manner was that there was far more discussion of theory and educational philosophy by the Board with their administrators and teachers than had taken place previously by members of the Board of Education. This proved to be rewarding to them, and thus stimulated and directed more encouragement toward new program development. Other early policies gave guidelines to the use of citizen groups in an advisory capacity. Involvement activities were intention- ally started to engage members of the staff and community in program development. It also encouraged the Board to discuss their personal ideas of what schools are all about. This allowed for input from citizens who talked with Board members about problems or concerns. in- tea, 2‘ ;. if. irtgrtwsg solemn ' TI ‘ t .- «a ‘.j if _’ :gzien~n3 :1- : . , - 3 .wc erg ; Q 1‘ ‘ o u . “Lire, '_ ._. . , JE‘ v P. » ‘,. ._ <1. ‘ 1323 I, V- , 1 _vr~c .: : ‘. ’1’ f ’iJ'§71::1r_ , . ' 53,". L-.‘:". 11 C141“. . _ . "I ‘ ft! < “I... . - we: 'G'ar'-.I he SC’: ‘ .1...» r. .n. - ._’ at“. if: (y 15 49$ 37- 49 PREAMBLE Any body of people who are responsible for the continuing functioning of an enterprise. eSpecially an enterprise which affects human behavior, needs the guiding influence of a clearly stated philosophy. Not only does the statement of philOSOphy need to be clear, it needs to have a quality which makes it readily acceptable. A governing group such as a Board of Education, which is constantly confronted with a variety of problems, and whose membership is subject to frequent change, must be able to look to the statement of philosophy when guiding policies do not exist. For those reasons, it is important that the statement of philosophy exhibit sound, recognizable, and easily interpreted statements which bear some real relationship to the local situation, and embrace as well the moral and ethical precepts which apply to all groups and communities. Keeping these points in view, the following statement of philosophy is adopted for the Edwardsburg Public Schools. STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY The Edwardsburg Public Schools shall provide the best and most comprehensive education possible for each student within the limits of resources of the district. The right of any student who is a qualified resident of the district to attend the Edwardsburg Public Schools shall be guaranteed without reservation and in keeping with school laws and policies. All students shall enjoy the privilege of admittance to any program apprOpriate to their interests and abilities. Edwardsburg Public Schools shall provide each student with a foundation upon which may be built a responsible, ethical, and moral citizen, able to provide for himself and to make decisions concerning his own and his country's future. The school shall share with the parents the responsibility for the development of appropriate moral, ethical, and social values in the students as well as the responsibility for developing aesthetic values and appreciation. The school shall share with the community the responsibility for developing and executing programs of mutual benefit which go beyond curricular considerations. In order to provide for an adequate school experience, the Board of Education shall recommend the construction of needed buildings, develop appropriate programs and provide a staff of carefully selected, well qualified people. Buildings, programs, and staff shall be continually evaluated with all subject to change. augmentation or discontinuation as indicated by current needs. As it becomes apparent that additional local resources are needed to support an adequate level of education, a method of increasing resources or of using the resources of other agencies will be recommended to the community. In order to implement the objectives set forth above, the Board of Education shall develop clear policies for the guidance of administrators, teachers. future Boards of Education and citizens. These policies shall be evaluated periodically and changed when necessary. The Board of Education stands between the school and the community as an important bridge for information and understanding. In this position the Board has a knowledge of the community not possessed by the school staff. It has also the technical knowledge of school affairs provided by the school staff which the community does not have. The information and understanding traveling between community and school through the good offices of the Board of Education can result in real progress toward goals defined in this statement of philosophy. The vigor with which the Board of Education pursues, defends, changes or amends practices will determine the extent to which the school philosophy is realized. Policy Adopted 11/10/70 Figure 4. The PhilOSOphy of the Edwardsburg Public Schools. Many ' or tea 50 Many times the concept started as a thought raised by an administrator or teacher and brought to the Board for their endorsement. Some ideas developed from readings given to the Board members by both administrators and Board member suggestions. Two books that were purchased and given to all Board members were Gardner's Excellence: Can We Be Equal and Excellent T00? and Neingartner's School Book. As mentioned above, however, Board members gave leadership to the accept- ability of the concept of planned change. This developed the position that the Board would accept the responsibility of encouraging what was to be done, and the administrators and teaching staff would determine how it would be done. The further notion of getting materials or providing resources to accomplish the task was accepted by the Board and expected by the staff, even though this was at times taken for granted. In other words, it was expected that when an idea was accepted or adopted, money and/or materials would be made available to proceed with the project. Role Definition and Administrator and Board Relationships During the fall semester of 1971, the Edwardsburg Junior High School attempted some changes. These changes consisted primarily of ways in which teachers looked at and dealt with their students. One of the changes was the development of a "student lounge." This was so badly misunderstood that it created a most difficult situation for the administration and Board of Education and also set the stage for what followed. It might be interesting to note that Grabars' study 51 cited in Chapter 11 stated, "A crisis situation more often than not precedes the beginning of an innovation project." As a result of this situation which became known as "The Junior High Lounge Incident,“1 the system of community involvement became a necessity. The "student lounge" was instituted by an administrator without the involvement of his staff and without informing the Board of his intent to do so. This would not have been important except, because of rumors and assorted bits of mis- information, it became a full-blown controversy. Some community members became angry and demanded its removal. The Board appointed a citizen study committee and the lounge was eventually closed. There were lessons learned and deficiencies in curriculum and teacher commitment uncovered, but the most important item was a big step into the Edwardsburg process-—parent involvement. More evidence of this will be seen in the interviews in Chapter IV. General goal development was the next major step for the Board and administrative team. This prompted the first use of outside persons in working with the administrative team and Board. A workshop was held in October 197l, and the resource people were Dr. Norman Neinheimer, MASB executive secretary, and Dr. Austin Bates, MASA executive secre- tary. A one-day workshop was held at a place outside of the school so that there would be minimum interruptions. The major activity for 1Barbara Dempsey, "School Lounge Set Stage for What Followed," The Elkhart Truth, 14 March 1974, Part 2, p. 3. Ah.- . I v 52 this workshop was role definition for Board and administrators. Time was spent on the working relationship that needed to be developed between each group and within the total of the two groups. As the workshop proceeded, it became evident that communication between individuals and groups was the priority. Neinheimer and Bates kept the communication honest and open and also added their experience to keep the discussion productive. This first workshop had several implications for the changes that would come to the Edwardsburg Schools. Because of the success of the first workshop, there was acceptance for the idea of going away to a neutral place for workshops, involvement of outside resource people as facilitators, and the need for open communication between Board members and administrators. This process then became a model to be used in the deve10pment of the Edwardsburg quest for change. The idea became so well accepted that a workshop with Board members and adminis- trators became an annual event. These workshops were not all alike but took on the design as determined by the task at hand as in the following section, "Involvement and Commitment." There was a time when significant change didn't seem possible. The events of the Junior High Lounge and the resistance by parents and staff seemed to determine that the schools would remain as they had been, with little opportunity of alternatives for the students. It was at this time that the author began a self-study concern- ing change. A paper was written from materials collected. This paper caused the author to look at change in an objective manner and to study 53 the aspect of resistance to it. No significant information was discovered, but it did help to plan for ways that might receive more positive reaction. The paper also provided material from which assump- tions were made to use in the process. One such assumption used was that it is easier to change an individual member of a group than it is to change the group. When a teacher is placed in this assumption and one is chosen who has expressed an idea that can be developed into a change program, there is a good chance change will develop. Involvement and Commitment This brings up two other assumptions of the author: (l) involvement of the people affected by a change process will bring a better chance of success; and (2) involvement and commitment make the risk worth taking. The reader will recall that teacher and admin- istrator involvement as reported in Chapter II was most prevalent. Risk-taking and dealing with conflict are necessary for change and perhaps for the success of change. If unhappiness is viewed as a type of conflict, then it may be said that unless one is unhappy either for oneself or the people they serve, there will appear to be no need for change. One must disagree with part of a present procedure in order to show the need to work for change. If there is no need shown, then one sees no reason to face or risk making the change. Perhaps this can be used as further evidence of the effect a crisis situation has on innovation. It might be said that if one is already in trouble, one might as well take the risk and innovate. These are assumptions 54 used to show the need to involve teachers, administrators, Board members, parents, and students in planning a specific change. In the Edwardsburg model, after policy adoption and some general and primitive goal writing had been adopted, all were ready to face further work in the process. The superintendent adopted the practice of preparing an annual report to the Board of Education called the "State of the Schools." Each reportcontained a section in which, after reviewing the events of the year, the superintendent would outline some goals for the Board and himself for the next year. These would then be reviewed by the Board and frequently become part of the Board's goals for the next year. This then was a commitment of the superin- tendent for the work to be accomplished during the next school year. A precedent was started, and the development of a process of looking ahead to the next year became part of this practice. The first real test of the procedure of involvement was done in a workshop held October 10, 1972. This program was an Opportunity to put into practice the previous ideas and assumptions about involve- ment and commitment. The Board, administrators, teachers, parents, students, and other citizens of the district were involved. This workshop on October 10, 1972 was perhaps the real beginning of meaningful change for the system. The design of the workshop was planned by the superintendent, Board President, and workshop facilitator, Dr. Chester Raber. The use of an outside resource person again was felt necessary to show willing- ness on the part of Board and administrators to accept fresh unbiased views and subject themselves to close scrutiny from informed sources. The plan the part leaders? then was Board me fi V9 pa r: Universi1 Center ir F Each scho members w Lions “U! the Studer flamers ar tOgethEr. Ea Md changES H “tern H' 1C Sihdberg frl 55 The plan to use previous material combined with fresh input by the participants was the design. Dr. Raber worked with the school leadership to plan the program to produce a list of priorities. This then was the primary objective to which each activity was planned. The attendance for the October 10 workshop consisted of seven Board members, eight administrators, five teachers, eight students, five parents, and others, Dean John Sandberg of Western Michigan University, and Dr. Chester Raber of Oaklawn Community Mental Health Center in Elkhart, Indiana. Participants were selected by the groups they represented. Each school in the system selected a staff member. The community members were selected by the social group they belonged to, such as Lions Club, Women's Study Club, etc. The students were selected by the student councils of the High School and Junior High School. Board members and administrators attended this as their annual workshop together. Each participant was given copies of current literature from which they would be able to note some current educational situations and changes. Dr. John Sandberg, Dean of the School of Education at Western Michigan University, was invited to talk with the group about the "Future of Education from the Standpoint of the University." Dr. Sandberg from his position of leadership in Education would generally set the tone for the group. Dr. Sandberg added a further dimension to the workshOp, to lend credibility to the group's efforts for the future of schools and at times to test suggestions and outcomes raised in the discussions. USE each particil PESDONS‘ SUQJEStj l‘OtatiOn DartICi understar SChOO]. they We Fe 56 The primary program idea was then put to the participants by use of Q-sort materials; priorities were arrived at by each individual, each group, and combinations of each group. The use of the Q-sort (Appendix A) materials provided a variety of opportunities for people to get to know each other and know what the other people thought. Dr. Raber planned the time for each group so as to provide opportunity to learn about each other and list the priorities and also to keep the group task-oriented. The importance of an outside resource person to be involved with this kind of workshop cannot be stressed too much. One must know that with eight administrators and five teachers in the group, a person could have been found to handle this function; however, the credibility of the program could then have been questioned. It was our feeling that a person from outside the organization lent a good deal of credibility and openness to the workshop. Following each workshop used in the Edwardsburg model, all participants received a follow-up report. The purpose is to accept responsibility of follow-up work toward the recommendations and suggestions resulting from the workshop. Dr. Raber facilitated the work of the workshop by a planned rotation of people into small groups. As groups worked and changed participants from time to time, people began to deve10p a better understanding of their individual ideas about priorities for the school. As the individual lists were combined into group lists, they were presented to the total group in the form of verbal reports 57 with Dr. Raber using large sheets of newsprint to note the major thoughts. The newsprint sheets were taped on the wall around the room to be reviewed later. This process provided for a good deal of input from many individuals. (The full report of this workshop is found in Appendix B.) Mission Statement The Mission of the school was a result of the work done by the workshOp members. As reported earlier, the school had adopted a philosophy and some might feel that to develop a Mission Statement was the same as rewriting the philosophy, perhaps. However, it is the opinion of this author that a new feeling had been obtained and it needed a new name. It is the author's opinion that sometimes it is necessary to show some changes in this way. The Mission was written several times. Each time it was rewritten, copies were sent to all participants of the October 10 workshop. They were asked to make suggestions or react to the rough draft before it was submitted for Board adoption. This was done until the Mission Statement (see Figure 5) was accepted as an official policy of the Board of Education on December 19, 1972. The Mission Statement is a commitment by the Board of Education and therefore was a directive to the administrators to develop the programs the Mission Statement asked for. The Superintendent prepared a suggested long-range curriculum program from ideas in the Mission Statement, from the Professional Study Committee reports and from current literature about education, called "A Quality Curriculum Program for the Edwardsburg Public Schools." 58 WFT #100] MISSION STATEMENT EDNARDSBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS The Board of Education of the Edwardsburg Public Schools declares that the Edwardsburg Public Schools exist for the purpose of providing the community with: I. Basic skills training 11. Development of independent thinking human beings. The Board recognizes that an effective program for students needs creative leadership and cooperation from the public in formulation of philosophy, policy and major rules for students which will lead to a stimulating learning environment. The Board further recognizes the shared responsibility between the home and the school for the educational process. The right to attend the Edwardsburg Public Schools shall be guaranteed without reservation in keeping with the Michigan State School Law. Equal protection and opportunity shall be the right of all students as provided by the Michigan Law and the United States Constitution. It is the duty of all staff members, both teaching and nonteaching, to encourage the students of the Edwardsburg Public Schools to develop: A desire for learning A positive self-image Self-discipline Attitudes of honesty and tolerance A social awareness and concern for others Creative thinking abilities Aesthetic appreciation Knowledge of the human body The skills needed by citizens to become effective in a democratic society. It is the duty of the school administration to plan and develop comprehensive programs in educational and recreational activities for the communities of the Edwardsburg Public Schools. Policy Adopted 12/19/72 Figure 5. Mission Statement of the Edwardsburg Public Schools. items the E subri repor the E San“ 59 It seems important to point out that even though the specific items, such as the Mission Statement and the Quality Curriculum, of the Edwardsburg model are reported in this dissertation, they are not submitted as exemplary examples of documents of their type. They are reported only as part of the process and to demonstrate their use in the Edwardsburg Schools. The Quality Curriculum A Quality Curriculum for the Edwardsburg Public Schools was intended as a very general statement of direction. It was formally adopted by Board resolution. This was strange because public Boards of Education do not generally adopt this sort of an idea, and also because there are several ideas about the development of students and programs that then become part of the policy and philosophy of the school and thus they make further commitment to these concepts. The Quality Curriculum was written for the Board and perhaps more truthfully for the author to establish the direction in which the school would go. Also, it was to reflect the studies coming from the teachers through their Professional Study Committee. For several years the teachers' study groups had researched, written proposals, and made recommendations to the administration and Board of Education; some ideas were used and some were not. These programs and recommenda- tions were in no organized fashion and were without a general plan in which to be implemented. The Quality Curriculum program provided the organization needed to implement these suggested programs. oat‘. l972 was Qual the the ' tede‘ FOr of The am New 93:05 30a: mater 60 Some of the general ideas of the studies seemed to suggest a pattern that when held up to the goals and priorities of the October l972 workshop and the Mission Statement began to fit into place. It was with these in mind that the Quality Curriculum was developed. This Quality Curriculum is reported in full (in blocked format) on this and the following six pages only for the purpose of presenting another of the tools which developed and was used as a guide in the Edwardsburg model. — J A QUALITY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR THE EDWARDSBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS Edwardsburg, Michigan Richard Fitzgerald, Superintendent For the past two years we have been working with the expressed desire of the Board of Education for a total curriculum for Edwardsburg. The planning by the Board, the changes introduced in curriculum and administrative theory, the establishment of policy and mission state- ments, the curriculum committees of teachers and administrators have all contributed to this Quality Education Program. The following paper is the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools to the Board of Education toward that end. You will find this paper a brief outline with much more detail to follow. We would assume that this program could take the form of a policy. The following is intended to outline a total program and it must be understood that there is little detail as to "how" or "how much." This concept, if adopted by the Board, could serve as a guide for specific curriculum and program improvement as time, money and facilities become available. Changes will be made as we progress because of the results of early efforts in the programs and with other changes that will occur in our society. The important idea at this time is establishing the direction in which we plan to go; specific program development will follow. The program we plan for our schools will be for young people who have never known a world without war, civil violence, space explora- tion, pollution of our environment, and the greatest abundance of material things ever. We are now engaged in the most complicated h L - 61 period in man's history and as in the past, it will continue to become more complicated. The minds that must deal with the tremen- dous problems of this society are in our schools today. The complex- ity of these problems is more than shooting at a moving target; it is as complex as planning a trip to another planet. To add to our prob- lem is the fact that we have not determined where it is we are headed. This paper is to lead us to that decision. Therefore, we need a comprehensive plan to provide opportunities to learn to change and to grow. Our students must face the problems and challenges of the world as yet unknown to us. They must also make use of the technology and new information that men are acquiring every day. To profit from the above knowledge and to solve the huge problems we need creative, motivated young men and women who have the desire and skills to meet the challenge. Generally speaking, students are not working to their potential. This is neither their fault nor by any means unique to Edwardsburg. The challenge to students is not as it should be. It is our job to provide the opportunities which lead to self motivation of students. A total curriculum enrichment is needed. We in Edwardsburg have made significant improvements in the past few years; now a total commit- ment is desired. These past improvements have been basic to needs of a school. These include at present sufficient buildings and classrooms for our student population; we have a fully qualified teaching staff of fine teachers and administrators; the general program of basic skills teaching is sound and is showing steady improvement; the secondary schools are showing growth in offerings toward vocational skills and the community is supporting our efforts to make improvements. The commitment to a quality comprehensive curriculum must come first. Then with this general mission we can become more specific with programs and costs. The commitment should include the desire to be the best school in every respect. This can motivate us to eval- uate and improve and be accountable. The program that follows shall include this as a basic assumption. We will strive for excellence in every program we undertake. Teachers and administrators will know from the commitment of the Board of Education that we expect to be leaders in educational opportunity for our students. The purpose of schools in the most general terms is to prepare students to enter into society as happy, well adjusted, skilled individuals prepared to contribute to the "good life." A certain level of performance in basic skills shall be expected of all people 62 l) and an understanding of the world of work and how to contribute to the total society will be emphasized. The following recommendations are based on the assumption that we want the best program for our students as noted above. It should also be noted that we feel on the basis of research that a program of this nature will reduce problems of discipline and apathy and create better relations with the students, community and faculty. Maslow's theory of human motivation lists five basic needs: (1) Physiological welfare; (2) Safety; (3) Love; (4) Esteem; and (5) Self-actualization. As each need is met the next need has first priority. Students must be given the chance to progress to the level of self-actualization, where the majority of creative and cognitive (skills) learning takes place. To accomplish the above, one must face some heretofore unstated facts or conditions. 1. Learning takes place in each individual in different ways. Most important, learning takes place at different times. Learning might be described as an organizational process of experiences. Much of the time a child is attending school he is being taught at. This process has been accepted gener- ally by people, because it has been "good enough." In Edwards- burg usually the basic skills are developed in a satisfactory manner. However, we do very little with learning disabilities (LD) of a large number of our students. In-service programs with teachers and parents for early identification of LD will be provided. Children with Learning Difficulties are children with normal or higher 105 that have problems with the learning process and who need special help. Some children with learning disabilities or traumatic experiences may be left behind or may be behind from the beginning. They may feel or be made to feel that they are poor students unable to learn. Except for a very few (about 3%) all students can develop skills to learn. Some- times what students find interesting and worth their time does not fit neatly into the lesson plan or into the family expecta- tion of the child. Recognition of this problem is important. Frequently this is not understood by parents and sometimes not by teachers. This is where we feel an individualized learning plan for each child will prove to serve best. We need to identify the skills we expect students to be able to perform at the completion of public school education and be sure that we have made every effort to help students reach this level. This will be done by research and study by our staff and out- side help. The actual task of teaching the identified skills could perhaps be accomplished in two years of accumulated time (360 six-hour days). . . . We are not naive enough to think we can pick two years out of a student's life and plug in a program 63 l to accomplish this goal. This would take a very sophisticated program of counseling, perhaps prescriptive teaching to develop individualized instruction and a good deal of excellent teach- ing and Tearning by students, teachers and parents. The "two- year" concept we refer to is our own arbitrary statement. We feel it could be substantiated by some of the ideas given earlier in this paper. If we use the learning theory, the Maslow theory of needs (#1, page 19) and our own experience of learning as it relates to motivation and readiness we are confident of its existence. There is no substitute for readi- ness to learn. Other evidence will come from research on motivation. - The next question must be, what have we been doing with the other ll years of a normal K-lZ program? We feel it is obvious that we are repeating work with students. We do this, I guess, hoping we hit a student's receptive mind at one of the times the material is covered. We are also playing games using the school to hold the kids in line while they are growing up, which often becomes a problem of discipline. The teaching games are frequently stagnate to talented students and a waste of time to many others. We might ask ourselves, who does the school teach to? We believe that schools are designed for groups of students and should be designed for individuals. We need a more comprehensive and challenging program to meet needs of all individual kids, not the "average" student. Ask any parent and you will not find an average child. People are complex and different, each from the other. Many students follow the adult expectations for their confinement in school. Some students like the control and planning of their lives done by the school because it provides security. And, of course, most of the students in schools today accept "school" because this is their best opportunity to be with their friends. Being with friends should not be misunderstood--it is most important. For a large majority of students, the above conditions are sufficient for them to endure the system. This is primarily a secondary school prob- lem. In secondary schools for the most part the challenge of learning basic skills is gone; new challenges now become important. There is a minority of students who find the system totally unacceptable. These students are becoming more demanding for meaningful programs, or drop out of school as soon as permitted. There are too many who "drop out“ or "op out" because of our inappropriate system. We don't believe that this is in any way related to their academic promise or IQ. Much of our time and effort is used on this group to help them to adjust and achieve success within a system they dislike. This situation Base 64 may be caused by poor and/or unhappy early learning problems; whatever the problem is, it is our responsibility to be responsive to their needs. . The system of public schools has not made use of studies by educational, sociological and psychological research. Tradi- tion has been more responsible for our curriculum than research. The common language we hear is "it was good enough for me, I turned out all right." The school must help with the need to understand change and deal with the problem of fear connected with the change atmosphere. Involvement of parents, teachers and students will be most important in this process. We teach; we teach whether learning is going on or not. We know learning is more important than teaching! Learning is an individual activity even though it can at times be done in groups. There is a definite need for basic skills training and also a change atmosphere provided to use these skills for the development of the total person. * 'k * * 'k * Based on the above statements, we propose for the Edwardsburg Public Schools the following recommendations for program development: A. Basic Skills Learning Development 1. Set minimum standards of expectations for basic skill perfor- mance. TheSe must not be lower than needed by individuals to feel comfortable and productive in their society. . Individualize instruction K-lZ to challenge students on an individual readiness basis (independent learning). This must be an enriched program with development of learning skills by use of students' thoughts and creative teaching. . Guarantee that each student shall receive a program in relation to his abilities, wishes, needs and skills. Programs shall be developed for academically talented, special education and all learning disabilities. . Develop a full and meaningful testing program as needed to test the success of the program. . Programs for adult high school completion and adult basic skills shall be provided. . Provide a Program of Career and Vocational Education for All Students K-lZT‘ l. 2. A career education program to develop the understanding for an appreciation of the world of work. Emphasis shall be placed on the need of cooperative human effort for the success of mankind. Man depends on other men. Each person both needs and is needed by other persons. i ‘ 3. Voca loce C. Full Pr 1. Art leis 2. Staf 3. A mi in p 4. Dram D-Mg 65 3. Vocational learning opportunities shall be provided in the local school and other agencies as are apprpriate. C. Full Program of Performing Arts and Fine Arts l. Art and music programs in K-l2 for the purpose of vocational, leisure time and aesthetic appreciation are to be developed. Staff is to be added to provide the full range of programs. A minimum goal of 40% to 50% of students voluntarily involved in programs of vocal or instrumental music. Dramatic, forensics and debate program development K-lZ. «ROOM 0. Knowledge and Use of Human Body . A K-lZ health program shall be implemented. . A physical education program shall be implemented and coordinated K-lZ. 3. A K-BO years of age recreational program shall be developed. This shall be done in cooperation with the Edwardsburg Community School Program. 4. A full program of intramural and interscholastic athletics with a minimum 90% of student participation. Nc—l Each of the above programs shall be designed to build confidence in individual students. Any of the above programs may be changed as improvement is needed. Implementation of the above four programs will suggest comprehensive programs to develop skills and help stu- dents grow toward responsible productive adults. A basic assumption is that all of the above programs shall be coordinated and have planned cooperation between programs to achieve success. We suggest that three full-time professional coordinators be appointed in (1) career and vocational education; (2) fine arts and music; (3) physical education, health and athletics; for program development and implementation of activities. There are other "spin off" and "outgrowth" programs that will be a result of our quality program. The Board should expect that we would adopt procedures that have not been used in Edwardsburg. This might include concepts such as high school credit for student participation in community, civic and business activities, independent learning activities, prescriptive teaching, etc. We should also expect added cost for supplies, for audio-visual and library materials and other new programs and buildings. In accepting the program proposed we understand that materials, supplies and equipment and perhaps building programs will be needed. We also realize that it must and will take time to develop programs, :- 66 T prepare staff and community for these improvements. If approved, this will become a long-range plan. Included in the long-range plan will be a comprehensive public relations program to develop support and acceptance of the concept. It should be understood that any additional costs will be added as money is available. We feel that much of the planning and ground work will not involve added cost, at least in the beginning. TIME SCHEDULE QUALITY EDUCATION PROGRAM 1. February 6--The outline presented to the Board of Education. 2. Following acceptance by the Board, an in-service program of the total staff, including all employees of the school (February 19, l973). 3. Spring 1973--Begin public relations program with parents and business members of the community. 4. Spring 1973--Search for research funds to finance the study and perhaps provide money for number 5. 5. Hire teachers for summer work on curriculum (four weeks, 10 teachers). 6. September 1973--Begin implementation of ideas and concepts on a pilot basis as facilities and funds allow. 7. Evaluation and changes of pilot program~-school year l973-74. 8. Establish "long-range time schedule" to implement total program 1973-74. Before, during and after each step of the above schedule modifica- tions and improvements will be made to insure that the best methods etc ..... Policy Adopted 2/6/73 Edwardsburg Board of Education 67 Part 11. Implementation To this point in the Edwardsburg model, it has been shown how one system organized itself by taking one step at a time. Each of the steps were reviewed, rewritten, and discussed thoroughly. This pro- cedure was used to make sure that the materials adopted which were to be used as the plan for the next step really represented the ideas to which the system was committed. Several items reported in Chapter II describe the importance of planning and procedure for implementation. Some of these items are similar to the Edwardsburg example. Up to this point, all items primarily pertain to policy adoption and Board level awareness. Because of the close relation to the Board, administrators were fully aware of the Board commitment as well. Many teachers and some citizens, parents, and students were also aware of ‘ the items. It must be noted that in every policy referred to in Part I of this chapter, suggestions were sought from the staff before final adoption by the Board. It may also be important to note that the Board used a consensus model in adapting the policies leading to the philosophy of the total program. This is taken to mean that all items were discussed so that maximum understanding was reached before Board adoption was given. It can be said that for the most part suggestions were discussed and items added or deleted until consensus was reached. The development of goals for the system was intermixed with the items identified as policy for the Board as well as for individuals of the administration. The language used in these written goals was, for 68 the most part, free of educational jargonize. The comfort level of the Board members was improved by the language used. They knew what was expected of them, and because the items were of their design, they found that written goals strengthened the commitment of individuals. These were further enhanced because the written goals were distributed to the staff (see Appendix C, Goal Handbook). Brainstorming In keeping with the commitment model, a plan needed to be devised to implement the Quality Curriculum program. The belief that people involved will internalize the concepts presented and work for the success of the project determined that our plan must include the essential elements of involvement and commitment. The first step of implementation of the Quality Curriculum was Board acceptance (February 6, 1973). The next was explanation to the teaching staff (Febuary l9, l973). The presentation of material to the teaching staff did not present any major problem for the school admin- istration and therefore a general staff meeting was planned. Prior to the staff meeting, copies of the Quality Curriculum were distributed to the staff to read before the meeting. The meeting itself was not unique; it looked much like other such meetings of this kind. The results of the meeting were not too different from other meetings either. A few staff members who had obviously read the program and listened to the discussion came up after the meeting to pursue some of their questions further. However, no noticeable changes occurred; none were expected. The plan called for a time schedule to make 69 preparation as suggested by the last page of the Quality Curriculum program. Step #3 of the time line plan for the Quality Curriculum suggested community involvement; however, no plan had been submitted. The community involvement was essential and was viewed with a good deal of concern at this time. It was at this point that a most important incident took place. Board president, Dr. I. C. Madden, called the superintendent on a Sunday afternoon to talk about this next phase of the Quality Curriculum. Dr. Madden was fully aware of the key problems of any major change program and he wanted to discuss this in light of several concerns in his mind. This appears important in retrospect because of the next few events. In the discussion between the Board President and the superintendent, Dr. Madden raised a few significant questions: l. How committed to the Quality Curriculum are you? 2. Will you stay as superintendent to implement the program? 3. Can we draw up a plan to involve members of the community? Just asking these questions demonstrated the Board President's commitment and further showed his concern for starting a program unless it included the commitment to follow it through. A result of the meeting between the superintendent and Board President was the notion of a Brainstorming Session with teachers, students, Board members, administration, and community members. After making this suggestion, the Board President discussed a general outline for the session that had come to him while attending a national dental clinic. 70 It was decided to present the suggestion to the Board for their support and suggestions. This was done and the enthusiasm grew. The importance of the Brainstorming Session to the success of the Quality Curriculum concept determined that expert planning was needed to make it successful. Dr. Chester Raber was contacted to see if he would again assist us in the deve10pment of the program and in directing the Brainstorming Session. He agreed, and met with President Madden and the superintendent to develop the plan of action for the Edwardsburg community Brainstorming Session. The community Brainstorming Session was held with approximately lOO people attending. The pre-meeting planning appeared successful and the program was enthusiastically received by all participants. The acceptance of the Brainstorming Session was a key to some of the steps that followed. The evaluation of the session sent to all of the participants (Appendix D) showed for the second time the feelings of members of the community in being involved with plans for the school before the actual change took place. In one of a series of articles on the schools, Elkhart Truth reporter Barbara Dempsey summed up the com- munity feelings, "It was the first large attempt of the school and the community to communicate about curriculum."2 The evaluation of the Brainstorming Session was similar to the October 10 workshop, an appreciation of the community in being informed and involved. Further, the suggestions and recommendations discussed 2Barbara Dempsey, "Community Gets Involved in Curriculum," The Elkhart Truth, 18 March l974, Part 5, p. 3. 71 May 8, 1973 EDNARDSBURG PUBLIC SCHOOL CITIZEN BRAINSTORMING WORKSHOP General Purpose: Identify questions, interests and suggestions from the Edwardsburg Public School constituents that can be used by the Board of Educa- tion and administration in future curriculum planning. Place: Junior High School Cafeteria Date: Time: May 8, 1973 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Resource Person: Dr. Chester Raber Program: l. I. C. Madden will welcome and explain the purpose and answer questions about program. 2. Dick Fitzgerald will explain the "Quality Curriculum" program. 3 Chet Raber will discuss questions and get groups moving. Board members and administrators will circulate and help facilitate discussions. Dr. Raber will organize the participants so that the maximum use will be made of each person's thoughts. Colored name tags will be provided to identify the different groups present-~students, parents, teachers, other school employees, admin- istrators and Board of Education. Each person will be asked to sign an attendance list. A report of the session will be mailed to each participant after it is written and adopted by the Board. Each participant shall be given an outline of the previously adapted "Quality Curriculum" program for the Edwardsburg Public Schools. This will be used in the workshOp along with suggested questions to start the brainstorming process. 72 EDWARDSBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS May 8, l973 EDWARDSBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS QUALITY ULU PROGRAM A. Basic Skills Learning Development l. Set standards for productive citizen. . Enriched program by individual needs. . Ability needs and wishes and skills. . Adult high school completion. OUN B. Career and Vocational Education 1. Work identification (world of work) elementary grades. 2. How cooperation is needed for success of mankind. 3. Vocational learning oppor- tunities including college preparation. C. Performing and Fine Arts —l . Art and Music, K-lZ. 2. 40% to 50% of high school students in vocal and instrumental music 3. Dramatic, Forensics and Debate, K-lZ. 0. Knowledge and Use of Human Body . K-12 Health Program. . K-lz Physical Education. . Total Recreation Program for school-community. . Intramural and interscholastic athletic program (perhaps 90% student participation) 4D de Answers to the questions on the right side of the page will be used by the Board of Education in making decisions for funding programs, preparing buildings, hiring personnel, planning budgets, etc. PUBLIC REACTION FORM REACTION T0 ITEMS IN QUALITY CURRICULUM 1. What do you think should be a required level of performance for basic skills? 80% at 8th grade level 90% at 6th grade level 50% go on to further study in technical schools, college, etc. Other (name) . We would support added cost for the following programs: Enriched curriculum (music, art, academically talented, etc.) Building program for special facilities (pool, syms, other) Building for added classrooms to meet expected growth. . What information would you need to support a building program for either added rooms or special facilities? Numbers of students and history of growth Costs to individuals of the school district Other Other . Are you aware of the special programs now in our school? 00 you have comments to make about them? Band, Vocal Music Special Education (Type A learning disabilities) Speech Correction Athletics (Boys & Girls) Unit Step Curriculum (Jr. High) Elkhart Career Center (High School) Community School Enrichment Summer Recreation Program Elementary Camping Adults High School Completion Other(s) lllllllllll . Would your child (or you) benefit from an opportunity in an expanded dramatic arts program? . Would you support an improved program in health education to include abuse of drugs, tobacco and alcohol? . How do you feel about Physical Education for every student every year? . Do you have other ideas as to improvement of the school system? 73 in the session and later written into the follow-up materials gave an added incentive to members of the staff and the Board of Education to proceed with program implementation. The changes were taken into several different parts of the school. Some of the suggestions made which had been implemented were: (1) added elementary music teacher, (2) change summer school to mostly recreation, (3) added classes in community school program, (4) more girls' sports, (5) school census, (6) foreign language in junior high, (7) journalism in high school, and (8) more community brainstorming. The idea of more opportunities for community brainstorming was later repeated as part of the Board's Steering Committee recommendation. The theme for this session was "Communications." Several ideas were generated in this second community Brainstorming Session that were implemented. This resulted in formulation of a separate Communication Committee appointed by the Board to study the recommendations and plans for their use (see Appendix E). Curriculum Workshop The "time schedule" for the Quality Curriculum gives as #5, "Hire teachers for summer work on curriculum (four weeks, 10 teachers)." The intent of the section was to plan for implementation of changes. At this point the model of involvement and commitment was again reviewed. Three problems were apparent if followed as written: (1) in some cases teachers would be planning for other teachers which eliminated complete teacher involvement; (2) the plan limited participation to 10 teachers; and (3) outside resource program implementators needed to be brought in. 74 Because of the problems listed, it was decided to seek another plan for the summer. With the priorities of the October 10 workshop, the new Mission Statement, the need for a general outline of curriculum work as written into the Quality Curriculum, plus having the suggestions and recommendations from the Brainstorming workshop, a creative plan was needed in which teachers would be free to use these suggestions with their own thoughts for an improved program. At this point, Dr. Dale Alam at Michigan State University was contacted and the thought of a workshop for teachers with him was tested. The resulting idea was a two-week workshop for credit, paid for by the Board, to be offered in the Edwardsburg school for all staff who would sign up. Arrangements were made with Michigan State University and the Edwardsburg Board of Education and members of the school staff were signed up. As it turned out, all buildings in the system were rep- resented by teachers and administrators. There were also two members of the community who signed up--making a total of about 30 persons. The design of the summer workshop was such that small groups were soon formed, usually segregated by school building members. Each group began the development of an idea either for a new concept or improvement of an existing program. The individual commitment was felt to the extent that work frequently went far beyond the time limits of the workshop. High school students were brought in to discuss ideas that were being suggested for the high school program. Parents' meet- ings were planned for the‘Continuous Progress Alternative Classroom (CPAC) idea. Materials and equipment were designed and made ready 75 for the start of school. In all, work was fast, intense, and well planned. The commitment and involvement was total by the participants and accepted by the Board. The resource people, Or. Dale Alam and Dr. William Shaw, were instrumental in presenting ideas and suggesting materials and methods. Their encouragement and interest in the work of the small groups were infectious and this added enthusiasm to the staff members. One feature of these workshops which became a positive factor was the closeness developed between the workshop participants. This has been used and helped to give needed support later. An evaluation and report of the work done in the summer workshop was presented to the Board on August 15, 1973 (Appendix F) and after the first year an evaluation of the Pilot programs (Appendix G). To continue with our philosophy, the Board expected more than a written evaluation of the progress of the summer workshop which they had provided for members of the staff. Special Board meetings were held in each of the buildings where programs had been implemented (see interview with Vi Ross, Chapter IV). The teachers, students, and principals were given the opportunity to explain and show in more detail what the programs were about. This also gave teachers and students an opportunity to show how the environmental description they had developed was implemented into the design. This follow-up was very well received by Board members, teachers, and parents. 76 Alternative Policy--Further Commitment to Change With the added knowledge gained by the Board members in their discussions about and visits concerning the curriculum of the schools, a new policy was suggested. Policy No. 614l.l of the Edwardsburg Board Policy Manual called "Alternative Programs for the Edwardsburg Schools." The suggested policy was presented to all teachers involved in the summer workshop for changes and additions. There were several changes in the policy language before recommendation was made to the Board for adoption. The final writing of this policy (see Figure 6) was accepted by the Board on December 18, 1973, and thus continued commitment to the ideas and suggestions of teachers and administrators for program development. Unit Step, CPAC,_and SOB Implementation The test of a model is the use made of it. The Edwardsburg School System did just that. There were several programs affected by the encouragement of development based on identified needs. The most noticeable program changes were in the Unit Step program for the Edwardsburg Junior High School; the Continuous Progress Alternative Classroom (CPAC) at the Eagle Lake Elementary School; the Student Option Block (508) program at the Edwardsburg High School; and the Skill Center at the Edwardsburg Middle Elementary School. These programs demonstrated the philosophy of teacher commitment and involvement and pre-planning with parents and students. Each of the programs started at different times and with some different ideas as 77 #6l4l.l ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS FOR EDWARDSBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS ARE TO PROVIDE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO REACH COMMON GOALS Providing alternatives to students of the Edwardsburg Public Schools may be approved when the following items can become the theme, direction and commitment for the specific program. The first step in development of an alternate shall be identification of the need for the program. Prior to approval by the superintendent an environmental description shall be written and presented to the Board of Education. This description should be approved and supported by the building principal. Programs must: I. Have ultimate learning goals similar to those for other students in the Edwardsburg Public Schools. The program though aimed at certain types of individuals shall only include students who choose the program. Parents are to be considered as significant persons in selection of students and reporting results. The program shall not have as one of its goals to change or eliminate any ongoing regular successful program. Our - preposal is to make the alternative available. The students shall not be denied the option to return to the normal school program. Policy Adopted 12/18/73 Figure 6. Alternative Programs Policy of the Edwardsburg Public Schools. 78 their base but they all followed the general philosophy described in- the Edwardsburg model. The programs responded to changes as suggested by parent concern, by questions from students, and from needs as seen by teachers and administrators. Full explanation of these programs may be of interest but are not provided as part of this dissertation study. They may be found in part in dissertations by Dr. William Shaw3 and Dr. Joan Stranahan.“ Summary It is the opinion of the author that chance for success of a planned change is increased by the ideas described in this chapter. Making a commitment and investing personality in the projects are essential. It is therefore believed that chances for success are increased by involvement of those who are touched by the change. Each of these factors creates a much more conducive atmosphere for success. The elements identified in this chapter represent a chron- ological sequence to demonstrate how the items were related. The chain of events has been used to describe the model. 3William Shaw, "An Exploratory Study of Diverse Educational Philosophies, Methodologies and Communication Networks of Diverse Educational Alternative Learning Environments Within Public Schools (Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, 1975). “Joan Stranahan, "A Descriptive Study of Three Selected Elementary and Secondary Alternative Environments in Michigan Public Schools (Ph.D. dissertation, Michigan State University, l975 . 79 A Review of the Steps Part I reports the readiness for change in the Edwardsburg Public School System. Several specific conditions were recognized which indicated that changes were needed. Because the Board had an opportunity to hire a new chief school administrator at this time and enter into new buildings, the readiness for change was easily identified. If this kind of opportunity is not available, however, it is suggested that a school can still prepare conditions equal to the effect of this kind of atmosphere. The written policy plan was a logical step and provided a foundation for and the support needed from the top level of management. The first level of commitment is apparent by the accepted written policy and philosophy. Involvement is an essential part of change for schools and as many different people as possible should be involved. Much of the need for involvement might be related to the type of community as noted in Chapter II as well as the normal anxiety felt in change situations. The involvement accomplishes several things. One of the most important is to educate. It might be obvious that education about the anticipated changes would be necessary for parents and members of the community; however, it was made clear to the author that this was just as necessary for the Board and the staff. The choice was made to concentrate the initial involvement on groups or individuals specifically affected by a particular project. The project was not kept secret but the efforts of involvement was concentrated in this way. The hope was that these people would communicate with their respective groups and explain and 80 support their part and thus sell the idea. This was the theory in planning the October l0, 1972 workshop. To support this notion, the procedure was adopted to send all materials written, either as evaluations or new programs, to each participating member of the involved group. This let them know how the ideas and materials were being used, gave them all the same information to take to their groups, let them see how the thoughts were interpreted by the reporting party, and showed them the Open attitude being attempted by the Board and administration. In Part II of this chapter, the implementation of the work has been described only briefly. This explanation was limited because this dissertation was intended chiefly to show the procedure, not the product. However, the value of the procedure would be greatly minimized if no mention were made of the product. It is hoped that the reader can detect that the implementation phase used many of the methods of the design of the procedure when actually putting the program to work. The important items in this chapter have been identified as written directions--Philosophy, Mission Statement, and Quality Curriculum-~and the involvement of participants has been identified in the planning, the implementation, the follow-up, and in the final support of the program. The specific part played by key people will be found in Chapter IV where interviews with these people are transcribed. The transcripts of conversations based on specific questions with many of the participants of the Edwardsburg example are printed. Many of the 8l assumptions by the author about these people and their involvement are derived from their answers in the interviews. CHAPTER IV INTERVIEWS In this chapter of the dissertation, a series of interviews is presented to give the reader the benefit of a fuller discussion about the Edwardsburg process as seen by pe0ple involved in some aspects of that process. Sixteen interviews were held with people selected because of the role they played in the change process in Edwardsburg. The inter- views include teachers, administrators, Board members, and community members who were involved in the process of the form of participants in workshops or on committees for the Board. All interviews were tape recorded so that the full information would be available. The questions in the transcriptions as presented in this chapter are in italics. The questions that were asked of the people interviewed were intended to speak to the "questions for study" listed in Chapter I. The interviews will be studied to determine how the individuals' responses relate to the questions for study. Each interview will be analyzed at the end of Chapter IV for comments which reflect on key terms that have been used throughout the study. (The form used is found in Appendix H.). 82 83 The key terms are: (l) Involvement-~How were they involved; how did they feel about it; did it effect their feelings and/or per- formance; and why did they choose to become involved? Was the involve- ment in planning or other parts of the new program? (2) Commitment-- What evidence from their comments would show their commitment to the particular project; did they recognize the commitment aspect of others? (3) Implementation of the Change--How were they involved here; did they implement in areas in which they had planned? Did this seem important to them or to the success of the program? And (4) Acceptability--How was the program accepted by the person putting it into practice; by the people affected (students, parents, other teachers)? Did the teachers or administrators know how the Board of Education accepted the program? The interviewer for this chapter was the author of this disser- tation. The author was also the Superintendent of Schools for the Edwardsburg Public Schools during the time covered in this dissertation. Board Members Interview l—-Marge Rea Marge Rea, Board member and parent community participant before election to the Board in 1973. Her point of view as a community member turned school person is important to the study. Marge, tell us what you remember about being involved with the first parent involvement that the board and administrators called you for. At a P.T.O. meeting I was asked to be a representative from Eagle Lake School as a parent. I was to represent the Eagle Lake parents at a workshop scheduled at Oaklawn. This was a full day workshop with teach- ers, students, board members and administrators. There were members from the other P.T.O. and civic groups there too. How did you feel about the workshop? 84 It made me aware of the things that were going on at the school--how the teachers and students felt. It was really good. It got me inter- ested in what was going on in the school and how diffierent people felt about it. This is what really got me interested in the system as an active participant. Did you get to ask questions and get to know some school people? Yes, there were many questions asked by me and others. This also allowed me to become acquainted with board members whom I didn't know before. This was how I became acquainted with the board and its ideas and how it functioned. I enjoyed the discussion with students and I still remember things that the students said. Each person had something to contribute and I liked the way the workshop was planned to put all the ideas together. Did you feel like you were able to contribute as an individual? Did you feel that people listened to you and accepted your ideas? Yes, I'm sure. I don't feel like I was the most influential person there, but I felt everyone there had contributed just by being there. I remember we tallied up the different opinions and then we organized into small groups and they reported to the large group. The idea I liked was that teachers' ideas were explained and administrators and we began to understand some ideas we had not understood before. Do you think the experience was positive for all the people that you worked with? I think so, I didn't hear any negative comments. From that point you really became involved more with the schools and were elected to the board. Why did you want to be a board member? I think it was because this board is active and is doing things that I want to be a part of. I have four children in the school and I felt that I needed to know what was going on and this was a good way to have some input. This was a good beginning for me. I had children in all the new programs and I had an interest in being on the school board. You felt like you had something to give and other people agreed and so you were elected and asked to contribute as a member of the Board of Education. I guess I really didn't think about what I had to give, but I was willing to give my time and learn more. How do you feel about the procedure of'involvement that we've used in the school? 85 I think that's been good. I think anyone who was complaining about the school system has probably had the chance to come in and give their ideas. I remember when the group of teachers from the junior high Unit Step was organized. I had a group Of parents in my home and there were several other parents who opened their homes for this project. I think almost every parent participated before the Unit Step was initiated. This was good and the parents appreciated the opportunity to meet with the teachers. The parents had an opportunity to be infbrmed? There have been many opportunities. Since I've been on the board I'm more aware Of the Opportunities than I was before. As a board member I don't think it's tOO much work, I think the more input we have the better it is. Do you feel that the community learns about the programs by becoming involved? I think they have the opportunity to. I don't know if the whole commu- nity takes advantage Of it, but they certainly have had the Opportunity. How do you feel about bringing people in from outside the system as resource people? A new mind and fresh outlook is always good, but I don't think the whole community gets a chance to be exposed to some Of the outside people. I did, because I was on the school board. I remember a teacher workshop that I attended because I was a board member and I was really impressed with the way the program presented information to teachers. If I had not been on the school board I wouldn't have been aware Of that. As a parent you wouldn't have been aware of'what in-service programs were all about? Right. But I think we need some outside people rather than stay involved just in our own little world. YOu have gone to a number of'conferences fbr board members. Do you talk with other board members about some of'our programs? I guess that I have spent most of my time listening when I have gone away. Did you remember a good feeling about coming back to our system? I wasn't ashamed Of our program. What effect do you think the lounge incident had on the community? 86 My daughter was in junior high when the incident happened. She didn't have a particularly bad year, but I felt that there was some dissension in the community over the incident. I think probably there wasn't enough community preparation or student preparation for the student lounge center. Some people were upset about the problem. I don't think the students were ready for it nor the parents. I think if there would have been more preparation it might have worked out. But as a result, the unit step coming in and that did have a great deal of parent involvement and teacher involvement and student involvement, and I thought that was excellent. The student lounge was a catastrophe--we benefitted because Of that. I'm not sure the community realizes that because I still get people telling about it. Were you aware that there was a study committee fbrmed by the board to study the situation and that two of the people from that committee are now on the board? I wasn't aware Of that committee at that time. But you think that is an effective way to solve problems? I think that was an effective way, yes. Have you taken any personal risks because of your involvement with the programs in the schools? I think this may have affected some personal friendships. I think being on the board automatically makes it difficult with some teachers because of the management-labor relationship. I felt that my personal life was very much affected because I felt hostility from the people--that I couldn't believe. Sometimes there'd be things that I would like to go to school and talk to the teachers about-~about my own children or to the principal about the teachers and I've not done some Of the things or said the things I would have liked to because I had to think about being a school board member. It is hard to be a parent because everyone looks at you as a board member. What do you think might have been your major contribution to the board, to the school? Maybe as a listener to both sides. I've tried to be neutral. I've tried to be on both sides. YOu've been an open person? I hope so. I'm not really sure, but I hope so. so really you have a lot more to give to the board now because you're becoming a seasoned board member? I hope so. This next year will help me decide whether I will run another time. 87 Interview 2—-Dr. I. C. Madden Dr. I. C. (Chuck) Madden, past Board of Education president. Dr. Madden‘s influence on the development Of all the components Of the Edwardsburg Model cannot be over-emphasized. As Board president, his influence was most significant. He had a high interest in planning and evaluating and was responsible for getting the Board of Education to work as a team with the school Administration. Chuck, will you tell me in a brief'outline fbrm what your part has been in the Edwardsburg change process? I guess it probably started at the time that you were hired. Another Board member and myself sat down and formulated some questions that we would ask the superintendent candidates—-about their ideas as to how a school should be run and what they have done in developing curriculum. The Edwardsburg system had just finished a new junior high school build- ing during the year and we had to overcome the problem Of overcrowding. With the new building we felt we could develop curriculum because now there were facilities that could allow us to do this. One of the things that we had before that we were not happy with was the attitude by the administration and consequently, by the teachers, that kids should be held under their control and not allowed to express themselves. I think that this is pretty well the beginning. Then are you saying that you took the opportunity, when you could, of hiring a new chief school administrator to try to change the philosophy fbr the operation of the school? Yes. Describe what you remember about changing the philosophy? About a year previous to your coming, we had talked about doing some policy work. We talked to a firm about having them come and go through past Board minutes and pulling out this policy. This seemed to be the way the Superintendent, at that time, wanted to proceed and the Board, not having any experience in this, explored the possibility. Then when you came in, and started writing policies, and actually started involving the Board, more than it had ever been done before, in the philosophy Of education of the school system--what they really wanted. 88 How was the involvement of outside resource people helpful to the board? I think one Of the problems that is inherent in school Board members was very apparent with this Board. We were elected to be representatives of the people--a job which most of us don't really understand. And, awkward or not, they are not willing to work hard to learn very much about being one. Often Board members are not willing to go outside Of their community to attend other Board meetings and talk with other Board members or attend conventions or regional meetings—-and since they were reluctant to do this we brought Norm Weinheimer and Austin Bates down to help us. This gave our Board a view of what was going on in education and Opened the horizons a little bit more for the Board members. Then I think Board members did begin attending a little bit more and did become more interested and aware of the educational process. Would you say that in the second or third year we began to show a change of philosophy? NO, I think the first year--there was a definite philosophical change being evolved--with the dress code, and the potential teacher strike-- that we backed Off from the hard line of the dress code and it was resolved to everybody's satisfaction and gave indication of a change of philosophy. I think that was important in the first year and that happened within the first one tO six weeks that you were here. What can you recall about the major events of the involvement of comnunity and staff with the Board and administrators? I think that there were two or three. The first one was the one at Oaklawn where each Board member was asked to invite a member of the community to that meeting--a member of each of the five schools--Of the staff Of each of the schools, administrators were there and about eight kids were involved. Do you think that the teachers, members of the comunity, students, felt involved there and felt they had something to say? I can't specifically, other than there was at least one person who hinted at that. At least she became interested enough to run and become elected to the school Board. I think some Of the kids very actively involved themselves and felt at least that someone was hearing them. I think that at the time, people felt that they were listened to and students did have a lot Of good input and I think that although possibly they couldn't point to specific things that were done because they were there, I think it created a greater awareness Of Board members and adult community members of the potential and Of the guidance that we could get from them . . . the students. 89 Then you did think people felt accepted and that the Board members really did want to hear what these folks had to say? I think so. I think probably the students had more input and were Of more benefit to the Board than possibly the adult members Of the community. There were several things that happened after that meeting; we wrote the Mission Statement which preceded the Quality Curriculum. . . Those were adopted by the Board and we proceeded to implement those. There was a sort of’significant. . . a couple of things that happened. Prior to the meeting which brought about writing the Mission Statement and the Quality Curriculum there had been a problem--and we referred to it usually as the Junior High or the Lounge situation. Was it at this time the Board realized how important involvement of’the community was? I think it was before that. I think we had two committees that were appointed by the Board--One to study its finances. The treasurer of the Board and the superintendent as an ex Officio member were to help with reference material. This finance committee was well organized, well run and met weekly. This was to be considered input of the com- munity. There was another committee--the student conduct code, which, unfortunately, was not as well run. Their material was presented to the Board as just a bunch Of notes Of what other schools had done-- and really didn't do the job for us. I am not suggesting that the committee members didn't work hard, I think maybe I should have been there to direct it a little bit more. I think one thing I learned was that when you appoint a committee, one or two people from the Board have to be at each meeting to make sure the committee goes in the right direction, and I'll bring this out later when we talk about another committee. Comittees of this kind frequently produce people to run for the Board, dbn't they? Yes, we do have a Board member now from the finance committee. What do you remember about staff involvement in the Junior High unit Step program? The teachers developed a program called "Unit Step" for junior high students. I thought it was significant that the Board met with the teachers . . . to understand the unit step program and this was another place where the teachers had a program and were excited about it. They asked, "DO you think the Board will meet with us?" And we said, "Sure, we think they'd be excited to meet with you." We did and there was some hesitation on the teachers' part because they were not sure how the board would receive them. But the meetings really rolled along and I think the teachers were happily surprised that the Board was interested in education. 90 What happened next? I think then the teachers followed that up with about 28 meetings with parents. Well, then that was all kind of’brought about by the Junior High situa- tion where something was started without people knowing. And that was kind of'a recommendation too, of the study committee that was appointed that year with Lowell on it--and I think Denny Buwalda was the chairman. 0.K., we got people involved in the brainstorming session. There were close to 100 people as I recall--you came in your old work clothes and really set a tone fer that. And there's a couple of significant things, it seems to me, that took place from that brainstorming session. First of’all, just the session itself; which was an education fer the commu- nity but it was a kind of'a ferewarning of’our Quality Curriculum notions that we were going to try to institute to . . . that was our purpose for it. But, the other thing that came out of it that it proved to be a pretty effective way of’getting community input to be used by the Board. There was another brainstorming session that came about later, I think, from this steering committee. Why don't you see if you can recall the appointment of the steering committee and how that developed. Well, I think maybe. . . . DO you want to get into the organization Of the first brainstorming session and how we did that at all? Or have you got that pretty well. . . ? Wbuld you describe how the brainstorming meeting was organized? We had seven tables with a Board member at each table and an adminis- trator at each table. As people came in, they were given a colored name tag which would correspond with the table that they sat at. We wanted to make sure that when people came in that families were split up, that there wouldn't be more than one board member at a table. We were given a questionnaire or an outline to go through at each table to stimulate discussion about the Quality Curriculum. I think we were probably given an hour tO gO over this. Then we had each table report major items they discussed and these were written on large sheets Of newsprint for all to see. I think that the big thing that we heard, although it wasn't said in exactly this way was, "Gee, this is inter- esting." "How come you're cutting this Off?" "You're not giving us enough time," and "We want to be involved." I don't know if these were the exact words, but this was the tone that came to me out of the meeting. I think we were surprised at some Of the things that the community wanted--better music program, and things like this, fine arts, . . . . Some of the items that were suggested eventually did become additions to the program . . . music program, journalism, school newspaper, student government. 9l As Board president you suggested a new committee. What was this? We called this the steering committee. Again, the Board decided that each Board member should appoint a person to the steering committee. The steering committee was given a letter of direction. These were areas that the Board wanted to have investigated. Seven members were appointed from the community and several teachers; I guess one from each building was again appointed to the committee and two or three students. Instead Of following the outline that was given to them which had been approved by the Board, which included curriculum being one Of the strong areas, they decided to look into student gripes and so forth. I again feel as I stated before on the student discipline committee, that if I had played a stronger hand in some of the initial meetings Of this group that it would have been Of more benefit to them and to the school. I think that most Of the things they did were fine. There was a subcommittee of the steering committee designated to just look at communications. I think they perhaps did a better job because their task was narrow and because it was only one specific thing they were assigned whereas the steering committee felt their task was everything. They did make a specific recommendation that they felt it was not some- thing we wanted to do. Which could be valuable yet, in a year or two, if’the school gets crowded some decision will have to be made. I'm sure that will be studied again but that's some good material for them to work with. ' I guess a comment on the communications committee which I was made to be a part of, that I observed, was that the steering committee and the communication committee looked on communications as the answer to all the problems and that in order to communicate, people have to listen and this has been a bigger problem-~getting people to say things and then getting people to listen. This never came out in the steering committee report-~let someone else do something . . . I don't have to do something . . . it's someone else . . . that has to make the effort. I think that as I look back on some of'those committees, I don't know whether this is good or bad, it's just an observation, each time there was someone who hoped to get their views communicated in a more legit- imate feshion than maybe they had a chance to do before. You probably have a better perspective of the process than anybody else who's been directly involved with it. I've been involved from the beginning--only since my being here. . . . can you make some kind of'a statement as to how you see it over a period of; say, a year or two before we started until like a year or so ago--maybe the last six years of'your being with the Board? 92 Developing curriculum? Working with the community? When were you first involved with the school and how were you involved? I guess my involvement with the community really started with the selling of the last building program (1967-69). I was chairman Of the business group who helped to sell and eventually did sell the expansion of Eagle Lake and the building Of the Junior High and the addition at the high school. Were you involving people? NO, our part was going out and saying, "Here's the way it is" . . . this is the building we will have and this is how much it is going to cost. The staff were involved in what the building would contain. That was strictly a Board and teacher program. That was involving the staff? Yes. What do you think was the most significant contribution that you've made to the school system in the years that you were a board member? I feel the best about the chance that kids have had to express them- selves and to be themselves and to help determine where they're going. My son can give his teacher a Christmas present and address it "Mr. Wonderful." The Openness that the kids have and the teachers are willing to accept the abilities that kids have and can now demonstrate that they can determine what they're going to take starting in the fourth grade. The Unit Step program in the Junior High has been fine and with the program in the high school where kids can set up a two hour block Of time and determine what they want to do. . . . I think that's what I feel the best about. I still think there are more Opportunities to expand on these types Of things. I don't believe every child can go ahead on their own--where previously no one could go ahead on their own. What are the dissapointments you feel about the system? Lack of trust probably by some of the staff . . . sour grapes by some of the community . . . in addition Of the administration building . . . the hiring Of the business manager . . . were looked on as a waste of money when actually it was one of the best things that happened. I think one Of the things that has happened here that I think was a great help was again, bringing people down here with expertise like we did with the board and the teachers (outside resource people)--the three weekend meetings we had with Dale and Bill. Again, not only teachers but also several members Of the community who wished to avail themselves 93 of the Opportunity--unfortunately, it was very few, but again we had some more people involved and maybe let some of the staff know that perhaps some Of the community wished to be involved about things that were taking place. I guess I'm always disappointed that people aren't willing to give more Of themselves after they say they will. Not that I expect everyone to give all the time, but at least to give some Of the time. Do you have anything else that you wish to add? I guess not. Dr. I. C. Madden was President Of the Edwardsburg Board Of Education from July 1969 to July 1974. Because of his leadership, the change in philosophy was brought to Edwardsburg, and because Of his leadership, he was to receive a good deal Of criticism for the changes. Dr. Madden's influence on the development Of all Of the components Of the Edwardsburg Model cannot be overemphasized. As Board President, his influence was most significant. His interest was high, matched only by his energy and desire for a quality school program. He may be the person who invested more Of himself than any other person in the progress of the Edwardsburg system. Teachers Interview 3--Joel Steinhauer Joel Steinhauer is a junior high teacher who provided the majority Of leadership in the development Of the "Unit Step'I curriculum which is in its fourth year of operation. As the Unit Step program was readied for acceptance, the junior high staff members held 28 coffee meetings in homes of junior high 94 parents to describe the program and answer parent questions. This program has known frequent revision which has also been one of Joel's responsibilities. Joel, will you tell me how the "Unit-Step" program started, and what your part in it was, and how other people were involved? When I was hired here in Edwardsburg, I came in at the half year, and when I talked with the building principal, who was Mike Bukowski, he told me that one Of the reasons that he was interested was the fact that they were putting in the new program and that I had had some experience with it. As I understood it, I was hired partly on that premise, to do some work on curriculum. As I started out, I found a curriculum committee that had been meeting and it consisted of six or seven people. When I talked to Mike in the interview, he told me about the existing program (lounge type) and I asked if he intended to go on with that, and he said really that was not what he had in mind for a program. That was the purpose of what was partly a diagnostic device, but he was interested in doing that in an attempt to change kids' attitudes toward school and learning, and so on. It was not meant to be a program that was to take the place of the one they had. What they had at the time was a fairly standardized type of program. There was some tracking, four or five different tracks in Math, English and Social Science. The committee had been investigating some other junior high programs. One that they were especially impressed with was one that was new at Brandywine. That program, as it turned out, was similar to the "Unit- Step" program that was finally adopted. In fact, the people at Brandy- wine had gone down to Howell, which was where I had taught the previous year, and examined their program there and brought back certain elements Of it. I became a member Of this committee and it met fairly regularly. As part of its work they brought some people in from Brandywine to talk about their program. So then the committee was made up of teachers. Did Mike meet with them? No. It was all teachers, and they brought in some other peOple as well, and looked at other programs. Whether or not they had examined other pro— grams before, I don't know. This was one that they were particularly interested in. They were impressed with it and the consensus was that they wanted to take it and transplant it wholesale. I was pretty familiar with that program because I had taught in Howell, and what 95 had happened to it in Brandywine was that it had been emasculated, is the word I would use. They had taken most of the really essential elements out Of it, one of the things is the nongradingness, they had taken that out. The element Of choice in the curriculum, the degree to which students choose and select classes, that had been so rigidly structured in Brandywine that that element was just about gone too. SO, I didn't see really very much left of the program. We talked about that for awhile, in the committee, and I suggested that if they wanted that type of program, they would have to reinstitute what were the essential elements. One of them being the nongradingness, elements Of student selection. SO it was agreed in the committee by a vote that this program with those essential features would be recommended to the junior high staff. About a week or two later, there was a meeting Of the staff and this program was presented and explained and the staff had an opportunity to discuss it. There was not much discussion or too many questions about it. On some items, like the length Of the grading periods, and some technical things like that, but the philosophy Of the program was not discussed much. I felt that at that point that the work of the curriculum committee was done. We had a couple of meetings after that to try to plan some strategy on how to institute the program, and I thought the committee just kind of stumbled over its own feet, trying to work these kinds of things out. What I saw as the committee's function as being to formulate the program as a conceptual kind of job. And that the implementation had to be done another way. There was some concern on the part of the staff because of the fact that the lounge program had been rejected by the community that there would be some necessity of selling this new program. This was some- thing that I had not been used to. The communities that I had worked in before were not included in the program. This was not part of the procedure. We did not go out and have to sell the thing. But, we thought it was going to be necessary in this case because of the fact that we had the change and there had been a lot of turmoil over the lounge program, and since we were going to try something new again so soon, we felt we should make the necessary contact with the community. The first thing that we did was to draw up a proposal for the program that outlined its philosophy; it gives them sample classes on how the thing might be put into effect. We took that to the Board Of Educa- tion. Our function there was not really to get their approval, or that they fell within what seemed to be their goals and objectives and so on. What we did think was that part of the problem, at least expressed by the Board, in terms of the last program, was that they had no informa- tion about it prior to its being instituted. Whether this was the case or not, I am not sure, but we wanted to make sure that this time they knew what the thing was before it actually got started. 96 Secondly, we needed some money, because the changeover was going to involve a certain amount of increase in funding. We also needed a certain amount of money to do a testing program, an assessment program. It was more for political reasons that we went to the Board. If there was criticism of the program or controversy the Board would have been taken into the program. This was something that we perceived as having happened in the "Unit-Step“ program that when you are doing something new, an individual becomes identified with the program. And if some- thing is wrong with it or there is a reaction to it, it is easy for a group to equate that program to that individual. We tried to make the responsibility for this and the knowledge Of it as diffuse as we could. so you didn't want there to be just one person identified with it? Right. By this time I had been here for some time and I knew all the people and I had the confidence for doing this kind of thing. I could have taken that kind Of role, I think, and some very obvious leadership role could have made me known to the community in this respect. But, I think that would have been a mistake, so we tried to get as many staff members involved in it as we could, and tried to draw the Board into it, and ultimately members of the community. How did you do that with the community? Not in the formulation of the program. so, the program has been fermulated at this point; the conceptual stage has taken place, and we are beginning to sell the program. Our presenting it to the Board was really the first step. Well, the first step was selling it to the junior high staff, but that was not a problem. Why was that not a problem? I think, largely because there was a certain amount Of apathy about it. Also, since it was designed by other members of the staff helped it to be acceptable. One of the places that I had taught as a matter of fact, this program came from above and it kind Of trickled down and it met a lot of resistance, more than it normally would have, had it come from other teachers, etc. There really was, I think, resistance to the program. There were some staff members, I found out later, who were not very enthusiastic about it, but gave their assent by Offering no objections. They were not in the majority. SO, maybe they didn't feel at ease speaking up then. Another thing was that some people said that this was just another thing. It will probably be gone within another year. A kind of a cynical attitude. We have a new program every so Often and that is the way it is. 97 Anyway, the selling of the program to the staff was no big deal. The ultimate selling of the program to the staff turned out to be something else. That didn't occur really until the program went into effect. SO, some people kind of worked along with it without really supporting it. Some of them who initially had been negative became very enthusi- astic about it are the same now. Some who had been quite enthusiastic kind of cooled, not to the point of wanting to dump it, but there has been a cooling of enthusiasm for the program. The next step was to go to the community. We had not consulted the community in the formulation Of it. We did not go to them and say, what kind Of program do you think we should have? Somebody brought that up, and I hadn't advised that, this was not along the lines that I normally take. I see the trained professionals that are hired--that is why they hired them. You can get certain kinds Of ideas from people in the community, but to sit down with a group from the community and plan a program I didn't see that as working out well. We decided to take the completed proposal and present it to the community. A number of ideas on how to do this were presented--an Open house was suggested, we rejected that because a certain number of parents won't come to the school. We decided to set up a number Of coffees and we worked through the P.T.O. on this. We used the P.T.O. because these were people who were active and influential among parents. We contacted the president of that group and she contacted other members and these people agreed to set up coffees in their homes, to which they would invite parents Of children who would be entering the junior high. We spaced these coffees so that they hit all hours, and we could hit everyone. About 60 or 70 percent of the parents showed up. We sent two teachers to each coffee. They explained the program, they answered questions about it, and they just generally talked to these people. There was a lot of complaining and ventilating their feelings about the other program (the lounge), and to a certain extent we helped these people to vent. Not trying to defend it, but letting them blow Off steam, which they did. Then we turned to the program that we were introducing and talked about that and tried to direct these meetings so that we were talking about what needs tO be done now and what we were going to be doing in the future. They were in general very successful. Lots of good questions came from the parents. NO real serious Objections to the program, when we gave its philosophy and the way we intended to implement it. They were pleased that we had made the effort to contact them in this way. I think it helped a lot to have these in people's homes. It was an informal setting, small groups of five or six people. When these coffees were completed, there were a certain number that were not reached, and we sent them materials through the mail, and every one of them had been contacted or called. 98 That ended the selling part Of the program. Then we got into the implementation. On that business of coffees, we had about 3/4 of the staff which participated. Were the other 1/4 some of the people that you found out later had not really supported the program? . There were some who were marginally supportive or didn't know, and these coffees became a turning point for them. They got to talking about the program and got some enthusiastic response from these parents, and they found a way to grow into it. It helped out in that way too. The implementation Of it began during the late spring on into the summer, and I worked part of the summer on it. That was not a job done by the curriculum committee, people in their own departments worked on it in getting courses together, etc. Did you run across any blocking kinds of‘policies or statements from the Board or administration that you had to circumvent or work through? NO, none from the Board. Did you find any that were helpful in presenting the material? NO. Were there any suggestions made from your committee in later policy adoptions by the Board or statements on any of’the things that you had been doing in the way of'involving the community or staffL-were any of'those things instituted in parts of'Board actions? Not as far as I know. The Board may, and has made from time to time, favorable comments on the program and on the way it was instituted. They did show approval? They did. The Board did not get involved in the program in that way. We invited some Board members to one or some of these coffees. The principal at this time was not involved early in the program either. I had the feeling it was not the type of program that he would have wished were here. He knew he was leaving anyway. He didn't help or hinder, really. He kind of stayed away from it. He knew it might even injure the effort. Sb, his best efforts would be to stay away? Yes. We never discussed that or really talked about that, but I think he realized that and that is what he did. 99 The program was instituted and is in its fourth year. There have been frequent changes but the format of the program hasn't changed. Am I correct in assuming that the changes that have been made have been recommendations from members of the staff? Can you describe that briefly--how you handled or changed? Some Of them were brought on by necessity. The first major change was in the registration, with the good fortune of hiring a person here, Kathy Olson the Counselor, who has been deeply involved with the pro- gram since she came. She is the key person in its Operation. One of the things was that the hand scheduling was an impossibility. I scheduled the first one myself; it took me most of the summer to do it. The idea for it really was in having a college type registration, and she took that idea and developed it and that is what we have now. She has refined it so that it is done in a day now. There haven't been any real major changes. We did establish some goals--behavioral Objectives for all Of the classes. We set up a curriculum committee to screen classes that were added or dropped. The purpose Of that was to give a central power or agency (steering committee) that would be able to take a look at the entire curriculum and if something was going to be dropped to make sure that it was for some good reason. Or some things may be added for the same reason. The real reason, as I saw it, for that committee was--when you have a program like this, it seems to me, as it goes on over three or four years, it gradually begins to lose what it was. New people come in, Old people leave, and they are not sure of what they are supposed to be teaching. Gradually the program begins to be something that is far from what it originally was. So, the purpose of that committee too was as kind of a conservative effort, really. If the objectives of these classes are set down and no classes dropped or added, except with this committee's knowledge and approval, the program can remain basically the same. Not to say that elements are not going to be changed or dropped or that it can't grow, but we want to make sure that the program and its philOSOphy and what is being taught, basi- cally--we can keep a close track on it. There are no authorized changes that we don't know about. If we are going to change things, we want to know what the changes are and have control over them and not having something going on that we don't know about. I think that was a significant development. One of the key elements, I think, Of the program, though, has to do with the counseling, and here is where the major change is coming in, and I see it as a kind Of retrograde. We explained to the people when we sold the program that children were going to have choices to make and they needed guidance in making them, because kids at this age are not capable lOO Of making these choices on their own. Part of the learning process in making choices is that you have to have assistance in doing it. The freer the choice and the wider the choice, the more counseling they are going to need. This part Of the program was never really developed to my satisfaction. Kathy Olson, the counselor, cannot handle that job. There have been numerous attempts to get the staff interested in doing that job themselves. We need several suggestions on how to do this; there has been very little interest in it. There has been a realization though at the same time, that many students are not getting into the classes they need. There are only two ways that you can go, you can either counsel them very well or you arrange it such by making requirements Of some kind to get a certain type in a number of classes you feel they ought to get. The more requirements you get, the less validity the program has. This is what happened at Brandywine. They were most skeptical and had prerequisites for everything, and they had many required electives. Joel, do you have any more to add? I guess not; that pretty much describes the development and implementation. Interview 4--Diana Wright Diana (Lung) Wright is a teacher at the Eagle Lake CPAC room (Continuous Progress Alternative Classroom) and has been for all but one semester of its Operation. Diana was the significant individual teacher in the design and start of this program. She helped write the first environmental description used in the Edwardsburg School System and provided a majority of leadership in this phase Of curriculum deve10pment. How did you get started in the CPAC room? I had individualized my room for two years and I really liked that kind of teaching and so when we had the Opportunity to take the class that was Offered through Michigan State University in our school we did and we worked on the idea. The superintendent and principal and some of us teachers began talking about extending the program from just the fourth lOl grade room to possibly include the fifth and sixth grade. Jerry was there and he agreed to be the sixth grade teacher and we called Lynn Gable for a fifth grade teacher, because we felt that she'd do a really good job. We sat there and talked in general about. . . . "Is there some way that we can make use of the large classroom at Eagle Lake? We have folding doors--could we make use of this large space? We sort of brainstormed ideas for the rest Of the morning and realized we needed another person. So then Jerry and Ilean and I called Lynn, got her out of bed and had her come down to school. Weren't there some parents involved at this point? Yes, Mel Freeman. She was in the class too and her daughter was later in the CPAC room. so you involved parents as your planning went along. can you describe that? Yes, in August we had a parents' meeting and we sent out invitations to fourth, fifth and sixth grade parents and we probably had about 50 people there. We had part of the room set up to explain some of the learning centers we had developed. We answered questions and parents were encouraged to sign up their children for the class. That first year we had quite a long waiting list of parents who wanted their children in this kind Of experimental program. Were there any students who were involved in any of the planning? As the year went on they were. Like for science in particular, we asked them what they wanted--what science areas they wanted to study and that's when we chose our science field--we didn't use the book. We talked it over with them and made suggestions and worked with them. I think for awhile, We had a student group of maybe two or three kids where we'd ask for ideas from them. What about the other teachers on the staff? What was their reaction? At first we got some static from them. I think a lot of them felt because we had several Older teachers, they had been in the business for awhile and I think they felt threatened. . . . I think they felt afraid that next year they would have to change. I think after they realized that they didn't have to do this the threat went away. I don't see any problem now. That first year there were a lot of times when we'd get kidded and then after while it wasn't kidding . . . it was really kind Of cutting things. Lynn and I were upset quite a bit about it; Jerry was less upset. There were a lot Of problems at first. l02 Sounds like you had to hold each other up? Yes, we did. I think that's why it worked so well, because we worked so well together. Yen really chose three people with different strengths and you used those to the best advantage. Oh, yes, we did. We had other teachers who helped a lot. The music teacher scheduled music classes to help our schedule, and Mrs. Ducey was helpful in the library. And Of course when we think about it there was a lot of help like the principal and superintendent. Does the program take more work than a normal classroom for a teacher? I think it does. I think especially the very first year. The very first year that we were there it was an awful lot of work and it's still a lot of work now. Were you aware of’board policy or board resolutions or anything like that that were supportive of’your attempts to do the program? Not especially. When I first set up my room, I didn't even know I was supposed to say anything to the Board or that I was doing something different. There was no problem, but I didn't think the board was against it because there was all your help [superintendent] and all Ilean's [principal] help. Were you aware of the Mission Statement or Quality Curriculum? I was vaguely. The workshop in the summer was part of the schedule that we followed for the Quality Curriculum. Well, yes then, I was aware Of it. Were you aware of’the alternative policy the board adopted? Yes, I was aware of that. Did you help with that policy? Yes. What about your professional growth as you worked through this program? Did you notice any? l03 I don't think you could do anything but grow. You have three peOple to get ideas from instead of just from your own little room. I think you're constantly aware Of another professional person right there and I think this helps you do a better job. Because you can take things from them and give things to them--expand upon all your abilities. I think you do grow without realizing it. Do you think you helped other teachers in the school system to grow? I don't know how much we helped them. I think that we probably did. I think a person has to be careful not to turn some of the people off. Are you saying it is more effective to have people come to you with their questions? Right, because I guess it is a carry-over from the first year when we got so much static. I'll give them some ideas. In the room now, the three of us--like now I give Nancy some ideas and she gives me ideas, too. But I think I do that much more freely than just going to them and saying, "Hey, I'm doing this." If you were to go to a new place or find a new idea that you wanted to start here, would you change the process we used to develop the CPAC program? I don't think you can, because you've got to have the community with you. The teachers, the community and the parents have to be involved from the very beginning if you want to make it work. Are you saying the involvement is really important? Yes, it's really important to have them involved because if they're going to be planning . . . everybody's there from the beginning and it's their program. SO if there's a problem you can say, "Hey, we've got a problem." The whole thing is their baby too, and that's important because when they feel that way they're going to work harder at it and they're going to defend it more and push it more, it's part of them. Is there anything else you want to say about the process? The parents and students have really made it worthwhile. Their calls and the kids' response to the program has really been rewarding. We're glad we worked for the room and appreciate the support from the Board and administration. l04 Interview 5--Vi Ross Vi Ross has been a teacher in the High School Option Block for the last three years. She was an important figure in the development of the program and has held the distinction of being its most important staff member. She has worked with two full time teachers in the period of the three years and each has also played a significant part in the program. Vi has been in the school system for a number of years and is able tO recall some additional events in the change process. Vi, will you tell us what the program is that you're working in now and generally describe how you were involved in starting this program? The program was called the student Option block; it is Open to juniors and seniors in the Edwardsburg High School with parental permission. I'll take it chronologically. I think for a long time I was personally searching for a kind Of different program because I was not altogether satisfied that the traditional classroom was meeting the needs of the majority of the students in high school, so when there was an oppor- tunity to take a summer workshop under the direction Of Dr. Dale Alam and Bill Shaw in the summer of l972, I signed up along with several of the teachers in the school system. The high school group particularly explored the idea of alternative education as it might take form in the secondary school. We worked with those ideas with Dale Alam and Bill Shaw for a period of two weeks and we came up with a kind Of plan. This included some goals that we thought were viable for our particular school situation. Some Of us were so enthusiastic we wanted to begin it that fall but we recognized that we had to do a bit of exploration in school visitations to other school systems that already had some kind of an alternative program. SO we decided to postpone it until the second semester of that year, to give us time to plan. SO, during the period Of the fall semester then we made some school visitations. And the people who were most directly involved in this were at that time Judy Singley and myself. And we had the cooperation of our assistant principal and our principal and they accompanied us on some of the visitations. We preferred the program at Howell, Michigan. We brought home a lot of their material and decided to develop our program along their guidelines with some small changes. During this time we were l05 also reading about alternative classrooms and had several discussions about them with Dale Alam, Dick Fitzgerald and Bill Shaw. SO we were finally ready to go the second semester. During this time Judy Singley was pregnant, and applied and received maternity leave. We were fortu- nate at this time to get Sue Nelson to replace her. She was one of the teachers who had initiated the program at Howell and since it was their plan that we were using, she was a welcome addition to the staff and although Judy worked part-time for a month or so, Susan took over from there and remained with us the rest of the semester. Then Judy came back from maternity leave and she and I have been Operating the program and this is the fourth semester. So, you are finishing the fourth semester? Right. Can you go back prior to the workshop in the summer and recall policies of the board or statements that were adopted by the board that helped in any way in creating an atmosphere in which you could do what you were doing? The Board was prepared to accept at that time alternative classrooms throughout the whole system, and certainly the Quality Education pro- gram that was developed by Mr. Fitzgerald was a big help to us. Were you involved with any of the writing of policy or Mission Statement as a staff member? I was not involved with the actual writing of the Mission Statement although we discussed it and I know that some staff members actually met with the board and administration to develop it. Later there was a policy developed that was called the alternative policy. Did you help in any way with its development? Yes, I did, and we used it as our guide and felt that it helped a good deal in the final development Of our program. The guidelines were set forth very clearly in the policy. In your description of organizing the program that you talked to conmunity people, other staff members and students, can you briefly describe how you involved those people? Well, actually during the summer workshop we called a group Of students in and got their reactions, presented our ideas about the program and asked them if they would like to have a program Of this kind. We had invited ten or fifteen high school students that we thought might benefit from this program. Some were potential drOpouts, some Of them were looking for other ways to earn credits who hadn't been l06 particularly successful in traditional type programs. The students discussed it and they all seemed to be quite enthusiastic. The parents Of some of these same students were called and their reactions were requested. We also had an Open house shortly after the program began to make sure that every parent understood what his son or daughter was involved in. The program was publicized by the local media. Did you meet with the Board to describe the option block? Yes, during the first semester. We also invited Board members in and had the students role play and discuss the program. They discussed what they liked about it, what they didn't like about it, opportunities they felt were available to them through the program and we invited the Board in for one of their regular meetings. There was a great deal of coming and going by Board members and parents, especially the first semester. Did you think about other teaching methods before the summer workshop with Dale and Bill? Yes. I remember a Grand Rapids meeting that Jim Kahl [another high school teacher] and I attended. It was really a workshop on individ- ualizing instruction; I don't remember if that was the exact name, but that was part of it. We were very enthusiastic about the program and implemented it as much as possible in our individual classrooms. Both Jim and I were looking for an opportunity to really get to know students on a one-to-one basis and to provide some kind of goals by which they could gain an understanding Of their own educational needs and then maybe provide some experience that would meet those needs. You seemed to have been involved a good deal with program changes at Edwardsburg High school. Why? It sounds corny to say that education should be student centered, but it seems to me that a few years back when I compared what I was teaching to the way I was taught there wasn't a great deal Of difference. How- ever, kids have certainly changed since then and the world has changed. It's much more complex. So it doesn't seem to me that the Old ways of doing things are necessarily valid. I don't believe in change just for the sake Of change, but I do believe in changing to meet needs that are obviously becoming more evident. Were you aware of’the Quality Curriculum and the Mission Statement at the time they were being introduced? Yes. Did you see those as being helpful to you as a teacher? l07 Well, I remember feeling really restored by them because I think the Board did not take them lightly and they were really interested in the best kind of education for Edwardsburg. I felt that I was supported by them and that they were guidelines. I think they were important to the community as well. They were there for everyone tO see, they were well publicized. I remember asking time and time again for copies, partic- ularly the Quality Curriculum program, to use in connection with the Option block program. Can you think of some major benefits from the change in program as far as the school system is concerned? In general, I think it's made the community and the parents and probably the school system more receptive to new ideas, more tolerant maybe of different ways Of doing things in general, and more specifi- cally, our own program I think meets the needs of the kids. Have you been communicating with parents more effectively in this program than you did before? I think so, you get to know the kids better and I think I've learned to know the parents of my student Option block students more than my other classes where I have 35 in a room and meet for one hour a day in a structured situation. Yes, we definitely feel much closer to the students and this includes their parents. We are more aware of their personal problems, their family problems. This makes it very easy to pick up the phone and call a parent and discuss the problem. can you think of'any other benefits that may be a spinoff of'the program? Well, I can certainly see a lot of career experimentation because we have kids going really out to work in careers they think they might find a calling. I know of several examples of students who have been introduced to a certain career, get full credit for it during their experience credit, and then gone on to school to pursue that. What about your own personal or professional growth? I think the program has been very satisfying. I was becoming rather disillusioned about teaching. The Option program was really a booster shot in the arm; I've really enjoyed it. can you think of’anything else that you would like to say? I am really grateful for having the opportunity in the kind Of a school system that permits experimentation with planned and researched pro- grams. I don't mean to throw bouquets to you but this is how I feel. l08 What about the differences that became evident between staff‘members? Does that change with time? Yes, that's a point I was going to make. As the program establishes itself and becomes more accepted by other staff members, they feel less threatened by the differences. They begin to realize some Of the positive results in the program. Is communication to them important? It does require communication, especially at the beginning. I don't want to call it public relations, but I guess that's what it is. Interview 6--Judy Singley Judy Singley is a teacher in the Option Block and has been part for all but one semester of its existence. Even during her leave of absence she stayed in contact with the program. Judy has been a member of the staff for four years. Will you tell us, Judy, what you remember about your first involvement with planning for a change program in the Edwardsburg Schools? It was before our class [Summer 1972] when I first started thinking about it. . . . It goes way back to the first time I met Dale; it was the first year I taught here and we had an in-service program. I really liked his ideas and I thought at the time I had been trying to teach that way but then I realized I'm more structured than I thought. That's the first time that I started thinking about it. The big thing was, though, the class that summer. Was the summer workshop the real start for you? Yes, through the efforts of the school Board to offer that class, I think that's where everything seemed to come together for me. I remember Ruth, Vi, Dick, George, and I sitting around discussing ideas with Dale and Bill. Did Mel Freeman work with you at all during the workshop? I think she got involved more after we had sort of started to design the program. She was involved after we started talking about the environmental plan. l09 What were some of the parts you remember from that summer program? Another big part Of the plan was the kids. Brainstorming on their ideas. HOw did you have the kids involved? When we were really talking about finalizing it, we thought we needed to get input from the kids as to how they would react, how they would like it, how they would design it to be comfortable because we were talking about the kind of environment that we wanted to have. We called the kids and they came and had a big meeting. Did you try to choose the kind of kids you were calling. . . . Did you have anything particular in mind? I think just kids. . . . We wanted their ideas. I remember some of the kids that were there. One was particularly negative and later turned out to be one of the strongest students in it. I remember him particularly. Negative in what way? He didn't think the school would buy it. It sounded too good to him, it couldn't really happen. I think he was surprised. Then, you worked on that program the first semester of that year? Yes, and we made a couple of visitations and I think that's where the real commitment began. Were there any parents involved in planning up to this point? Not in the planning up to that point. The first time I remember parents being involved was when we took it to the Board. That was before it was put into practice? Yes. How were the parents involved at that time? This is where Mel Freeman came into it; I know she was a big help in the first semester. I remember she came to the school and interviewed kids in the cafeteria. The questions were about the Quality Curriculum and it seems like we talked a couple Of times after that. What can you remember about what the Board had established in the way of'policy that helped in the development of'the program? llO It's hard to remember about the Board. I was so nervous about starting a program like this. I particularly remember you wanted to start right away and Vi and I weren't ready. You told us that there was money available if we needed it from the research fund and really supported us at that time. The thing I remember about the board, it seemed as though they didn't want it to cost any more than a normal program . that's the only thing that stands out in my mind. We used the research money to help with the visits to other programs. Do you remember the alternative policy that was drafted by the Board that fall? NO. We brought it to each teacher that had been in the summer workshop before it was presented to the Board. Oh, yes, I remember. Vi and I talked with you about it and made a few suggestions. I don't know whether that's because you generally are a little bit more right than the elementary teachers or what. But, I recall that being helpful. That policy was the one you were talking about where the Board finally adopted one that said we'll have alternatives if they don't cost money. How do you feel about your part in Option Block now? I feel really good about it now. It was hard to make that first commitment and as I said before I think the commitment came after our visits and our talks with Dale and Bill. YOu took a leave the semester the program started, but you did work a few days a week until the baby was born. Yes, but I wasn't as involved as I wanted to be. Could this program have happened without the teachers being as active as you were . . . you and Vi and later Susan? With the right kind of people. Like who? Like Susan. . . . Are you saying it has to be a teacher? You feel that way——that a teacher has to be planning and working? Yes . . . and it can't happen unless you get the support that we had from the administration to get it started. lll What about the support or lack of support of other staff'members? Was that a real problem? It was a real problem at first . . . not directly but indirectly through the kids. The teachers complained about it to the kids but not directly to us. What about your professional growth? As you look at the program and the work that you've done, has that helped as far as your feeling about your profession? Yes, I think I know kids better than some teachers who have probably taught for 10 or 20 years . . . because Of the contact I've had in the Option block. Did you feel any particular risk or did you realize the risk you were taking in proposing and working as hard as you did to get this program going? Yes, I felt the risk but I don't know how to explain it. NOt a professional risk like I could lose my job but more from the other staff. Well, it seems to me that there's more of a risk in having your colleagues accept you as a good teacher than there is of’being fired. That really bothered me at first, but it doesn't anymore. Is that because their acceptance of the program has grown? Yes, and I think I know a little more about how they teach now tOO. Some people that I thought were maybe really strict and almost mean, I think are more Open than I used to believe. That's part of'your growth. Yes. Do they know that you know that? NO, I guess not. can you think of'any other items involved in the development of the program that we ought to know about? Anything that you wished I had asked and haven't? The Board meetings where you and the Board gave us good support. What do you mean? ll2 Because you thought it was really neat. When the kids did the television show about the option block, it seemed to me that they showed a lot of sophistication and understanding about what they were doing, and that surprised me. Did they surprise you by their maturity? Yes, at times. I think it was there in those kids--they just didn't realize it enough to put it into words before. The kids in the option block call you Vi and Judy so they use your first names. What's the significance of that in the program? How did that happen and why? I can't really remember how it happened, unless it was just that we all worked so close that I never call her Mrs. Ross, it's always Vi and Judy and maybe they picked up on that or maybe it was . . . I can't remember. I know on the sheet we always put Vi and Judy . . . maybe they just feel freer and because we referred to ourselves that way. If that happened in your other classes, how would you react to it? The kids I have in Option Block will call me by my first name wherever we are. But the kids not in Option Block would never call me that. Interview 7--Jerry Wright Jerry Wright is presently in the Skill Center at the Edwardsburg Middle Elementary School. He has the unique distinction of working in two different alternative programs in the system. He started with the CPAC room at Eagle Lake and one year ago moved to the Middle Elementary Skill Center. He was involved in the initial development of the CPAC room and added some significant individual skills to the programs. Jerry, will you tell me how you got started in planning the CPAC program? Three years ago, we had a chance to take a class offered by Michigan State University [Dale Alam and Bill Shaw] and during that first couple of meetings Of this class we wanted to develop something. SO we started kicking around the idea of trying something new in the ll3 classroom. We came up with the idea of a classroom that would consist of three grades, 4, 5, and 6, and that is basically the general back- ground Of it. You wanted to develop something, what do you mean by that? Diana had had an Open class within her own room, and she had the students working on their own at many different levels. What we wanted to do differently was to get away from all kids being on the same page, everybody doing the same lesson, and take kids where they were, and go from there. You might have a 4th grader doing 3rd grade work and a 6th grader doing 9th grade work. Doing contract work and things Of this nature. We wanted to get away from the standard classroom. Ibu had been a teacher for quite awhile befere starting this program. What was different now? What motivated the change? After being in a self-contained classroom for l0 years, you should change to try and prove yourself. I could see many times where I was holding back some very good students, trying to not let them get too far away while I was trying to cope with the slower students. I could see this was wrong because they were becoming bored and were going to become discipline problems in the room. SO I started doing some of this experimenting on my own, letting them go on their own and do extra things. The CPAC program just magnifies it in a larger sense. It lets them progress at their own rate. Was the Michigan State University workshop significant to your change? I think that was the major influence in the whole thing. If I hadn't taken the course from MSU, I would have gone right back to my self- contained classroom. That would have to be the main reason. We got together and worked it out, and took a chance on trying it. Plus we had the help Of the administration and the backing Of the administra- tion to do it. We had a good deal Of encouragement from these two men from MSU, which helped a great deal. Did you involve some parents as the program developed? How do you describe the method that you brought about the explanation to the parents and their involvement? We sent out letters to the parents of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students. The letters described the type Of classroom that we were going to have that year. We had worked up an environmental description of the class- room as we planned for its Operation. We had a meeting for parents and quite a few parents came in to hear about our plan. We explained what we had planned to do and answered their questions. After they had asked their questions we provided a sign up sheet for parents to sign if they wanted their child in that classroom. We got very good response to this. 114 can you put yourself’in the place of'any of those parents? Did the parents say anything to show how they felt about the opportunity to have a chance for their children? Some parents were extremely enthusiastic about it, and said they had been waiting for something like this to happen for a long time and they couldn't wait to get their child into it. Some parents were interested, but still had many different questions. These parents biggest concerns were, are our children actually going to achieve? Aad some were concerned about the discipline in an Open room like t is. I think there was an awful lot of enthusiasm in the parents, they were looking for something different. It was very apparent when they signed up on the first night. The classroom was almost filled after the first night with parents. some of the parents, as you indicated, signed up on that first night, some didn't, and some never did. How do you feel about this? I think any time you try something new you are going to have people who are uneasy about it or afraid of it and they are not going to stick their necks out. Of course, you have to realize too that all of these parents came up from the self-contained classroom. It is something completely different tO them. I also believe that some children should fit into a regular self-contained classroom. Are you saying the alternative was not for everybody and it was not intended for all students? Right. It was for those people who were really interested, if they weren't interested in it, fine, they had the Option to go the other way. This gave the parent and the child two choices instead of one. can you speculate on how enthusiastic you would have been had you not been involved in the design of the program? I don't know if I would have been enthusiastic or not. YOu thought the contact with MSU was pretty important. Right, very important. I got all my enthusiasm from them. They had seen this work before. They made me believe it could work. They seemed to have a good answer for all of the questions I had. Would you say that involving them with the program was really important? Definitely. They came down to visit several times that first year. They would visit with us, or we would go out and have lunch and discuss problems we were having, or things that we liked or disliked, and we got a lot of good information from them. 115 Net only the class was good, but the follow—up was important? The follow-up was really super. They really helped. They were there when we needed them, several times, and they still stop back once in awhile. Ybu and the other teachers went to Okemos to visit a similar room one day and later sat in on one of'Dr. Alam's graduate classes and answered questions. How did you feel about that? The visit to Okemos was great. I saw a lot of things that we hadn't used that we could try to implement into our program. With the grad- uate class we had a chance to explain some things to his class which really made me feel pretty good. Although I wasn't really an authority, I knew more than most people did and they really had some good questions. It made me appreciate the fact that we were trying to do something. Did this help you become more aware of some of the things you were doing that you took for granted? Yes, I think anyone who has taught a long time, who sees someone else who has taught the same way try something new, it makes them think about what they are doing. I guess this was the reason Dr. Alam asked us into his class. How did the visits and other activities affect the other teachers in your building? I think there was some jealousy on the part of the other staff members mainly because we were getting all kinds Of publicity. The administra- tion was there trying to help, and we had people from MSU there, and naturally there had to be some jealousy. Nothing serious, but some. I think the biggest problem we probably faced was because we had the option, if a child wasn't working out, we could move them out and into a self-contained classroom and then take somebody on the waiting list. I think there was some resentment there. This has probably been our biggest problem. It hasn't been too big a problem at Eagle Lake, even now it isn't a major problem there, but I think it's more Of a problem here in the Middle School. One of the reasons is that the Middle School is so crowded, this makes it a little more difficult. If you were going to go to another school system, and the opportunity presented itself'fer you to be a leader in some change in that new school system, how would you organize that? I probably would do basically what I have done, if I had a chance to go to a school system and maybe change the upper grades 4, 5, and 6 into an Open classroom. I would be more aware Of many of the things that we would have to watch for, as far as discipline, the type of ll6 curriculum you want to use, what we expect from kids, the grading system. I think I could put it together pretty easily. How would you think would be the best way to overcome some of the staff problems that you mentioned? I don't really know if you could ever get over that part where you are moving a child out and moving a child in. I think if you sit and talk to the staff ahead of time and explained why you are doing what you are doing you might make it easier. Were you aware of the policies, the Quality Curriculum, the Mission Statement, and other policies while you were developing the program? Yes. Did you find those to be helpful? Yes. I had a pretty good idea of what we were doing. Do you have anything else that you would like to add about the change process that you went through? I think any teacher who is going to try an Open classroom should go into it with the idea that you are going to make a lot of changes. A lot of trial and error, a lot Of things that you think are going to work when you begin aren't going to work. You are going to have to use trial and error methods. It does work. I believe in it after being in it almost three years, and it does work. I've seen the results of it, the boys and girls love it and I'm not afraid to make changes, and I think that is something you constantly have to do. Ybu have to put yourself on the line, then, in order to make the change? All the time, but I think it is worth it. ll7 Interview 8--Sharon Artley Sharon Artley is in her second year in the l'Skill Center" in the Middle Elementary School in Edwardsburg. She was selected to be the third grade teacher by the principal and the two original teachers as this program expanded. She has expressed considerable personal growth because of her part in the program. Sharon has been in the system as a teacher for five years and has been able to view the development of the process over this period of time. Sharon, tell me how you feel about the program you are working in. This is the "Skill Center" in the Middle School. This [the "Skill Center"] has got to be one Of the best ways Of doing things. I have enjoyed watching the change in the kids. I was looking for a different way of handling things, and this turned out to be the way. I enjoy working with the Older kids, though I cannot say I was not enjoying working with the younger ones. I had second grade, and up to the fourth and fifth last year, and now fourth, fifth and sixth this year. You said you enjoyed the changes in kids, what were some of’those changes? Their handling of responsibility, the handling of themselves, the way they can take something and carry the ball all the way down the field. We were used as resource people, and not mommy and daddy carrying them all the way down. The trust that they have in themselves, in each other; the way they have learned to talk to somebody before the fists, you know [fighting]. It used to be that some of them couldn't do any- thing without hitting, but now they can sit down and talk things over. They have grown up. It is a maturing situation for everybody. One of'our questions fer study is how the design for the "Skill Center" came into effect? can we get your opinion of how you feel about the program? llB The two gals that started the program started with two fourth grades. The next year it was two fifth grades and one fourth grade. I entered with the new fourth grade group. I have felt a part of the planning. They have included me in it. They did then, and they still do. It is now a three-teacher program. HOw do you perceive the planning? Did it come from the teachers? Did it come from an administrative directive? How do you feel about the way it evolved? I think it came from the two teachers originally, with the kids. You know you have to let the kids be part of this too. You can't just say, hey kids, today we are going to start an open classroom. You have to work into it gradually. I think they started with the idea, and began to give the kids the reins a little bit to see how they were going to handle it. And from that came the Open classroom, but they had begun working into it. Were the kids or the parents involved in any part of'the design? As Cheryl and Penny were working, at the very beginning, easing into the program, the parents at that point were not brought in. It was just a very little bit. Then they actually brought parents into the classroom. They had parent conferences and they had parent meetings. At the end of the year they had meetings again with the parents to tell them we would like to try it again next year, and we are going to hang on to the two fourth grades, then to be two fifth grades, and we are going to add a fourth grade. At that point they called in third grade parents so that they had a combination Of third and fourth grade par- ents. Last year we had the third grade parents. We sent home notes to the fourth and fifth grade parents, saying we were going to continue it into the sixth grade. The parents are involved. They have to be. We can't have anything like this without the parents knowing what we are doing. Do you think the parents know that they are contributing to the design of a rather unique program? Yes, I really do. Let's take the fourth grade parents. We try to consider ourselves a skill center, but we have to break down into fourth, fifth, and sixth sometimes. At the beginning of the year, the fourth grade parents are right there. Do you mean they are anxious about it? Yes, very concerned. They have given their permission for their third grade child to be in the skill center in the fourth grade. At the beginning of the fourth grade, they are right there with us. You can see them let go of their kids. Not total disruption, but they are ll9 allowing their child to take the ball just as we have been. One parent was saying the other day that at the end Of the year they are going to be just like us, this isn't going to mean all that much, because that is not the important thing. They were talking about grades in this case. We do not believe in grades, and we don't give them. One fourth grade parent said, "Gee, I don't know how my child is doing." And one sixth grade parent said, "That is the way we felt, but are you watching these weekly reports they send home? Are you checking those over? That tells you how they are doing. When you start getting those not completed, etc., you better get in touch with them, or they will get in touch with you.“ Grades are not the important thing. Parents are telling other parents about the program? Yes. We have watched these same sixth grade parents, who two years ago were questioning the same thing. They can see how they've changed, they can see how their children have changed. Is there more work to this type of classroom than other classrooms? Yes. You [the teacher] have got to be committed to this program, or just get out. Why does a person become committed to a program like this? I was frustrated. As my own children grew Older I could see myself changing, easing. Ten years ago, I can see myself with the rows Of desks, and l0:15 we are all going to read, and at l0:20 we are all going to get out our spelling books. It was a very comfortable situation for me then. It fit in very nicely; we all knew where everybody was. But, as my kids grew up, I saw that at l0:15 my daughter didn't want to take a nap. And when I started back into teaching then, I could see it with the kids in school. At 10:15 they didn't want to do their spelling. I became frustrated because I really didn't know what to do. So pretty soon here came the ideas; let's start throwing this out, so what if the kids sit on the floor, so what if they sit under my desk, I don't care. If that is the way they feel comfortable, fine. Then the Opportunity came for me to really get into it, and I joined up with the kids last year. YOu were a teacher in the same building. can you remember what you were thinking about the program that they had started before you joined with them? At the very beginning, I thought, "Oh, those drips. They are really taking on something." There was a lot of jealousy. I too wanted to do the same thing. What do you think made it possible for them to start the program? l20 Probably they felt the same frustration that I did. It was an initiative Of theirs. Maybe they felt a little more comfortable doing it with the Older children than I did. They were two, I was one by myself. What do you think the other staff'members are thinking about this program now? Are they thinking like you did originally? I can see a couple Of them wavering. They are tottering out on that fence by themselves. Others feel that we are a little Off base, but as long as we do our thing and they do their thing, they are com- fortable in what they are doing. Do you think you pose a threat to them? I don't really know if it's a threat. Are they being defensive in the feelings that they have? A couple Of times, especially in the beginning, there were very, very caustic remarks, and I felt at that time that they were defending exactly what they were doing. This year I think they have accepted us more and they are easing Off now. I don't feel that I have to defend what I am doing either. I think we are all kind of going together and mellowing. Do you feel as though you are taking any kind of.risk? NO, I don't think so. I think we have had this a long time, but now they have put a fantastic name on it, called "Option" or "Open" with quotes around it. Some people are really jumping at these terms. I sense personal, professional growth on your part, from what you are telling me. I can't pick one out. Myself, I think I am much happier, more com- fortable and at ease. It's a fantastic way of teaching. It is a hell Of a lot Of hard work. It all comes out in the end, you have got to believe in it to do it. You think being happier is worth working harder for? Is that what you are saying? It is just a fantastic thing. I go home at night and I don't feel like I am batting my head against the wall. I am happier at home because I am happier at school. For me it is a better way. Unless somebody put a shotgun to my back and said, "You have got to go back," I don't think I could ever go back [to regular classroom]. l2l lf’you went back to a single room, would you still do the same thing? Oh, I would have to. Thinking back over the last four years, what is the most significant contribution that you have made to this school? I have contributed myself, my time, my love for these kids, and my work for this program. I love teaching, I don't know how else to answer. Do you believe this is a successful program, and do you think you have contributed to understanding by other staff'members of'a different way of teaching? I hope so. so you think they have learned to accept a different way because of your success? I can sit back now with other staff members, much easier now. Before I was defensive, I guess because I am happier in the way I am handling things and doing things here; I can sit back and look at these other people whether they be happy or unhappy and I can say, "Id like to help you. I am more calm and ready to help. When you want to come to me and say, 'Hey, I've got a problem,‘ or 'I'd like to talk with you.'" Before I would think, "Now leave me alone; I have got to get this done." But, I am ready now whenever they want to come to me. I won't go to them, I don't think. It's more of a "I am here when you are ready to come to me." I have heard the comment made several times, that this is a program that has been thrust upon the staffL-that you were forced into it in some way. Do you feel that you were forced into it? Definitely not. I went to JO-Ann [the principal] and said that I was very frustrated and could I be part of the new staff at the Middle School, and I was very pleased when she said that I could. Nobody said that I had to do this. This was what I wanted to do. Would you agree that a person who is involved in the planning, who has had a chance to make changes after the plan is started, to imple- ment the program, and who has committed himself in some way to change is going to make sure that the program works? Yes, that's right. 122 Interview 9-—Sheryl Schaap Sheryl Schaap is a teacher in the Edwardsburg Middle Elementary School alternative program for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students (Skill Center). She was one of the two teachers who designed this program. In the deve10pment Of the program the teachers wrote an environmental description as required by Board policy for alternative programs. At the time of the interview she was in her third year with the program. She has seen it change buildings, change from one grade to three, change from two teachers to three teachers. She is the only original teacher of the three. She has taught for four years. Sheryl, why did you change from what you were doing? We saw the need. Some of the children couldn't keep up; some were way ahead. We didn't feel the traditional classroom was for every student and we wanted something that would fit the needs as we saw them. Were there any other people involved in planning for that program besides you and Penny? We visited Eagle Lake and we took ideas from their program and Penny had worked in California with this and so we took from her knowledge and so forth. What about your principal? He was not involved much in planning. We consulted with him about what we were doing, and he would give us ideas and suggestions. You kept him informed? Yes. Were any parents involved in planning? We met with them . . . and talked the change over with them, because we changed the room in November; we didn't change it at the beginning of the year. SO, we met with parents and explained the program and got their feelings about it. l23 What did you do with those feelings? Were any of the parent ideas used in planning or changing the program? NO specific ideas that I can remember. Did the parents help in any way or become involved? We sent out a questionnaire sheet asking them how they liked the program and what would they like to see included, and questions like this. We did get suggestions from parents, mostly about how we reported grades. Parents helped us a lot, they came in and worked with us in the room. They made projects and we kept them informed of what we planned for the room. What changes have been made since you started? Most of the changes have come when we have changed a teacher. We have added a third teacher. Sharon took over when Penny took a leave Of absence and Jerry came in with us. Each time we made changes to adapt to the differences in teachers. There are several policies in our school like the Mission Statement, the Quality Curriculum, and the policy on alternatives. Were any of those things useful in helping you get started? I don't recall much about those. We did write purposes and Objectives and how we were meeting those purposes and Objectives used our teacher's handbook. We used the alternative policy and the materials developed in the CPAC room as our guides. HOw do you feel about the program now that we've been in it for these three years? I don't know whether I could go back to the other kind Of classroom after seeing all the advantages Of this program. There are days when I wish I had my own little room and everybody was at his desk; I think we all do that. But if I were to go back and have my own little room, I don't think I'd do the same as I did before. It doesn't meet every- body's needs, including mine. I can't fulfill my goals with that kind Of a classroom. Would you say that you're committed to this program? Yes. Did you ever feel that someone was pressuring you to make this change? NO, we felt pressure after, but not getting started. l24 What was the pressure you felt? Well, once it was going we'd get comments from other staff members, we'd hear negative things from peOple who never came to see what it was we were doing. They took rumors from everybody else but never found out for themselves. They would comment about things before they ever really found out and this would bother us at times. Has this pressure continued? NO, I don't feel that anymore. Does this mean the other staff'members have accepted it? I don't know if they've accepted it; it's not new anymore. It's not being formed and changing. . . . We got a lot Of that from the other building, when we were over there and we got a little of it last year when we moved to the Middle School but I feel none of it this year. I don't know if this is acceptance or they're just tolerating. What about your personal growth as a teacher because of’this program? Have you felt like you've grown? . . . as a professional? Yes. I've become more patient. The program has helped me to become more patient with the slower child and also more patient with those who are way ahead of grade level. Can you describe why? I guess because I don't feel the pressure that I have to get this kid through this book. He's going to do what he can do and that's all he has to do. When I had my own room I felt as if I had to do this or he can't go to the next grade and now I don't feel that way. I don't feel that kind Of pressure and so I can accept what he can do now and we'll take it from there. Then with the person who is going by leaps and bounds, I don't feel like I have to hold them back like I did before. I didn't feel I could go ahead and put them into the next grade level work like I can now. I have grown patient. Do you think that would have happened had you not had this kind of program? Probably not as much, or as soon. What about working with other teachers? Have you grown in that way, too? Yes, because I am a very neat person and when I had my own little room and my own little kids, they knew where everything went and it was there or they knew I would be upset. And now, if some things are out l25 out of place I can live with it better. I think I've learned to tolerate messiness and I am more relaxed. So I think working with other people with different habits has helped me--that type Of thing doesn't bother me as much as it used to. Where did most of'your help and support come from when you and Penny started the program? Well, JO-Ann has helped us a lot. She wasn't principal when we started but she did help us a lot. The people from Michigan State, Dale Alam, Bill Shaw and Joan Stranahan and . . . you helped us, and we got support from the parents and the teachers in CPAC at Eagle Lake. Administrators Interview lO--JO-Ann Boepple JO-Ann Boepple is principal at the Middle Elementary School building. She was instrumental in bringing the Skill Center into operation and keeping it working, providing support and needed encouragement. Having been a teacher in the system until two years ago, she has participated for much of the time as a teacher and provides an interesting comparison of Opportunities. Mrs. Boepple was a teacher in the first goal-setting workshop and thus was involved in different positions and over a long period of time. Jo-Ann, will you tell us how the parents have been involved and how they continue to be involved in plans for our school in the alternative program at the Middle School? Parents were involved right from the beginning in meetings. They continue to be involved through learning on their part through each other. When we get parents of the Skill Center people together and begin talking about what's happening to their child in an alternative program, they can see that things are happening that are good and it's helping them understand their child better. How does this occur for them? l26 By meetings. What kind of'meetings? Informal discussions. . . . Where are these meetings? Some are in the principal's office at our monthly coffees. Parents are invited to come in and talk about anything relating to the school or children. Many of them talk less about school and more about children and the kinds Of problems they've faced with the children and try to help each other through support, suggestions, or sympathy. Are they meeting with just parents of'the skill center room? NO. All the parents of the school are involved. Many times it's a combination and those parents whose children are not in the Skill Center are being helped to understand their children. I think Skill Center parents are usually better able to understand or looking for more understanding in their children and this helps the other parents too. You were a teacher at the time the first workshop that was held in October of'1972. Did you feel this was successful in involving people in decisions about the school? I thought it was an initial step. What have you learned about making a change successfully? I think what makes it work is the teachers, the parents, and support from the administration--sort of a joint effort. But then I think that's what makes any program work. You're saying all of those elements are needed or most of them are needed? It takes commitment on the parts Of all those people. Would you say from what you've seen, that these people who have been involved in the planning of change feel they have the power to make changes and that they contribute to the success of the program? I think so. I don't think that people come to the school system after the changes are as excited about it as those who saw the big change come about—-who were involved in the change. It's exciting when you are going to do something different and it's a challenge. 127 There's not as much risk, there's not as much investment and not as much to be gained by having it continue. Right, and there's not as much excitement. I guess it points out that it takes a particular kind of personality and a certain kind Of goal tO want to become involved with it. If you were anticipating a change, what procedure would you use with your staff? First, I'd make sure people were involved and have a good idea Of what they were going tO do. Describe what you mean by "people involved." This would be the teachers involved in the new program. A lot Of people talk about things that they would like to do, but talking about them and really doing them are two different things, and so I'd be sure that they would be people who would really follow through. That they had thought it through enough so that they knew what they were going to do and they had the determination to do it. Once I knew that they were serious about it, then I would suggest that they call in parents, discuss it, explain it to them. Why would you do that? Because I think it is important that parents understand what we're going to do to show them that what we're going to do is going to be for the good Of their children and not harm them. Then I would suggest that we do something in the way Of in—service with the rest Of the staff to try to promote support, because I think that's important. I think it's important that everybody pull with the people who are going to make the changes instead Of fighting against them. I think that's the kind of diplomatic moves you have to make. Do you think that now with an already successful program planning another change would have a better chance of success? I think it would depend upon the change and how controversial the change is. I would say that the more changes that occur, the easier it will be for everyone to adjust. The first change is really very traumatic for everyone but after that, it should become less Of a problem. YOu have used the word "commitment" and you have talked about invest- ment. can you think of'any other terms that might show what is needed for success of’a new program? l28 Determination! I guess I feel that the program is only going to be successful if the people involved in it want it to be. Sometimes people get involved in change just for the sake Of jumping on a bandwagon and doing something different without really being that interested or convinced that it is that great; it's just something different to do. What would you say is the most significant contribution that you've made to this school system in this changing atmosphere? I guess support for people, understanding and encouragement, because I've been involved in a lot Of different programs in the school--some successful and some not so successful. Do you feel that people come to you to get the benefit of your experience? I don't think people come to me to benefit from my experiences, but I think they come to me as a sounding board because they know I will listen and help them think it through and help them make changes because I've been through it myself. Do you think the parents are aware that they are being given the opportunity to help in the changes of the school? I think so. I think that the parents feel that they Can come in and get involved. flew much were you involved in design and planning of the Skill Center? Not very much. At the time that Penny and Cheryl started the program in the elementary school, I gave them as much help as I could and offered suggestions. Sometimes they came to me with a problem and I tried to help. As far as planning, they've done most of that them- selves. Remember, I was a teacher at the time they started, but I've sat and listened and made suggestions, but I don't really feel that I was involved much. You were involved from the position of'an administrator in setting up their facilities? Right, yes. Equipment, furniture, tearing out walls and supporting the third teacher. Right. l29 Would you say that a change is successful because of the person who is involved with it and that it has a better chance of success if the person who plans it is the one who works with it? Maybe that's why some changes haven't been successful in other places, because someone else thought of it and developed it and then tried to sell it tO the peOple who were going to be involved in it and it didn't work. Have you seen any evidence of anyone feeling that the program they are working on was ferced upon them? No. I think the reason that those particular people are successful is because they planned and developed it and they are working to see it through. If I had planned and developed it for them and said, "This is what you're going to do," I don't think it would be successful. When there is a change of’personnel, the room takes on a different atmosphere; it changes to accommodate the new personnel? Doesn't that substantiate what we say, that the person is important and not the program? Interview ll--Ilean Becraft Ilean Becraft is the principal of Eagle Lake Elementary and instrumental in all the development Of ideas and policies including the CPAC room. She is one person who has at times been held back from innovating her building by things and people over whom she had no con- trol. A principal for fifteen years with many insights into the past and comparisons with present conditions and future dreams. Ilean, will you tell us how you became involved in the change programs that began about feur years ago? My part started with a dream Of mine, something that I had set as a personal goal some 10 to 12 years ago to provide the kinds of Oppor- tunities for children whereby they could reach their potential, whether they were slow or advanced, because for too many years we have dealt mainly with the average child and have neglected those above average and somewhat those below average. 130 So you were looking for some alternative program to allow you to provide in this school those kinds of'opportunities? Yes, I had studied the nongraded concept for as many years as I have stated. The CPAC room was accomplished through a kind of'a progression, which gave the fiexibility that you needed, and then after that what happened? After that, I had a teacher [Diane] on the staff who was interested in making her classroom more Of an open classroom atmosphere. I was happy to say, “Yes, go ahead," because I felt that comfortable with my super- intendent, that I could act as a free person and have her act as a free person in establishing that kind of an atmosphere in her own classroom; then as we had a workshop Offered [summer 1972] where we could work on specific things we were interested in. Diane along with Jerry and Lynn were interested in starting the CPAC room; if it hadn't been for those people we couldn't have done it. There were some policies and statements adopted by the board that provided a summer class with Dale and Bill. Did you find those helpful in any way? Absolutely, because it gave a direction from the Board that Opened up a way for us to do some experimenting that we hadn't had before. Did you have any opportunities to help in writing or formulating of those the Mission Statement in quality curriculum? Yes, we certainly did. I feel that everyone in the school system, if they wanted to take advantage Of the Opportunity, had an advantage for input. As the program developed, did it create any problem with the staff? Yes, it created some, but any program that we have ever attempted that was different has created some problem. Did the CPAC with three teachers and 80 students create more of a problem of’anxiety than the earlier program changes in your building? I think so, because more children and more parents were involved and there was bound to be more anxiety. Were the other teachers in the building anxious about the CPAC room? I can't say for sure, I know there was apprehension among the staff. Have they learned to deal with it over time, or is it the same situation? l3l I think it is probably less Of an anxious situation now. Did the students and parents play a part in the development of the CPAC room? Absolutely, before we ever started, we had two or three meetings with parents to explain our concept, tell them what we hOped to do and ask them for suggestions. We gave the parents the opportunity Of choosing that class for their students. We did not put any student in there whose parents did not request it. We let them know that it was their choice whether their child went into it or not, and if they felt their child wasn't doing well they could come in for a conference and the child could be moved out. Ybu have got several programs in Eagle Lake School that might be considered innovative in some sense. You had Diane's class before and you now have the CPAC room; you've got teachers like Nancy and Barbara who are doing different things in the classroom, what do you see as important for you to do to have that happen? I have always tried to be supportive Of a teacher's idea, because we cannot become better if we don't try something different. How do you feel now about the part that you had with this change, the changes over the last four or five years? I feel great. I still am anxious and excited about seeing some more action, but I'll just have to wait until it happens, I guess. What do you think were the important factors that made the CPAC room a major change in our school? It's been through a lot of trying times with even some change of'personnel. Why has it lasted? Probably because parents are anxious to have their children go at their own rate. Have the teachers been instrumental in keeping it going? Yes, they have. And you as an administrator have worked hard to keep it going? Are those the two major things? I would say so. I was also able to hire people who fit in. Has there been professional growth that you have experienced from these programs? l32 Yes, I think so, because if as an administrator you are just dealing with the traditional classrooms all the time, you don't experience the growth. It helps to work with teachers in clusters and help people to know how to work together in a cluster relationship rather than just a single classroom. If you were to make some suggestions for preparing to make a new change, what are the things that you think are really important to accomplish before you go into the change? First of all, I would want to be sure that I would have the support of the superintendent and the School Board. Secondly, then I would bring the teachers in on the concept and idea. Thirdly, I would bring the parents in on the idea, and get everyone involved before it is ever put into action. When you say teachers, are you talking about the teachers doing the changing or all of the teachers? All of the teachers. Are we right in saying that the building principal and the teachers doing the change have a major responsibility in making the change? I think the parents need to be very supportive too. Did parents ever bring up the Elkhart Truth series, which included the big article about your programs; have any of the parents ever brought that to you or anyone else? Only the second year of the program. I recall some parents saying something about that article the second year. So it was read by people who later put their kids in? Yes. In fact, I had parents who moved from South Bend to this area that had read about it and asked about it when they came to register their children. l33 Interview 12--Clyde Morningstar Clyde Morningstar is principal Of the Edwardsburg Junior High and previously a teacher in the junior high. He has had extensive con- tact with parents and the Unit Step program. He has also contributed to administrative team decisions at the time Of much of the program devel- opment. He has participated in most workshops as an administrator. Clyde, will you tell me how you first became involved with the change programs in Edwardsburg Schools? Being here as a teacher I discovered along with other members Of the junior high staff that we needed some kind Of change in curriculum in the junior high that would create more interest by students. We wanted to eliminate some boredom, make a curriculum that was more meaningful to students and this was the reason that we began looking at some programs in other schools and came up with the Unit Step program. Did the Unit Step program start as a result of the situation that was the "lounge"? As I viewed it at the time, as a teacher, I was not greatly upset about the "lounge." Describe it as you think it was, so we know what we’re talking about. I viewed the "lounge" as a place where kids could go to escape when they didn't want to go to class. If they didn't like a particular teacher or class, they could go to the "lounge" rather than leave the school and roam the streets. It was pretty much left up to the individual teachers as to what their requirements were; the kids could attend class or they couldn't; some teachers required that they attend class-~I did require when I was teaching that my kids come to class and I didn't have any major problems about attendance. I think that the wrath that the community showed with regard to the "lounge" was a result Of a very small minority of students who misused the privilege of the "lounge." This, in turn, created a great deal Of disenchantment by the Board about the "lounge." Then this led to the Board appointing a study committee of citizens to look at the whole school, including the junior high and the "lounge.” Right. And then as a result of that, the junior high staff felt there was a need to do something with the junior high curriculum. l34 was that really the beginning of the accepted change? Well, that was the beginning Of the Unit Step program. The Unit Step program was designed by teachers with the help of'Joel Steinhauer, a new teacher? Right. Under Joel's leadership and Mike Bucowski's [principal] encouragement, practically all of the staff got involved and as I said before--we visited different programs in various junior highs. In your opinion, if the teachers hadn't planned the program, could it have been done? Could Mike Bukowski, as principal, have presented a program to the staff'and had it accepted? NO. I think it had to come from the staff and it certainly had to have their cooperation to sell it to this community and to the Board. HOw were the community members and the board involved in the inception of the program? The staff was divided up into teams of two to three people who would go to homes in the community and talk to six tO ten parents at a time and explain the program to them. Was every teacher required to do this, or was that voluntary. It was voluntary. And most of'them volunteered? Most Of them volunteered. Was the program presented to the Board as it was to the parents? NO. It was written up and proposed to the Board as a written proposal. There was a committee from the junior high staff that attended the Board meeting to answer any questions. Did the Board commit additional money to this program? There was an additional outlay of textbooks and materials-~it may have been supple— mentary materials, that was essential to the beginning of the program? Yes. What was the additional money used for? The program was to be in six week units. The normal materials and textbooks we had needed supplements, the library needed additional materials, this kind of thing. 135 Each time the students are scheduled there are some opportunities to change the classes offered; are changes made frequently? Right. In the initial stage the scheduling Of students was not as refined as it is at this point. We now have written the performance Objectives. We have taken a look at the minimal performance Objectives as designated by the State Department and attempted to make our programs meet at least the minimal performance objectives. Were outside infiuences helpful in the further development of'the Unit Step program? Yes. A workshop with Bill Shaw and Dale Alam where we were encouraged to work on the program and further develop it. There were a number Of junior high staff that were involved in the class. This gave us time to study what we were doing and look at where we were going. Has all this helped in the professional growth of your staff? I view the staff as grown in the sense that they are more kid-oriented and thinking more about the welfare Of students than they are the amount of work that is required of them. YOu mean they're working harder? Right. The nature Of the Unit Step program requires much more preparation and much more work from teachers. Why do you think they agree to do this? Because I think it was something that they were part Of and wanted. They are committed to it? Right. Has your staff'felt like it has been risking anything as far as colleagues in other parts of the school system as a result of the program? They have felt tension, especially between the junior high and the high school staff. This is mainly due to criticism Of the program by high school staff members who are not fully aware of what the program consists Of. This was one reason why we had recent in- service program where the two staffs met and explained their programs to each other. This in-service met with great success and improved feelings between buildings. So that constant need to communicate doesn't go away just because you have a total staff commitment--you still have to communicate with the staff’of the total system? l36 Correct. Prior to the meeting, I got the feeling that the high school staff felt we were picking courses out Of the air to Offer with no planning and no preparation and no organization. How are new classes selected? What if’a teacher wants to introduce a new class in the area of social studies, how would they do it? They would submit a request to Offer a new class to a committee of staff members. The teacher would describe the class and give the title of the class, the course description, the performance objectives for the course, text materials, and supplemental text materials to be used for the course. They would be asked to meet with the committee to answer questions and the committee decides whether the course is approved or not. Everybody on the committee has one vote and the principal is a member? Right. The principal is no more important on that committee than any of the other members? Right. The committee is made up Of one member from each of the academic areas, a member from the fine arts, a counselor, principal and the chairman who is sort of our building curriculum leader. Has there been any student input into program development? Not a great deal of student input as far as having a say in what courses are Offered. Students' acceptance Of the courses Offered is considered. The students pre-register, and the courses that are most in demand by the students as indicated by pre-registration are the ones that appear on our master schedule. Has the Quality Curriculum or the Mission Statement or alternative policies of the board had any influence on the unit step program? I think the philosophy of the program and the Quality Curriculum are quite similar. The philosophy of the Unit Step program and the goals of the Quality Curriculum program are pretty much in line. I think this was indicated in the report of the steering committee. There weren't a great many things that they were unhappy about in the junior high pro- gram and we were pretty much fulfilling their expectations Of the -curriculum program. [The steering committee conducted a survey of the total school system's curriculum as it reflected the Quality Curriculum--see Appendix.] Has that given you added incentive to continue and work with the program in any way? l37 Definitely. 1 also feel that if someone or some group came to the junior high staff and asked them to abandon the unit step and go back to a traditional program . . . this would meet with the disapproval of the entire staff. The staff has discussed this and they have no desire to go back. HOw do you feel about the junior high school as a total now. I'm quite proud of the program; I'm proud of the staff; I'm proud of the students; I'm proud of the building, and I try to instill this pride in the staff and the students. What evidence do you have that the staff'and students feel the way you do about the junior high? The student attendance has been much better than it was the first year I was here as a teacher. I would like to attribute this to the fact that the Unit Step program does hold a great deal Of interest for most students. One thing that I probably have not indicated in any written reports before is that the students do have pride in the program and that we have very little vandalism in this building. There's very little destruction that goes on and I think it's because Of the pride they have in the program and Of the building. Does this also reflect how the kids feel about the teachers or the way the teachers feel about the kids? I think it indicates that the kids don't have a lot of anger they're trying to vent . . . especially as a result of what happens or what doesn't happen in the building. What do you think is the most significant one thing you might have contributed to this total process? I think the biggest contribution that I have been responsible for is the morale and attitude of the staff. What do you think is significant in the processes that you would recommend to others based on your experience? Well certainly the most important thing in starting a new program is to probably sell it to the members Of the community and the Board Of Education. Whether this is done by the means that we used or another method this is probably the most important step. Was this something that was emphasized from the "lounge" situation? l38 I think it was something we really learned from Mike Bukowski. I don't know whether it was from Mike or you, but it was made quite emphatic that it was important to sell the program first. I don't feel that I have taken the leadership in the area Of curriculum because there were other people here who were doing it and they were capable of doing it and maybe it was more acceptable to the staff this way having come from one of their people rather than having it come from the administration. But you still had to encourage that to happen? And support it as it does happen. . . . Which I did wholeheartedly. . . . I did support it and well; I was part of it when it first started. . . . Was that a help? Being part of the planning and then moving into the administration? I think I had an advantage being here one year as a teacher before becoming principal, because I knew what was going on. I knew how different teachers felt about the program and I could take those things into consideration as we got into it. I hadn't really been here long enough to become a staunch member of the teacher group, so it was an advantage being here because I knew what was happening and was a part of it. Interview 13-1Lyle Sisson Lyle "Skip" Sisson is a former Edwardsburg teacher and administrator now employed in another school system as an administrator. Mr. Sisson was an "old guard“ teacher who had many contacts with teach- ers and was able to look at the total picture as it developed in its early stages. He was a participant in all of the early "workshops" as an administrator fresh from the teaching ranks. He has the added advantage of comparison to another school system. Mr. Sisson had the opportunity Of piloting one of the early program innovations for the school. This was the sixth grade camping program. "Skip" started the Community School program in Edwardsburg. l39 Will you describe how the community School program was developed? Well, in my case, when I took over the Community School job I was fortunate to have lead-time to get things planned, organized, and worked out and at that time I had the advantage Of working with Community School people from Western Michigan University who were already trained in this work. They helped us develop a procedure so that when we got into implementation programs we had programs that were desirable for our community. The first programs were adult education classes and certain recreation programs. But the important thing is, I guess, that people became involved and became school sup- porters where before they had been neutral Or against the school. Who planned the program and what help could you use? I feel like I was responsible for planning the program but I had the advantage of having various administrative staff and community people to help with our advisory council. What kinds of'actions helped from the school board in getting things ready fer you? Well, I think the best thing or the most important thing that they simply by resolution adopted the concept and in so doing endorsed the program and gave me the administrative strength to do the job. The Board showed support in a variety of ways and this was demonstrated by working with the board in formal board meetings and work sessions, and then with the board and community people in workshops. The Board showed an interest in us. Obviously, they had a financial interest in us but they did get into it. They acknowledged that the program existed and gave it a status in the school system. I think they saw the value of it. They attempted to strengthen the overall school program and supported it, so they encouraged us. As the program developed, were there changes made from one year to the next and how were those kinds of things determined? There were changes made, some of them were pretty natural growth changes of progression. It was a new program so I guess we had to find out what your niche was going to be in the school system--so maturation would be part Of it. Being the type of program we were, we had flexibility to try things. We could try things and if they didn't work, discard them, try something new, continue to evaluate programs, maintain the successful ones, replace the unsuccessful ones, this kind of thing. For a time we had a fairly active advisory council who worked with the community in a variety of different ways and they provided quite a bit Of feedback and input and did some survey work for us as well. With their help we had a way to find out what the community wanted. I think the cooperating with agencies outside of the school l40 system probably were one of the greatest changes Of the program. Originally, we were pretty much an exclusive program--the idea Of involving the community in the school. Later, after having developed the school portion Of the program we went to a point of trying to work with the community to make the community as a whole to grow the way we were trying to make the school system grow. We had a part on the Parks and Recreation Board, involving the city government. This seemed important to me; to have the Board back us in this project helped it to grow. Did you feel that you were taking any particular risk when you were planning programs or getting started in them? NO, the only risk associated with it was just the normal risk of any new program. I didn't feel it as any type of personal or professional risk. You were asked to pilot the sixth grade camping routine. Did you use a similar approach to draw up support for that program as you did for drawing up of the community-school program? Did you learn some things in the planning of'one that helped you in the other? I think one Of the things we did in the community program--we used the same basic approach-~involved community people and this thing, but we worked a little harder in involving teachers in the planning Of the camping program because they were going to have to be directly involved in the running of the program. It would mean going away from home over- night and it would mean some sacrifices so it became imperative that they become involved early in the program. Without their help we wouldn't succeed regardless Of the other support for it. We did involve parents and did involve Indiana University--and visited other existing programs. We modeled our program after a neighboring school program and used the same facility as they did, and we shared resources with them. The board had established some policy statements that involved a .Mission Statement, the Quality Curriculum, alternative programs. Did any of those help in any way in any of the planning? Were you aware of those in your planning? Obviously I was aware of these. I guess I can even take a little pride of ownership of these things. Because of the fact I was an administrator I had the Opportunity to work in reviewing drafts, even preparing rough drafts or parts of the Mission Statement and the Quality Curriculum program. These statements described what the superintendent thought the school system should be doing. The Board of Education accepted them and they participated in the development of them too. We went the same route in the deve10pment of these statements involving the community, professional staff, Board Of Education, and our administration. I think they had a great deal of value. l4l Since you've left the school system, have you thought about any of the procedures that were used as far as change is concerned? Have you any suggestions or comments concerning the method that we used in Edwardsburg? I think that the only significant improvement that could have been made, as I look back at it, was that I think the School Board hired a chief administrator to come in and be a change agent, but at that time they did not make this known publicly. As a result, I think that some of the pressures and problems could have been avoided if everyone had been made fully aware of this fact. As far as the methods used, I don't think I'd change that a great deal. I don't think you can change by executive order, or perhaps you can, but it's not going to be effective. People are not going to accept change if they aren't involved in the process of change. I think that we did involve people in Edwardsburg. It would have added a greater degree of credibility if the board right from the beginning had made a statement Of what they expected in the way Of change. Anything else that you want to say about the implementation of the programs? I think, to do it all over again, there's probably some things we'd do differently, we'd change. Probably the greatest one is simply the fact that instead Of changing everything and everyone, the entire pro- gram, the entire curriculum, we might try to change parts Of it and make it more an alternative concept where a student would be free to choose--subject to parental and counselor guidance the type Of avenue in which they could best perform. And, of course now, that's the direction you have taken. But at the time I was in Edwardsburg we were still in the first two or three years of the entire process. The third year, though, we were pretty much into alternatives. I guess then maybe that's the recognition Of the fact that some people are going to fit in the traditional curriculum better than the liberal curriculum. Some people need the more conservative approach and pro- viding these alternatives will better meet the needs of all the kids. This is better than forcing one set of values on all kids. I think that was probably the team extern programs that gave the administration the mutual feeling of respect and admiration for each other. I guess at one point we wondered whether that was a worthwhile activity. How- ever, it worked out to the point where we were confident enough Of each other that we weren't offended if one of our ideas was not accepted. The team concept gave all Of us an Opportunity to be part of decision making for the school system. YOu went to the extern program with the administrative team. That was also the year we began working on the camping program. Wasn't the camping program an idea that came from on the way to one of those extern programs? l42 Yes. Everybody talked about it during the week-end and then on the way home, we put it together and you said, "Give me a plan for a program to present to the Board." We worked it out as I said earlier and Board members said, "GO ahead and try it," and that's a good example Of how we brainstormed something through as a team and separated the good ideas from the bad and got a concise picture of what we wanted to do--with everyone involved-—at least adminis- tratively, and then, Of course, from there it went on to involve the rest Of the peOple. Parents and Citizens Interview l4—-Mel Freeman Mel Freeman, parent and chairperson for the Board-appointed Steering Committee, became involved with the school in some unique ways as workshop participant and Board advisor. She has children involved in some of the alternative programs described in other parts of this study. As a result of her involvement in this work, she became involved in graduate education classes brought to the system. Mel, tell us how you were involved with the change program at Edwardsburg and when that began? I was appointed by the President Of the School Board in the summer Of 1972 to chair the Steering Committee which was to advise the School Board about future changes. This was to help the administration and Board in these decisions. Each member Of the Board appointed an individual to be on this committee. Was the Steering Committee to do a search of the school of the curriculum, buildings, staff; and what else? Those were the most basic things. Were there any members of'your committee that were not community members? We had teachers, students, and parents on the committee and the Superintendent served as a resource person whenever we needed help. In the Fall of 1972 we were asked by one of the students on the com- mittee to have a rap session with the students. We chose tO do this with the juniors and seniors, at that time. The information we got l43 was varied, Of course, a lot of requests that were impossible to do which we expected and then there were a lot Of suggestions from them about what they wanted from school, but were not getting. Can you name some of'the suggestions from the students that were later used in the school curriculum? A class in journalism. We got this and the class worked with the Edwardsburg Argus on the school page each week. The student government or student council was another suggestion. There was a great need expressed for a better form Of communication between the students and their teachers. This resulted in a session with the teachers and any members of the community who wished to come that day. Our format was set up by Dr. Raber Of Oaklawn. This was to have the committee and teachers give us some ideas about communication. How they felt that this whole thing could evolve as far as teachers, administrators, students, and School Board, all having a better relationship. As a result of that day, the steering committee asked the School Board to appoint a communications committee, which it did. This committee worked for approximately six to eight months and took its recommenda- tions to the School Board. Is it correct that you and your committee were involved for about a year and a half on a continuing basis? Yes. Haw did you feel about having the opportunity to have the input into the workings of’the Board? At times I loved it . . . at times I hated it. At times it was terribly frustrating. ‘ What was it that you liked about it? I liked the idea that I might be involved in the decision making process of my children's education. What was the part that was so difficult? The frustrations stemmed from a lot of things . . . apathy on the part of parents and teachers at times. Was that apathy to your request for help from them? 144 Primarily. There was a feeling of complacency from parents. They would give a lot of lip service to anything, but when we asked for a commitment of time and energy it was very, very difficult to get their help. It also bothered me that there were so many parents so Opinionated about policy or program and change and never bothered to look into it any further than conversation over the back yard fence. They could not seem to Open their minds to hear the correct information. The lack of commitment on the part Of members of the community bothered me more than anything, and the fact that they might complain like mad about something, or want to see something changed, but when you would ask them to put themselves on the line they weren't willing to do it. Did these people ever give you any reason for not doing it? If it concerned a particular teacher, they were not willing because they were afraid of repercussions against their child. In your opinion, was there anything to establish that this reason might be true? NO. I think this was more a fear that it might happen. What kinds of suggestions would you make to the School Board in preparing a committee in the future? First of all, get people to serve that will give the time. I liked the idea we used in having a cross section of the community--as for students and teachers, I feel the young people have a great deal to offer. These are the two things I think are most important. I think it is also important to consider that the job given to us by the Board was perhaps too large and this might have been better if we had a smaller group and they would ask us to zero in on one specific area. Didn't you take care of this in your case when you appointed the ad hoc committee for communications? Right. So, really your experience in the first few months led you to make this suggestion? That's right. Something else I think is important, we all have adversaries and I think its important to involve these people in the work of committees Of this kind. This might not change their thinking, but it can help their understanding Of the problems the schools are faced with. Were there adversaries on your committee? l45 Not strong adversaries, but there were some parents that had been Opposed to programs in the school. This, as you recall, was par- ticularly true Of the junior high situation in the school. But once they had an understanding they changed their minds about what they thought. Are you saying that once people are adequately informed and involved that they may change their point of view? Sometimes, but not always. Are you saying that people who are not well informed, but their mind is open are the kinds of'persons we are talking about who may change in such situations? Yes. There is a difference in these people in your mind? Yes. Did you feel that the Board was really listening to your committee and wanting your input? Yes, I did to a point. There were times when I felt that the Board wanted us to reinforce something they had already decided. This is not in conflict in your mind--that the Board make more specific assignments to its advisory committees? I don't really know. Should the board upon perceiving a problem seek input from the community? I think that could be very profitable to the Board. This is particularly true if the Board expects to receive a lot Of flak about their actions. Are you saying there may be different reasons for the Board going to a committee of this kind? Yes. I can see the board, in the future, using committees for two different things: (1) to inform the community about programs the Board has decided to use, and (2) to research a problem and make suggestions to the Board. This would tell them how people felt or what they would like to see. Are these things you did with your committee? I46 Well, we tried. I don't know how successful we were. Are you saying the work of’your committee was not up to the standards you wanted it to be? Right. If I could do it again I would do it differently. What would you do differently? I would not assume that all the peOple who work on the committee would be willing to work hard. I might even suggest that if they didn't want to work we find someone else. Y0u mean you would like to have been allowed to help in selecting the committee members? Yes. We could have planned our work a little better--that is, if we had it to do over again. If we had surveyed parents to know what their expectations for their child were and what they expected from the school. Do you think parents know what they want? No. I think it' s time they found out. We find ways to help parents . . it seems to me. The attitudes of high school kids comes from their parents, but I feel they can be changed. If they are involved, they can be changed? Yes. You are saying that the students and parents should be able to contribute thoughts about what the outcomes might be--not how it is to happen? Yes, that's what administrators and teachers are for. What about your personal growth as it relates to this experience with this committee? I was involved in graduate education classes--worked with parents, teachers, administrators, and outside resource people and the Board of Education. This was the first real volunteer work for me other than room mother kinds of things. It was great for me personally. I learned a lot. It reinforced my thinking about some things and changed my thinking about others. The graduate classes were very stimulating--I loved them. I loved the rap sessions with the students; kids are great. They have things to say. It was a great opportunity for me to meet and work with teachers and administrators that I would not have had any other way. l47 Any other things you want to say? I still have concerns about where education is going. It may be time for teachers and administrators to do some soul searching about where we are going. Thanks, Mel, for your work and your comments. Interview 15—-Reverend Lowell Walsworth Reverend Lowell Walsworth, local minister and chairperson for the Board's Communication Committee. Rev. Walsworth has been asked, on several occasions, to assist in an advisory capacity and has taken these tasks very seriously. Through these efforts he has attempted to fill some Of the gaps in communication problems of the school and community. I would like you to tell me about your involvement with the Edwardsburg Schools and tell me how the ideas as far as you know that you presented to the schools were used. In historical context, when I first arrived in the area approximately two and one-half years ago, the school was beginning to gear up for a strike. There seemed to be an excessive amount of tension. People were choosing sides as if for a battle. As a minister for the local Methodist Church, I have been charged with the responsibility not only of serving the church and its membership but the community itself. And I saw a need for a program to bridge differences between people.- It came to my attention, I really don't remember how, but it came to my attention that Mrs. Mel Freeman was chairing a committee that would be talking with the teachers and the administration and talking with the community, and here I'm very hazy, but I think I called her first and asked her how she was doing, what was happening, and how she was planning to Operate the meeting. I gave her some suggestions that I thought might be pertinent and she became excited about the suggestions. You're talking about group process? Group process for her committee, and actually group process for the general meeting that she was planning to have. I believe it was in- service program for teachers for an afternoon. She asked me to attend; 148 I could not attend, but I did give her suggestions for things she might try with this group. Some time later she asked if I would be interested in working in the area Of communication with a committee, and I said, "Yes." I then met with the School Board. In my first meeting with the Board, I was seeking their goals for this sub-committee on communication. I recall that I was very demanding of their goals and expectations. We also sought from the School Board official representa- tion on the Communication Committee. With this completed, the committee was formed and proceeded to work. Here you say that you asked the Board to give you their goals-—and you wanted to know what their commitment was to the process for the communication Committee. That's correct, and I also wanted their understanding of what the problem was. I asked the Board members what they thought communication was, and I asked for their definition Of the kind of communication that would be workable in our system. What did you do next? We proceeded to develop a committee of six or seven people who worked over a period Of several months and researched the community. We wrote our report to the Board Of our findings and recommendations concerning the specific topic Of communication from the school to the community and community to the school. This included the feelings of the teaching staff. We broke down our information from the community into its visible communities, because this community is not a community but a collectivity. And our hOpe in the process was to help in our becoming more of a community. Can you describe this into more of'what you did? We tried to find people who would be willing to work and who would represent the greatest number of various interests of the community. What I was working for was a representative force of the community-- the community in microcosm. We had a teacher and the President of the School Board was the representative on the committee. The only force that was not represented was the administration. Do you know why there was no administrator? Yes. It was quite intentional. The administration was the target of most of the hostility at that particular time. I thought I could quietly represent the interests as I viewed them of the administration. How do you view that decision now? I think it was a mistake. SOil tog Whi fee be< Cor '.>‘ 149 So you're saying that you really should have had a representative for every group regardless of the hostility that might have been present? The reason I say this was a mistake is that the President Of the School Board was viewed with some degree of suspicion at that particular time by the committee. After spending time together for a common cause, some of the suspicion and hostility waned away and they began to work together. I have developed a theory out of this, that perhaps people who work together toward a common cause lose some Of their hostile feelings. As I look back, I wish we had asked that an administrator become involved. Did you find cooperation from the different aspects of the community? Let's start at a very primeval level. When I began to work on this, I felt suspicion from all quarters. What do you mean by "you felt suspicion"? When I began to build the committee, I felt a hesitancy. In the charge from the School Board, in seeking a member of the School Board in direct involvement in the committee's work, my attempted conversa- tions with the teachers, and conversations with the community, I felt a hesitancy and the hesitancy was strong enough for me to interpret as suspicion. You kind of gave a different definition of teachers here, did you find teachers reluctant to talk to you? Yes, I did. Did you later deal with that? The way that I dealt with that was to try to build a relationship Of trust with selected teachers that I seemed to have something in common with. I had chosen at least four--two in high school and two in elementary. And as they got to know me and I got to know them, our conversations became more pertinent. Let's go to the project that you worked on. Did you feel that the project had merit? First Of all, the merit Of trying to ascertain from the community itself through the survey method, informal as it was, the problem that the community felt they were having with the school. What kind of survey method did you use? l50 Each member of the community because they were picked from all sorts of community areas were charged with the responsibility of going back into their community and spending five hours out Of the week in con- versations with the people of the community at random--the man at the gas station or the fellow at the post Office or the girl in the post Office, the people in the grocery store, the barber, and the guy over the back fence. As an experimental design it was not much good. Did you have a list of'questions that they had in mind? Yes, we had designed areas of discussion . . . not questions but areas of discussion. We charged the committee to be positive. One of my interior motives was to create a sense of positiveness toward the ability of handling situations and the committee adopted this. We came back and each member reported his findings, their findings were recorded by a secretary and kept for future reference and our recom- mendations came from these surveys along with discussions among ourselves. In your opinion, were the people in the community knowledgeable about the schools? I would say the bulk of material would rank on a scale from one to ten from one being pure hearsay, and ten being absolute fact, at about four. The results of the survey indicated to us that we must be doing some- thing or about something to improve our communications between the Board and the community. You've worked in several communities. Do you find this community to be significantly different in respect to the amount of factual knowledge that the people have about the schools? NO, I do not. I think that the populace itself in the communities that I've served are very ignorant concerning what's happening at the administrative levels and the policy making levels in the school, except for maybe when it comes to a building program or where it hits the pocketbook. The uniqueness of this community as I see it is the suspicion level that I discovered when I came here. Also, its own self-image is low. This is a small community; we are a bedroom com- munity for South Bend and Niles and Elkhart and some for Three Rivers and Cassopolis. But I found something different here from other bedroom communities that I served. It had a core group in the village or I perceive it to be a core group that isolates from the outside world--and the newcomers into the community have created a level of suspicion-~you're coming in to change our Old ways and there is a fear here that is not underneath but very much into the Open. This is how I perceive it. The School Board has now represented a force for change. can you explain that? fiqmfid.n 4.3:- 903:» L71 l5l As I see it, the village was/is secure within itself. Forces now coming in from outside were changing the community. We're becoming a bedroom community. That is the first level of change that we've had to adopt in the village and some of the people are in some stress because of this onslaught from the outside. Changes have occurred in the schools as well as other parts of the community, but the schools are easier to define as changed, being now (instead of peOple from the outside) the focal point of change. The Opinion leaders of the community have been able to zero in on the School Board as the changing force and it's too much to accept. It seems to have brought mistrust which is born out of the threat of change. The local newspaper played a big part as an Opinion leader in this situation. In view of'what you just said, do you think this was the reason your l committee was formed? I really don't know why the Board wanted the committee formed. My interpretation of the reasons for the committee's existence was to assist the community in breaking through the mistrust level. Your committee had a report. Did you feel that the Board accepted your report? Top line answer, Yes. The process by which we introduced the com- mittee's report was most unique. In order to get this before the committee, we had a public hearing in the junior high all-purpose room. I remember a bet between myself and the President of the School Board about the number of people who would attend, and I won the bet. We had a good group. We broke up into smaller groups to go through sections Of the report and the administrators were involved at this level. It was at this particular meeting that what we had was a gigantic breakthrough when the school and the newspaper found lines Of communication between themselves. The editor of the newspaper volunteered space in the newspaper for communicating school news which came as a major breakthrough when this came from the editor. The report of this public meeting was published in the newspaper and was presented to the School Board. After the presentation to the School Board, we noticed pieces of it appeared in actions from the Board. So often reports coming from advisory committees receive a spasm of activity for awhile and then pretty soon it's on the shelf and we return to Old more secure patterns even though they may be negative. I am not sure if we are returning to Old and more secure patterns for communication. If the report is to have a lasting effect, the Board would have to decide. Some changes suggested by the committee have had pretty sure results. These results are that the meetings are perceived as more public, a member of the committee itself is now a member of the School Board and the Board minutes are sent to any community member who requests them. And I do know that another member Of the Board is keeping the committee's report very much on his mind. SO there seems to be a consciousness Of the report. l52 Has the Board's integrity been kept by use of the committee's recommendations? I think that the results of the committee's report are visible. However, Boards change with new members each year. I don't know if the spirit we had will continue. . . . We will have to wait and see. I really can't say much about the spirit Of this Board's communication. You're talking about the present Board as compared to the Board that you worked with when you presented your report? Right. I sense that the past Board took this very seriously. I also sense that it was kind of forced upon them. Who do you think forced it on them? I think that the historical situation that the Board found themselves in, mostly in the relationship between Board and staff--remember the teachers working toward the strike. The community had had it liter- ally-~with that kind Of activity. I think the Board felt that if they really could communicate with the community and the community could respond back to them this would help the situation. So I think that was an aspect of the force, or let's say social pressure. Was the Board really forcing itself? I think that's a part Of it. Did they feel pressure from outside? Right. Because I remember when the Board first came out with expec- tation of what the committee would do was discussed and was reported in the newspaper. There was some response back to me by the public. It was perceived by some of the public that something might happen, someone might listen. We heard this from some of the teachers and administrators. Did you feel the Board and administration did hear the public? I perceived that something was happening and I also felt that a significant percentage felt that not enough was happening. I think the social change potential and the relationship between the school and the community still exist, and I don't think it has been exploited. Do you think that members of the community felt the committee's work had been worthwhile? Yes. I sense that some Of them wondered if anything would ever happen. l53 Were they pleased that they did find a commitment from the Board to look at the material that was presented? I'd like to interview the committee now and see what they perceive as the result of our work. When the material was presented I think the committee was pleased with the seriousness with which it was received and the fact that it was adopted by the Board. Did you find any blocks to this whole process from members of the Board or administrators? Not from the Board or the administrators . . . not after the initial encounter at the School Board meeting. This, as we stated, was necessary to define the role of the committee chairman. After that, the members of the Board were very serious. Are there any other comments you think you would like to make? I think the work should continue in the area Of communication and I think a better job could be done to build acceptance for change and trust. Thank you, Wally. Interview l6—-Barbara Dempsey Barbara Dempsey is a community member with a unique position from which to observe the school system. She is the Educational Reporter for the Elkhart Truth, a daily newspaper serving part of the school community. In addition, Barb did an in-depth study of the schools which became a ten-part series for her paper and earned her the 1974 series award for Indiana Press. Barb, will you describe how or why you decided to write the series on the Edwardsburg schools? When I learned about the Communication Committee and the Mission State- ment that had been developed, I wanted to know more. I had not been covering schools long enough to know if other systems did this, but it seemed to me that it was something that I had not heard about or read about before, and because it was something new to me, I thought it might be worth sharing with other systems in the area. . l54 The series that you did was quite long, ten parts with ten consecutive days in your paper. It seems as though you developed a deeper curiosity after you started your research, is that correct? Yes, I developed a deeper curiosity for it because as I got further into it I began to realize how all-encompassing it was. It seemed to be more encompassing than anything else I had ever tackled. I was sort Of challenged inside to tackle something of this nature because from where I had viewed organizations like schools and various other agencies, they did short-term things. The Edwardsburg program was a long-term change and the people that I had dealt with and agencies I had dealt with in the past didn't seem to be that concerned with long-range programs that would be as all-encompassing as this, and create as much change. It was like a revamping Of the whole total traditional structure as we knew it. Did you talk with a lot of'people who were involved with some of the workshops and what were some of'those reactions? I talked with Mel Freeman who was chairman Of the Steering Committee. I talked with Gerry Wright and Diana Lung and Lynn Gabel who were in the alternative classroom. I talked with Ilean Becraft, the principal at Eagle Lake, on her ideas. With Clyde Morningstar, the junior high principal, and with Jan Warrick and Joel Steinhauer, who were involved in the program at the junior high and who had a background of how it began. From the high school I talked with Vi Ross. She was the one that I wanted to talk to because she was involved with the option block. I thought that if I could do a survey that would sample an adequate number of the teachers I could get a better overall view Of which direction I wanted to approach in the series. This series came out after the teachers' strike and it was really the coverage of the teachers' strike which enhanced my curiosity about the system itself. Having been what I considered a vicious strike, and the flak that I had been getting from some people in the community, I thought that there had to be something deeper than what I was seeing on the surface. It was probably that factor more than anything that drove me into the series itself. I wanted to find out exactly what it was that was triggering unrest and this whole business Of change was in the system. Would you say that the strike and the lounge both were in a sense the kinds of'stimulating crises that brought about your interest? As I saw it the strike was partly an answer to the lounge situation. I saw that as being a force that had been grinding since the lounge situation was there and had never really been aired. I saw that as the teachers coming out not only against change but against this thing that triggered what I considered to be negativism in the system to begin with. Whatever the lounge was, whether it was well organized or poorly organized, I did see the lounge as the big factor. 155 Did you notice a difference between the people who were involved in the studies that you interviewed? The people that were involved in the program were very positive, probably because they were involved in the program, and probably also because they are those kinds Of people. I think there are different kinds of people. I see the kinds of people who are involved in the change programs as being very Open kinds of people, who would be the first kind tO jump on something that was really exciting and interesting and that they could expand into a teaching area. I don't view a lot Of the other teachers that I know in the system as being that way, either out of apathy or out Of philosophy. Did you interview people who were not part of the change programs as much as you did those that were? I did interview a number of people that were not involved in the change program. How did the teachers react to your survey and interviews? The majority Of the people that I surveyed were by and large very positive about it. One Of them, however, was almost hostile about the survey itself, although they did not answer the questions. The Eagle Lake School people saw no purpose in the survey and they burned it up. I saw that as just a sense Of loyalty to you and to the program they were doing, and they didn't want it torn down in any way. They were not sure of my motives for the series. The people that I surveyed that were not involved in the program made up a majority of the teach- ers since a majority of the teachers are not involved in the programs and they were negative--almost all the way down the line. They had ' nothing good to say, the majority of them, either by poor communication, poor organization, bad philosophy, or whatever, they didn't like you and they didn't like what you were doing to the system. In your opinion, did you think that they knew what was happening in the system in order to form that opinion? Most Of them said that they only knew what they had heard. What do you think you contributed to the school system by this series? I don't think that I really contributed anything to the school system. I don't think anything good came out of it for the school. Probably the most important thing to me was that I felt a good sense of accom- plishment. I could not see anything good in the community come out of that series. Did you see anything come out of the series in other communities? l56 Yes, I surmise that the series triggered Off a series of situations in other school systems, that I began to see happening in other school systems after I wrote that series. There was the Communication Com- mittee that was set up in Concord [Indiana] school system shortly after the series came out to get involved in curriculum. The Communication Committee and Curriculum Committee of parents and teachers that was established in the Middlebury [Indiana] schools. The increased efforts going on now in the Elkhart [Indiana] system. I don't really know if my series had anything to do with anything that's happening today in Elkhart, but I believe that it had something to do with what was hap- pening in Concord and in Middlebury and the only reasons that I believe these things is that after the series was written (I deal with a lot Of the superintendents in that area) all of the comments that I got from them from other areas were all favorable. They all thought that it had been a splendid series and they had gotten a great deal out of it. They thought it was remarkable that that kind of change could go on in a system. They all seemed very puzzled by the reaction in the community of Edwardsburg. Most Of them shook their heads and said they couldn't understand it. Occasionally some superintendent or teacher will still mention that series to me. Did you talk with other people in the community who were not really connected with the school? I talked with Dennis Buwalda [local minister] who had chaired the committee to study the problem of the junior high lounge after that happened. I talked with him at great length, and I had talked with him Off and on at various other times, both before my interview with him for the series and after. When I was writing the series I took the first segment to him to say, "How does this strike you?" and he said to me, "It doesn't strike me well at all, you are not hitting the right note. You can look at the segment," he said, "and it's pro-Dick, there is no way you can look at the segment and say that it's anti—Dick. You have got to strike a better balance." Did he feel that it had to be striking out at me? NO, Dennis felt that there was so much antagonism in the community that I was Off base with being so pro-Dick in the first segment. Dennis felt that I was influenced by you greatly and that I should draw back and take another look at it, which I did and I re-wrote the segment. It came out much better than it did the first time and I continued basically that way. Do you feel that that helped you make the series more objective? I felt that it made the series more Objective; however, I suffered over that series for a long time afterward because I knew that I wasn't, in fact, Objective. I probably fantasized a lot about what ("Va :‘c—rmmr—a Uri-"U 4‘» ‘ “K43 . , 01.51 o 1 " in l57 people were thinking of me and what I had done as a reporter. I'm not sure, I think that I probably did not do that. I think the whole thing just overwhelmed me. As you know, I was not feeling well at that time anyway, and it was all I could do to perform. Did the series make it more difficult for you at that time? It made it horrendous. It took me a year to come Off the series emotionally. It was very hard for me to function covering the Elkhart schools, because I felt a great deal of antagonism toward them because they weren't doing what was happening in Edwardsburg. It made it very hard for me because the Elkhart superintendent's philosophy and your philosophy are so extremely different. Not having covered the school, the person who influenced me the most in my view of what schools should be was you, and I could not get away from that. Does that hurt you in any way, in covering the schools as you do in Elkhart? No, I think now, after two years, it has helped me in covering the schools, because I think that I have a better depth of where a school should 90 than probably any reporter out of ten, because Of that exposure early in the school coverage. Now, I look at schools as an overall umbrella, and I see some ills Of society and the problems in schools and the adjustment to society and the conflicts between schools within society, that I do not believe I would have seen had I not been exposed to the series. Then you are saying that the series did help you in developing a background for looking at schools? Oh, definitely. Were you conscious of'the impact of'the series while you were writing it any more than what happened with your conversation with Denny Buwalda? I had interviewed a citizen neighbor extensively--during the strike I was in touch with him every day. Also during the series, I talked to him several times. I wrote the series and knew at the time that he was not going to like it and that I would hear from him and I did; I heard from him on Saturday, the day that the profile on you appeared. He was just overwhelmed; he was angry. What about you, you're originally from this community and have some old friends, did any of those people contact you in any way or discuss the series with you? l58 NO, except there was only one occasion, which just probably drove in the feeling that I had, deeper and deeper, when I was in high school here in 1960. I sat next to a girl in band and we were sort of friends. I talked to her a great deal during the strike and before I was writing the series I would see her on the street and we'd chat. After I wrote the series, and even now, she will barely acknowledge me. All of these things made me question my own values; they made me question what I had done. Did it occur to you that you had looked more completely into the school system than any of these people who you were talking to? I think the thing that bothered me the most was I knew as you had said that I had gotten the bulk of my information from you, that bothered me afterward. Because I thought as Dennis said, "Did you give the teachers as much time as you spent with Dick?" I said, "NO, but I surveyed them.“ YOu offered the teachers more opportunity to give you information but they refused. That's true. I Offered to go into the junior high school and meet with the teachers, and tape it, or whatever, and just meet with the junior high teachers after school one day. I wanted to talk to them about the lounge, the Unit Step program, and how they felt about the frustration in the community and what they thought had triggered it. The teacher I had asked to set this up for me called me back the next day and told me that the teachers did not want to meet with me. This is why I decided to go to the survey with teachers. I was determined to get the story. As you look back at the series, and what you learned from it, are you glad you did it? I'm glad I did it from the standpoint that I personally got a lot out of it. L73 [9 159 Interview Analyses by the Author Interview l-—Marge Rea Involvement Oaklawn workshop (as parent). Involved by invitation--was involved first as a parent, later as an elected Board member. Commitment The workshop got her more interested in the school activities-- ran for and was elected to the Board of Education; her stand on issues affected some personal friendships, but she held to her position. Implementation As a parent she held a meeting for Junior High parents in her home (as did 28 other parents) to provide an opportunity for the staff to present the Unit Step program for Junior High students. Acceptance She felt more acceptance from others in the Oaklawn workshop than she had before. She demonstrated acceptance by policy adoption later as a Board member. Elmer: She became aware of what was going on with school activities-- she found out that the school (teachers and administrators) were interested in her views. She recognized how her views changed because Of her involvement which increased her understanding. 160 Interview 2--Dr. I. C. Madden Involvement: As a Board member, Dr. Madden's involvement was early in the process when, as the Board President, he helped determine the type of leadership they desired. He views this as significant. His involvement was felt in the setting Of goals for the system and in his direct planning Of workshops. Commitment: The support from the Board Of Education was very important to the change process. Dr. Madden was committed to the direction that had been established and served a very important role in helping the Board to accept their responsi- bility of policy setting and support. Implementation: His actual implementation came with his part in the planning Of workshops and being an excellent Board member. He did this by being prepared when he attended meetings and attending School Board training sessions. He had vision in the planning of workshops, brainstorming sessions and the selection Of people for the Steering Committee. Acceptance: He gave praise and kept informed Of the programs being planned. His acceptance was given openly. Other; Dr. Madden was not the usual Board member. He gave a good deal of himself which some other Board members did, but he had a clear understanding Of the different role of a good Board member and an educational administrator. 161 Interview 3--Joel Steinhauer Involvement As a teacher and the one person who provided the impetus for the development of the Unit Step program, he recognized that when he was hired on the staff he was expected to help with curriculum development. Commitment He shared the ownership of the Unit Step program, but he was the recognized authority on the Junior High School staff. Implementation Hith Joel's help and the conferences with parents and teachers the program was implemented. Acceptance His acceptance of what was being done was shown in several ways. The fact that he helped others accept the program was equally important. chgr His leadership and his insight helped the program more than any other single person. One of the most useful comments was made by Joel in his interview. He said that he could have taken the role of the person that developed the Unit Step program, but he thought that would have been a mistake and he chose to share it with as many staff members as he could. 162 Interview 4--Diana Wright Involvement As a teacher who made up the first alternative program in the system (CPAC) she was involved in many ways. Most of her work was in relation to the elementary programs and in particular the CPAC room. Commitment Her commitment was quite obvious because of her previous classroom experiences and the leadership she provided in the development of CPAC. Implementation She was very much involved in the implementation of the CPAC program. Acceptance In the beginning, she didn't feel acceptance from other staff members. This changed as time went on. Parents and students accepted the program from the beginning. This may be a result of the fact that the choice to be in the classroom was optional. chgg Diane was not really aware of the written policies and statements adopted by the Board, but she sought her support from her Principal and Superintendent. 163 Interview 5--Vi Ross Involvement Ms. Ross kept herself ready for a change atmosphere and was involved because of her own efforts. Her involvement with the Option Block was total. The formal start for her was in the summer workshop for staff put on by Michigan State University. Commitment Her hard work and tenacity was evidence of her commitment. She showed courage as did others in risking her position with her peers on the High School staff. Implementation As with the other option teachers, she was very much involved in the implementation of her program (Option Block). Acceptance The Option Block received more resistance from other teachers in the High School than the CPAC or Skill Center. She felt support from some parents and later from more teachers. The staff acceptance was seen after the program became established. Other 164 Interview 6--Judy,Singley Involvement Her involvement was as a teacher in the workshop during the summer of 1972 with Michigan State University. Commitment Judy felt a sign of commitment for her came when she and others visited other schools to look into their programs. She was not specific as to who was committed at this point. Implementation Judy's involvement was different than any other person in any program in Edwardsburg. The Option Block started its operation in the second semester and Judy had taken a maternity leave at Christmas, however she continued to give her time for several weeks. Acceptance Judy said the acceptance for her and the program from the Michigan State University people helped her. She seemed to need to know where she stood most of the time and she recognized it. Other She makes a point that she feels the teacher involvement is very important. 165 Interview 7--Jerry Hrjght_ Involvement He started with the class offered through Michigan State University. Commitment Jerry didn't seem to show the continued enthusiasm and commitment as did others. He did stay with the program and work in two different buildings in similar classrooms. Implementation He was involved as a teacher in putting the CPAC room into operation. Acceptance He experienced mixed acceptance from his peers as did other teachers in the program. Other. Jerry needed a good deal of external encouragement; he says that the people from Michigan State University were very important in keeping him motivated. The follow-up was helpful in keeping him interested. 166 Interview 8--Sharon Artley Involvement Sharon was not involved until after the program (Skill Center) had been started. Commitment She was chosen to work in the program because she expressed an interest and this grew to commitment on her part. Implementation She was not involved at the time of implementation but was with changes as the program grew. Acceptance This seemed to work two ways for this person. She accepted the program so it accepted her. Other It is interesting in this interview to recognize that the teacher grew as much as the students as a result of the program. 167 Interview 9--Sheryl Schaap Involvement Sheryl is the only teacher involved from the beginning of the Skill Center program. Commitment Her commitment was evident by her continuance in the program in view of the other teacher changes that occurred. Implementation She was involved as a teacher. Acceptance She had less problems with acceptance of her program perhaps because the CPAC had been successful before the Skill Center. cheg This teacher is another example of one that was not really aware of the policies and statements adopted by the Board that permitted the program to be developed. 168 Interview lO--Jo-Ann Boepple Involvement Mrs. Boepple's involvement has some unique features. She was a teacher selected to work in the first goals workshop and was later an elementary principal instrumental in the Skill Center room. Commitment She was showing her commitment to the programs by asking that the Skill Center be placed in her building. Implementation Her involvement in actual implementation of new programs was little, but she played an important part in the continuation and changes and improvements. Acceptance She helped establish acceptance by parents with her parent conferences. 991%: Because of her position of Principal and her long involvement she understood the process perhaps as much as anyone in the system. 169 Interview ll--Ilean Becraft Involvement As a principal and member of the administrative team in developing programs and policies. Has a member of the summer workshop where the CPAC room was developed. Commitment She chose to have members of her staff get involved and gave them full support. Implementation Assisted her teachers and worked with parents at the start of the program in her building. Aceeptance Her relationship with parents helped get the parent support needed. Other As a principal with support and respect from the Board of Education at the time she gave fine leadership to her building. 170 Interview lZ--Clyde Mornipgstar Involvement As a Junior High teacher he was involved in planning the Unit Step program. Next as Junior High Principal he was involved in implementation and evaluation of the program. Commitment He accepted the normal responsibility for helping to keep the Junior High program operating. Implementation He was involved in every step of the program. Acceptance His leadership was a big factor in acceptance of the program. cheg Clyde's role was important because he became the Principal when the Junior High was recovering from the public concern caused by the "lounge incident." Respect for him was high and this helped very much. 171 Interview l3--Lyle Sisson Involvement Mr. Sisson was involved as an administrator and gives several examples of his opportunities for planning programs. Specifically, the Community School Program, the sixth grade camping program and written policies and Board statements. Commitment He was committed, but confident that he was taking only normal risks. Implementation He implemented all programs in which he had a part in planning. The camping program was later assigned to others. Acceptance He describes how he involved others and he credits this to their acceptance of the program. cheg_ In retrospect Sisson felt the Board would have helped more in the early stages if they had announced that they expected changes of new administration. Because of his program, a different university was involved and gave a wider range of philosophy to the system. 172 Interview l4--Mel Freeman Involvement Mrs. Freeman was appointed by the Board to chair the citizens' Steering Committee. Commitment She recognized that she was more committed than most other parents and school employees who served on the committee. Implementation Her role in implementation was minor because she could only recommend. Acceptance She did not always feel accepted and at times wondered if her committee was. She called this apathy and complacency. Luis: Mrs. Freeman may not be unique from other interested parents in public school systems; however, few parents are given these opportunities. She took graduate education classes, prepared reports of student interviews and surveys, met with teachers, parents and administrators and the Board of Education, all in an effort to carry out her assigned task. 173 Interview l5--Reverend Lowell Walsworth Involvement Reverend Walsworth demonstrated an interest and later was asked to accept a committee assignment. Commitment He seemed very highly motivated to be involved. Because of the amount of time he gave to the projects he demonstrated his commitment. Implementation He planned his strategy and implemented it. He later evaluated the process. This is described in his interview. Acceptance He was not fully accepted nor was his committee. He accepted this as a challenge and worked to bring acceptance. He did feel that the Board accepted his committee's recommendations and he helped implement. cheg Reverend Walsworth seemed to accept his part for several reasons, but high in his priorities was his growth and a chance to help a community he felt had a need. 174 Interview 16--Barbara Dempsey Involvement Mrs. Dempsey's involvement was different than any other interviewed. She had an opportunity to be involved, but at the same time not involved. She attended many meetings and workshops as an observer. Commitment As a reporter her commitment was to the story. There was deep commitment to it. Implementation She did not take part in implementation of any program. Acceptance The interesting part of her series_reporting on the programs in the system was that they received very little acceptance in the system, but were well received outside--in other school systems. .033: Barb observed that people who were involved in the changes in the school were very positive. The reading of her interview adds a different dimension to the study. She was the only person who had the opportunity to look in depth into the process, who was not in a position to contribute or make suggestions. CHAPTER V SUMMARY OF THE STUDY Introduction This study was designed to look at factors most often credited for making change in schools. A description of a change model as related to research and supportive of the author's synergistic model of change described in Chapter III used by one small school system and a review of related literature, interviews with teachers, admin- istrators, Board members, parents, and others involved in the changes made in the Edwardsburg School System between l97O and 1974 have been presented. The findings in the literature search are reported in Chapter II. The Edwardsburg model is described in Chapter III and is followed with a transcription of interviews with individuals who were involved in the Edwardsburg program in Chapter IV. These inter- views were tape recorded and transcribed for use in the dissertation and are followed by the author's reflections of the interviewee's responses. The questions used in the interviews were based on questions for study in Chapter I and selected to reflect the involvement of the individual with the process and how they implemented or helped to implement specific programs. 175 176 This final chapter answers the questions for study. It also includes conclusions, recommendations, and new questions that were generated from this study, and finally, the author's personal reflections. Results of the Questions Question One 1. How might involvement and commitment be initiated within the change process? In Chapter II the research showed the most frequent item to be found was “teacher involvement." The statements below are typical illustrations of the importance of both involvement and commitment as seen in Chapter II. Their commitment to change comes about when teachers are given responsibility for making decisions about the change. . . .1 Innovations can be successfully introduced by involving only a small team of selected and highly respected teachers. . . .2 Teachers who have had success in one innovation experience demonstrate increased willingness to try other innovations. . . .3 These same factors can be found in several cases in the Edwardsburg example which was intended to provide the best chance for success of the change. Two examples given by Dohman (page 18) can be found in the Edwardsburg example. "Teacher support usually comes when their 1Leithwood and Russell. 2Hardenbrook. 3Ib'ld. 3E yo te Chi Tm, 177 suggestions are sought and implemented; [and] teachers who visit exemplary programs in other schools."“ In the CPAC development, the teachers started with a statement defining their learning environment that was later used in other pro- grams. "Administrators must find ways to involve teachers in meaningful programs and techniques of change."5 The encouragement of staff in the development of written statements of policy and procedure seemed a most important example of this item. A consistent critical factor necessary was staff commitment favorable to change. "Principals should provide support and dynamic leadership to all persons involved in a projected change."6 In each interview with principals shown in Chapter IV, the principals indicated their recognition of the importance of their leadership and support. "Teachers with appropriate training can be effective change agents within the school system."7 One study emphasized: "Employ younger teachers and also, more highly prepared teachers."8 A teacher's attitude is an important factor in implementing curriculum change. Items from Chapter III relating to the question of how to involve people are listed below: I'Dohman. 5DalSanto. 6Dohman. 7Nickse. 8Peets. 178 . The emphasis in the early stages of change in the Edwardsburg system were to develop a procedure for direction which would encourage changes to take place. This was done in the early stages of policy development and written to encourage involvement of the staff. 0 One situation which was to prove to be helpful to the involve- ment of peOple in this system was referred to as the “Junior High Lounge Incident." The negative impact of this incident made it imperative that members of the community become involved in the school. - A series of workshops drew the teachers, Board members, members of the community, students, and administrators together to look at priorities for the system and set the stage for continued use of workshops and outside resource people. For the most part, involvement in these programs was voluntary, the excep- tions were the Board and administrators who were expected to participate. - The system made a commitment before there was individual involvement. This was done in the form of policy and setting up workshops with Board of Education encouragement. Then there were times when the administration and Board brought back the developed material to the community, like the community-wide brainstorming of May 8, l973. This helped develop credibility. 179 In Chapter IV the individuals interviewed indicated how they were involved: Summary The Board members were involved as a member of a study or advisory committee for the school before they became members of the Board. The major factor for Board involvement, because of their position, is to establish policy. This gives them a chance to be supportive and to encourage the efforts to involve others. Teachers indicated a broad perspective of methods of involve- ment. They ranged from being "hired to make change," to "I have taught a number of years and I am looking for a better way." Administrators, for the most part, were involved in the Edwardsburg case by directive of the superintendent and, as might be expected, there were those who did not become committed. Of the five buildings, in this case, there were two principals that demonstrated noncommitment and it was apparent in their buildings and programs. One of these principals was not very supportive, but did allow the teachers to develop their program without his help or interference; another administrator decided to maintain the status quo. of Question One Give teachers the responsibility of making decisions about a change. 180 0 Select a small group of teachers who are most influencial among their peers. . Select teachers who have innovated before. . Provide administrative support and encouragement. - Provide workshops or work sessions for teachers, administrators, parents, and students. 0 Have system-wide policy(ies) adapted by the Board of Education to assist in defining goals for staff and administrators. 0 Encourage visitations to successful innovative programs for staff, administrators, parents, and students. 0 Interpersonal relation training is needed for administrators to listen to the problems of teachers as they attempt to meet needs of their students. 0 Encourage the writing of goals or directions and distribute to those to whom the individual is responsible and those responsible to the individual for real commitment. Question Two 2. How do people tend to feel about their part in the process of’change? An item taken from Starling in Chapter II shows that "if staff members feel coerced by the principal or other staff members to under- take an innovation, they will feel low commitment to that decision." The author suggests that this may be true of administrators who may feel coerced by other administrators or teachers. The administrators may see their role as teachers do. "Resistance of supervision to 18] change is seen as related to the bureaucratic nature of school administration, which is geared almost exclusively to maintenance, not change."9 "A change in personality usually near the top of the hierarchy of the organization is associated with innovation projects."10 This may also be considered to reverse the trend of innovation in an orga- nization and implies that teachers' perceptions are based on their feelings toward their administrators and, therefore, should cause the administrator to review his administrative style. The examples tend to imply that how teachers feel about their administrators will affect the change potential. This is suggested in several studies and factors reported in Chapter II of this dissertation. One can see from the ideas shown in Chapter II about the part that teachers' and administrators' feelings play in the process, that a relationship can be seen in the model given in Chapter III. 0 There should be administrative encouragement of teachers to look for alternatives. 0 Board established policy and statements give support to change. (This item is of extreme importance.) 0 All teachers involved in the change process or the study for change, became involved by their own choice and interest. . The Board had positive reactions to feelings of involvement for themselves and for the school employees. 9Harris. l°Grabars. 182 0 The parents and/or community need to receive advance information concerning the change and have an opportunity to be involved in the change. In Chapter IV the interviews with community members indicated how they felt about their involvement. One community member, Marge Rea, said, "Some people indicated that in the workshops and brainstorming sessions that they felt someone at the school was listening to them.“ Mel Freeman said, "I think community members felt accepted and that Board members and administrators really wanted to hear what they had to say." Marge went on to say, "I really felt good about the workshops, this is what really got me interested in the system as an active par- ticipant, the school people accepted my ideas." Mel Freeman said, "I liked the idea that I might be involved in the decision-making process of my children's education. . . . I loved the opportunity of working with teachers, administrators, people from Michigan State University and most of all with the students. These direct quotations are indica- tive of community members who respect and recognize the significance of education and knowledge to participate in the democratic decision- making processes for change in schools. The teachers' comments in Chapter IV pertaining to their part in the process of change were as follows: "The kids' response to the program has really been rewarding." Another comment by Diana Wright, "At first we [teachers] felt resistance from other teachers. I felt that one of their concerns was that they were concerned that the 183 program we were working with would be accepted and they were afraid they might be expected to do the same thing and for some reason they didn't feel they could." In the interviews with Vi, Judy, and Joel they discussed and supported the notion that visits to other schools were an important influence to their program and they also felt good because of the visits to their program from people outside the system as well as teachers from within the system. Pride could also be observed when the newspaper and television media gave recognition to their program-- this had a positive effect on their feelings. Vi also felt that system-wide written statements such as the Quality Curriculum, Mission Statement, and alternative policy were helpful. She indicated pride, as did Lyle, in having taken part in the writing of materials adopted by the Board. A comment from Judy, an Option Block teacher, "This program was a shot in the arm for me, I really enjoyed it." When asked how she felt, Judy said, "I feel really good about it now." This demon- strates the pride of ownership for teachers who did extra work and made changes. There were several comments by teachers aboUt their profes— sional growth attributed to the change program. Jerry mentioned the visit to another program, but he seemed to feel best when he acted as a resource person in a Michigan State University graduate class. This certainly gave him added confidence in what he was doing. One teacher (Sharon) said, "I am much happier as a teacher and I am happier at 184 home." (She likes herself better and likes kids more.) "I have met the needs of my students better and my own as well. I am more relaxed as a teacher, I am sure I do a better job." The administrators' feelings about their part in the change process were as follows: Ilean commented, "People who were involved in the change got more out of it. It's exciting when you're going to do something different and it's a challenge.“ Jo-Ann said, "I feel great about the program, I would like to see more." And Clyde com- mented, "I am quite proud of the program. . . . I think the students feel better and this makes a real difference. Student attendance is better-~they receive better grades and have better attitudes." And finally, Lyle said, "I can even take pride in ownership of the Mission Statement and Quality Curriculum." Summary of Question Two The feelings that were shown by the statements made during the interviews were the items that best describe individual feelings. The author is sure that some of the things that contributed to the positive feelings were that the teacher or parent chose to be involved. They developed commitment and ownership for the program or project they had. The author believes that they felt free to alter or change com- pletely what they were doing-~they were pleased and committed. Because the programs were new and because of their attitudes, teachers sought help from several sources without concern for their "evaluation." The author believes that the success of any innovation is directly related to the feelings the individuals involved have about 185 themselves and the program. Perhaps a study of this idea should be done by others who might find the subject interesting. Question Three 3. What seems to affect the success of change? In Chapter II the research items indicated the following: 0 Teacher attitude and feelings--their commitment to change; teachers who have had success in one innovative experience demonstrate increased willingness to try other innovations. - Teachers' ideas, teacher involvement, and allowance for teacher implementation. . Practices that vary the size of student groups, employment of teacher aides, variations of time and differentiated staffing are certain changes having the greatest chance for success. 0 Teachers of English, social studies, and teachers of special education tend to be most open to change. 0 Response of children to the innovation plays a greater role in acceptance of innovation by teachers than had been assumed. - A majority of staff members must be involved in development activities if change is to be successful even though few school personnel may be involved in initiating the change and determining the need. 0 Teachers need to have the freedom to determine their own purposes and the authority to act upon decisions that they have made--then they will demonstrate initiative in changing the curriculum. 186 The administrators surveyed felt some critical factors needed were: a An administrative staff which encourages change and staff participation in innovation. - The power to affect change is lodged with administrators and Board members. 0 Administrators must find ways to become involved in meaningful programs and techniques of change. In a number of studies the importance of the teacher's and principal's role is indicated and some studies emphasized that little was expected from university leadership. "Teacher resistance to change was indicated as a main barrier to adoption of change more than any other factor."11 "A goal for a school is to achieve "critical mass," that is, "enough school personnel committed to change to make trying out and adopting or discarding changes a way of life."12 Also, "consistent critical factors necessary for educational change identified a well-trained staff, organized planning, staff commitment favorable to change."13 To conclude, the factors affecting change according to research reported in Chapter II were the following suggestions: training for staff and administrators, selection of staff for hiring, principal support, teacher attitude, peer pressure, district or building 11Foshay. 12Allen. 13DalSanto. 187 guidelines, type of school system, political environment in the system, school system size, parent and student acceptance. The final factor mentioned which strongly affects change, "a crisis situation more often than not precedes the beginning of an innovation project."'“ An example of this is found in Chapter III (page Sl), the student lounge incident. Chapter III describes the process changes brought about in the Edwardsburg School System. In addition to the description, the intent was to show the use made of planning and goal setting in the development of the program. The acceptance of items such as the Mission Statement, the Quality Curriculum, and CPAC encouraged the others. The "crisis" in the junior high must also be credited to a large degree for the success. Throughout the Edwardsburg model there was an attempt to create an atmosphere of acceptance for teachers and others who wanted to become involved. There was a support base set up by Board adoption of the Mission Statement, the Quality Curriculum program, and policies like the Optional Alternative Studies policy. The purpose for each of these steps was to build an integrated system of commitment by the Board of Education and give direction to administrators. The key to the success of the change programs in Edwardsburg was the combination of teacher dedication, administrator support, and parent and student acceptance. The author further believes that, for the most part, except for the junior high, the programs were provided 1"Grabars. 188 as optional choices for students and parents. Also that because the teachers chose to be involved and the parents and students chose these programs, they all had a type of commitment and investment in the programs' successes. In the interviews of Chapter IV, the Board showed that they wanted to listen to what the people had to say. Because Board members elected in Edwardsburg frequently had been members of a citizen advisory committee, they had a natural training program and came into their elected responsibility with some notion of the programs and/or problems of the system. It was felt by the author that another favorable situa- tion that existed in Edwardsburg was a combination of expectation and encouragement between the Board President and the Superintendent. There was a great deal of mutual respect and trust combined with demand for excellence and encouragement for the improvement of techniques of I management. The factors affecting change as seen from the interviews in Chapter IV are summarized as follows: 0 Success is enhanced by feelings of respect and mutual feeling of worth, dignity, and trust. - The act of being involved or present when decisions are being made is helpful in understanding what is happening and why. . Going to visit other programs or to conferences where other school programs are discussed was a positive experience. 0 Planning, visitations, teacher staff involvement, and administrative support are important factors to teachers. 189 Changes have to be "sold" to the parents before they can be instituted. It is important that the Board know what change is proposed before it is done. Good preparation of materials is important before meeting with parents. The change program should not be identified to a particular individual, but rather to a group or the total staff. The group has a better chance to absorb the comments from the Board or public. This pertains to the selling of the program to other members of the staff as well. Start with a small group and build until the staff accepts the plan, at least a majority. To keep the change program going, there need to be key people who are committed and who will work hard to make it responsive to problems. "The Mission Statement and Quality Curriculum made the community more receptive to new ideas such as the CPAC, Option Block, and others.“ The fact that these programs helped the professional growth of teachers affected the success of the changes. Planning and involvement of parents-~"in the CPAC room it was necessary that the teachers help support each other." When a teacher involves students or parents or others, it makes them become salespeople for the program. This shows how they feel and thus affects the success of the change. 190 "Knowing when to start and when you are ready to take each step gives the teacher and administrator confidence." "I was motivated to success by outside resource people. . The follow-up on their part was important and necessary." "How people feel is important-~parents telling other parents about the program. "Sharing ideas with other alternative teachers is helpful and provides a support base." "Success is because of a joint effort--understanding of what the change will be, helps parents to accept change." It is important to get equipment and supplies needed to do a particular job. This is probably applicable to any classroom or project. "We need change at times to experience growth. The parents had the opportunity to choose the classroom for their student. I [the principal] have always tried to be supportive of the teachers' ideas." One principal indicated she has a very good feeling about the changes. "Parents were supportive. . . ." "The program had to come from the staff and had to have their cooperation. . . . The program has continued to grow (mature) and this has kept it vital. Student attitude toward school has improved in attendance, in grades, and reduction of vandalism." The Board gave their support by resolution. l9] . "Corrmunication is important and the methods used will often determine success." 0 "The news of happenings in one school seems to show up in other surrounding area schools." 0 There seems to be.a need for continual "care and feeding" of the staff and the program if it is expected to be a lasting and viable program. We would suggest that if support and the "care and feeding" of these programs are not provided they will quickly be lost. . Talking with interested people about the innovation can stimulate a true assessment of the situation and help with needed revisions or small changes that will contribute to needed changes. Question Four 4. Why were people in the school system involved? The surface reason was because it was believed that involvement of teachers and parents would bring about understanding of what changes could mean to the school system. Also, involvement had a strong influ- ence on the commitment of certain staff members toward their specific program and the program of others. A number of spin-off reactions were discovered from the involvement. Teachers who took part did considerably more work in preparation which has slowed down some, except in the junior high "Unit Step" program. With the junior high staff, the frequent change 192 has made it necessary to continue new planning. This has kept the staff fresh and looking for improvement. Involvement brought ownership to the programs and a stronger sense of accomplishment to the people who chose to take part. The author would, however, add that encouragement from parents and administrators and others tend to have a very positive effect. Several teachers interviewed in Chapter IV made another point clear, how important the contacts with the University were to him personally. If there was one place the author would suggest improvement, it would be to have more exposure of the teachers with other schools wanting to make changes and in education classes in universities. The outside resource people used in the Edwardsburg model were chosen for their ability to work with people and with skills in humanism and group processes. Throughout the program the resource people used were selected on the basis of their ability to add to the credibility of the total project. It is further suggested that teachers and principals who are dedicated to the alternative programs get together regularly to build a support system for continuation of their programs. One of the things the author wishes had been done in the Edwardsburg School System was to establish a support base with the teachers and administrators that would withstand change of personnel. There was a nucleus of perhaps ten or twelve teachers and three admin- istrators involved that would remain active in the school for a number of years and without a support system some of their enthusiasm has been lost. 193 Conclusions From this study it was discovered that the most successful programs, where people were involved, had certain common character- istics: l. There was a plan; There was a time limit or restriction; There were stated expectations or goals; The subject was kept specific; Superintendent leadership with Board support; 0501wa There was leadership from either administrators or teachers and eventually both were committed; 7. The people involved were going to live with the program; and 8. Commitment support or acceptance was demonstrated by an administrator and teacher or director for the program. Findings 1. It was not infrequent in the interviews to find that teachers were uninformed or did not remember that there were directions for what they were doing in Board policy. The only conclusion the author can reach is that the policy statements are more frequently used by administrators to give them direction than for use by teachers. Teachers look for support, for the most part, from their building principal. 194 2. Numerous factors were noted in Chapter II and examples shown in Chapters III and IV, but the consistent pattern showed factors most often referred to teacher involvement in planning and implementa- tion to be most important. It seems safe to say that any other factor may only have significance if it results in teacher involvement. 3. Administrators play a very important role and in almost every case the support factor will become evident. It, therefore, becomes the author's finding that the factors of involvement, commitment, implementation and acceptance must be present if there is to be a meaningful and lasting change in the classroom. The plan becomes important early, but not always in the same position of first, second, or third. Changes to be successful must meet the needs and approval of teachers and must respond to the needs as seen by the community. 3/ The responsibility of the Board of Education is to write and/or adopt policy, and thereby prepare the district for change in the policies they produce. It is at this point that Boards can become involved in a regarding and satisfying way. Administrators may make good use of this process to help the Board become involved and committed to change programs. The sequence of policy adoption can be important to the outcome of a long-range plan. As in the Edwardsburg model, the plan called for policy for community involvement and then the first major involvement was to develop the Mission Statement. This became the symbol of where the community would recognize its opportunity. 195 Personal Reflections This study has helped me to look into the process of change from a personal perspective. This is partially because of the structure of the dissertation committee. Whatever reason for my study of the process, I have grown in my knowledge of how changes in organizations occur. Several items that may have had an effect on the process and thus could have effected the study were not discussed. The most obvious event was a teacher strike in October and November of l973. The reader will recall that this was really an important time (fall l973) in the planning and implementation process. The CPAC room started in September and the plans for the Option Block were in the making and to begin in the second semester. I think it was at this point that I realized that because of the base that had been built by a number of people in the system, even a strike in this small community would not halt the changes. This realization dramatized the strength of the process. The personal commitment by the Board members, administrators, and teachers was very clear. Another aspect influenced me to undertake the study to describe the process. This was the attention that educators and the public gave to finding out about programs in the schools as publicized by the strike and a subsequent series of articles in the Elkhart Truth. These inquiries suggested an interest that I felt might be answered. 196 The study until that time had been a personal search for understanding myself and how I could help influence change from my position as school superintendent. Each event led me further into the process that I later realized was the role of an internal change agent. I further began to realize how important personal involvement and commitment were to the success of any change I had seen. The spreading of these key factors effected changes, and in a time of conflict with teacher negotiations and in the strained relations between teachers and administrators, this proved to be a significant technique. The personal satisfaction for me was, for the most part, in my better understanding of the role of each individual who had a part in the process. I don't mean to imply that I did an in-depth study of each student and parent, but I did sample enough to grow from their reactions. This helped me to see more clearly how people tend to per- ceive the role of the superintendent and what a great responsibility there is to not abuse this office. It is frightening at times to rec- ognize the perceptions that some people have of a person because of the position held. The challenge is to make use of this relationship with a school system for the development of those involved. APPENDICES APPENDIX A Q-SDRT MATERIALS 197 Q-SORT MATERIALS UNIMPORTANT IRRELEVANT MARGINAL IMPORTANCE AVERAGE IMPORTANCE IMPORTANT IMPORTANT MOST gORKS WITH OR HELPS PEOPLE DIFFERENT FROM ELF Makes friends with students or other races or backgrounds; enjoys food or another's country; tutors or helps in school work; shares or loans personal things, etc. 2.1 IMPROVES CAPABILITIES OR ACADEMIC STANDING Works to overcome physical handicaps; asks help in learning; does extra work to improve. l.2 IS CHARITABLE OR DOES COMMUNITY WORK Gives money; volunteers for work or organizes groups to help others. 5.3 SHOWS APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE Respects another's religion or beliefs; defends someone different; is aware of unjust treatment to some groups; prevents or tries to prevent unkind treatment to groups or individuals. 2.2 HELPS OTHERS Helps someone ill, hurt, or handicapped; does or offers to do something for others; does kind things for others. 5.5 198 UNIMPORTANT IRRELEVANT MARGINAL IMPORTANCE AVERAGE IMPORTANCE IMPORTANT IMPORTANT MOST SELECTS EXTRACURRICULAR LEARNING ACTIVITIES Watches educational TV or programs to learn; arranges for or takes part in an educational trip. 4.5 HAS GOOD EATING HABITS AND PROPER WEIGHT Shows understanding of a balanced diet; eats slowly; has proper body weight. 6.2 SHOWS POSITIVE ATTITUDE TO OWN CULTURAL GROUP Shows by an action or report pride of his background, race, religion, etc., or defends his belonging to a particular group. 2.5 DESIRES TO STUDY 0R LEARN Asks for extra work; reads or studies in free time; volunteers to do an assignment; asks for help; brings book or equipment relating to a subject. 4.4 SHOWS APPRECIATION FOR ACHIEVEMENTS OF OTHERS Shows appreciation for the great artists, writers, and musicians and the hard work needed to excel; attends concerts, art shows, museums, selects good books, music and motion pictures. 9.1-2 199 UNIMPORTANT IRRELEVANT MARGINAL IMPORTANCE AVERAGE IMPORTANCE IMPORTANT IMPORTANT MOST MAKES SPECIAL EFFORTS THROUGH MOTIVATION Makes projects or gives reports not assigned or work is more than required; works care- fully to avoid mistakes or corrects mistakes; does extra work or extra practice; looks up more information for a project or report. 4.3 SHOWS ACCEPTABLE PERSONAL VALUES Refuses to fight or admits it wrong to fight; refuses to cheat or help another cheat; helps someone in need of help; appreciates friends; is kind to animals. 1.4 KEEPS UP-TO-DATE Reads books, newspapers, news magazines, watches TV "specials" on current problems; does research or experiments to find out more about something of interest; partici- pates in discussions, debates, panels, or writes reports on something in the news. 10.3 HAS KNOWLEDGE IN AREA OF HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT Shows knowledge by repeating lines of a book, poem, or story; teaches or offers to teach a class; knows history facts; explains differences between teenagers and adults. 9.3 SHOWS RESPECT FOR FLAG AND COUNTRY Shows respect for the flag, America, its leaders; reminds others to be respectful. 5.2 ZOO UNIMPORTANT IRRELEVANT MARGINAL IMPORTANCE AVERAGE IMPORTANCE IMPORTANT MOST IMPORTANT SHOWS INTEREST IN CAREER OR EDUCATION Looks for information, asks for information on a career or schools; states an interest in a career or college; picks a career or college in which he feels he would succeed; takes extra courses to prepare for college or career; takes a job that would help his career or college. 8.1—2-3 HAS SKILL IN GRAMMAR, INCLUDING PHONICS, SPELLING, VOCABULARY, HANDWRITING Can use correct grammar; is able to correct mistakes of others; shows interest in improving; does extra work to improve, etc. 3.5 SHOWS CONCERN FOR ANOTHER'S ILLNESS OR INJURY Helps someone who is hurt or sick and/or reports it to someone who can help. 6.5 IS INFORMED: USES DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES; APPROVES RIGHT TO DISSENT Shows interest or knowledge about world affairs, local, state or national politics; uses or suggests democratic procedures in school elections or group relations. Approves of peaceful disagreement, demon- stration, free speech, etc.; defends opinions, presents views, signs a petition. 5.1 TAKES CORRECT ACTION WHEN INJURED OR ILL Asks for help or advice when hurt or sick. 6.4 201 UNIMPORTANT IRRELEVANT MARGINAL IMPORTANCE AVERAGE IMPORTANCE IMPORTANT IMPORTANT MOST RECOGNIZES NEED FOR PLANNING EDUCATION OR CAREER Attends programs or on his own learns about colleges, careers, courses of study; has a career goal; takes extra courses outside regular school; looks into or asks about future changes in technology, job patterns, attitudes, etc. 10.2 SHOWS POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD EDUCATION Works hard; completes assignments; does extra work or reworks assignments to avoid errors; says he enjoys school; takes part in school activities. 8.4 TRIES OR ACHIEVES IN A FORM OF HUMAN ENDEAVOR Takes music, art, or dance lessons; writes new words to a song; performs in a musical art or athletic group. 9.5 SHOWS COMPREHENSION OF ORAL AND VISUAL MATERIALS Can follow directions; shows ability to understand lectures, oral reports, films, tapes, and records. 3.2 ENCOURAGES OTHERS TO USE GOOD HEALTH HABITS Tells others to wash before eating, not to eat dirty food, to be careful to prevent illness or injuries. 6.3 202 UNIMPORTANT IRRELEVANT MARGINAL IMPORTANCE AVERAGE IMPORTANCE IMPORTANT MOST IMPORTANT HAS GOOD HEALTH AND GROOMING HABITS Washes at proper times; takes pride in having clean hair, clothing, teeth; has good posture and sleep habits; will not lend or borrow comb, handkerchief, etc.; eats meals in a neat manner using only clean silverware and dishes. 6.1 PRODUCES UNUSUAL ARTISTIC DESIGN OR ORGANIZATION Makes original art design; designs a costume for a particular use; makes an effective arrangement of materials; shows unusual talents. 7.7 USES UNUSUAL TREATMENT OF SCHOOL WORK Draws an original picture or makes an original project or invention; presents ideas in a new way; draws sketch or picture that expresses a poem or story. 7.5 CONTRIBUTES OR PARTICIPATES IN CLASS ACTIVITIES Suggest learning activities; asks questions about class topics; completes assignments and makes up work missed by being absent. 4.2 SHOWS CONCERN FOR OTHERS Helps a new student feel at ease; takes another's part; cares about what happens to another. 5.4 203 UNIMPORTANT IRRELEVANT MARGINAL IMPORTANCE AVERAGE IMPORTANCE IMPORTANT MOST IMPORTANT SHOWS INTEREST IN LEARNING ABOUT HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT Collects information on accomplishments of a person, race or group of people; studies on own about persons or events; asks questions; went to library to learn about achievements of people. 9.4 SHOWS ABILITY TO ADJUST T0 CHANGES IN HIS LIFE Adjusts easily to new school and community; enjoys or wants to try new things; tries a job, task, or assignment that was new to him. 10.1 WORKS FOR A CAUSE OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE Shows interest in helping others or does something that would help people of a different group, race, or religion. 2.4 HAS READING COMPREHENSION SKILL; DEVELOPS SKILL IN READING COMPREHENSION Shows understanding of reading material by answering questions correctly, giving an oral or written report on reading assignment. Shows interest in improving by asking for extra help, reading more on his own, or showing desire to improve. 3.1 RESEARCHES INFORMATION Researches material to write a report that is not assigned; to prepare for a job, or to give a report a different or unusual treatment. 7.4 204 UNIMPORTANT IRRELEVANT MARGINAL IMPORTANCE AVERAGE IMPORTANCE IMPORTANT IMPORTANT MOST USES UNUSUAL WRITTEN 0R ORAL COMMUNICATION Can reason through use of words; writes unusual phrases, headings; gives a report in an unusual way, can report easily and convincingly. 7.6 DEMONSTRATES COMPETENCY ON A TASK: WILLING TO TEST COMPETENCY ON A TASK Does well in academic subjects; plays musical instruments; plays on athletic teams; builds or repairs an object; prepares food, serves something; helps another learn in academic or nonacademic areas. Volunteers to take part in performances, to make a painting; applies for a job; enters a contest; tries to do well in academic subjects, nonacademic skills or athletics. 1.1 SHOWS INTEREST IN LEARNING ABOUT DIFFERENT PEOPLE Shows interest in learning about a foreign country, language, religion and people of another race. 2.3 SHOWS FAVORABLE SELF-IMAGE Shows pride in work or accomplishments; does not brag; improves his behavior; is able to lose and congratulate winner; accepts and is proud of family background. 1.5 205 UNIMPORTANT IRRELEVANT MARGINAL IMPORTANCE AVERAGE IMPORTANCE IMPORTANT IMPORTANT MOST SHOWS POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD SCHOOL Shows through actions or statements that school or school work is enjoyable or needed; shows interest in teaching activities or becoming a teacher. 4.1 HAS ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE IN WRITING Can write well, get point across; is able to put ideas into writing; can write poems, etc. 3.4 HAS ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE ORALLY. DEVELOPS 0R IMPROVES ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE ORALLY Can speak or read aloud well, get point across; can explain to others and is able to answer questions in complete and correct way. Practices or asks help in improving oral skills; tries to overcome a speech problem; is willing to try oral expression. 3.3 DEMONSTRATES ACCURATE SELF-APPRAISAL Admits weaknesses and strengths in certain subjects or athletics; chooses schooling, reports, and activities in line with his strengths and abilities. l.3 PRODUCES THINGS THAT ARE UNIQUE Draws something, makes a model or chart, etc., to go with a class report or project; makes or tries something he has not tried before; goes beyond a class demonstration or lesson; prepares food, sews something or writes a creative poem, story, or essay. 7.1-2-3 206 QUALITY EDUCATION PROGRAM STUDY NEEDS ASSESSMENT TALLY SHEET Most Avg. Marg. Most Avg. Marg. Imp. Imp. Imp. Imp. Unimp. Imp. Imp. Imp. Imp. Unimp. (5) (4) (3) (2) (1) Total (5) (4) (3) (2) (1) Total See List for Wei in W.T. See List for Wei htin W.T. 207 GOAL AREAS FOR QgSORT PROCEDURE Supplement to Needs Assessment Tally Sheet Group ‘ Personal Rank Rank 1.0 Self-Understandingp 2.0 Understandinngthers 3.0 Basic Skills 4.0 Interest and School Learningp_ 5.0 Good Citizenship 6.0 Health Habits 7.0 Creativity 8.0 Vocational Development 9.0 Understanding Accomplishments 10.0 Changing World Check appropriate one: _____Teacher _____ Student _____Parent or Community Member ‘____ Board Member _____Administrator APPENDIX 8 GOAL WORKSHOP 208 GOAL WORKSHOP FOR EDWARDSBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS On October 10, 1972 the Board of Education of Edwardsburg Public Schools held a workshop at the Oaklawn Psychiatric Center in Elkhart, Indiana. The goals of the workshop were: l. To provide an opportunity for a cross—section of the Edwardsburg School community to meet and discuss their concerns for future programs and plans of the school system. 2. To increase the awareness of the problems the Board of Education and administration face from the State of Michigan. 3. Suggest priorities for the Board and administration to consider in planning future programs. The selection of participants was made by organizations in the school and community so as to give a true community cross section (Appendix B-l). The Board policy #1200 provides for use of citizen groups, policy #1140 for students, and policy $1210 for staff members. Two articles were printed from current magazines and sent to all partic- ipants prior to the workshop to give some common and current reading for all (Appendix B-Z). The workshop began with an exercise using a "Q-Sort" problem to rank in priority order a selection of 44 statements of educational goals (Appendix C). There were two uses for this exercise: (1) Have each person read short statements of educational goals to prepare for the rest of the day, and (2) meet and become better acquainted with other members of the group by mixing the group to discuss the "Q-Sort" materials. This was the first exercise in talking about what schools should do. Dr. John Sandberg, Dean of the School of Education of Western Michigan University was the speaker invited to bring an outside point of view and get the group thinking about trends for future education. Dr. Sandberg listed our basic documents as the basis for our educa- tional programs. These are the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. Education is a function of the State and local schools, an arm of state government. 209 The future of Education will include: . Changes--with a "target to shoot at." ' Schools will stop "destroying kids." 0 Basic education will remain at listen, talk, read, and write, in this order. - "Make it more relevant" is the statement most frequently heard by all groups of our society. It needs to be better defined. 0 There will be more centralization of schools with State financing. a More urbanization and more rural education (continued difference). 0 We will continue to be a more mobile society. 0 There will be more regional services--such as Oaklawn and Intermediate School District to give specialized services to parents and students and teachers. . There will be more rules and regulations because of the actions of courts. (This may stifle creativity of schools.) . People will live longer and better—-schools will need to provide programs for leisure time. 0 People will need retraining and updated education to keep up with frequent changes in jobs. . Education must use technology in place of technology using education (this has been poor in the past, as with radio, T.V., and perhaps the computer). . There will be more education in the future but fewer schools (new forms of education). . Education must recognize the whole student. Too often students are divided up for teaching concepts. Students will work to be inquirers and problem solvers. People must be educated to deal with change. We need to develop the "fine art of approximation." Schools must know their needs, goals, and objectives. The discussion following Dean Sandberg's presentation was lively and included participation by most members of the workshop group. This period was exciting and thus ran overtime by thirty minutes. Following a break, Superintendent Fitzgerald discussed the Common Goals of Michigan Education. A list of seven questions was given to the group (Appendix B-3). The total group was divided up into five sub- groups. Each sub-group was to have at least one student, community member, teacher, board member, and administrator. The groups were to answer each question listed by the administration and board and write these for the total group. Each group presented their answers on large sheets of newsprint and explained and answered questions to the total group. The results of the group answers are as listed below. 210 GROUP A 1. Ultimate decision is Board of Education. A structured continuing organization of present five plus industry and government. 2. Direction by board. Specific charge. Interim reports to Board and public. 3. Increase student activity program. Learn to handle freedom and responsibility. All students need to experience success. 4. General opposition to change. Public feels school should provide occupational programs. 5. Courses in child development and psychology (parents' classes). 6. Radio stations (our own). Community organization of No. l. 7. Need goals and methods to achieve goals. Show results. GROUP B 1. All groups as represented here (at least) whould provide input. 2. Organized approach. 3. Better evaluation of students; Student-oriented program; Greater flexibility; Improve parent-teacher relationship; Improved reading and comprehension; and Improved communications--motivation student-teacher. 4. Omitted. 5. Omitted. 6. Hostess job (as was done for the Junior High Program Spring of 1972). GROUP C 1. School Board with help from all of the public which is interested. 2. Hold meetings to explain ideas of the Board. 3. Equal voice--involve parents and students. Get everyone together and talk it over more. 4. The Board and the parents don't try to communicate. 5. Omitted. 6. Omitted. 7. Omitted. GROUP D 1. Community (5 groups) to Board, who has the final say. 2. Through involvement of community groups. 3. To continue our process; To teach self discipline and problem solving; and To develop better rapport between student and teacher. 211 4 See no objections. 5. Omitted. 6. Omitted. 7. Omitted. GROUP E 1. Taxpayers or citizen. 2. Representative Council. 3 Priorities: 1. Self-Respect Direction Thought Support Possible objection to method "accountability." Communication. Better informed staff. Why the change "before the change?" NO‘Ul-h ******* During the supper break the "Q-Sort" materials were scored and ranked. The rank order of the "Q-Sort" statements were presented to the total group and explained. On the following page are the results of the group ranking. Each individual was presented with his scored "Needs Assessment Tally Sheet" (Appendix A) and the supplement to the tally sheet (Appendix A) to allow individuals to record their rankings with the total group. 212 uNNoz chmcmco oNN mucosamwNnEouu< mcwncNNNchca a» acmEQon>mo NNcoNpNoo> m» NNN>NNchu NN NNNNNN NNNNNI NN NNNNNNNNNNN NOON NN NNNNNNNN NNNNNN NNN NNNNNNNN NN NNNNNN UNNNN NN NNNNNN NNNNNNNNNNNNN NN NNNNNNNNNNNNN-NNNN NN ”coNNaNNonu NwowN N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N NN N N.NN N NN.NN NN NN N.¢N N N.NN NN N.NN NN N.NN NN N.NN N NN.NN N N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N NN NN N N N.NN NN N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN NN NN.NN N N NN.NN N NN N N.NN N N.NN N NN N NN N N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N NN N NN.NN N N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N NN N NN N NN.NN N N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N NN N N.NN N N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N NN N N.NN N NN NN N N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N N.NN N xcmm AmmNNm>Nv xcmm Ncmzuomh chm Nucmvzum xcmm prczeeou xcmm Lease: xcmm .=NEu< N.oz NNNNoN venom NSN 213 Each of the publics met in homogeneous groups to select two priority statements for the future direction of the Board. The groups were also asked to make two positive comments and one improvement statement as an evaluation of the workshop. These are listed by homogeneous group. ******* STUDENTS A better teacher-student and teacher-administration relationship. 1. Easier instruction for student a. Relaxed atmosphere b. Teacher better attitude toward students (vice-versa). 2. Better acceptance of administrator's jobs and student goals. The right to have a say in activities and suggestions that will affect students in education and/or restrictions. 1. More responsible attitude toward school activities, regulations, etc. 2. A feeling of accomplishment if something positive is done for the student body. Evaluation: The atmosphere was relaxed and easygoing. A better understanding of the problems and complications on both sides was established. It was easy to converse and ask questions that wouldn't normally be considered by either student, teacher, administrator, etc. Communication was good. Restricted conversations too much because of the time schedule. ******* COMMUNITY The community group rates basic skills as one of the top priorities, and feels that the teacher is the most important tool. Communication between student and teacher and flexibility are important in teaching child to think independently. Self-understanding is the important individual goal we feel important in education in assisting a child to realize his potential. Positive: Well organized, well planned workshop-—good resource material. Gave good cross section of community's ideas. Helped us by hearing what the Board's ideas are. Negative: Closing statements are thought out by tired group. ******* 214 TEACHERS Understanding self. To develop self-understanding in the students, we suggest an in-service program developed in conjunction with Oaklawn. 1. This would be held in our buildings. 2. This would be a continuing program with personal follow-up. 3. Possibly this could result in a course of study for students, students and parents, teachers and parents. 4. We would like to see this include behavior modification techniques to help the teacher handle everyday situations. We need to cut down the percentage of students who are low in basic skills. 1. We would like to see classloads kept at 25 or less. 2. We think coordinated curriculum studies should be done in all subjects. We think these should be done in August with extra pay given teachers who come back early. We need a special education program to continue through the high school. Evaluation: 1. Dr. John Sandberg-~excellentll 2. Meals good. 3. School Counselors not included. 4. All day instead of afternoon and evening. 5. Opportunity to talk to so many others good. 6. Well representative group. 7. More meetings needed--more than one day. ******* BOARD Goals: 1. Interested in continued excellence in basic skills. 2. All teachers be responsible for improving these basic skills. 3. The Board feels vocational development should ppt_be ranked #2; should be lower. Include in next workshop different students and community members who need to be motivated. Small group discussion most valuable-~communication good. ******* 215 ADMINISTRATION We are assuming that #3 Basic Skills are taken for granted. We as a group feel that #1 Self-Understanding and #2 Understanding Others are of prime importance in the Edwardsburg School System. The least important in our opinion are #4 Interest and School Learning and #9 Understanding Accomplishments. In the future we would like a two-day session in which individual groups meet with the Board and administration to get a more in-depth input. Written instruments should be sent out in advance to give people more time for thought. As we completed the workshop with the final evaluation statements the feeling of the total group seemed to be that: We were very tired; It had been a most worthwhile day; We should continue using this method for getting feedback; We should plan for building workshops; and This was most helpful to communications to the public. 01¢de ******* The use that the Board of Education will make of the workshop results will be reflected in the adoption of policy and in setting goals and objectives for the Edwardsburg Public Schools. Further suggestions from participants is encouraged. We hope that follow-up of the work- shop will be beneficial to all. Thank you for your help and time. This report submitted by Dick Fitzgerald October 16, 1972 216 APPENDIX B-1 EDWARDSBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS GOALS WORKSHOP REPRESENTATIVES FOR OCTOBER 10 WORKSHOP STUDENTS: BOARD OF EDUCATION: Dale Bohner Dr. I. C. Madden Gordon Carr Mrs. Jean Curtis Shannon Knispel Mr. Merrill Kittleson Marty Metzger Mr. George Fetherston Jill VanDeViere Mr. Dale Fonner Jeanne Johnson Mr. Dean Rodgers Cindy Frankenbach Mr. Richard Slack Gary Hughes (SWMC) Lora Walters John Boepple ADMINISTRATORS: Mr. Richard Fitzgerald COMMUNITY: Mr. George Monaghan Mr. William Lemcke Mrs. Gene Pendl Mr. Lyle Sisson Mr. Robert Boepple Mr. Clyde Morningstar Mrs. Marge Rea Mr. Robert Mette Mr. Bill Grossnickle Mrs. Ilean Becraft Mr. Willard Armstrong Mr. Gary Campbell TEACHERS: RESOURCE: Mrs. Barbara Weeks Dr. John Sandberg Mrs. Marie Ensign Dr. Chester Raber Mrs. Joan Boepple Mr. Steve Lemme Mr. Reuben Mattson 217 APPENDIX B-2 THE TWO ARTICLES SENT TO PARTICIPANTS "I Remember Education in the Year 1972," by Alvin C. Eurich. From World, July 4, 1972. "Why Boardmen and Administrators Must Prepare for Future Shock in Education," by M. Chester Nolte. From American Board Journal, August 1972. APPENDIX B-3 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR WORKSHOP 1. How do you think decisions should be made in the Edwardsburg School System? How should changes be made in the Edwardsburg School System? What general ideas for improvement in_the system are needed? Do you think our community will accept change? 0'1wa Are there any specific courses or programs that your group can suggest that should be added or developed? 6. How can we improve our communications with the people of the school system? 7. Does your group have any further suggestions? APPENDIX C GOAL HANDBOOK 218 GOAL HANDBOOK EDWARDSBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS DEVELOPED BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM 12/21/71 219 This collection of sheets is the beginning of the development of goals for the Edwardsburg Public Schools. The plan to write goals comes from an observed need reported to the Board of Education in May 1971 in the Annual Report by the Superintendent of Schools. These goals or objectives have been developed from meetings and discussions of the Administrative Team of the Edwardsburg Public Schools. They are expected to be changed or altered by the next‘ major steps, those being development of Board of Education goals and teacher goals. The preliminary goals listed are general statements to show intent and direction. As the Board and individual teacher goals are developed, we will be working on more specific techniques and methods for accomplishment of the major ideas. Please keep in mind that the goals for Edwardsburg are the responsibility of the Board of Education. 220 12/6/71/RF SUPERINTENDENT GOALS Member of Administrative Team Edwardsburg Public Schools For 1971-1972 To accept the overall administrative duties of the Superintendent of Schools as described by Board policy and State of Michigan School Laws. Help the Board of Education to develop the "goals" for the Edwards- burg School District (policy and philosophy). (Check school law other schools, citizens, teachers, EEA, business community, etc.) Make it known to each principal and staff member the goals of the Edwardsburg School District. To develOp procedures for 0 Public Relations (Annual Report to citizens, show goals, Board goals); 0 Budget making and control; 0 Atmosphere for educationally academic growth; . Direct the building of programs to provide the felt and unfelt needs of the community; . Provide a "change atmosphere"; and . Negotiations of Master Contract. Develop and act as leader to the administrative teacm. To make group decisions wherever possible in the operation of the schools. Develop the administrative team to: . State specific goals. 0 Build confidence and acceptance into their professional staff-- in themselves and in administration (superintendent and Board and administrative team.) Teacher code of conduct-~respect and loyalty to school and other professionals. . Do meaningful evaluation of teachers and their professional duties. . Build and add to administrative team where necessary (example, Middle School Principal and Assistant Superintendent) with good support data. 0 Establish "thinking time" for administrators. (A think day each month). . Build teaching staff with best available teachers. . Principal building budget and budget control from 1141 to 1159 and 1241 to 1249. Evaluate administrators (principals) to do the above and--eva1ua- tions to be meaningful and productive to the goals set for each administrator. Spend time (one day per month) in each school followed by written comments to principal. 221 7. Direct administrators to make needed changes in their programs to provide a modern human and meaningful school system to meet the needs and wants of the school district. 8. Help the Board of Education to develop confidence, understanding of jobs (Board and Administration) and community (Public Relations). 9. Develop evaluation procedure for Superintendent of Schools. 10. Develop goals and goal identification for non-professional positions--custodian and maintenance. 11. Develop procedure for school to be held accountable for its goals. 12. Attend a conference of NASA. Professional growth-~reading current literature and professional magazines. Note: There is a difference between the goals of the Superintendent and other administrators and the goals of the school district. How- ever, the administrative goals must be adaptable to and compatible with the district goals. The following statements are meant to give guidance for understanding the goals and objectives of persons or groups of people that affect how an individual writes his goals. The theory being that a person can more easily write meaningful goals if he is aware of the general expectations 0 others. The Superintendent must know what to expect from the Board and the Board of the Superintendent. It is important that each principal know what the Superintendent expects from the system and himself and what the Superintendent expects from them. It is important that each teacher knows what the principal expects from himself, and what the Superintendent expects of the principal and his staff. The lists of goals for each level should be developed by those who expect to affect the "happening" and those that are affected by the happening. Know each other's philosophy, goals, and objectives. Whenever possible know how the other feels about what you are doing and what you expect to do. Recognize that goals must and will change. Allow for the process of change and expect to keep the goals you are responsible for current to your thinking and to the changes of the system-wide goal changes. CDVO‘UTh 222 GOALS FOR THE 1971-1972 SCHOOL YEAR--EAGLE LAKE SCHOOL To create the best possible professional atmosphere. To help teachers improve methods and procedures in teaching and discipline. To develop art and physical education guides for classroom teachers. To make maximum use of the school facilities and equipment. To improve the writing of lesson plans (goals and objectives). To improve playground facilities. To improve public relations. To improve as a team member and as a principal. 10. 11. 12. 223 GOALS FOR THE 1971-1972 SCHOOL YEAR-~EDWARDSBURG ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS To foster a genuine concern for children on the part of all school personnel. To encourage teachers in their efforts toward curriculum improve- ment, particularly in the reading area. To encourage meaningful communication between the school and the community. To emphasize the need for all school personnel to keep abreast of current practices in education. To encourage teachers to set personal goals. To provide an atmosphere that will bring about positive changes in teaching methods. To constantly upgrade the staff by careful selection practices. To encourage teachers in their efforts to work as a team within the buildings. To work toward more efficient office practices. To work for meaningful evaluation of all personnel. To encourage teachers to be proud of their school and their profession. To investigate our present method of grade assignments for children with the idea of possibly establishing bridging rooms at each level. 224 GOALS FOR THE 1971-1972 SCHOOL YEAR--EDWARDSBURG JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. To achieve a climate for individuality within the junior high school. To develop a flexible curriculum to compliment and enhance that climate. To find ways and means of more adequately coping with the dif- ferences which separate the school from the community; to work toward resolving those differences which can be resolved and accepting those which cannot or will not change. To assist members of the school community to better understand themselves so that that understanding can contribute to under- standing of others. To work with staff, students, and those working within the school in changing attitudes about the dignity and worth of all individuals. To assist the members of the Edwardsburg community to better understand the problems of racism, poverty, and injustice which plague this area, state, and nation. To foster, in the community at large, a better understanding of the nature and purpose of education for the whole man. To work toward the implementation of full democratic procedures in the junior high via a school senate. To achieve an integration of subject matter areas through various multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and synthesizing approaches. To make maximum use of staff talent by redefining present staff assignments; to work toward maximum utilization of staff through both small and large group instructional methods. To carefully study student ability grouping with a view toward discovering its merits or lack thereof in our particular situation. To reevaluate the present interscholastic sports program with a view toward establishment of a full-fledged intramural athletic program. To make maximum use of the building facility through increased use of large and small instructional areas. To find ways and means of making more efficient the use of administrative time. 225 GOALS FOR THE 1971-1972 SCHOOL YEAR--EDWARDSBURG HIGH SCHOOL Attempt to keep the community, Superintendent, and Board of Education informed as to the operation and maintenance of the Edwardsburg High School, including curriculum and overall program. Attempt to upgrade the evaluation of teachers. See that teachers work within the framework and philosophy which is written for the Edwardsburg Public Schools. Attempt to effect a positive attitude toward the school and its program by both teachers and students. Attempt to better understand the team concept of school management and become a better team member. Attempt to continually upgrade curriculum until we have a program which will set some patterns for other schools in our area of the state. Attempt to upgrade programs for general educational and vocational areas at both the local and Elkhart Career Center. Attempt to become better administrators at the high school level through reading, courses, and visiting model programs. moowmm 10. 11. 226 GOALS FOR THE 1971-1972 SCHOOL YEAR-—EDWARDSBURG COMMUNITY SCHOOL To develop a true community school. To develop a sense of community pride. To develop total community involvement in and commitment to the total educational processes. To create and offer programs to meet the needs and interests of out-of—school residents. To provide supportive programs for the day-school. To become a community problem—solving agency. To act as a public relations instrument. To establish a comprehensive, year round, recreation program. To develop a more comprehensive summer school program. To utilize the community school as a means of instituting innovative and creative programs. To continue my own program of self—improvement. APPENDIX D BRAINSTORMING EVALUATION (A REPORT) 227 MEMO TO: Participants of Brainstorming Session FROM: Dick Fitzgerald, Superintendent DATE: June 19, 1973 RE: Report of Results of Comments The Brainstorming Session of May 8, 1973 was considered a success even before evaluating the actual results of comments made by participants. There was a total of 96 people who attended. This included a good cross section of members of the community (see attached list of participants). Comments and concerns were listed (attached) on the eight questions that were written to stimulate discussion. The spirited discussion was very good. The questions used were interpreted differently by different groups and at times seemed to bring new information to group members. It was also apparent that there are many differences of opinion in our community. Because of the complex nature of this report I will not attempt to try to guess at what all of the comments mean. I would like to just report the information and allow the planners of the next meeting to list the further questions and judge on the meaning of the previous answers. I will include a su ested direction for the next brainstorming session. This is the encloses sheet titled Procedure for Improvement of Edwards- burg Public Schools. This Brainstorming Session was a beginning for total improvement of our school. We suggest that to make full use of the ideas suggested that we appoint a steering committee to guide and direct the future meetings. The committee could be appointed by the Board and begin its plans soon. Step I Step II Step III 228 PROCEDURES FOR IMPROVEMENT OF EDWARDSBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS Priorities What do we want for "final student product" (kindergarten plus 12 years of formal education)? Perhaps one item to be discussed in the next Brainstorming Session should be to identify graduation type goals for students. When we place the priority on the product of our labors, and this is student learning outcomes we must provide the items that teachers or administrators or custodians, etc. need to accomplish the task. 1. Are we willing to invest in money? 2. Are we willing to invest in time? 3. Are we willing to invest in people? Review Results The community must be aware that proper evaluation procedures of the total school program require more time, perhaps more personnel to do a worthwhile and fair job. Who shall eval- uate? An outside evaluation group? Members of the community? The staff of the school? Redefine Goals Changes and improvements suggested from the evaluation may perhaps change personnel or redefine goals. If changes recommended are to be made community support must follow. 229 COMMENTS WRITTEN BY PARTICIPANTS Student manners. Teach beginners respect. No new math--ordinary math. Basic skills. L-12--no orientation into middle school. Problem is moving up in school. Curriculum coordinators--need smoother change. Bad lunch in elementary. Seniors should be able to graduate in three years. Not doing them any good being forced to take space up in class. Swimming pool--how can we get it for nothing? More support in arts, drama. Should keep the same teachers in choir to build program. No. 3--Information needed to support a building program. We need comparative facts and figures to be able to get new ideas. Language--foreign in lower elementary. Stress music in elementary school. BASIC SKILLS are necessary! Basic skills cannot be classified into percentages. 80% only for decision purposes. Enriched program for the gifted students. Provide experience for students to work with and in the community. Basic skills important. 80% at 8th grades as minimum. Additional enrichment. Support additional programs. We feel that numbers of students and history of growth are most important. Cost next. Evaluate existing before assigning priorities. Drugs, etc. start before junior high We all agree on an enriched cur- riculum. We also would support additional building if needed to accomplish this. Self discipline in the classroom in order to keep interest is vital. We feel that more appreciation of the arts is needed in the complete system. We feel that #6--an improved program in health education including abuse of drugs, tobacco and alcohol--is very important. Physical education in lower elementary. Smaller groups for reading skills. Would support an activity program. Sex education in a total health education system, including phys. ed. Community should be involved in any building projects. Change class schedule to remove monotony. 230 COMMENTS 0F WHAT'S GOOQ,_POOR, AND WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE MAY 8 BRAINSTORMING SESSION GOOD A very good method of learning what is on the minds of the people in the community, the chance to talk and listen and sharing ideas. Getting people from the community together. Different kinds of people—~students, teachers, parents, Board, and administrators. Glad I was invited. The differences of people in the groups (people's values, etc.) People were honest. We could say what we wanted. The whole meeting was very informative. I think the Board is doing a very good job. I became acquainted with members I didn't know from this community. I liked the small groups (4, 4, and 8) best! This was an orientation session for me to learn about the schools. POOR Too long on the introduction--1et's get right to work. Need to get more people involved. My ideas were heard but not recorded. Why "pigeon hole" people by colored name tags? Need more time to discuss (80% of the people said this). Let's have more school spirit. Would have been better to have the Quality Curriculum before meeting. Wish we had reached more concrete conclusions. Some people are satisfied at a very low level of performance for kids. 231 Too much breaking up of groups. Final reports could have been improved if we could ask questions. Material presented in layman's language. Too much material to cover. Would like it better organized next time. I didn't get to talk about some subjects. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Students involved in hiring staff and administrators. More such meetings--don't stop now. Next time have narrower concerns to work on. Follow through with ideas. Open forum with all groups. Set up committees for study of enrichment programs with community members (very important in curriculum). Include program for gifted K-12. Have a session on Saturday so we could have longer session. Organize groups by "let's all who wish to talk about a certain subject" meet over here. We need a better way to record our ideas. More meetings if the Board will listen and act. We need more challenge for some students who can handle it. Graduation in three years if students can get credits. Talk with juniors and seniors and evaluate their school experiences. Good for school P.R. Continue with maximum use of school buildings before submitting building program. #1. #2. #3. #4. 232 GROUP REPORTS The item of Basic Skills took a good deal of discussion. It was obvious that this item is of the most importance. The general attitude was that all students should be expected to master the skills necessary to reach their personal goals by the time they graduate. There was a general dislike in the discussion of grade level and percentage. Support for added cost would most likely be approved "if need were shown" and most important "if the community were involved." Music and art were the areas most frequently mentioned under this item. Building program support was again to show the need. Many more facts about enrollment must be available. All of the answers suggested careful study of the facts and costs. The special programs seemed to surprise some people. They generally approved and listed the following responses: Stress more elementary music-~assistant band director Early sex education class Art and music appreciation Camping More for girls (athletics) President's Physical Fitness Program Not summer recreation Generally support for all Add religion More extra-curricular clubs. #5, #6, #7. Drama, Health Education, and Physical Education all were #8. given support. Items that were specifically identified were instruction in marriage and family relations, emphasis on drugs and alcohol and more P.E. emphasis in elementary and junior high than in high school. Ideas suggested by participants: Enriched program for gifted Take school census Study grade requirements Foreign language in elementary School is monotonous Compare with other schools Senior high lacks enthusiasm Summer enrichment for high school 233 Teach manners in kindergarten Drop new math Expand summer program Journalism in high school More adult classes Moral standards on school grounds--teach dependability Enrich elective programs in music and art Relevant programs needed More frequent P.T. Conferences. Barbara DePoy . R. Standiford Peggy Peak Dean Shell Lois Keller Sue Madden Donald Mend Paul Mayhew James Locey Don Kaufman Virginia Kraft Dave Overholser Betty Overholser Judy Squires Board of Education and Administrators Bill Lemcke Chuck Madden Clyde Morningstar Jean Curtis Dick Fitzgerald Skip Sisson Merrill Kittleson Lowell Van Zandt Dean Rodgers Ilean Becraft George Monaghan Gary Campbell Bob Mette Other School EEmployees George Standiford Phyllis Moore Rosette Emery Jean Seaman 234 Members of the Community JoAnn Mackling Sandra Ryder Adeline DeSchepper Melva Freeman James Freeman John Schaefer Betty Rudy Nancy Grover Nancy Jo Mortimer Charles Wishart Sandra Borelli Barbara Lane Robert Lane LaVerne Stuglik Teachers Ruth Fitzgerald Ted Peak Ken Phipps Sandra Miller Wendy Thompson Kathy Olson Jim Kahl Mary Geminder Shirley Schaefer Beverly Bollenbacher Janet Kennedy Tom Kennedy Vi Ross Wanda Rutten Ron Grzeskiewicz Barbara Weeks Channing Todd Dorothy Love Lynnda Moniot Lorne Moniot Susie Catto Mrs. John Harsh Barbara Myers Mrs. Tom Slager Norman Shanahan Tom Ross Mary Baatz Tom Rea Donna Raudman Students Steve Gaby Marcia Moore Wendy Starkweather Terry Peak Greg Mackling Chris Shell Sherry Grindstaff Renee Raudman Karen Ronnebaum Linda Rodgers Robert Wood Carol Lindley Dawn Ward Becky Schaefer Terry Shell Janet Boepple Laura Walters Julie Jarosz Pat Walters Lynn Shanahan Bev Borem Patty Myers APPENDIX E BRAINSTORM SESSION FORM 235 IN—SERVICE DAY--DECEMBER 12, 1973 The Steering Committee met with the teachers, administrators, and 23 parents to discuss "How we could improve communications between the School and Community." Each person was given a worksheet and asked to add any needs, goals or problems that he or she felt were important. After listing these, groups of ten were formed to brainstorm. Each group was asked for one plan that they felt could be used to improve communications. These were posted and individuals signed up to work on the implementation of a plan. They are listed below. ITEM I: PARENTS' DAY Instead of the usual parent teacher conference days, set one day for parents to go through the school day in place of their child. A personalized invitation would be sent to the parents inviting them to take part in this day to better understand their child's day in school. ITEM II: SCHOOL NEWSPAPER A newspaper to be published by the students as a part of a journalism class. The student to obtain a credit for this work. This newsletter would be mailed to all district residents whether or not they have children in school. An advisory group of ten members of teachers, parents and administrators could be set up to help. Advertising could be sold to help defray the cost and the paper could be put out monthly or bi—monthly to keep patrons up to date on the functioning of the school. This newsletter would include a listing of community events and meetings, PTO meetings, school policies, curriculum changes and any special problems or events pertinent to school. Another suggestion was that this newspaper be put out by someone paid by the school and not by the students. This would be mailed to all parents and the cost funded by the school. ITEM II: PUBLIC RELATIONS In discussing board meetings, it was suggested that those present could take part in discussions before motions. The Board has an opening for questions from the floor but questions could be better received by the Board. Board members should be better informed on school problems. An Open Board meeting could be held each semester allowing for questions and answers between parent and Board members. The information from Board meetings should go to students, particularly high school students, possibly through the PA system. All Board agendas and Board minutes to 236 be published. A condensed report of Board meetings and each member's final vote to be published. ITEM IV: SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY CALENDAR A school and community calendar for all school and community organizations be made available to everyone in the district. ITEM V: PARENT AND STUDENT HANDBOOK AND STUDENT GOVERNMENT Prepare a handbook for all students and make copies available to parents. This handbook would give parents the school rules on bus transportation, graduation requirements and other regulations necessary to the school. Each school would also have a handbook for their par- ticular school available to parents. To formulate a handbook it might be wise to obtain handbooks from other schools for use as examples. The student handbook should function as rules of discipline, commu- nications and planning of social activities. The publication "National Association of Student Councils" would be useful in setting up student government. Student government should have a real responsible function in the school and community. A parent handbook should have information to help parents to help students. ITEM VI: SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE An Open House for the total school be held in each building during the August in-service meeting time. This would be a social event held in the evening, not a parent-teacher conference time, set up with appropriate invitations, refreshments, entertainment, presentation of school facilities, etc. The purpose would be to encourage all parents to come to school in a non-threatening environment to foster more positive relations between school and community. ITEM VII: TELEPHONE LINE A telephone line into the school as a school answering service to find out about the latest activities, etc. ITEM VIII: "COFFEES" WITH SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS Set up a series of "coffees" at the beginning of the year, at semester breaks and after school board meetings. Have a group compile informa- tion after each "coffee" and find solutions for problems aired. Set up an information center people can call to suggest topics to be discussed. "Coffees" should center around school board members with parents and teachers participating. 237 ITEM IX: PARENT TEACHER WORKSHOP In the spring of this year there should be a workshop for the parents of pre-school children, kindergarten teachers and administrators. The purpose would be to inform parents as to what will be expected of their child during the coming year. It would be a chance for teachers to explain any programs their children might be involved with. The kindergarten teachers should be free during this time so they may plan and implement the pre-school workshop. It is hoped that this would be expanded to include other grade levels next year. 238 EDWARDSBURG PUBLIC SCHOOL SECOND COMMUNITY BRAINSTORMING SESSION (Edwardsburg Board Steering Committee) December 12, 1973 "HOW CAN WE IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY" (NEEDS-~GOALS--PROBLEMS--PLANS) WORKSHEET WHAT ARE NEEDS? General school information . Specific changes (something dif- ferent, curriculum or policy) Inform community of normal change . Inner school communication (Board, administration, teachers, students and other staff «500 N-I' WHAT ARE GOALS? —l . Develop open lines of communication 2. Make school and community aware of problems of communication 3. Establish high priorities for communication between community, Board, and teachers WHAT ARE PROBLEMS? . Apathy . Misinformation or half-truths Gossip and its growth Fear of administration and Board . Lack of faith in elected Board members-~no feedback to them . Lack of student newspaper . Lack of understanding (background) of school rules--reasons for rules V01 UT-th-J PLANS APPENDIX F COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE 239 June 14, 1974 PREFACE TO COMMITTEE'S REPORT The Communication Committee of the Edwardsburg Board of Education, commissioned February 5, 1974 by the Board of Education, has been addressing itself systematically to the question of communications between the board, the administration, the teachers, and the community. After thirteen weeks of intensive study, it is the committee's conclusion that unless: l. The Edwardsburg Board of Education, its administration, and teachers become more tuned in to each other; 2. The administration, the board, and the teachers intentionally consider public opinion (both in and out of crisis); 3. The teachers, board, and administration become more responsive to public desires; 4. And the board, teachers, and administration make a greater effort to design methods to open up the communication situation that will eliminate factors such as fear, mistrust, and anger; there will be continuing social turmoil that will ultimately damage our educational system. If the public believes, rightly or not, that any policy of the school system promotes programs and situations that are contrary to the parent's basic philosophy or threatens what they desire for their children, they will fight to unbelievable lengths to create a balance between their homes and the school system. It is further concluded that communication within our community is possible. This possibility can be given birth by positive attempts offered by members of the community, in concert with the board, the administration, the teachers, and their students. It must be remembered that any change demands expenditures of time, money, and energy. It is with a high sense of hope and faith in our community and leaders that we submit our final report. PROPOSALS These proposals are not listed according to priority-fiell_of the suggestions are deemEd_vital to our process of improved communications. I. II. III. IV. 240 PROPOSALS AFFECTING BOARD--COMMUNITY RELATIONS A precise statement to the public shall be made stating the duties of the school board, the administration, the teachers, and the community. Objectives: A. To provide a knowledge of the responsibilities of each group. B. To give the public a basis for judging the school board, administration and the teachers. Possible Results: A. Better understanding of all groups as to their roles in the community. The agenda and the minutes of the school board shall be published and posted. Objectives: A. To allow the public knowledge of topics that may be of interest to them and to give the community the complete story in a factual way so that the public knows what the board is doing and can critically judge rumors, editorializing, and gossip. B. The people will feel that the board has an open attitude toward the public. C. People will feel that they have an opportunity to hear discussions of things before they are in the final stage. Possible Results: - A} Knowledge of school business available with easy access to the comnuni ty. B. Prior knowledge and discussion may lead to increased support from the community. A tape recording shall be made and filed at the administration building for exact reference of all business conducted at the board meetings. Objective: A. That exact conversations may be replayed to correct misinfor- mation and to help the press in accurately reporting the meetings. Possible Results: A. More accurate reporting to the community. A press conference shall be held before and after each board meeting. VI. 241 Ob'ective: A. To help the press get the facts and have the opportunity to ask questions that will assist them in accurately reporting the meeting. Procedure: A. A short briefing before each board meeting to include members of the press, superintendent, and one board member. B. A short debriefing after each meeting to include members of th: ppess, secretary of the board, and the superintendent of sc oo 5. Possible Results: A. Better informed press. B. Better press relations. A representative of the teachers shall be in attendance at the regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Education and recognized by the board as such. Objective: A. To serve as a bridge between the administration, teachers, and board. Possible Results: A. A better flow of information between all groups. The superintendent shall be responsible for communications. Objective: A. To clarify accountability for the process of communication. Possible Results: A. The line of responsibility for communication will be established. PROPOSALS AFFECTING INTER-SCHOOL RELATIONS In-service workshops. Objective: A. An honest appraisal of curriculum as it is practiced in the classroom. Possible Results: A. Teachers will talk more openly concerning alternate points of view. B. New programs will be strengthened with open discussion of strengths and weaknesses. C. It will enable teachers to respect each other's programs. II. III. II. 242 Western Michigan Image Profile to be given yearly to the administration (superintendent, principals, community school director, transportation director, maintenance and custodial supervisor). Objective: A. To give the administration an opportunity to see how they are viewed by their staff and to indicate strengths and to pinpoint problem areas. Possible Results: A. Better understanding of how the administrators are perceived by the employees. Teachers shall be periodically invited in, in small groups, to have lunch with the building principal and to have informal discussion. Objective: . 0 create better interpersonal relations. Possible Results: A. Improved relationships. PROPOSALS AFFECTING SCHOOL--COMMUNITY RELATIONS Have teachers, administrators, non-professional school personnel, students, conmunity, and board members talk to each other when the topic of conversation is preferably not one of a crisis situation. Objective: A. To create conversation between members of the school district, student body, board, administration, and teachers. Possible Results: A. Increased understanding. 8. Get to know each other better. C. Decrease the threat level between persons. A speaker's bureau available to the community shall be established by the board. Objective: A. To give the public first-hand contact with the board members, teachers, and administration in small groups. Possible Results: A. Better informed public B. Involvement of the administration, board, and teachers with the public. III. IV. 243 Teacher orientation. Objective: A. For the community to meet teachers, administrators, board, and their families on an informal level. Possible Results: A. To remind us we all are the community. 8. To say welcome to new teachers, administrators, and their families. C. To get to know people of the community. A school newspaper shall be published. Objective: A. To inform the public of school programs and activities. Possible Results: A. Better informed public. APPENDIX G EVALUATION OF SUMMER WORKSHOP 244 MEMO T0: Board of Education FROM: Dick Fitzgerald DATE: August 15, 1973 RE: Studies Done in M.S.U. WorkshOp You may recall that the last page of our Quality Curriculum lists as Number 5 on our time schedule a workshop for teachers. We proceeded last spring to contact with Michigan State University to provide a workshop for us in Edwardsburg where our staff could develop further the Quality Curriculum. About 25 teachers have signed up and will receive credit for their time. Other people have been called in, including a group of high school students. Step Number 6 of our program calls for some pilot programs to be started in September. Our plan calls for explanations to the Board of the kinds of programs being suggested. Before we explain some of these we would like to say that following a careful study with staff and parents, we feel that arents are really the important persons to hear from. You will know rom this report that our staff will place a priority on parents in helping make choices for their children. You will note that alternatives are being designed into most changes. This is to not force changes or create other environments in which kids may not be able to work well. The following are comments from members of the workshop: 1. (Bob Mette, Marie Ensign, and Betty Griffin) We have undertaken to work on ways we in the elementary schools may work more closely with the other schools in our system. During the class we have asked other teachers and principals to sit in on our discussions concerning specific areas where we might better prepare students for experiences they will have once they leave us. We have discussed among ourselves ways that we might better meet the needs of children within our own two schools. Improving self concepts and attitudes of children are two of the main topics of our discussions. 2. (Linda Westfall, Duane Riley, Clyde Mornin star, Jan Micinski, Marge Graber, Kip Hall, and Janice Warrick? The junior high staff members involved in the summer curriculum class have discussed and 245 will propose to the entire staff the idea of a floating conference and study period. This period will be held once a week for the purpose of creating closer interaction between students and teach- ers and also to provide an opportunity for a one to one relationship between student and teacher. (Ilean Becraft, Jerry Wright, Diana Lung, and Lynn Gabel) In their effort to better meet the needs of all students and to implement the quality education program, the teachers from Eagle Lake worked on an alternative learning environment for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade stu- dents. This environment is a continuous progress, individualized, self concept and responsibility building environment. Parents will be involved in the planning and will have the opportunity of choos- ing this or a conventional learning environment for their child. Board members and parents will have a preview of the program on August 20 at 8:00 p.m. at Eagle Lake Elementary School and part of the program will be set up for showing. (Shirley Schaefer) I looked forward to this class to finish a Music Curriculum Guide even though I was planning on teaching 3rd grade. After meeting the new music teacher and realizing how much the program means to me, I have decided to stay in music. I cannot "quit" something that is so much a part of me. This class is super real. (Viola Ross, Ruth Fitzgerald, Dick Robinson, Judy Singley, and Vera Finnell) The high school group is developing an alternative program that offers more options for high school students. The program is designed to appeal to dropouts, potential dropouts, the gifted, atypical student, and others who are restricted by the structure of the traditional classroom setting. Teachers, parents, administrators, and students are formulating expectations, goals, methods of organization, and evaluation pro- cedures to be used in the alternative environment. Dick Robinson ‘ is preparing a written guide for the high school teachers explaining alternate programs and outlining steps to be followed in organizing their own alternative programs. (Kip Hall) The last two weeks I have been working on two different concepts that will be implemented at the junior high school in the fall of 1973. The goals of both programs will be individual environmental learnjpg, 246 Morning--working with students with learning disabilities and others from our special education program. The theme, Home Management. Afternoon--working with students to create many options of learning. More data will be coming at a later date. Other teachers worked on individual projects; they were Jo-Ann Boepple, Barbara Weeks, Mel Freeman, and Wanda Rutten. APPENDIX H FOLLOW-UP 0F WORKSHOP AFTER ONE YEAR 247 June 18, 1974 EVALUATION OF PILOT PROGRAMS Richard Fitzgerald, Superintendent In February 1973, the Board of Education adopted the "Quality Education Program" for the Edwardsburg Schools. This is a long-range plan for organized improvement and curriculum growth. The program included a time schedule for the first year which calls for introduction of pilot projects and evaluation of the pilot projects started. This paper is to be a general description of evaluation of the programs in operation. As might be expected several changes have taken place from the original model. These changes have been made when they meet the basic intentions of the Quality Curriculum. The general emphasis used this past year can be described best by the term "alternatives." The establishment of learning alternatives is intended to (1) meet the needs of the students in learning methods most appropriate to their personal abilities and needs, and (2) meet the different needs of the individual teachers. This is to recognize the teachers' individual qualities and strengths. It must be emphasized that the most important people in these programs are the parents and the students; they choose the program at their option. It is also important to note that it is not necessarily intended that we force or intimidate other teachers to change their methods; if this were done the choice or alternative would not be available. It should be noted that all programs are consistent with the alternative policy #614l.l adopted 1/15/74. The work on the Quality Curriculum began after presentation to the teaching staff with the brainstorming session provided for the public in May of 1973. The items discussed in this session were intended to (l) explain to the public what our long-range curriculum plans were, and (2) to get their reactions and priorities worked into our plan. This was written up and evaluations were sent to staff, administrators and board and the community participants. The next step we have been studying but have not been successful with is the search for funds to finance additional programs. In the original plan we asked that money be set aside for hiring teaching staff members to work in the summer of 1973 to develop curriculum plans. As you know, this was changed and a curriculum workshop was provided. This was paid for out of the research funds and the teachers received graduate hours of credit for their work. An egaluation of this program was presented to the board (August 15, 973 . Several pilot programs have been started during this past year. Some of these are completely new to us; others are revisions of programs already going. We would like to list the programs we can identify 248 as alternative learning programs and give a brief description and evaluation. There are other reports written by teachers and principals that will give more specific detail of evaluation. The following are alternatives in Operation in 1973-1974. Option Block, High School Elkhart Career Center, High School Special Needs Program, High School Co-Op Program, High School Independent Studies, High School Unit Step, Junior High Floating Conference Study Period, Junior High Camping Program, Middle School and Eagle Lake (6th grade and Junior High Special Education) Special Education, Junior High Continuous Progress, Edwardsburg Elementary and Eagle Lake Individualized Math, Middle School Individualized Science, Middle School Non-Graded Room, Eagle Lake Living History, Junior High The programs on the above list were not all developed in the last year or even in the last few years. consider to be alternatives. This total list is to show what we The asterisk indicates programs that were to have specific evaluations. 1. The Option Block was started as the second semester in February 1974 (a complete evaluation provided to board members). This program provided a two-hour block of time for high school juniors and seniors in which they designed their own learning activities. This program had as its initial intent to provide a different learning atmosphere to allow students to become more responsible for their own learning needs, the hope being that high school students would prepare themselves to make decisions in this respect. The teachers, Vi Ross and Susan Nelson, were asked to do an evaluation using the teachers of the high school, parents, students and the sponsors with whom the students worked. This information has been completed and shows a very positive reac- tion from all sides. This detailed report is available in the Administrative Office. The Junior High Unit Step program is not a result of the 1973 summer workshop but has provided in principle the alternative policy. The evaluation provided in Mr. Morningstar's year-end report is very supportive of the program and demonstrates the exceptional work that the staff and principal have done to make the school program more appropriate to their students. 249 8. The Camping Programs have had two years and been very successful in making the learning process more real to the students of the sixth grade and Mr. Hall's Special Education room. This year the Special Education room did not go with the sixth grade but rather camped with a Special Education room from the Sturgis Schools. This is the first camping experience for any Sturgis class and they were very pleased with the results. This situ— ation was more acceptable to our students than being with the regular students. A fall camping program is planned for the 1974-1975 sixth grade students. 10. The Continuous Progress Classrooms started in September with three rooms at Eagle Lake. The second semester two fourth grade rooms at the Edwardsburg Elementary started their program. Each of these programs used a similar environmental description for their direction. The basic concepts were to build respon- sibility, trust, creativity, pride, and achievement. The students would be expected to develop their skills and knowledge in an atmosphere that allows the student to choose when they do this work. The follow-up of the teachers encourages the student and also gives support and help in an individual manner. The students and parents have been surveyed as to their reactions to the learning of the student and their growth toward responsibility for their work and feeling toward school. All of this came back positive. ******* The weaknesses of these programs have been noted by the staff and parents. No major problem or concern has been noted. The needs are minor changes and different equipment or space arrangement. There has been a start on work toward development of the health and physical education portion of the Quality Program. My general reaction to the programs this year is that the programs have been successful. The reason for this success is due for the most part because of the work done with parents before starting the project. This has been a result of plans made by and extra work done by the staff, their efforts to inform each other as well as parents and board members. I recommend that these programs continue in our educational plan. APPENDIX I INTERVIEW ANALYSIS BY THE AUTHOR 250 INTERVIEW ANALYSIS BY THE AUTHOR Involvement: Commitment: Implementation: Acceptance: Other: BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, Dwight W. Staff Attitudes Toward Educational_Change. Chicago, Ill.: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 041 873, 1970. Bandy, George R. Strategies for Change in Rural Communities. 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