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O rder N u m b er 8722818

A ease stud y o f how six sm all to w n M ichigan school districts
responded to th e excellence m ovem ent o f 1983
Boehme, William Walter, Ph.D.
Michigan State University, 1987

UMI

300N.ZccbRd,
Ann Arbor, MI 48106

A CASE STUDY OP HOW SIX SMALL TOWN
MICHIGAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS RESPONDED TO THE
EXCELLENCE MOVEMENT OP 1983
By
William W a lte r Boehme

A DISSERTATION

S u b m itte d t o
Michigan S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y
in p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t o f t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s
f o r t h e d e g r e e of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
D e p a rtm e n t of E d u c a t i o n a l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n
1987

ABSTRACT

A CASE STUDY OP HOW SIX SHALL TOWN
MICHIGAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS RESPONDED TO
THE EXCELLENCE MOVEMENT OF 1983
By
William W a lter Boehme

The p u r p o s e f o r t h i s s t u d y was t o d e s c r i b e and e x p l a i n
how six Michigan s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s in sm a ll towns resp o n d e d
to

a

nationw ide

excellence.

th ru st

That

for

th ru st,

public

demand,

schools

or

call

to

for

produce

excellence

was most c l e a r l y seen with t h e r e l e a s e of t h e 1983 A Nation
a t Risk r e p o r t by t h e N a tio n a l Commission on E x c e ll e n c e .
The
sc h o o l

conceptual
d istrict

framework

responses

in itiatio n ,

m o tiv a tio n ,

in v o lv e m e n t,

plans,

These

concepts

describing
excellence
grow

out

d e v e lo p e d .
rationally
For

the

sensible,

how

were
six

of

to

explore

consisted

of

process,

concepts;

decision

making,

r e s u lts — actual

the

" v e h ic le "

T h is

em pirical

for

d istricts

individual

seven

and

school

movement.

used

or

anticipated.

understanding

and

re sp o n d e d

to

the

d id

not

c o n c e p t u a l framework
research

but

was

logically

The c o n c e p t s encompass s e q u e n t i a l s eg m en ts o f a
d eve lo pe d

continuum f o r t h e

researcher,

they

p r o c e s s o f cha n ge.

represented

a

reasonable,

and s e q u e n t i a l way t o d e s c r i b e how s i x

Michigan

sch o o l d i s t r i c t s re sp o n d e d t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.

W illia m

W a lte r Boehm e

The s i x s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s s e l e c t e d f o r c a s e s t u d i e s were
located

in

cen tral

Michigan

and

had

enrollm ents

between

1,000 and 4,000 s t u d e n t s .
The methodology f o r d e v e lo p in g each c a s e s t u d y was t h a t
of

in-dep th

used.

interview ing.

In itially ,

a r e a s s u g g e s t e d by
interview s.
assistan t
community

The

a

Two i n t e r v i e w

protocol
responses

researcher

superintendents,
leaders,

teachers,

was

procedures

d e v e lo p e d .

were e x p lo re d
interview ed
principals,
and

were

A dditional
in s u b s e q u e n t

sup erintend ents,
b oard

in dividuals

members,
serving

e x c e l l e n c e com m ittees.
Major f i n d i n g s from t h e s t u d y in c l u d e :
1.

S u p e r i n t e n d e n t s were t h e p rim a ry i n i t i a t o r s of
d i s t r i c t resp o n ses to excellence.

2.

The m o tiv a tio n t o i n i t i a t e r e s p o n s e s came from
nee d s
to
s o lv e
immediate
pro b lem s
and
concerns.

3.

The u s e o f com m ittees was t h e p r e f e r r e d
p ro c e ss fo r ad d ressin g th e excellence issu e .

4.

Committees were named as d e c i s i o n makers.

5.

C u rric u lu m
ch a n g es
d i s t r i c t s a f te r the
Risk..

6.

T h ere were no v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n ts , b u t many
acco m p lish m en ts
were
attrib u ted
to
the
excellence
movement
as
u n v erified
a c h ie v e m e n ts .

occurred
in
all
six
r e l e a s e of A Nation a t

on

DEDICATION
To my m other and my f a t h e r , who h ave lo v e d and
c a r e d f o r me in a v e r y s p e c i a l way.
That
u n d y i n g and u n s e l f i s h l o v e h a s k e p t me g o in g .
My
fa th e r's
in sp iratio n
has
resulted
in
c o u n tle s s m ilestones.
Dad, t h i s Ph.D. g i v e n
t o William W a lte r Boehme. i s f o r t h e one t h a t
World War I I k e p t from you.

iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

T h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n was made p o s s i b l e t h r o u g h t h e e f f o r t s
o f many p e o p l e .
me.

M ario n , my w i f e f o r

She s u p p o r t e d

15 y e a r s ,

b e lie v e d in

and e n c o u r a g e d my d o c t o r a l p rogram front

t h e b e g i n n i n g - o f t e n w i t h h e r own p e r s o n a l s a c r i f i c e s ,
I s h a l l f o r e v e r be g r a t e f u l t o Dr. K e i t h Goldhammer f o r
giving

me

t h e Ph.D.

stu d ies

and

guiding

ch allen g e,
me

o v e r s e e i n g my

through

the

graduate

com pletion

of

my

d issertatio n .
A

s p e c i a l thank

th eir

support*

ch airp erso n ,

you

i s e x t e n d e d t o my co m m itte e f o r

S incere

D r.

L o u is

ap p reciatio n

Romano.

e x p r e s s e d t o Dr. Samuel Moore
docto ral stu d ie s .

A deep

for

h is

to

my

g ra titu d e

is

guidance

d u r i n g my

The same g r a t i t u d e i s g i v e n t o Dean James

R a in e y f o r h i s g u i d a n c e
sp ecial

i s given

reco g n itio n

is

i n my

Management c o g n a t e .

given

A very

t o Dr. Norman W einheim er, a

t r u s t e d f r i e n d and r e s p e c t e d a d v i s o r f o r many y e a r s .
My
g en tle

d e e p e s t a p p r e c i a t i o n go es
in sp iratio n

would f i n i s h .
day s

th at

she

and

How c a n I
got

up

t o Ruth

encouragem ent.
ev er repay
at

4:30

Lindman f o r

her

She alw a y s knew I

her fo r

the c o u n t l e s s

a.m . t o t y p e and e d i t an

e n d l e s s number o f d r a f t s .
F i n a l l y , I w ish t o
Jesus

C h rist,

m a jo r p r a y e r s .

who

acknow ledge

m iraculously

my

Lord

and S a v i o u r ,

a n sw e red a t l e a s t a dozen

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.

II.

III.

C hapter I - In tro d u c tio n
(a) B ack g ro u n d
(b) P u r p o s e
(c) C o n c e p t u a l Framework
(1) D e f i n i t i o n s of C o n c e p ts in
C o n c e p t u a l Framework
(d) E x p l o r a t o r y Q u e s t i o n s
(e)
Summary
C h a p t e r I I - Review o f t h e L i t e r a t u r e
(a)
In tro d u c tio n Statem ent
(b) P a r t i c i p a n t s I n f l u e n c i n g C hange
(1) I n t e r n a l P a r t i c i p a n t s
(2) E x t e r n a l P a r t i c i p a n t s
(c)
Review of E i g h t Major E x c e l l e n c e R e p o r t s
(1) P a i d e i a P r o p o s a l
(2) A N ation a t Risk
(3) Making t h e Grade
(4) Academic P r e p a r a t i o n f o r C o lle g e
(5) H o ra c e 's Compromise
(6) A ction f o r E x c e l l e n c e
{7} A P l a c e C a lle d S c h o o l
(8) High S ch o o l
(d)
Summary
C h a p t e r I I I - Methodology
(a)
In tro d u c to ry Statem ent
(b)
Methodology
<c)
Review and V e r i f i c a t i o n o f
In te rv ie w Q uestions
(d)
(1) Dr. H arry Howard
(2} D r . . K e i t h Goldhammer
(3) Dr. Norman Weinheimer
(e)
In te rv ie w Questions
(1) S u p e r i n t e n d e n t
(2) A s s i s t a n t S u p e r i n t e n d e n t
(3) Board Members
(4) P r i n c i p a l s
(5) T e a c h e r s
(6) Community Members
(7) S t u d e n t s
(f)
Summary

vi

Page
1
5
7
11
15
18
20
20
21
25
27
28
31
37
42
44
49
56
66
78
85
85
88
89
89
91
92
99
107
114
122
130
137
143

IV.

V.

VI.

C h a p t e r IV - c a s e s t u d i e s
(a) I n t r o d u c t o r y S t a t e m e n t
(b) P i o n e e r
(c) R i v e r v i l l e
(d) C o o p e r v i l l e
(e) P in e Lake
(f) M in e ra l S p r i n g s
(g) M illc re e k

144
145
159
173
187
201
216

C h a p t e r V - C o n c lu s io n
(a) I n t r o d u c t o r y S t a t e m e n t
(b) Review o f t h e P u r p o s e , C o n c e p t u a l
Framework and M ethodology
<c) Summary of t h e F i n d i n g s
(d) S y n o p s i s and C o n c l u s i o n s
(e)
Recommendations f o r F u t u r e R e s e a r c h
P erso n al R eflections
(f)

233
235
269
275
276

B ibliography

278

v ii

233

c h a p t e r Is

INTRODUCTION

B ackground
The r e p o r t o f t h e N a t i o n a l Commission on E x c e l l e n c e , &
Nation a t R i s k , warned A m ericans t h a t t h e n a t i o n ' s s c h o o l s
were in t r o u b l e .
world"

th at

L ik e t h e

report

fabled

struck

w ith

"sh o t heard
"megaton

a ro u n d

force"

the

(Boyer,

1983):
. . • th e ed u cational fo undations of our society
a r e p r e s e n t l y b e i n g e r o d e d by a r i s i n g t i d e o f
m ediocrity
t h a t th r e a te n s our very
f u t u r e as a
N ation and a p e o p l e .
What was u n im a g i n a b l e a
generation
ago h a s b e g u n t o o c c u r - - c t h e r s a r e
m atching
and
surpassing our
educational
attainm ents.
The r e p o r t c o n t i n u e d :
I f an u n f r i e n d l y f o r e i g n power had a t t e m p t e d t o
impose
on
Am erica
the
m e d io c re
educational
p e r f o r m a n c e t h a t e x i s t s t o d a y , we m ight w ell have
viewed i t a s an a c t of war. As i t s t a n d s , we h av e
allow ed t h i s t o hap pen t o o u r s e l v e s
(N a tio n a l
Commission on E x c e l l e n c e , 1983).
Not

since

aroused to
p rairie

fueled
is n 't

in

other
the

a s to rm of
so.

has

our ed u c a tio n a l

s u c h a n a t i o n a l d e b a t e . L ike

fire,

weaknesses

S p u t n ik

It

school

reaction

c a n 't

be

educational

and

response.

true."

been

a wind f a n n i n g a

rep o rts,

American

s y s te m

O thers

citing

v arious

s y s te m ,

further

Kany s a i d
a lm o s t

"It

seemed

e u p h o r i c in s a y i n g , "We t o l d you so" (B oyer, 1983).
No e v e n t in

recent history

h a s had a l a r g e r im p a c t on

American e d u c a t i o n t h a n t h e A Nation a t Risk r e p o r t .

1

2

A lth ou gh

o n ly

one

among

several

critical

reports,

it

appeared to be th e sto n e t h a t s t a r t e d th e avalanche.
There

are

o rg an izatio n s

some
see

excellence.

A Nation
for

as

The

A dm inistrators
at

differences
the

American

lists

the

R i s k . Making

-C o lleg e.

major

A ction

in

what

works

in

A ssociation

follow ing:

various
providing

of

The P a i d e i a

School
P roposal*

G r a d e , Academic _Exep.gration

the

E x c e lle n c e ?

A

S&lldy

fif

Kisll

Schc.cjg? A P l a c e C a lle d S cho ol. E d u c a ti n g A m ericans f o r t h e
2 1 s t C e n t u r y , and
S tate

High S ch o o l (AASA, 1984).

D e p a rtm e n t o f

Education l i s t s

The Michigan

a l l nine of th e

above

r e p o r t s p l u s two S t a t e commission r e p o r t s and a r e p o r t from
th e A ssociation fo r S upervision
in
for

the

bibliography

Michigan

and C u r r i c u l u m Development

o f a p a m p h le t c a l l e d

C i t i z e n s : ___ A B l u e p r i n t

for

B etter

E d u c a tio n

A ction

(Michigan

S t a t e Board of E d u c a t i o n , 1984).
The

Michigan

seven

of

Roads

to

P aideia

the

E xcellence
Proposal
For

research

pro ject,

the

of

a b o v e - m e n t io n e d

Centu r v .

selected

A ssociation

and
the

(MASB,

B o ard s

nine

reports

1983).

They

E d u c a ti n g

Americans

lite ratu re

eight

S ch o o l

r e v ie w

major

as

identified
the

e x c lu d e d

Seven
The

fejc

the

21gt

portion

of

th is

ex cellence

reports

were

which, in t h e r e s e a r c h e r ' s o p i n i o n , b e s t r e p r e s e n t

excellence

movement of 1983:

The P a i d e i a P_roposal. A

Nation a t R is k . Making t h e G ra d e , Academic P r e p a r a t i o n f o r
C o l l e g e . Action f o r E x c e l l e n c e .

A S tu d y of H i g h _ S c h o o l s . A

P l a c e C alled S ch oo l, and High S c h o o l.
by

the

Michigan

A ssociation

in c lu d e d *

B ig h t

were

included.

also

C entury

was

developing
science,
the

w riter

aspects

the

E d u c a ti n g

plan

action

of

technology
include

of t h e

School

reports

because

to

of

nine

e x c lu d e d

a

and

of

B oards

id en tified

A m ericans
of

its

for

o n ly t h o s e

for

lim ited

im pro ving

education.

curriculum .

A ll s e v e n i d e n t i f i e d

It

F uture

by

AASA

the

21st

focus

on

m a th e m a tic s ,

was t h e

rep o rts

were

intent

dealing

references

of

w ith a l l

w i l l sim ply

r e f e r t o t h e ab ov e-nam ed e i g h t a s t h e E x c e l l e n c e R e p o r t s .
The combined f o r c e o f t h e s e
education
liv ely

at

forefront.

discussions

American
health
tak e

the

schools.

and
It

r e p o r t s was enough t o p u t

A Katlon

provided
centered

at

front

Risk

stim ulated

page

on t h e

news

present

about

and f u t u r e

of s c h o o l s and t h e need f o r t h e American p e o p l e t o
a

deeper

in terest

in

th eir

schools

(AASA,

The

E x c e l l e n c e R e p o r t , 1983).
During
Reagan

the

and

n a tio n 's

p re sid e n tial

W alter

schools.

campaign

Mondale
G overnors,

spoke

of
of

1984,

P resident

rev italizin g

leg islato rs,

school

the
b o a rd

members, e d u c a t o r s , p a r e n t s , b u s i n e s s and community l e a d e r s
were a c t i v e l y
the

involved

educational

in

s y s te m .

enacting
T h ese

fundam ental changes
changes

were

in

proposed,

s t u d i e d and a d o p te d in t h o u s a n d s of s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s a c r o s s
the country.
of

early

high

A ll 50 s t a t e s had e d u c a t i o n t a s k f o r c e s .

1984,

school

44

states

graduation

were

in

the

requirem ents:

process

of

20

states

As

raising
were

c o n s i d e r i n g a l o n g e r s c h o o l day o r y e a r ; 13 s k a t e s were in
v a r i o u s s t a g e s o f a d o p t i n g m a s t e r t e a c h i n g p l a n s ; 42 s t a t e s
were

r e e x a m in in g

and

ce rtific atio n ;

address

th eir

teacher

law s

and

governing

36

states

shortages

in

teacher

were

such

preparation

seeking

critical

ways

to

field s

as

s c i e n c e , m a t h e m a t i c s , and c o m p u te r t e c h n o l o g y {Bell, 1984}.
Irresp ectiv e
and

national

of

level,

what
the

has
real

been
test

h a p p e n in g
for

at

the

significance

state
of t h e

e x c e l l e n c e movement i s t o exam ine what h a s been h a p p e n in g
or

possibly

not

h a p p e n in g

u ltim ate value lie s

in

in

local

school

system s.

what s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s

The

have been

h ave n o t b e e n d o in g a b o u t t h e c a l l s f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
is

a

strong

need

to

if

responding,

how

re s p o n d e d ?

The demand f o r c h a n g e {in t h i s

and

has

for

d istricts

to

excellence)

demand

school

responding

for

the

see

through

come

change.

what

from t h e

If

processes

national

action , hundreds

c o m m itte es
response
d istrict

have
h as

has

excellence.

been

been
heard

more
and

C ertainly

from

broadly

h a s been

coast

based.
to u c h e d

been

they

level

are
they

through

To' meet t h i s

to

f o r c e s , and
coast.

E v ery

No

school

by t h a t c a l l f o r

t h e r e can be no q u e s t i o n

s i g n i f i c a n c e and i m p o r t a n c e o f t h i s i s s u e .

have

hav e

o f com m issions, t a s k

organized

There

case, the call

t h e s t a t e l e v e l and down t o t h e l o c a l l e v e l .
ca ll fo r

or

about the

5

Pu r p o s e
The p u r p o s e of t h i s p r o j e c t i s t o d e s c r i b e and e x p l a i n
how s i x
or

Michigan s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s in sm a ll to w n s re s p o n d e d

failed

schools

to

to

respond

produce

to

a

nationw ide

excellence.

T his

th ru st
th ru st,

for

public

demand,

or

c a l l f o r e x c e l l e n c e was most c l e a r l y se e n w ith t h e r e l e a s e
of

A Nation

at

E xcellence.
O th e r

Risk

It

was

sig n ifican t

background

(1983)
a

N ational

forerunner

reports

m aterial

by t h e

w ith

many

were i d e n t i f i e d

and

w ill

be

Commission
to

on

fo llo w .

in t h e p r e c e d i n g

summarized

in

the

l i t e r a t u r e re v ie w p o r t i o n of t h i s d i s s e r t a t i o n .
The

real

significance,
occurred
of

the

h av e

test
which

for

the

b eg a n

in

ex cellen ce

1983,

was

in t h e l o c a l s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s .
ex cellence

been

d o in g

movement
about

lies

the

in

calls

to

movement's
examine

what

The u l t i m a t e v a l u e

what

for

school

d istricts

excellence.

It

is

i m p o r t a n t t o s e e w h e th e r o r n o t s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s h av e been
responding

to

th is

purpose

to

examine s i x

is

demand

for

excellence.

school d i s t r i c t s

The

w rite r's

i n sm a ll towns

and t o d e t e r m i n e how t h e y h av e re s p o n d e d t o t h e demand f o r
excellence.

If

they

responded,

how have t h e y

re s p o n d e d ?

I f t h e y h ave n o t r e s p o n d e d , why h ave t h e y n o t re s p o n d e d ?
F or

the

iden tifiab le

purpose

of

th is

p o litica l

en tity

study,
of

fe w e r

a

sm a ll
than

town

15,000

is

an

people,

n o t a d j a c e n t t o a m e t r o p o l i t a n a r e a , and which has a s i n g l e
s e c o n d a r y s c h o o l.

6

Each o f t h e e i g h t major e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s , i n c l u d i n g &
Nation a t R i s k , made s p e c i f i c reco m m e n d atio n s f o r a c h i e v i n g
excellence.
school

Many

d istricts

an cillary

o rg an izatio n s

condensed,

consolidated

form s of t h e e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s .
of

E d u c a ti o n

p ro g ra m

in

B lueprint

re v ie w

provided
B etter

major

for

The p l a n

ex cellence

or

local

capsulated

The Michigan S t a t e Board

in terp re ta tio n

E d u c a tio n

A ction.

for

of

its

offered

of an

Michigan
was

ex cellence

C itizen si

A

d e v e lo p e d a f t e r

reports.

The

a

introductory

statem en t explained:
The c o n t e n t i s b a s e d upon t h o s e r e v ie w s as w ell as
the
Michigan
High
S ch o o l
Commission
study;
recom m endations from s t u d y co m m itte es i n t h e a r e a s
of technology,* m a th e m a tic s and s c i e n c e , f o r e i g n
language,
and
ce rtific atio n ;
a D e p a rtm e n t
of
E d u c a ti o n
statew ide
public
opinion
survey;
r e s e a r c h f i n d i n g s ; t h e o v e r a l l a u t h o r i t y which t h e
S t a t e Board h a s f o r d e a l i n g with s p e c i f i c i s s u e s ;
and t h e v a r i o u s o p t i o n s o r a l t e r n a t i v e s a v a i l a b l e
t o t h e Board (Michigan S t a t e Board of E d u c a t i o n ,
1984).
The
booklet

Michigan
called

Guidebook

A ssociation

of

School

B oards

School , Bo a r d s Pl a n n i n g f o r

for

the

study

o f _S e l e c t e d

prepared

a

E x c e ll e n c e :

A

E xcellence R eports.

T h is w e l l - p r e p a r e d

docum ent was d e s i g n e d t o a s s i s t b o a r d s

in

im p lem en tin g

m eeting

and

excellence.

It

recom m en datio ns

included

from

intro d u cto ry

statem ent

reports

to

and

m easu re

individual
a

consolidated

sev e n

ex cellence

urged

boards

th eir

local

e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s ' recom m end ation s:

program s

to

list

reports.
study

p ro g ra m s

for
of
The

excellence
ag ain st

the

7

A l l o f u s m ust
r e c o g n i z e , ho w ev e r, t h a t t h e
e f f e c t i n g o f c h a n g e in t h e o p e r a t i o n o f a s c h o o l
s y s t e m m ust r e s u l t from c a r e f u l s t u d y o f what we
a r e p r e s e n t l y doin g and i n t e n s i v e e x a m i n a t i o n of
t h e i m p a c t p r o p o s a l s f o r c h a n g e may h a v e .
Scho ol
s y s t e m s a r e complex o r g a n i z a t i o n s b e c a u s e of t h e
demanding t a s k s t h e y a r e e x p e c t e d t o a c c o m p lis h
and b e c a u s e of t h e v a r y i n g n e e d s and a b i l i t i e s of
th e stu d en ts they serve.
We must b e m in d fu l o f
t h e s e c o m p l e x i t i e s a s we d e v e l o p , im plem ent and
m o n ito r p l a n s f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
Such p l a n s must b e
p u t in p l a c e w i t h p a t i e n c e and c a r e .
This i s not
t h e tim e f o r 'q u ic k f i x ' j u d g e m e n t s (MASB, 1983).
In ex am ining t h e r e s p o n s e s o f s i x s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s , t h e
researcher
u sed

was

p articu larly

reco m m e n d atio n s

m entioned ab o v e .
and t o

or

made b y

such

adapted

to

sig n ifican t

responses?
define the
and

schools

o rg an izatio n s

reco m m e n d atio n s were u sed by t h e

in d iv id u al

part
The

school

in t h e i r

needs?

en tirety
Did

the

e i g h t major e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s p l a y

in

shaping

answ ers

re se a rc h e r's

explaining

how t h e

an cillary

Were re co m m e n d atio n s a d o p te d

reco m m e n d atio n s o f t h e
a

the

in

The w r i t e r s o u g h t t o d e t e r m i n e how widely

what e x t e n t

d istricts.

in terested

to

the

these

above-stated

how s i x

d istricts'
questions
purpose

school d i s t r i c t s

excellence
more

fully

of d e s c r i b i n g

responded

to

the

demand f o r e x c e l l e n c e .

C o n c e p t u a l Framework
The a u t h o r ' s
six

Michigan

movement.
vary

from

su p erficial

in ten t

school

for th is

d istricts

study

i s t o d e s c r i b e how

re s p o n d e d

to

the

excellence

The w r i t e r r e c o g n i z e d t h a t t h e s e r e s p o n s e s would
school

to

s c h o o l — some

responses,

and

w ith

o n ly

others

minimal

or

com m itting

8

them selves
search

to

for

to

draw

curricular

ex cellence.

co m m o n alitie s
responses.

sig n ifican t

and

The

d ifferences

changes

researcher

in

the

six

in

th eir

lo o k e d

for

school d i s t r i c t s '

F i n d i n g s fro m t h e s t u d y e n a b le d t h e r e s e a r c h e r
inferences

d istricts'

and

responses

T h is

ab ility

the

p o ssib ility

conclusions

to

the

about

ex cellen ce

to g e n e ra liz e about six
of

exploring

the

movement

d istricts

the

six

same

school

of

1983.

should

issues

open

‘f o r

the

g en eral population of school d i s t r i c t s .
As t h e

research p ro g ressed , th e re se a rc h e r co n stru cted

a c o n c e p t u a l fram ew ork o f common and u n i q u e t h r e a d s p r e s e n t
in

each

responses

d is tr ic t's
s h o u ld

un derstanding
fu tu re
a ls o

of

help
what

nationw ide
identify

response.

The

school
to

expect

dem ands

critical

for

analysis

of

these

adm in istrato rs

in

th eir

and

how

change.

issues

or

to

The

respond
an aly sis

p ro b l e m s

to
may

stim ulating

o t h e r s to e n g a g e in e m p i r i c a l r e s e a r c h .

The s t u d y p r o v i d e s

a p ictu re

the

which

of a d m i n i s t r a t i v e b e h a v i o r i n

may l e a d

even p o i n t t h e

to

a b etter

u n d erstanding

school s e ttin g
of p r a c t i c e

way t o t h e o r e t i c a l p r o p o s i t i o n s .

or

The s t u d y

s h o u ld p r o v i d e a b a s i s f o r g e n e r a t i n g a d d i t i o n a l r e s e a r c h .
The c o n c e p t u a l framework used t o e x p l o r e t h e d e p t h s o f
th e se in d iv id u a l school d i s t r i c t
fo llo w in g
decision

sev e n

making,

resu lts-actu al
"vehicle"

concepts;

for

or

in itiatio n ,

involvem ent,
anticipated.

u nd erstanding

responses consisted

m otivation, p ro c e s s ,

plans
These

of the

and,

concepts

and d e s c r i b i n g

finally,
were

how s i x

the

school

9

d istricts

responded

to

the

ex cellence

movement.

T h is

c o n c e p t u a l framework d i d n o t grow o u t of e m p i r i c a l r e s e a r c h
but

was

logically

developed.

The

concepts

en co m passed

s e q u e n t i a l s e g m e n t s o f a r a t i o n a l l y d e v e lo p e d c o n tin u u m f o r
the

process

sensible

of

and

change

and

seq u en tial

represented

way t o

d escribe

a

reasonable,

how s i x

Michigan

s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s r e s p o n d e d t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.
In a n a l y z i n g
the

d istricts'

d istrict

the

responses,

b eg a n

its

m otivational f a c to r s
evidence of th e
the

moment

changes?

researcher

involved

to

with

how t h e

ex cellence
that

wagon" e f f e c t ?

opportunity

explored

to

and

start.

or

act

did

the

the

community

and/or

i m p e l li n g

m otivational

alone

Did t h e b o a r d s e i z e
in itiate

co o rdinating

teach in g

response?
other

the

in

staff

Was

external

adm inistratio n

facto rs

the

resu lt

the

Was t h e r e

long-desired

Who p u s h e d whom i n t o making c h a n g e s ?

developing

into

the

and m o t i v a t i o n a l p h a s e s o f

response

"band

of

ad m inistration
response

in itiatio n

the

e x e r t an

there

Did each
d is tr ic t's

influence

evidence

stim uli pressed
to
of

action?
a

that

in
the

th e board
Were

th ese

w ell-estab lish ed

i n t e r n a l r e c o g n i t i o n o f need o r e x t e r n a l s t i m u l u s ?

Did t h e

d i s t r i c t fe e l v u ln e ra b le to a pow erful e x te r n a l stim ulus?
In

d escribin g

such

pow erful

extern al

stim uli,

Sam D.

Sieber said :

The v u l n e r a b i l i t y of an o r g a n i z a t i o n r e f e r s t o t h e
e x t e n t t o which t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n i s s u b j e c t t o
p o w e r f u l i n f l u e n c e s stemming from i t s e n v i r o n m e n t
i r r e s p e c t i v e of t h e g o a l s and r e s o u r c e s o f t h e

10

org an izatio n .
A
fo r m a l
d efinition
of
v u ln erab ility ,
th erefo re,
might
be:
the
p r o b a b i l i t y of b e i n g s u b j e c t e d t o p r e s s u r e s t h a t
a r e i n c o m p a t i b l e w ith o n e ’s g o a l s w i t h o u t t h e
c a p a c ity to r e s i s t .
I f e x t e r n a l p r e s s u r e s were
wholly c o m p a t i b l e with t h e g o a l s of t h e s y s te m and
r e s o u r c e s were a d e q u a t e t o a t t a i n t h e s e g o a l s , t h e
s y s te m would b e in p e r f e c t harmony w ith i t s
e n v i r o n m e n t ( B a l d r i d g e and Deal, 1975).
If

the

stim uli,

six d i s t r i c t s

were

those

fe lt

extern al

pressures

pressures

w ith t h e s y s t e m s ' i n t e r n a l g o a l s ?

from

w holly

outside

c o m p a tib le

Were r e s o u r c e s a v a i l a b l e

to ob tain th e s e goals?
In

fu rth er

stim uli,

d escribing

B aldridge

the

and

phenomena

Deal

say

of

th at

external

innovations

p e r s u a s i v e l y p u b l i c i z e d a c r o s s t h e n a t i o n become c a n d i d a t e s
for

adoption

regardless

of

th eir

educational

significance.

They c i t e t h e p o s t - S p u t n i k y e a r s as an exam ple.

T h e re was

a p o w e r f u l demand p l a c e d on s c h o o l b o a r d s and p e r s o n n e l f o r
new

m a th e m a tic s

featu re
th ere

story
was

a

program s

on new

after

Look

m ath e m a tic s

p h en o m en a l

increase

in

m agazine

1963.
in

carried

As a

the

number

a

result,
of

new

m ath e m a tic s p r o g r a m s o f f e r e d in American s c h o o l s ( B a l d r i d g e
and Deal, 1975).
To

understand

in v o lv e m e n t

the

phases

of

process,
the

decision

conceptual

making

and

fra m ew o rk ,

the

r e s e a r c h e r e x p l o r e d t h e p r o c e s s e s u s e d by ea ch d i s t r i c t t o
begin

th eir

roles

played

principals,

responses.
by

the

teach ers,

co m m ittees were u s e d ,

This
board,

students,

included

an

inv estig atio n

sup erin ten d en t,
and community

who s e r v e d

of

co m m itte es,
members.

If

on t h e s e co m m itte es?

If

11

the

admin 1 st c a t i o n

the

d is tr ic t's

was g i v e n

response,

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r developing

d id

it

collectively

d e v e lo p

a

response or did th e s u p e rin te n d e n t form ulate th e d i s t r i c t ' s
response?
in

The r e s e a r c h e r d e t e r m i n e d what p r o c e s s was u s e d

reaching

in d iv id u al

a
or

decision,

who

indiv id u als

was

were

involved

most

and

what

instrum ental

in

form ulating t h a t d ecision.
The f i n a l p h a s e o f t h e c o n c e p t u a l framework d e a l s with
the

actu al

d ecisio n s

anticipated

resu lts.

resolution s
What

was

made

and/or
added

by

The

deleted

d istrict

and

w ill

describe

plans

ea c h

d istrict.

from

for

the

present

curriculum ?

What were t h e r e a s o n s f o r s e l e c t i n g

a p articu lar

Were

product

plans

d is tr ic t's

d e v e lo p e d
efforts

re co m m e n d atio n s
consistent

were

compared t o t h e

solely

or

as

were t h e y

a

a d o p te d

made

by

ancillary

ea c h

of

the

of

and

response?
the

local

a d a p te d

from

o rg an izatio n s?

d is tr ic t's

How

responses

when

re co m m e n dation s of t h e e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s ?

F inally,

what d i d t h e y

achieve

as

a

the

researcher

excellence

or

ea c h

resu lt

a c h i e v e o r what d i d t h e y e x p e c t t o

of

th eir

individual

responses

to

the

were

not

demand f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?

D e f i n i t i o n s , of C o n c e p ts in t h e C o n c e p t u a l Framework
The

words

used

in

the

conceptual

framework

cho se n t o r e p r e s e n t any p a r t i c u l a r t h e o r e t i c a l u n d e r p i n n i n g
for

the

concepts

process

of

en com p assing

change.

R ather,

seq u en tial

they

s e g m e n ts

were
of

u sed

as

a contin uu m

12

for

the

process

meaning
s tu d y 's

which

of

were

purposes.

logical

and

Michigan

change.
p artly

For t h e

seq u en tial

school

Some

had

not

fully

but

of

th eo retical

related

re se a rc h e r, they

method

d istricts

rich

to

the

represented

d escrib in g

responded

to

how

the

a

six

excellence

movement.

In itiatio n
The r e s e a r c h e r u s e d t h e word i n i t i a t i o n as t h e f i r s t o f
s e v e n c o n c e p t s in t h e c o n c e p t u a l fra m e w o rk .

The o b j e c t i v e

for

p articip an ts,

using

th is

word

was

to determ ine

which

e i t h e r i n d i v i d u a l o r g r o u p , were r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t a k i n g t h e
first

steps

to w a r d

the

ex cellence

movement.

researcher

used

the

or

u ltim ate

response to th e

F or t h e p u r p o s e s of t h i s

the

f i r s t action

d is tr ic t's

te rm
step

in itiatio n
to begin

to

the

study, the

identify

who took

d is tr ic t's

response

to excellence.

M o tiv a tio n
M o tiv a tio n

is

a

d ifficu lt

te r m

to

defin e.

As

J.

W.

A tk in s o n so a c c u r a t e l y n o t e d , t h e t e r m h as no f i x e d meaning
in c o n t e m p o r a r y p s y c h o l o g y .
ways and mean a number
the

purposes

of t h i s

m o t iv a ti o n

to

needs,

tensions

action.

or

I t can b e u s e d in a v a r i e t y o f
of t h i n g s

study, th e

identify

those

acting

as

( A tk in s o n ,,

researcher
forces,
an

1964).

used

pressures,

incentiv e

to

the

For
te rm

drives,
produce

13
Process

P rocess Is a B ritis h

word t h a t h a s many m ean in g s.

It

can b e u s e d as a n o u n ,

v e r b o r a d j e c t i v e . The

researcher

c o n j u g a t e s t h e v e r b and

u s e s i t as a noun. The

p ro c e s s of

tu rning

cream i n t o

n oun.

b u tter

F or t h e p u r p o s e s

as t h e p a r t i c u l a r

is

an

example of i t s

use

as

a

o f t h i s s t u d y , t h e word i s d e f i n e d

method o r p r o c e d u r e u s e d

in e s t a b l i s h i n g

th e d i s t r i c t ' s response to ex cellen ce.

D ec is io n Making
The

researcher

recognized

th at

the

concept

decision

making h as a r i c h h e r i t a g e of t h e o r e t i c a l p r o p o s i t i o n s .
s h o u ld

b e n o t e d , h ow ev er, t h a t t h e s e

far

g reater

For

the

concept

meaning

purposes
with

objective

of

than

intended

th is

study,

a sp ecific

was

to

and

determ ine

for

the

n arro w
who

th eo ries
th is

made

encom pass a
field

researcher

m eaning.
the

It

study.

cast

the

The p r i m a r y

decision.

The

c o n c e p t can b e d e f i n e d as d e t e r m i n i n g which p a r t i c i p a n t , o r
group

of

decision
for

p articip an ts,
relativ e

excellence.

board, a board

was

responsible

to th e d i s t r i c t ' s
That decision

for

re sp o n se to

maker

co uld

making

the

t h e demand

hav e b e e n t h e

com m ittee, a b o a r d a p p o i n t e d co m m ittee, t h e

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , o r p o s s i b l y an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team.

I n v o lv e m e n t
The in v o lv e m e n t p h a s e o f t h e

c o n c e p t u a l framework was

14

meant

to

id entify

activ e

p articip an ts

in

For

purpose

of th e

s t u d i e s r t h e te r m

decisio n.
was d e f i n e d
involved

to

or

d is tr ic t's
include

the

mean t h e

included

response
any

or

to

all

case

id en tificatio n

in

the

process

the

call

for

of

the

the

response

of a l l p a r tic ip a n ts
of

form ulating

excellence.

people

liste d

That
as

a
may

in tern al

p a r t i c i p a n t s of t h e c h a n g e p r o c e s s .

Elans
Once a d e c i s i o n
excellence,
decision.

a plan

the

called

for

ex cellence
item izing

present

made t o

of action

respond

was needed

to

the

call

for

t o im plem ent t h a t

The c o n c e p t o f p l a n s in t h e c o n c e p t u a l framework

im p lied

details

was

iden tificatio n
the

plans
each

of

th at

p resen tatio n
for

ea c h

p la n 's

plan

of

or,

action.

resolutions

d istrict.

content

of

The
more

It

and/or

e m p h a sis

was on

sp ec ifically ,

the

of ea ch p l a n and what t h e y add o r d e l e t e from t h e
curriculum .

The

researcher

used

an

additional

meaning f o r t h e c o n c e p t of p l a n s t o i n c l u d e a d e t e r m i n a t i o n
of

how

closely

excellence

ea c h

rep o rts

and

d istrict

plan

correlated

reco m m e n d atio n s

made by

to

the

an cillary

org anizations.

Results-? A c t u a l o r A n t i c i p a t e d
The

in ten t

anticipated,

was

of
to

the

concept,

determ ine

what

resu lts-actu al
was

a c h ie v e d

or

or
was

15

e x p e c te d

to

reported.

be
It

validate

a c h ie v e d .
was

reported

researcher

not

These

the

purpose

results.

in c l u d e d

results

For

those

were

of th e
each

resu lts

w ritten

as

researcher

to

case

study,

th at

the

interview ees

d e s c r i b e d as b e in g a c t u a l o r a n t i c i p a t e d .

E x p l o r a t o ry Q u e stio n s
The

research

exploratory
exploratory

was

questions.
nature,

how

questions

six

school

As
it

hypothesesbefo re th e
study,

g u id ed
a

was

by

not

were dev e lo p e d

number

co n s e q u e n c e

research.

d istricts

a

of

necessary

of

basic

the

stu d y 's

to

develo p

For t h e p u r p o s e s

of t h i s

t o p r o v i d e in f o r m a t i o n on

re sp o n d e d

to

the

excellence

movement.
1} Who

in itiated

the

d is tr ic t's

response

to

the

e x c e l l e n c e movement?

(a) Was t h e
some

b o a rd

influenced

by t h e

community or

o th e r e x te r n a l stim uli?

(b)

Were t h e r e community p r e s s u r e s ?

(c)

Were t h e r e any e d i t o r i a l s from t h e l o c a l media7

(d) Did

the

b o a rd

impel

the

adm inistration

to

p ro d u c e a re s p o n s e ?
(e) Did t h e

adm inistration

present

the

b o ard

with

an u n s o l i c i t e d r e s p o n s e p r o p o s a l ?
(f) Was

th ere

evidence

that

the

t e a c h in g

staff

16

coerced th e

ad m inistration

o r b o a r d t o d e v e lo p

a response?
2)

What

m otivational

facto rs

brought

about

the

d i s t r i c t 's response?
(a) Was t h e r e an i n t e r n a l r e c o g n i t i o n o f need?
(b) Did t h e

d istrict

co m p lete

a needs

analysis

or

e v a l u a t i o n p r i o r t o 1983?
(c) Was t h e m o t i v a t i o n t o r e s p o n d t h e r e s u l t o f an
e x te r n a l stim uli?
(d)

What i n f l u e n c e

did

t h e community

have

on t h e

d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re s p o n d ?
(e) What

influence

did

the

interm ediate

d istrict

h av e on t h e d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re s p o n d ?
(f)

What i n f l u e n c e d i d a n c i l l a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n s have
on t h e d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re s p o n d ?

(g) What

influence

E d u c a ti o n

did

have

on

the

S tate

D e p a rtm e n t

the d is tr ic t's

decision

of
to

respond?
(h)

What I n f l u e n c e
the

did

nationallev el

t h e c a l l s f o r e x c e l l e n c e on
have

on

the

d is tr ic t's

d e c i s i o n t o re s p o n d ?
3)

What

process

was

used

to

d e v e lo p

the

d is tr ic t's

response decision?
(a) Were

com m ittees

established

and ,

if

so,

who

s e r v e d on them?
(b) Was a b o a r d

com m ittee g iv e n

resp o n sib ility

e s ta b lis h in g th e d i s t r i c t 's response?

for

(c) Were

prin cip als

given

the

resp o n sib ility

for

developing t h e d i s t r i c t ' s response?
(d) Was t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t g i v e n r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r
developing th e d i s t r i c t ' s response?
4)

What

d ecision

making

level

form ulated

the

d i s t r i c t 's response?
(a) Did

the

superintendent

w rite

the

p ro p o s e d

response?
(b) Did t h e

adm inistrative

team w r i t e t h e p r o p o s e d

response?
(c) Did a co m m ittee w r i t e t h e p r o p o s e d r e s p o n s e ?
(d) Who

recommended

the

d is tr ic t's

proposed

re sp o n se to th e board fo r approval?
(e) Did t h e b o a r d a p p r o v e a d i s t r i c t r e s p o n s e ?
5)

Who

p articip ated

in

the

coordination

of

the

d i s t r i c t 's response?

6)

(a)

What r o l e d i d t h e b o a r d p la y ?

(b)

What r o l e d i d t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p la y ?

(c)

What .role

d id t h e

(d)

What r o l e d i d

t h e p r i n c i p a l s p la y ?

(e)

What r o l e d id

th e te a c h e r s play?

(f)

What r o l e d i d

th e s tu d e n ts play?

(g)

What r o l e d id

t h e community p la y ?

com m itte es p l a y ?

What was t h e d i s t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e d e c i s i o n ?
(a)

What a c t i o n s w ere ta k e n 7

(b)

What was added o r d e l e t e d from t h e

curriculum ?

18

(c) What

were

the

reasons

for

selectin g

a

p a r t i c u l a r response?
7)

What r e s u l t s were a c h ie v e d or a n t i c i p a t e d ?

Summary

T his

first

chapter

re v ie w ed

the

1983

excellence

movement alon g w ith t h e p u r p o s e , c o n c e p t u a l fra m ew o rk , and
exp lo rato ry q u estio n s fo r t h i s p a r tic u la r

study.

A Nation

a t Risk was one of t h e major works r e s p o n s i b l e f o r i g n i t i n g
the

1983 and c o n t i n u i n g

e x c e l l e n c e movement.

Eight o th e r

reports

were i d e n t i f i e d as h a v in g had s i g n i f i c a n t i n f l u e n c e

on

o verall

the

shaping

re se a rc h e r's

purpose

explain

six

how

for

public

fram ework

schools
to

in d iv id u al
follow ing
decision

grow

out

produce

developed.

to

d istrict

was

em pirical

to

explore

sm all

tow ns

The c o n c e p t u a l
depths

consisted

of

th ese

of

the

m otivation, p ro c e s s ,

and

the

resu lts,

c o n c e p t u a l fram ework
research

and

nationw ide t h r u s t

the

responses

The

d escrib e

in

excellence.

in itiatio n ,

The

movement.

d istricts

involvem ent, p la n s ,

anticipated.
of

p roject

school

concepts:

making,
or

to

ex cellence

respond, to t h i s

used

school
seven

actu al

a

be

to

the

the

Michigan

responded, or fa ile d
for

of

but

was

did

both
not

logically

The c o n c e p t s encompassed s e q u e n t i a l s e g m e n ts o f

ratio n ally

d e v e lo p e d

c o n tin u u m

for

the

process

of

change.

F or t h e r e s e a r c h e r , t h e y r e p r e s e n t e d a r e a s o n a b l e ,

sensible

and

seq u en tial

way t o

describe

how s i x

Michigan

19

school

d istricts

Exploratory
B ecause

responded

questions

of t h e

were

ex p loratory

to

the

ex cellence

given

to

guide

n atu re

of t h e

the

movement.
research.

p ro ject,

it

n o t n e c e s s a r y t o d e v e lo p h y p o t h e s e s b e f o r e t h e r e s e a r c h .

was

C h ap ter II:

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

In troduction
A lite ratu re
conceivable

and

re v ie w

in

possible

th is

influences

capable of in flu en cin g change.
IV r e p o r t
th eir

the

actu al

school

s ec o nd

part

of

th is

responses

ch ap ter

major e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s .

deals

those

w ith

the

p articip an ts

The c a s e s t u d i e s in C h a p t e r

influences th ese

districts*
of

chapter,

p articip an ts

to

had

excellence.

contains

a

re v ie w

on
The

of

eight

T h e s e r e p o r t s were named among

t h e major e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s by t h e American A s s o c i a t i o n of
S ch o o l

A dm inistrators,

B o ard s

and

th e

f£ £

M ichigan

M ichigan

T h ese r e p o r t s a r e :
Making t h e

th e

state

A ssociation

D e p a rtm e n t

of

of

S chool

E ducation.

The P a i d e i a P r o p o s a l . A Nation a t R is k .

G ra d e. Academic P r e p a r a t i o n f o r C o l l e g e . Action

E xcellence.

A Study

of

High

S c h o o ls .

A P lace. C alled

S ch o o l, and High School.

P a r t i c i p a n t s I n f l u e n c i n g Change
Given
how

six

excellence
of

th at

the

purpose of t h i s

Michigan

school

movement, i t

ind iv id u als

who

above-stated

may

d istricts

board

a

sphere

of

describe

re s p o n d e d

have

influenced
Those

to

members,

influence
20

or

affected

in d iv id u als
principals,

s t u d e n t s and c i t i z e n s from t h e co m m un ities.
provided

was t o

the

was p e r t i n e n t t o examine t h e r o l e s

purpose.

su p erin ten d en ts,

study

for

the
were:

teachers,

The r e s e a r c h e r
each

of

these

21

p articip an ts.
influential

Individuals
were

or

described

groups

as

which

eith er

may h av e been

in tern al

or

external

p a r t i c i p a n t s in t h e c h a n g e p r o c e s s .
"Change
P articip an ts
in flu en tial

is

a

process,

are

the

relativ e

not

an

event"

ind iv id u als
to

or

change.

(Fullan,

groups

T h ese

1982).

who

are

in d iv id u als

or

g r o u p s a r e c a p a b l e o f a wide v a r i e t y of a c t i o n s s e r v i n g t o .
influence

or

con trol

M ackenzie c l a s s i f i e s

th e

various

p articip an ts

co m p o n en ts

of

change.

of c h a n g e as i n t e r n a l o r

external.
I n t e r n a l p a r t i c i p a n t s a r e t h o s e w ith a d i r e c t
c o n n e c t i o n w ith t h e
l e g a l o r s o c i a l s y s t e m s from
which a p a r t i c u l a r d e s c r i p t i o n was t a k e n .
They
have t h e g r e a t e s t p o t e n t i a l to a f f e c t change . . .
E x tern a l p a r tic ip a n ts are th o se o u tsid e of th e
im mediate
social
or
legal
s y s te m
under
c o n s i d e r a t i o n (M ackenzie, 1964).
Both

groups

of

p articip an ts

have

the

p o tential

for

the

i n d i r e c t a c t i o n o f i n f l u e n c i n g t h o s e who have t h e power t o
ta k e d ir e c t action.

In te rn a l P articipants
Mackenzie

identified

students,

teachers,

su p erin ten dents,
c o m m u n itie s,
d epartm ents

the

boards

state
of

of

tow ns

explain

education,

how

six

responded to th e

p articip an ts

p rin cip als,

supervisors,

education,

leg islatu res,

S in c e t h e p u r p o s e o f t h i s
and

in tern al

and

state

citizen s

state
and

in

local

boards
federal

as

or

co u rts.

r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t was t o d e s c r i b e

M ichigan

school

d istricts

c a ll fo r ex cellence, i t

is

in

sm all

relev an t

22

t h a t t h e r a n g e o f p e r t i n e n t r o l e s f o r p a r t i c i p a n t s who were
involved

in t h e c a s e s t u d i e s b e ex am in ed.

p articip an tsr
study,

whom t h e

were

researcher

interview ed

students,

su p erin ten d en ts,

board

T hese i n t e r n a l
in t h e f i e l d

teachers,

members,

and

p rin cip als,

citizens

in

the

change

by

community.
S tudents.
making

S tudents

th eir

opinions

adm in istrato rs

and

teachers

modify

feedback

in

apathy

and

in itiate
and

feeling s

parents.

th eir

the

of

affect

known

C onsciously

p ractices

form

lack

and/or

of

on

in terest.

teachers,

or unconsciously,

the

in terest

to

basis

and

S tudent

of

student

satisfactio n ,
groups

or

in itiate

p r o t e s t a c t i o n s when c e r t a i n t e a c h e r s a r e d i s m i s s e d by t h e
adm inistration

(M ackenzie,

students for
thereby

in itiatin g

creating

1964).

The

major t o o l

change is t h e i r

p ro b le m s

which

u sed

by

a b ility to d isru p t,

cap tu re

the

atten tio n

of

o f f i c i a l s and t h e p u b l i c (Coombs, 1977).
Teachers.
o n ly

Teachers

p articip an ts

in

and

th eir

affecting

o rg an izatio n s
change

in

are

th eir

not
own

c l a s s r o o m s , b u t a r e h i g h l y c a p a b l e o f a f f e c t i n g c h a n g e on a
districtw ide

basis.

They

retain

the

ultim ate

power

to

i n s u r e o r d e f e a t t h e s u c c e s s f u l im p le m e n ta tio n of a ch a n g e
by

complying

or

change.

The

old

c la s s r o o m

door

is

teachers

certain ly

not

complying

saying,

"the

closed"
h av e

im p le m e n ta tio n of c h a n g e .

may

the

w ith

a

teacher
be

o n ly

p o ten tial for

p rescrip tio n

for

rules

o n ce

the

p artly

true,

but

fru stra tin g

the

T heir o rg a n iz a tio n s a re pow erful

23

enough

to

create

issu es,

block

i m p le m e n t a t io n ,

or

bias

a

d e c i s i o n f o r c h a n g e (Coombs, 1977).
P rincipals.
S cho ol im provem ent r e s e a r c h h a s docum ented t h e
ab ility
of t h e p r i n c i p a l to in flu e n c e change.
T h is
influence
is
often
communicated t h r o u g h
s u a s i o n and t h e a s s e r t i o n of h i g h e x p e c t a t i o n s .
P r i n c i p a l s who become i n v o l v e d in c h a n g e a r e more
l i k e l y t o f u n c t i o n in a f a c i l i t a t i v e , c o o r d i n a t i v e
ro le r a th e r than
in a d i r e c t i v e
r o l e ( C la rk ,
1964).
As

a

p articip an t

ab ility
money

in

the

to c o n tro l s ta f f
allocations,

change

process,

they

have

the

and s t u d e n t a s s i g n m e n t s , tim e and

and

can

m anipulate

p arental

pressures

(Mackenzie, 1964).
S uperintendents.
most

pow erful

intervene

at

The s c h o o l s u p e r i n t e n d e n t may be t h e

single
all

p articip an t

lev els

and

influence

curriculum

fin an cial

disbursem ents,

in

in

all

areas.

changes,
and

tim e

change.

They

They

may

d irectly

textbook

selectio n s,

allocations

(M ackenzie,

1964).
[The] d i s t r i c t a d m i n i s t r a t o r ( s u p e r i n t e n d e n t and
h i s im m ediate s u b o r d i n a t e s ) i s t h e s i n g l e most
im portant in d iv id u a l fo r s e ttin g th e ex p e ctatio n s
and t o n e o f t h e p a t t e r n of c h a n g e w i t h i n t h e l o c a l
d i s t r i c t ( F u l l a n , 1982).
The
w ith

su p e rin te n d e n t's
a

signal

seriously.
general

A ctive
support

in su fficien t.
possible

th at

activ e
a

i n v o lv e m e n t

proposed

change

provides
should

teach ers
be

taken

i n v o lv e m e n t means s p e c i f i c s u p p o r t , n o t
or

verbal

Change

at

w ithout

the

support

the

a lo n e .

districtw ide

T h ese
lev el

su p e rin te n d e n t's

is

are
not

support,

24

e n c o u r a g e m e n t , and i n v o l v e m e n t .
provision

of

resources,

train in g

com m unicating

the

successful

im p le m e n tin g

in

This s u p p o rt in c lu d e s th e

expectation

o p p o rtu n ities,

th at

the

the

new

schools

p ractice

and

will

or

be

p ro g ra m

(C la rk , 1984).
B o a rd s

of

E ducation.

usually

in itiate

changes

which

community.
board
far

change.
cause

They

little

most

com m unities
deciding

(P a u l,

no

do

not

w ro te

in itiate

or

innovative
that

m andate

and

w ro te

th at

any

program s"

em phasized

order

in

".

operate

.by
and
in

1982).
through

they

and

.

role

(Fullan,

changes

the

boards

major

th at

or

a negative

th at

school

usually

not

innovations

stim ulates

have

boards

p ro fe ssio n a l personnel, but
to

is

do

controversy

Fullan

case

education

o v erlo o k

or

1977).

prevalent

about

M ackenzie

p osition

of

A community c o n t r o v e r s y

reaction
the

B o ard s

are

in a

sometimes

do

(M ackenzie, 1964).
C om m unities.
p articip ate
processes
to

actively

in

the

com m unities

n o rm a lly

innovations
re je ct

about

which

they

ill-co n ceiv ed

and

( C la rk ,

im p le m e n ta tio n

1984).

do n o t i n i t i a t e

r o l e in t h e c h a n g e p r o c e s s .

com m unities become p o w e r f u l .

also

adoption

o f e d u c a t i o n a l c h a n g e"

F ullan,

major

"Most com m unities most of t h e tim e do n o t

A cco rd in g
o r have a

However, when a r o u s e d ,

When i g n o r e d , t h e y may r e j e c t
were

u n in fo rm e d .

innovations

Douglas A. P a u l w ro te t h a t com m unities a r e

They

(Fullan,

may

1984).

more l i k e l y t o

p r e v e n t c h a n g e t h a n t h e y a r e t o p rom ote c h a n g e .

There are

25

more

instances

of

neg ative

proposed change th an
a

po sitiv e

change

com m unities
citizen

scheduled
and

(P au l,

elect

board

instances

1977).
in

They

to

w ro te

change

a

asso ciatio n s,

and

In

com m un ities

a few

th at

through
reg u larly

v o t e on f u n d i n g f o r t h e

members.

w here

M ackenzie

influencing

p aren t-teach er

electio n s.

reactions

i n s t a n c e s w here a community i n i t i a t e d

p articip ate

groups,

community

school

cases, th e re

demanded

sp ecific

are

p ro g ra m s

(M ackenzie, 1964).
The

difficulty

effective

p arents

p articip atio n

c o n s e n s u s upon

is

experience
larg ely

in

organizing

due

to

a

what t h e s c h o o l s h o u l d b e d o i n g .

p a r e n t s t o a common c a u s e can b e v e r y d i f f i c u l t .
of

th eir

pedagogical p h ilo so p h ie s,

i s enorm ous.

la c k

They can b e

b e l i e f t h a t so m e th in g

is

for
of

R a l l y in g
The r a n g e

a s p i r a t i o n s , and

values

b r o u g h t t o g e t h e r in t h e

common

wrong

w ith t h e

s c h o o l s , b u t when

t h e y a t t e m p t t o s p e c i f y what i s w rong, u n a n i m i ty f r e q u e n t l y
b r e a k s down.

On t h e o t h e r h a n d , a p h o n e c a l l t o com plain

to a board

member, a t e a c h e r o r a d m i n i s t r a t o r can p r o d u c e

su b stan tial

resu lts

ch a n g e ,

perhaps

th is

(Coombs,
is

where

1977).
they

As

p articip an ts

assert

th eir

of

g reatest

influence.

E xternal P a rtic ip a n ts
E xternal p a r tic ip a n ts
roles

in

the

th a t in itiated

change

hav e t h e p o t e n t i a l t o p l a y major

process.

They

are

the

p articip an ts

t h e 1983 e x c e l l e n c e movement a t t h e n a t i o n a l

26

level.

ThiB c a s e

Michigan
T h is

schools

study

was d e s i g n e d

responded

n ecessitated

a

study

to
of

the

to

exam ine how s i x

ex cellence

in tern al

movement.

p articip an ts

t h e i r i n v o l v e m e n t w ith t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.
discussion

and

lim ited

a d efin itio n

to

study

of t h e

and

Therefore,

external p a rtic ip a n ts

w ill be

o f t h e t e r m and t h e i d e n t i f i c a t i o n

of v a r i o u s e x t e r n a l p a r t i c i p a n t s .
Mackenzie (1964) d e f i n e d e x t e r n a l p a r t i c i p a n t s as t h o s e
outside

the

im m ediate

consideration.
the
Xn

cases,

legal authority
can

exert

m ethods

leg al

system of a s p e c if ic

th ese
or

external

s y s te m
operate

p articip an ts

in d irect

dissem inating

do

outside

not

h av e

However, t h e y

influence

inform ation,

under

school situ a tio n .

power of d i r e c t a c t i o n .

su b stan tial

as

or

Many e x t e r n a l p a r t i c i p a n t s

so cial or le g al
most

social

through

raisin g

su c h

ex p ectatio n s

o r in v o k i n g s a n c t i o n s .
Mackenzie (1964) g r o u p e d e x t e r n a l p a r t i c i p a n t s i n t o s ix
categories:

n o n -ed u catio n ists

fo u n d a tio n s , academ icians
and

in d u stry

and

agents

groups,

of

and

in stitu tio n s,
association s),

(including
the

accrediting
the

and

facilities

media), e d u c a t i o n i s t s

org an izatio n s

and

and

groups),

( i n d i v i d u a l and g r o u p s ) , b u s i n e s s
m aterial

mass

(individuals

such
agencies,

natio n al

as

producers,

(individuals,

teacher-educating
and

p ro fession al

government

(prim arily

the

l e g i s l a t i v e and e x e c u t i v e b r a n c h e s (M ackenzie, 1964).
Many o f t h e s e same e x t e r n a l p a r t i c i p a n t s
w ith

in itiatin g

the

1983

nationw ide

"call

were c r e d i t e d

for

ex cellence"

27

t h r o u g h t e c h n i q u e s o f d i s s e m i n a t i n g i n f o r m a t i o n and r a i s i n g
ex p ectatio n s.

A N ation

at

Risk

was

the

f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t commission c r e a t e d
P resident.

A ction

N a t i o n a l Task

for

E xcellence

members,

chief

sponsored

by t h e

leaders

of

re q u e st of th e
w ritten

by

the

governors, le g is la to rs ,
and

local

labor,

and

school
the

board

scien tific

by

th e

C a lle d

of S e c o n d a r y Scho ol

S ch o o l, by

K ettering

John

F oundation,

U.S. O f f i c e of

Goodlad,
the

was

D a n f o rth

E d u c a t i o n , and e l e v e n o t h e r

High School* by E r n e s t B o y er, was s p o n s o r e d by t h e

C a r n e g i e F o u n d a t i o n f o r t h e Advancem ent o f T e a c h i n g .
demand f o r

change,

in t h i s

case

c a l l s f o r e x c e l l e n c e from t h e
by

a

Economic Growth and

N ational A ssociation

A Place

Foundation, th e
groups.

state

of

A S t u d y o f High S c h o o l s , by T h e o d o re S i z e r , was

P rincipals.
fu n d e d

executives,

educators,

community.

was

F o r c e on E d u c a ti o n f o r

c o m p rised a wide r a n g e o f l e a d e r s :
corporate

upon

product

external
to

determ ine

responded

to

th at

A conceptual

of i n d i v i d u a l

n a t i o n a l l e v e l , was i n i t i a t e d

p articip an ts.

objective

a plu rality

The

how

It

was

six

local

ex tern ally -in itiated

framework c o n s i s t i n g

the

re se a rc h e r's

school

demand

of s e v e n

d istricts

for

change.

words

w i l l be

u s e d t o a c c o m p lis h t h a t p u r p o s e .

A Review of E i g h t Maior E x c e l l e n c e R e p o r t s
A fter
excellence,

an

e x t e n s i v e re v ie w
the

w riter

fe lt

of t h e
th at

r e p o r t s were t h e most s i g n i f i c a n t .

m aterial
the

w ritten

f o llo w in g

on

eight

T h ese r e p o r t s were a l s o

28

id en tified

by

A d m in istrato rs,

the
the

American
Michigan

A ssociation

A ssociation

of

of
School

S ch o o l
B oards

and t h e S t a t e D e p a r tm e n t of e d u c a t i o n as major works in t h e
e x c e l l e n c e movement.
Paideia Proposal.

P a i d e i a ( p y - d e e - a ) i s from t h e Greek

p a is, p aid o s,"th e u pbringing of a child."
general,

hum anistic

learn in g

th at

P a i d e r i a means a

s h o u ld

be

the

common

p o s s e s s i o n o f a l l human b e i n g s ( A d le r, 1982).
The t a s k
of

22

f o r c e making up t h e P a i d e r i a Group c o n s i s t e d

d istin g u ish ed

educators

including

authors

E rnest

Boyer and T h e o d o r e S i z e r ; s c h o o l s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s Ruth Dove
of C h ic a g o , and Alonzo Crim o f A t l a n t a ; and a p re d o m in a n c e
o f e l i t e c o l l e g e and u n i v e r s i t y
an

in tern atio n ally

renowned

educators.

th inker

and

Mortimer A d l e r ,
educator,

was t h e

g r o u p ' s ch a irm a n and a u t h o r f o r t h e f i n i s h e d p r o p o s a l .
p ro je c t's

purpose

was t o

educational

in stitu tio n s

curriculum

rev isio n

learn in g .
its

in

study

the

and

make

order

The g r o u p b e g a n i t s

fin ding s

in

the

spring

current

statu s

of U.S.

re com m e n d atio ns

to

im prove

The

for

individual

work in 1980 and p u b l i s h e d
of

1982.

The

M acA rthur

th at

since the

F o u n d a t i o n fu n d e d t h e p r o j e c t (A d le r, 1982).
The c e n t r a l t h e s i s

of t h e

m anifesto

is

United S t a t e s of America i s
p o litic a lly a c la ssle ss society . . .
we s h o u l d ,
t h e r e f o r e , be an e d u c a t i o n a l l y c l a s s l e s s s o c i e t y .
We s h o u ld h av e a o n e - t r a c k s y s t e m o f s c h o o l i n g ,
n o t a s y s te m w ith two o r more t r a c k s , o n ly one of
which g o e s s t r a i g h t ahead w h ile t h e o t h e r s s h u n t
t h e young o f f i n t o s i d e t r a c k s n o t headed to w ard
t h e g o a l s o u r s o c i e t y o p en s t o a l l .
The i n n e r m o s t
m e a s u r in g o f s o c i a l e q u a l i t y i s :
su b stan tially

29

t h e same q u a l i t y o f l i f e f o r a l l .
That c a lls fo r
t h e same q u a l i t y of s c h o o l i n g f o r a l l (A d le r,
1982).
That

o n e-track

school

system

should

be

a

g e n e r a l and l i b e r a l e d u c a t i o n f o r a l l s t u d e n t s .
should

be

sidetracked

education.
are

The g r o u p

e q u a l in t h e i r

rig h ts,

they

cap acities

to

environm ents
Some

are

eq u alize

are

sp ecialized

No s t u d e n t

or

vo cation al

a c k n o w le d g e s t h a t a l t h o u g h

children

common h u m a n ity and f u n d a m e n t a l human
unequal

as

learn.

from

in d iv id u als

F urtherm ore,

which t h e y

predisposed
these

into

12-year

to

come t o

schooling;

in eq u ities,

the

w ith
the

homes

school are

others

d ifferen t

are

proposal suggests

and

unequal.
not.

To

one, two,

o r even t h r e e y e a r s of p r e s c h o o l p r e p a r a t i o n s f o r t h o s e in
need (A d le r, 1982).
The p r o p o s a l

id en tifies

three

standard

objectives

a ll stud en ts.
1)

The
first
is
for
personal
g ro w th
and
s e l f - i m p r o v e m e n t — m e n ta l,
m oral,
and
sp iritu al.
Our s o c i e t y p r o v i d e s a l l c h i l d r e n
ample o p p o r t u n i t y f o r p e r s o n a l d e v e lo p m e n t.
Given t h i s o p p o r t u n i t y , ea ch i n d i v i d u a l i s
u n d e r a m oral o b l i g a t i o n t o make t h e most of
h i m s e l f and h i s l i f e .
B asic s c h o o l i n g must
f a c i l i t a t e t h i s a c c o m p lish m e n t.

2)

A ll t h e
children
w i l l become f u l l - f l e d g e d
c i t i z e n s w ith s u f f r a g e
and o t h e r p o l i t i c a l
resp o n sib ilities.
B asic s c h o o l i n g
must do
e v e r y t h i n g i t can t o make them good c i t i z e n s ,
a b l e t o p e r f o r m t h e d u t i e s o f c i t i z e n s h i p with
a l l t h e t r a i n e d i n t e l l i g e n c e t h a t ea ch i s a b l e
to achieve.

3)

Once t h e s e
children
a r e grow n, t h e y w i l l
e n g a g e in some form o f work t o e a r n a l i v i n g .
B asic s c h o o l i n g must p r e p a r e them f o r e a r n i n g
a l i v i n g , b u t n o t by t r a i n i n g them f o r t h i s or
t h a t s p e c i f i c job w h ile t h e y a r e s t i l l in
s c h o o l (A d le r, 1982).

for

30

The

ab o v e

im p lem entin g
of:

three

objectives

science;

studies.

attain ab le

by

a core curriculum fo r a ll s tu d e n ts co n sistin g

1) l a n g u a g e , l i t e r a t u r e

n atural

are

and

3)

and t h e f i n e a r t s ; 2) math and
h istory,

geography,

and

social

P h y s i c a l e d u c a t i o n , i n t r a m u r a l s p o r t s , and h e a l t h

e d u c a t i o n would b e t a u g h t a l l 12 y e a r s .

The o n l y e l e c t i v e s

would be f o r a sec o n d l a n g u a g e ( A d le r, 1982).
Upon

c o m p le tio n

of

the

12

years

of

schooling,

s tu d e n t w ill have ac q u ired t h e follow ing:

each

1) an o r g a n i z e d

body of know ledge in ea c h o f t h e c o r e c u r r i c u l u m a r e a s ; 2)
In tellectu al sk ills
3)

n ecessary to

a p p l y t h a t knowledge;

and

an e n l a r g e d u n d e r s t a n d i n g of i d e a s and v a l u e s n e c e s s a r y

to expand t h e i r
acquiring

know ledge b a s e .

basic

In tellectu al

k n o w led g e

sk ills

include language,
sk ills.

Also

sk ills

of

in

to

th ree

apply

subject

th at

areas.

know led g e

would

r e a d i n g , w r i t i n g , s p e a k i n g , and l i s t e n i n g

included

are

observing,

calculating.
critical

needed

The f i r s t g o a l r e f e r s t o

m athem atical

m e a s u r in g ,

These are th e s k i l l s

th in k in g .

A ll

and

scientific

estim atin g ,

and

which e n h a n c e c l e a r and

sources

of

w ritten,

spoken,

or

v i s u a l k no w led g e can b e used f o r t h e t h i r d g o a l o f e n l a r g e d
understanding.
Teachers

would

m eth o d o lo g ie s
three

goals:

supervised
1982).

use

in h e l p i n g
1)

three

stu d en ts

didactic

p ractice,

and

3)

d ifferen t

teaching

a c h i e v e t h e above l i s t e d

in stru ctio n ,
S ocratic

2)

co a c h in g

questioning

and

(A dler,

31

Using

didactic

inform ation

and

m etho do lo g y,

know ledge

about

students

n ature,

acquire

man

and

s o c i e t y from t e x t b o o k s , m an u als, and l e c t u r e s .

human

The t e a c h e r

i n v i t e s r e s p o n s e s and t e s t s f o r a c q u i s i t i o n o f l e a r n i n g .
S t u d e n t s l e a r n how t o d e v e lo p h a b i t s o f p e r f o r m a n c e and
sk ills

from

c o a c h in g

They

acquire

a

in tellig en ce.
w e ll,

and

supervised p ra c tic e

know-how

They l e a r n

w hether

involved

versus

the

a

m ethodology.
k no w -th at-fact

s k ills necessary

in

swimming,

to

perform

dancing,

reading,

w r i t i n g , m a th e m a tic s , s c i e n c e , o r a r t .
The

S ocratic

questioning

enlightenm ent.

Round

questioning

the

are

instructions.

m ethodology

table

designed

discussions,

techniques

S tudents

is

u sed

d e v e lo p

sem inars,

for

and

for

th is

and

mode

broaden

of

general

u n d e r s t a n d i n g s (A dler, 1982).
A Nation
B ell

created

at

R isk.

the

S ecretary

R ational

S e c re ta ry 's

perception

th at

education
first

in

m e e tin g .

Im perative
S ecretary

about

"the

so m eth in g

is

seriously

United
That

the

H.

E xcellence

in

w ide-spread
rem iss

public
in

our

The S e c r e t a r y d i r e c t e d a p a n e l of 18

Am ericans
the

T errel

I t was c o n c e iv e d as a r e s u l t o f

to

r e p o r t on

S tates

report,

f o r ___E d u c a t i o n a l
and

on

c o n c e rn

e d u c a t i o n a l s y s te m ."
d istin g u ish ed

E d u c a tio n

Commission

E d u c a tio n in A u g u s t 1981.
the

of

American

w ithin

the
18

A_ Nation

Reform.

N a t i o n a l Commission on E x c e l l e n c e , 1983).

months
at

was

p e o p l e in

q u ality

R iski

given

A pril

of

of
its
The

to
1983

the
(The

32

A N ation a t Risk s p a r k e d a n a t i o n a l d e b a t e t h a t may be
perceived

as

a

tu rn in g

point

in

American

education.

It

f o c u s e d p r i m a r i l y on t h e h i g h s c h o o l y e a r s and r e p r e s e n t e d
the

end

product

and

d o cu m en ts

of

an

exhaustive

addressing

the

collection

q uality

of

testim ony

of e d u c a t i o n

in

the

U nited S t a t e s .
There

were

( N a tio n a l
m essag e

three

Committee
was

th at

essen tial
on

the

m essag e s

E xcellence,
nation

was

in

the

1983).

at

report

The

risk.

first

C om petitors

t h r o u g h o u t t h e w orld were p e r c e i v e d as o v e r t a k i n g A m eric a's
o n ce u n c h a l l e n g e d l e a d
technological
dim ensions,
American

i n commerce, i n d u s t r y ,

innovation.
education

"prosperity,

is

A lth o u g h
the

the

prim ary

secu rity ,

and

s c i e n c e , and

p ro b lem

facto r

has

many

und ergirding

civ ility ."

F urther

i n a t t e n t i o n t o American s c h o o l s p u t s t h e v e r y w e ll b e i n g of
t h e n a t i o n a t r i s k (G o ld b e rg , 1983).
The sec o nd m essage was t h a t m e d i o c r i t y , n o t e x c e l l e n c e ,
was t h e
rising
the

norm in
tid e

of

ed ucation al

American
m ediocrity"

education.
which

foundations

of

The r e p o r t c i t e d

th reaten ed
American

to

overwhelm

society.

e v i d e n c e of t h a t m e d i o c r i t y was s t a g g e r i n g .
*On
19
in tern atio n al
assessm ents
of
student
a c h i e v e m e n t , U.S. s t u d e n t s n e v e r r a n k e d f i r s t o r
s e c o n d ; in f a c t , when compared o n ly with s t u d e n t s
from o t h e r i n d u s t r i a l i z e d n a t i o n s , U.S. s t u d e n t s
ra n k e d in l a s t p l a c e s e v e n t i m e s .
*Some 23 m illio n
illitera te.

American

ad u lts a re fu n ctio n ally

♦About 13% of U.S. t e e n a g e r s (and
m inority
adolescents)
are
illitera te.

up

"a

t o 40% of
functionally

The

33

‘ From 1963 t o 1960 a v i r t u a l l y u n b r o k e n d e c l i n e
took p l a c e i n a v e r a g e s c o r e s on t h e S c h o l a s t i c
A p t i t u d e T e s t (SAT).
‘ S i m i l a r l y , a d r a m a t i c d e c l i n e took p l a c e i n t h e
number o£ s t u d e n t s
who d e m o n s t r a t e s u p e r i o r
a c h ie v e m e n t on t h e SAT.
‘ Between 1975 and 1980 t h e
m ath e m a tic s c o u r s e s o f f e r e d
c o l l e g e s i n c r e a s e d by 72%.

number o f r e m e d i a l
in f o u r - y e a r p u b l i c

‘ Only a b o u t o n e - f o u r t h of t h e r e c e n t r e c r u i t s t o
t h e armed s e r v i c e s were a b l e t o re a d a t t h e n i n t h
g r a d e l e v e l , t h e minimum n e c e s s a r y t o fo llo w
safety in stru ctio n s.
‘ The amount o f homework f o r h i g h s c h o o l s e n i o r s
h a s d e c r e a s e d ( t w o - t h i r d s r e p o r t l e s s t h a n one
h o u r a n i g h t ) and g r a d e s h av e r i s e n as a v e r a g e
s t u d e n t a c h ie v e m e n t h a s been d e c l i n i n g .
‘ Too many t e a c h e r s a r e b e i n g draw n from t h e bo ttom
q u a r t e r of g r a d u a t i n g h i g h s c h o o l and c o l l e g e
s t u d e n t s (G o ld b e rg , 1983).
The t h i r d
to lerate

m essage

m ediocrity.

the

past

education

and

Am ericans do n o t h av e
should

meet

the

current

w orkforce

margin o f v i c t o r y
to

transform

know-how t o t u r n

for

the

In d u strial

in two world w ars .

vast

do b e t t e r ,

challen g es.

waves

of

American

our v a s t country

i n t o t h e w o r l d 's a g r i c u l t u r a l b r e a d b a s k e t .
educabed

to

American e d u c a t i o n met t h e c h a l l e n g e s

can

provided

th at

can do b e t t e r ,

We

and must do b e t t e r .
of

was

I t p r o v i d e d an

R e v o l u t io n

and

the

I t h a s and c o n t i n u e s

im m ig ra n ts

into

productive

c i t i z e n s (G o ld b e rg , 1983).
The
catego ries:
teaching,

Commission's
content,
and l e a d e r s h i p

recom m en datio ns

re co m m e n d atio n s
stand ards

and

fe ll

into

five

expectations,

t im e ,

and f i s c a l s u p p o r t .

were o f f e r e d

w ith

each

of

Im p lem entin g
the

five

basic

reco m m e n d atio n s ( N a t io n a l Commission on E x c e l l e n c e , 1983).

34

The Commission f o u n d t h a t c o n t e n t i n s e c o n d a r y s c h o o l
curricu la
there

was

was

"h om ogenized,

no l o n g e r

cafeteria-sty le

d ilu ted ,

a cen tral

curriculum

in

and

purpose.
which

diffused"
It

the

u n til

described

"a

ap petizers

and

d e s s e r t s can e a s i l y b e m is ta k e n f o r t h e main c o u r s e s . "

The

Commission recommended t h a t
a l l s t u d e n t s s e e k i n g a diplom a b e r e q u i r e d t o l a y
t h e f o u n d a t i o n s i n t h e F iv e New B a s i c s by t a k i n g
th e follow ing cu rricu lu m d u rin g t h e i r 4 y e a r s of
high school;
a) 4 y e a r s of E n g l i s h ; b) 3 y e a r s of
m a th e m a tic s ; c) 3 y e a r s of s c i e n c e ; d) 3 y e a r s o f
s o c i a l s t u d i e s ; and e) o n e - h a l f y e a r o f com p uter
science.
F o r t h e c o l l e g e - b o u n d , 2 y e a r s of
f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e in h ig h s c h o o l a r e s t r o n g l y
recommended. The Commission recommended t h a t t h e
t e a c h i n g of f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e s h o u l d b e g i n in t h e
e l e m e n t a r y g r a d e s and t h a t t h e f i n e and p e r f o r m i n g
a r t s and v o c a t i o n a l e d u c a t i o n s h o u l d be i n c l u d e d
in t h e h i g h s c h o o l c u r r i c u l u m ( N a t io n a l Commission
on E x c e l l e n c e , 1983).
The Commission c o n c lu d e d t h a t p u b l i c s c h o o l s e x p e c t f a r
to o

little

of

th eir

students.

E v id e n c e

of

th at

low

e x p e c t a t i o n was wide s p r e a d .
*The amount o f r e q u i r e d homework i s d e c r e a s i n g
w h ile g r a d e s h a v e r i s e n and s t u d e n t a c h ie v e m e n t
has d e c lin e d .
* T w o - t h i r d s o f t h e s t a t e s r e q u i r e o n ly one y e a r of
m a th e m a tic s and one y e a r of s c i e n c e f o r a h i g h
s c h o o l diplom a.
* O n e - f l f t h of a l l 4 - y e a r p u b l i c c o l l e g e s in t h e
U nited S t a t e s must a c c e p t e v e r y h i g h s c h o o l
g r a d u a t e w i t h i n t h e s t a t e r e g a r d l e s s of p ro g ra m
fo llo w e d o r g r a d e s .
*Many U nited
S tates
c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s
lo w ered t h e i r a d m is s io n r e q u i r e m e n t s d u r i n g t h e
1970's (G o ld b e rg , 1983).
The Commission recommended t h a t s c h o o l s , c o l l e g e s , and
u n iv ersities

adopt

more r i g o r o u s

and

m easurable

standards

35

and

higher

expectations

for

s t u d e n t c o n d u c t , and t h a t
raise

th eir

requirem ents

academ ic

perform ance

4 -y e ar colleges
for

and

and u n i v e r s i t i e s

a d m is s io n .

The im p le m e n tin g

re co m m e n d atio n s c a l l e d , f o r :
1)

grades
to
become
a c h ie v e m e n t

accurate

in dicators

2)

colleges
and
u n iv ersities
acad em ic r e q u i r e m e n t

3)

standardized
a c h ie v e m e n t
tests
to
be
a d m i n i s t e r e d when s t u d e n t s move from one l e v e l
to another

4)

u p g rad in g of te x tb o o k s

5)

new i n s t r u c t i o n a l m a t e r i a l s t h a t r e f l e c t t h e
most
current
application
of
technology
( N a tio n a l Commission on E x ce llen c e* 1983)

to

raise

of
th eir

The Commission fo u n d t h a t American s t u d e n t s s p e n t l e s s
t im e on s c h o o l work t h a n s t u d e n t s from o t h e r n a t i o n s .

They

d i s c o v e r e d t h a t tim e s p e n t i n t h e c l a s s r o o m and on homework
was

often

d o in g

u sed

enough t o

cu ltiv ate

ineffectively

and

help

learn

children

a d e s i r e f o r s c h o o l work

th at

schools

good

were

not

study h a b its or

(N a tio n a l Commission on

E x c e l l e n c e , 1983).
The Commission recommended t h a t s i g n i f i c a n t l y more tim e
b e d e v o t e d t o l e a r n i n g t h e New B a s i c s .
effective
day,

use

or

of t h e

a

re co m m e n d atio n s
in stru ctio n

in

existing

lengthened
included
study

T h i s r e q u i r e d more

s c h o o l day , a l o n g e r

school
more

year.

school

Im plem en tin g

homework,

providing

and work s k i l l s , and c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f

a s e v e n - h o u r s c h o o l d ay and a 2 0 0- t o 2 2 0 -d a y s c h o o l y e a r .
Also

discussed

was

the

reduction

of

disruptions,

the

36

im provem ent of c l a s s r o o m management, and s t r o n g e r p o l i c i e s
on s c h o o l a t t e n d a n c e (G o ld b e rg , 1963)*
The Commission
able

students

teacher

c o n c lu d e d

were

being

preparation

t h a t n o t enough a c a d e m i c a l l y
attrac te d

program s

to

teaching;

needed

that

su b stan tial

im provem ent; t h a t t h e p r o f e s s i o n a l w orking l i f e o f t e a c h e r s
was

larg ely

teachers

unacceptable;

existed

in

k ey

and

th at

field s

a serious

( N a tio n a l

shortage

of

Commission

on

E x c e l l e n c e , 1983).
The recom m endation on t e a c h i n g had s e v e n p a r t s ;
1.

P erso n s p re p a rin g to te a c h should be re q u ired
to
meet
high
ed u cational
standards,
to
d e m o n s t r a t e an a p t i t u d e f o r t e a c h i n g , and t o
dem onstrate
co m petenc e
in
an
academ ic
discip lin e.
C o l le g e s
and
u n iv ersities
o f f e r i n g t e a c h e r p r e p a r a t i o n p ro g ra m s s h o u ld
b e j u d g e d by how w e ll t h e i r g r a d u a t e s meet
these c r ite r ia .

2.

S a l a r i e s f o r t h e t e a c h i n g p r o f e s s i o n s h o u ld b e
increased
and
should
be
p ro fessio n ally
com petitive,
m ark et-sen sitiv e,
and
perform ance-based.
S a l a r y , p r o m o tio n , t e n u r e ,
and r e t e n t i o n d e c i s i o n s s h o u ld be t i e d t o an
e f f e c t i v e e v a l u a t i o n s y s te m t h a t i n c l u d e s p e e r
re v ie w
so t h a t
superior
teachers
can be
r e w a r d e d , a v e r a g e o nes e n c o u r a g e d , and p o o r
o nes e i t h e r im proved o r t e r m i n a t e d .

3.

School
boards
should
adopt
an
11-m onth
co n tract for teach ers.
T h i s would e n s u r e tim e
f o r c u r r i c u l u m and p r o f e s s i o n a l d e v e lo p m e n t,
p r o g r a m s f o r s t u d e n t s with s p e c i a l n e e d s , and
a more a d e q u a t e l e v e l o f t e a c h e r c o m p e n s a tio n .

4.

S ch oo l b o a r d s , a d m i n i s t r a t o r s , and
teachers
s h o u l d c o o p e r a t e t o d e v e lo p c a r e e r l a d d e r s f o r
t e a c h e r s t h a t d i s t i n g u i s h among t h e b e g i n n i n g
i n s t r u c t o r , t h e e x p e r i e n c e d t e a c h e r , and t h e
m a s te r t e a c h e r .

5.

S u b stan tial
nonschool
personnel
resources
s h o u l d be employed t o h e l p s o l v e t h e im m ediate
p rob lem of t h e s h o r t a g e o f m a th e m a tic s and

37

science
teach ers.
Q ualified
in d iv id u als,
i n c l u d i n g r e c e n t g r a d u a t e s w ith m a th e m a tic s
and s c i e n c e d e g r e e s , g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t s , and
i n d u s t r i a l and r e t i r e d s c i e n t i s t s c o u l d , with
appropriate
preparation,
im m e d ia te ly
begin
teac h in g in th e s e f i e l d s .
A number o f o u r
lead in g sc ie n c e c e n te r s have t h e c a p a c ity to
begin
educating
and
retrain in g
teachers
i m m e d ia te ly .
O th e r a r e a s of c r i t i c a l t e a c h e r
n e e d , s u c h a s E n g l i s h , m ust alBo b e a d d r e s s e d .
6.

I n c e n t i v e s , s u c h as g ra n tB and l o a n s , s h o u ld
be* made
available
to
attract
outstanding
students
to
the
teaching
p ro fessio n s,
p articu larly
in
those
areas
of
c ritical
shortage.

7.

M aster
teachers
should
be
involved
in
d e s i g n i n g t e a c h e r p r e p a r a t i o n p r o g r a m s and in
su p erv isin g te a c h e rs during t h e i r p ro b atio n ary
years
(N a tio n a l
Commission
on
E xcellence,
1983).

The Commission recommended c i t i z e n s hold e d u c a t o r s and
elected

o ffic ia ls

responsible

for

n ecessary to achieve th e s ta te d
provide
about

necessary
proposed

fiscal

But

reform s.

support

reform s.

"E xcellence c o s ts .

providing

in

and

They s h o u l d a l s o

sectio n

long

leadership

stab ility

The
the

the

ru n

to

bring

c o n c lu d e d :

m ediocrity

costs

f a r more" (N a tio n a l Commission on E x c e l l e n c e , 1983).
Making
Fund.
the

R e p o rt

a lm o s t

of

the

E le m e n ta ry
every

teac h ers,
c r im e s

Grade:__ R e p o r t

"The N a t i o n 's p u b l i c

Federal

far

the

of

stu dent

test

violence— th e

C entury

S e c o n d a ry

measure— th e

the

Fund

E d u c a tio n

commitment

scores,

truancy

perform ance

s h o r t of e x p e c t a t i o n s . "

T w e n ti e t h

CsntUXY.

s c h o o l s a r e in t r o u b l e , " began

tw entieth
and

of

of

Task

F o rc e

P olicy.

"By

and

com petency

and

dropout

our

on

of

rates,

schools

falls

The tw elv e-m e m b e r Task

F o rc e

38

r e c o g n i z e d t h e commendable j o b s o f many t e a c h e r s and s c h o o l
d istricts,

but

fe lt

public

school

perform ance

n ee d ed

f u r t h e r im provem ent no m a t t e r how f o r m i d a b l e t h e t a s k .
report

recommended

leadership,

th at

the

federal

r e s o u r c e s , and g u i d e l i n e s

government
for

The

provide

t h a t im pro vem en t

(Task F o r c e on F e d e r a l E l e m e n t a r y and S e c o n d a r y E d u c a ti o n
P o l i c y , 1983).
The Task

F o r c e ackn o w ledg ed t h a t s t a t e s and l o c a l i t i e s

h o ld t h e p r i m a r y r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r e d u c a t i n g s t u d e n t s , b u t
the

educating

in terest"

and

of

the

w o rth y

young
of

"is

a

c o m p e llin g

appropriate

federal

national

government

action.

The r e p o r t p r e s e n t e d a v a r i e t y o f re co m m e n d atio n s

for

federal

the

included

government

im p ro v in g

qu ality

in

E nglish

language

im p ro v in g

im prove

ed u catio n al

teachers,

and

education.

lead ersh ip ,

estab lish in g

among

science

education

to

the

n o n ~ E n g li s h
m a th e m a tic s

r e s e a r c h , and p r o v i d i n g

T h ese

encouraging

p rim a c y

of

the

speaking

students,

education,

fo sterin g

a choice of schooling to

s t u d e n t s and p a r e n t s .
The

Task

Force

called

upon

"the

ex ecutive

and

l e g i s l a t i v e b r a n c h e s of t h e f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t t o em p h asize
t h e need f o r b e t t e r s c h o o l s and a b e t t e r e d u c a t i o n f o r a l l
young A m ericans."

In re c e n t y e a rs , th e j u d i c i a l b ra n ch of

g o v e r n m e n t took t h e most a c t i v e r o l e in e d u c a t i o n a l a f f a i r s
larg ely

because

leg islativ e
the

of

a fa ilu re

to

act

and e x e c u t i v e b r a n c h e s .

leg islativ e

and

ex ecutive

on

the

part

The Task
branches

to

of

the

F o rc e u r g e d
take

the

39

in itiativ e

and

assert

a h ig h

p rio rity

£or e d u c a t io n

(Task

F o rc e on F e d e r a l E lem en tary and S eco n d a ry E d u ca tio n P o lic y ,
1983).
One
was

of

the

the

re p o rt's

more

establishm ent

Program , fu nd ed

of

interesting

a

national

recommendations
M aster

T e a c h e r 's

by t h e f e d e r a l g o v ern m e n t, t o be used t o

r e c o g n i z e s e v e r a l of t h e b e s t t e a c h e r s from e v e r y s t a t e and
award them " t h e a c c o la d e o f M aster T e a c h e r and a m onetary
g ra n t— say,
teach ers'

$40,000 a y e a r — above t h a t o f t h e c e i l i n g
salaries

five-year

program

p rofessional
possibly

a

p e r io d

would

developm ent

helping

teaching.
provide

for

five

include

and

others

of

four

learn

one

fu ll

years
how

years."

of

to

for
The

year

of

teaching

improve

or

th eir

The Task F o rc e f e l t t h a t su c h a p rog ram would
an

incentive

for

the

develop m en t

of

outstanding

tea c h e rB and p o s s i b l y open t h e d oor f o r r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n of
m e rit

pay

s y s te m s

(Task

F o rc e on

Federal

E lem en tary

and

S econdary E ducation P o l ic y , 1983).
The

Task

clearly

F o rc e

state

u rg e d

that

the

th at
most

"the

federal

im portant

governm ent

objective

of

e le m e n ta r y and s e c o n d a r y e d u c a t io n in t h e United s t a t e s i s
the

d evelopm ent

C itizens
culture,

"c a n n o t
its

and t h i n k

in

fe d e ra l funds

of

literacy

fully

politics"
E nglish.

in

the

p articip ate
w it h o u t t h e
The Task

English

in

our

ab ility
Force

to

la n g u a g e ."

society,

its

speak,

w rite

recommended

"that

now going t o b i l i n g u a l p ro gra m s be used t o

t e a c h n o n - E n g l i s h s p e a k in g c h i l d r e n how t o s p e a k , r e a d , and

40

w rite English."
"pro m ote

F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t s h o u ld

and

children

in

support

the

public

who do n o t s p e a k
it."

pro ficien cy
schools,

student

pro ficien cy

in

but

E nglish

esp ecially

for
for

all
those

E n g l i s h , o r h a v e o n l y l i m i t e d command of

F i n a l l y , t h e Task

school

in

to

F o r c e "w an ts e v e r y American p u b l i c

h av e

a sec o n d

the

opportunity

language"

(Task

to

acq uire

F o r c e on F e d e r a l

E l e m e n t a r y and S e c o n d a ry E d u c a ti o n P o l i c y , 1983).
The Task
science

is

Force said

critical

to

that
our

"train in g

in

economy."

m a th e m a tic s and

They

recommended

" t h a t t h e f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t e m p h a s iz e p r o g r a m s t o d e v e l o p
basic s c ie n tific lite ra c y

among a l l s t u d e n t s and t o p r o v i d e

advanced t r a i n i n g

in s c i e n c e and m a t h e m a t i c s f o r s e c o n d a r y

school stu d en ts."

S c h o la rsh ip program s or f o rg iv a b le loans

co uld

be

used

m a th e m a tic s

and

to

encourage

science

more

teach ers

stu d en ts

(Task

Force

to

become

on

Federal

E le m e n ta r y and S e c o n d a ry E d u c a t i o n P o l i c y , 1983).
The Task F o r c e commended f e d e r a l e f f o r t s t o i n s u r e t h a t
the

needs

of

the

speaking

are

"federal

effo rts

for

poor

th at

the

met.

and

ca te g o rical

government

poor,

s h o u ld

the

They

to

provide

the

supported
sp ecial

the

p a id

established
for

by

the

non-E nglish

continuation

educational

handicapped.."

program s
be

handicapped,

the

of

p r o g ra m s

They

also

believed

by

the

federal

federal

government

(Task F o r c e on F e d e r a l E le m e n ta ry and S e c o n d a ry E d u c a ti o n
P o l i c y , 1983).

41

The Task F o r c e drew a t t e n t i o n t o t h e f i s c a l p ro b le m s o f
school

d istricts

w ith

larg e

illeg al

aliens.

They

recommended

federal

assistance

be

n u m b ers

given

to

of

that

these

i m m i g r a n ts
im pact

or

a id

d istricts

and

(Graham,

1983).
The Task
not

do

F o r c e a l s o r e c o g n i z e d t h a t some s t u d e n t s d id

w e ll

in

tax

credit

endorse

a

public

school

plans

or

settin g .

tu itio n

They

vouchers,

did

not

but

d id

recommend " t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f s p e c i a l f e d e r a l f e l l o w s h i p s
for

them ,

which

encourage
staffed

the
by

a c a d e m ie s ."
percent

would

creation

the

aw arded

of

certified
Such

of

be

sm all,

teachers

fellow ships

public

to

school

school d i s t r i c t s

in dividualized
and

ru n

would

be

as

enrollm ent

to

p ro g ra m s

sm all-scale

lim ited

to

five

(Task

F o rc e

on

F e d e r a l e l e m e n t a r y and S e c o n d a ry e d u c a t i o n P o l i c y , 1983).
The
were

Task

costly.

im portant

as

Force
But

ack no w ledg ed
they

tanks,

fe lt

planes,

some

of

education
ships

th eir

was

and

proposals

every

bit

h ig h w a y s .

as

"T his

n a t i o n ' s young p e o p l e a r e o u r most p r e c i o u s and p o t e n t i a l l y
our
in

most p r o d u c t i v e
educating

p o litica l

asset,

them ."

lead ers

needed

educational

n ee d ed

for

such

It

to

tak e

provided
was
an

program s.
a

stand

tim e

t h a t we i n v e s t
for

activ e

A m e r ic a 's
part

P o litical

since

p arents

in

n ational

supporting

courage
all

w isely

was

not

across

the

c o u n t r y were dem anding more of t h e i r s c h o o l s (Task F o rc e on
F e d e r a l E le m e n ta ry and S e c o n d a ry E d u c a ti o n P o l i c y , 1983).

42

Academic

P reparation

for

C ollege.

"A ll

students

e n t e r i n g c o l l e g e d e s e r v e a f a i r c h a n c e t o s u c c e e d in h i g h e r
e d u c a t i o n , ” b e g i n s The C o l le g e B o a r d 's Academic P r e p a r a t i o n
for

C o l le g e ;

no-

"To

What S t u d e n t s

do

so,

they

Need t o Know and

m u st

be

adequately

colleg e-lev el

study."

The

s tu d e n t's

an

program

and

the

academ ic

endeavor

for

higher

education

choice

u ltim ate
s h o u ld

Be A b l e _ t o

prepared
of

a college,

success

not

be

for

of

his

lim ited

and

h in d ere d by in a d e q u a te p r e p a r a tio n a t t h e secondary school
level.

Academic

college

en tran ts

success

in

the

P reparation
n ee d ed

college.

s tu d e n t's

to

for

know

C o lle g e
and

be

Only w ith a d e q u a t e

fu ll

p o ten tial

for

o u tlined
able

to

what

do

preparation

for

could

higher

education

be

of

than

2,500

In

1980,

i n s u r e d {The C o l le g e B oard, 1983).
The

C o l le g e

in stitu tio n s

Board

of

higher

was
and

made

up

secondary

more

education.

t h e y made a t e n - y e a r commitment t o s t r e n g t h e n t h e academ ic
preparation
E quality

of

all

P roject

stu d en ts

was d e v e lo p e d

The p u r p o s e

of t h e

c o m p e t e n c ie s

and

The

reflected

report

academ ic

for

p roject

know ledge

sp ecialists,

college.

to f u l f i l l t h a t

was t o

id en tify

re quired

consensus
teach ers,

The E d u c a t i o n a l

of

v iew s
guidance

commitment.

the

essen tial

college

en tran ts.

of

hundreds

counselors

a d m i s s i o n s o f f i c e r s from a l l p a r t s of t h e c o u n t r y .
S i n c e S ep te m b e r 1980, more t h a n 1400 p e o p l e have
p a r t i c i p a t e d i n a s e r i e s of c o n s e n s u s - b u i l d i n g
a c t i v i t i e s t h a t c u l m i n a t e d in May 1983 w ith t h e
p u b l i c a t i o n of Academic P r e p a r a t i on f o r C o lle g e :
What S t u d e n t s Need t o Know and Be Able -to Do
( B a ile y , 1983).

of
and

43

"The

B a s ic

in telle ctu al
field s

of

Academic

sk ills

college

were t h e

C o m p e te n c ie s

essential
study"

reading#

These

reasoning,

and

language#

and

link

B a s ic

w ritin g #

studying.

listed

other

sp ec ific

b ro a d

work

m astering

in

all

and

liste n in g ,

subjects

of

was

They

any academ ic

C o m p eten cies

Knowledge

w i t h o u t t h e s e c o m p e t e n c ie s
report

to

Academic

speaking

all

effective

the

(The C o lle g e B o a rd , 1963).

common e s s e n t i a l

d iscip lin e.

to

are

included

m athem atics,

histo ry ,
deemed

science,

im possible

(The C o lle g e Board# 1983).

ab ilities

or

expected

The

objectives

w i t h i n e a ch of t h e s e c o m p e t e n c ie s .
The r e p o r t d e s c r i b e d c o m p u ter co m p eten cy a s an em erging
need.

Host f u t u r e

c o m p u te rs

or

at

Communication
c o m p u ter

and

least

and

a basic

s y s t e m s , and
using

the

w orkers w ill e i t h e r

tool for

c o m p u ter

com puter

is

sig n ifican tly

inform ation

solving

in terp ret

be

acquiring

em e rg in g

as

is

with

by

them .

making

o rg anize,
Competency

a basic

the

k no w led g e , o r g a n i z i n g

S t u d e n t s and t e a c h e r s

receive,

inform ation.

im p a c te d

technology

problem s.
to

work d i r e c t l y

sk ill

store,
in

which

are

analyze,

using

the

w ill g r e a tly

p r o f i t e n te rin g college s tu d e n ts .
The C o lle g e Board l i s t e d s i x B asic Academic S u b j e c t s in
addition
are

to

meant

necessary

t h e above**listed c o m p e t e n c ie s .
to
for

provide

the

effective

academ ic

subjects

that

studying

in h i g h s c h o o l .

d etailed

work

in

k now ledge

college.

college-bound

T h ese s u b j e c t s
and

They

students

sk ills

are

should

the
be

The B a sic Academic S u b j e c t s a r e

44

English,

the

and

foreign

The

first

arts,

m athem atics,

language.
explained

im portant f o r

science,

social

They were p r e s e n t e d
why

preparation

college e n tr a n ts .

in

studies,

in two p a r t s .
a

The sec o n d

subject
o u tlined

was
what

c o l l e g e e n t r a n t s n ee d ed t o know and be a b l e t o do in t h a t
s u b j e c t a r e a (The C o l le g e B oard, 1983).
H o ra c e 's Compromise;
school.
High

The Dilemma of t h e American High

T h i s was t h e f i r s t of t h r e e b o o k s from A S t u d y of

S c h o o ls

which

was

co-sponsored

A ssociation

of

Secondary

School

Commission

on

E ducational

by

N ational

P rincipals

Issues

A ssociation of In d e p e n d e n t Schools.

the

of

and

the

the

N ational

T h eod ore S i z e r was t h e

a u t h o r o f t h i s f i r s t book and t h e d i r e c t o r of t h e f i v e - y e a r
lo n g

study

principal,

of

high

schools.

and

dean

of t h e

E d u c a ti o n .
a u th o r's
focused

H o ra c e 's
v isits

on

excessive
d ea lt

the

to

teaching

with

what

schools— s p e c ific a lly ,
teach er,

and

subject

and

the

fo rm e r

teacher,

G raduate
an

S ch oo l of

account
the

of

the

nation.

processes

He

and

the

were f o r c e d

to

make.

It

called

"insides"

of

c ritical

and on

a

across

learning

author
a

was

schools

educators

the

is

H a rv a rd

Compromise

h ig h

com prom ises

He

the

trian g le
clim ate

of

student,

of t h e

s c h o o l in

which t h e t r i a n g l e f u n c t i o n s .
S i z e r u s e d t h e eponymous Horace, a f i c t i o n a l c o m p o s ite
o f t h e t e a c h e r s he e n c o u n t e r e d , t o p o r t r a y
his

study.

Horace

was a f i f t y - t h r e e

year

the
old

e s s e n c e of
English

t e a c h e r who had t a u g h t f o r t w e n t y - e i g h t y e a r s , n i n e t e e n a t

45

h is p r e s e n t high school.

He worked a t a n o t h e r jo b f o r t h e

ex tra

needed.

money

his

fam ily

His

"compromise"

was

b etw e en t h e t e a c h i n g jo b he c o u ld and wanted t o do and t h a t
which was p o s s i b l e .

The c o n s t r a i n t s o f t h e s y s t e m d i d n o t

allow enou g h tim e f o r

Horace t o meet h i s and h i s s t u d e n t s '

needs.
S i z e r saw H o r a c e 's compromise t h u s l y :
Most j o b s i n t h e r e a l world h av e a gap b etw een
what would
b e n i c e and what i s p o s s i b l e .
One
adjusts.
The t r a g e d y f o r
many h ig h
school
t e a c h e r s i s t h a t t h e gap i s a chasm, n o t c r o s s e d
by r e a s o n a b l e and j u d i c i o u s a d j u s t m e n t .
Even
afte r
ad ro it
accom m odations
and
d ev astatin g
com prom ise— o n l y
five
m in u te s
per
week
of
a t t e n t i o n t o t h e w r i t t e n work o f ea c h s t u d e n t and
an a v e r a g e o f t e n m in u te s o f p l a n n i n g f o r ea ch
f ifty -m in u te c la s s — th e task is alread y c ru sh in g ,
in r e a l i t y
a s i x t y - h o u r work week.
F or t h i s ,
Horace i s p a i d a wage e n jo y e d by a g e - m a t e s and
s e m i - s k i l l e d and l o w - p r e s s u r e b l u e - c o l l a r j o b s and
by n o v i c e s , t w e n t y - f i v e y e a r s h i s j u n i o r , i n some
o th er w h ite-co llar p ro fe ssio n s.
F u r t h e r m o r e , none
o f t h e s e s i x t y - p l u s h o u r s i s s p e n t in r e p l e n i s h i n g
h i s own academ ic c a p i t a l .
T h a t h a s t o b e done in
a d d i t i o n . . . ( S i z e r , 1984).
S izer divided

h i s book i n t o f o u r s e c t i o n t h r o u g h which

he d e v e lo p e d h i s them e o f t h e dilemma o f t h e American h ig h
school.

"Our

goals

h av e

become c o n t r a d i c t o r y

m ethods h av e become c o n f u s e d . "
S tudent,"

Sizer

w rote,

The

t h e f i r s t s e c t i o n , "The

"The American

as s t u d e n t , i s a l l t o o o f t e n
in itiativ e,"

in

second

and o u r

high

school

student,

d o c i l e , c o m p lia n t, and w i t h o u t

section,

"The

P rogram ,"

defined

h ig h s c h o o l :
T aking s u b j e c t s in a s y s t e m a t i z e d , c o n v e y o r - b e l t
way i s what one d o e s in h i g h s c h o o l.
That t h i s
p r o c e s s i s , in s u b s t a n t i a l r e s p e c t s , n o t r e l a t e d
to
the
rh eto rical
purposes
of
education
is
t o l e r a t e d b y most p e o p l e , p e r h a p s b e c a u s e t h e y do

46

nob r e a l l y e i t h e r b e l i e v e in t h o s e i l l - d e f i n e d
g o a l s o r , in t h e i r h e a r t of h e a r t s , b e l i e v e t h a t
s c h o o l s can o r s h o u l d even t r y t o a c h i e v e them
( S i z e r , 1984).
"The

T e a c h e r"

T e a c h in g
The

was

had

to

demand,

p erso n ality .
education

the

described

teach er

criticize ,

was

as

l o v e ."

and t h e y

o r d e r t o meet t h e i r

It

of

th eater

provoke,

teachers

need

sectio n

a form o f

"ex plain,

Inspired

im proved t e a c h i n g

th ird

the

book.

or

a craft.

cajole,

inspire,

demands

much

of

the

a r e t h e f o u n d a t i o n o f good

s p a c e , tim e

and

highest p o ten tial.

e n c o u r a g e m e n t in

S izer believed t h a t

would im p ro v e s t u d e n t p e r f o r m a n c e .

The

most i m p o r t a n t t e a c h i n g

s k i l l i s t h e a b i l i t y t o "coach," t o

question

ways

and

ju stify ,

help

analyze,

conclusions
c h o o s in g

on

in

draw

inferences,

th eir

own.

curriculum

leading

and

students

synthesize,

Teachers

selectin g

need

to

ce a s o n ,

and

come t o

autonomy

m ethods

and

in

m aterials

( S i z e r , 1984).
In

the

last

section

b u reau cratic

p ro b l e m s

for

schools.

b etter

teachers

into

a

in

the

schools
The

rig id ity ,

author
and

offered

b u reau cratic
a

w rote

of

the

suggestions

s y s te m

forces

and

stifles

sameness

in itiativ e.
S izer

recognized t h a t

h ig h s c h o o l s w ere, on t h e whole,

happy and i n v i t i n g p l a c e s f o r most a d o l e s c e n t s .
Am ericans
children

have
have

access
never

to

had

these
g reater

schools.
access.

A ll young

S pecial-needs
However,

i d e n t i f i e d some p ro b le m s fo u n d in h i g h s c h o o l s :

S izer

47

1) The g o a l s f o r h i g h s c h o o l a r e n um erou s and
seem t o
continue
m ultiplying,
with
little
r e g a r d f o r t h e s e v e r e l i m i t s imposed b y a la c k
o f s c h o o l s t a f f , e q u i p m e n t , and tim e .
2)

Many
adolescents
c o m p le te
high
school
unprepared
for
what
follow s;
they
are
m arginally l i t e r a t e , u n in s p ire d , p o ssessed of
o n l y r u d i m e n t a r y s k i l l s , and imbued w ith a
n a r r o w view o f t h e w o rld .

3)

I n s p i t e of i n c r e a s i n g l y l a r g e r i n v e s t m e n t s ,
schooling
has
become
p ro g ressiv ely
less
pro ductive over the l a s t decades.

4)

Many s t u d e n t s f i n d l i t t l e i n c e n t i v e in h a r d
acad em ic work.
They p l a n on g e t t i n g b y with
d u t i f u l a tte n d a n c e r a t h e r th an m astery
of
su bjects.

5)

S tudents
are
rarely
expected
to
educate
t h e m s e l v e s . They a r e " d e l i v e r e d a s e r v i c e . "

6)

The l a b e l s o f s u b j e c t s a r e am biguous and o f t e n
m i s le a d i n g .

7)

A premium i s p u t on c o v e r a g e a t t h e e x p e n s e of
thoroughness.
F o r exam ple, t h e need t o g e t
t h r o u g h t h e C i v i l War by C h r i s t m a s o r t o v a l u e
t h r e e p a p e r s more t h a n one p a p e r w r i t t e n w ell.

8)

The d a i l y s c h e d u l e o f a c t i v i t i e s , academ ic and
o t h e r w i s e , t h a t a h ig h s c h o o l s t u d e n t e n g a g e s
a r e n um ero u s.

9)

"Ahead
of
grade
u ltim a te m astery.

level"

is

preferred

to

10)

Few s c h o o l s t e a c h v a l u e s .

11)

The t e a c h i n g
ca re e r line.

12)

Teacher
salarie s
and
b en efits
are
not
c o m p e t i t i v e w ith t h o s e in f i e l d s t h a t r e q u i r e
co m p a ra b le p r e p a r a t i o n .

13)

Their r h e to r ic n o tw ith sta n d in g , p u b lic le a d e rs
a r e u n i n t e r e s t e d in t h e s c h o o l s ( S i z e r , J u n e
1983).

p rofession

has

a

very

lim ited

48

S izer proposed
school.

He

1 8 9 0 's.

students

of

of th e

the

said,

d elivering

minimize

for

years

he

explore

to

c riterio n

M astery

or

to

schools

"two

attrib u ted

SchoolSr

p resen tin g

a su b stan tial

m a th e m a tic s ,"

a l l more i m p o r t a n t .

stru ctu re
the

idea

service,

and

start

for

"tim e

le a r n in g — "four

o f t h e h ig h

stop

learn

the

subject,

current

m ust
a

and

restru ctu rin g

credit
"at

least

m o t iv a ti o n

of

them selves.

spent"

to

concept

the

giving,

inspiring
He u r g e d
as

the

hours

of

serv ice,"

180

days

a year."

and l e a r n i n g

style

are

S i z e r saw s e v e r a l e s s e n t i a l s n e c e s s a r y

f o r r e s t r u c t u r i n g t h e h ig h s c h o o l .

1)

No one s h o u ld e n t e r h i g h - s c h o o l - l e v e l s t u d i e s
who
has
not
clearly
m astered
the
basic
e d u c a t i o n a l r e q u i r e m e n t s of a c i t i z e n in a
d em o c ra c y — l i t e r a c y ,
n u m era cy ,
and
civic
u nderstanding.
A ttendance
at
elem entary
s c h o o l s s h o u l d b e c o m p u ls o ry u n t i l m a s t e r y of
th e se b asic s k ills is obtained.
S ec o n d a ry
schools
should
be
non-com pulsory,
but
a v a i l a b l e t o a l l c i t i z e n s f o r a p e r i o d of s i x
y e a r s , t o b e t a k e n a t any p o i n t d u r i n g t h e i r
liv es.
The p r a c t i c a l e f f e c t i s t h a t h ig h
s c h o o l becomes a p l a c e f o r o nly t h o s e who want
t o work, b u t a p l a c e a s t u d e n t can r e t u r n t o
f i n i s h h i s e d u c a t i o n w henever 'h e g e t s h i s a c t
to g eth er.'

2)

The h ig h
s c h o o l s h o u l d f o c u s on h e l p i n g
a d o l e s c e n t s t o l e a r n t o u s e t h e i r minds.

3)

The t o n e of t h e h i g h s c h o o l s h o u l d be one of
u n a n x i o u s e x p e c t a t i o n . The p r i m a r y b u r d e n f o r
l e a r n i n g s h o u l d be s q u a r e l y on t h e s t u d e n t s .

4)

The d ip lo m a s h o u ld be aw arded o n ly upon a
s t u d e n t ’s e x h i b i t i o n of m a s t e r y o f t h e h ig h
s c h o o l ' s p ro g ra m .

5)

The p r i m a r y p ed a g o g y of t h e h ig h s c h o o l s h o u ld
be "c o a c h in g ."

49

6)

The p r o g ra m o f s t u d y m ust
be
s i n g l e and
un iv ersal.
S i z e r recommends c l u s t e r i n g t h e
c u r r i c u l u m , and i t s t e a c h e r s , i n t o b u t f o u r
areas:
i n q u i r y and e x p r e s s i o n ; m a th e m a tic s
and
science;
lite ratu re
and
the
arts;
p h i l o s o p h y and h i s t o r y .

7)

T e a c h in g and l e a r n i n g m ust b e p e r s o n a l i z e d t o
t h e g r e a t e s t e x t e n t p o s s i b l e . No h i g h s c h o o l
t e a c h e r s h o u l d h a v e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r more
t h a n 80 p u p i l s .
S tu d e n ts should le a r n to
teach them selves.
S h o r t - t e r m g a i n s in mere
" c o v e r a g e " s h o u l d b e d i s c o u r a g e d in f a v o r o f
l o n g - t e r m g a i n s o f k no w ledg e m a s t e r y .

8)

C o n t r o l o f t h e d e t a i l e d s c h o o l p ro g ra m m ust b e
g i v e n t o t h e p r i n c i p a l and t e a c h e r s a t t h e
level
of
each
school.
D ecentralizing
a u t h o r i t y p r o v o k e s a d e e p e r commitment from
t e a c h e r and p r i n c i p a l s { S iz e r, O cto b e r 1983).

S i z e r summed up c u r r e n t c o n d i t i o n s in t h e h ig h s c h o o l s
w ith t h e s e w ords:
The s t u d e n t s a r e hap py t a k i n g s u b j e c t s .
The
p a r e n t s a r e h a p p y , b e c a u s e t h a t ' s what t h e y d id in
h ig h s c h o o l .
The r i t u a l s , t h e most i m p o r t a n t o f
which
is
g raduation ,
remain
intact.
The
adolescents
are
supervised,
safely
and
co n stru ctiv ely
most
of
the
tim e ,
during
the
morning and a f t e r n o o n h o u r s , and t h e y a r e o f f t h e
l a b o r m a rk e t.
T h a t i s what h i g h s c h o o l i s a l l
a b o u t ( S i z e r , 1984).
S i z e r wanted t h e h ig h s c h o o l t o b e f a r more.
Action
E d u c a tio n

for

E xcellence.

for

The

Economic

N ational

Growth

Task

published

F o rc e

A ction

on
for

E x c e l l e n c e a s a c o m p r e h e n s iv e p l a n t o im prove o u r n a t i o n ' s
schools.
t h e Task
chief

A diverse

Force, in clu d in g

executives,

educators,

group

leaders

The E d u c a tio n

state
of

of f o r t y - o n e

leaders

served

on

governors, le g is la to rs , corporate
and

labor

local
and

the

school

board

scien tific

members,
community.

Commission of t h e S t a t e s s p o n s o r e d t h e Task

F o rc e and i t s work.

50

C onvinced t h a t A m e r ic a 's n a t i o n a l s u r v i v a l h in g e d upon
continued
Force

progress

id entified

in

its

the

prepared

an

students

w ill

c h a n g in g

w o r k p la c e ,

educational

p ro b le m ,

action

plan

need

to
and

sum m arized

that

meet

system ,
the

o u tlined

th e

new

of

major

Task

challenge,

the

dem ands

made e i g h t

the

a

sk ills
rapidly

re co m m e n d atio n s

for action.
As i d e n t i f i e d
the

n a tio n 's

by t h e

o n ce

lo fty

t e c h n o l o g i c a l g i a n t , and
Many n a t i o n s
ed g e

in

h av e

occurs

or

the

as

a

can

unem ploym ent:

w orkers,

te c h n iq u e s a re suddenly obsolete"

our

shaken.

L osin g A m e ric a 's

p ro d u ctiv ity

stru ctu ral

th at

innovator,

is being

th a t lead.

and

our

p rob lem i s
world

i n d u s t r i a l power

challenged

because

Force,

p osition

inventiveness

"tech nological
th at

Task

lead

to

jo b lessness

factories

and

our

(Task F o rc e on E d u c a ti o n

f o r Economic Grow th, 1983).
The Task

F o r c e w ro te t h a t 13% of American 1 7 - y e a r - o l d

s t u d e n t s co u ld n o t p e r f o r m r e a d i n g t a s k s c o n s i d e r e d minimal
for

fu n ctio n al

adequately

com prehend

percent

could

error.

Only

w rite

a

literacy .

not
15% o f

p ersuasive

T w enty-eight
what

w rite
high

they
a

had

letter
school

statem ent.

percent
read.

Remedial

not

F ifty -th ree

correcting
students

cou ld

in

a
1979

b illin g
cou ld

m a th e m a tic s

at

f o u r - y e a r c o l l e g e s i n c r e a s e d 72% b e tw e e n t h e y e a r s 1975 and
1980 ( t a s k F o r c e on E d u c a ti o n f o r Economic Grow th, 1983).

51

Xn

co n trast

d escribing

a

to

declinin g

F o r c e fo u n d

other

the

Union

Soviet

including

school

moving

c o m p leted

y e a r of

of American h ig h

d ish earten in g

American

nations

a fu ll

chem istry.

th ese

system ,

ahead.

four

statistics
the

Task

A ll s t u d e n t s

years

of

in

c h e m istry #

o r g a n i c c h e m i s t r y , w h ile o n ly 38%

schools tu d e n ts

took a o n e - y e a r c o u r s e i n

In J a p a n , a p p r o x i m a t e l y 95% g r a d u a t e from h ig h

s c h o o l compared t o o n l y 74% of t h e s t u d e n t s g r a d u a t i n g from
h ig h

schools

in

the

U nited

S tates.

H o st

in d u strialized

c o u n t r i e s o f f e r a 2 4 0 - d a y s c h o o l y e a r v e r s u s an a v e r a g e o f
180

days

noted

in

th at

the

United S t a t e s .

American

F in ally , th e

teaching

staffs

Task

were

Force

w o e f u lly

u n p r e p a r e d f o r t e a c h i n g s c i e n c e and m ath e m a tic s t o s t u d e n t s
(Task F o r c e on E d u c a ti o n f o r Economic Growth, 1983).
Xn sum m arizing t h e p ro b le m s fa c e d by Am erica, t h e Task
Force said:
We h a v e e x p e c t e d to o l i t t l e o f o u r s c h o o l s o v e r
t h e p a s t two d e c a d e s , in t e r m s of q u a l i t y and we
h ave g o t t e n to o l i t t l e .
The r e s u l t i s t h a t o u r
s c h o o l s a r e n o t d o in g an a d e q u a t e job of e d u c a t i o n
f o r t o d a y ' s r e q u i r e m e n t s in t h e w o r k p l a c e , much
l e s s to m o rro w 's .
I f we a r e s e r i o u s a b o u t economic
g ro w th in A m erica, a b o u t im p ro v in g p r o d u c t i v i t y ,
a b o u t r e c a p t u r i n g c o m p e t i t i v e n e s s in o u r b a s i c
in d u stries
and
m aintaining
it
in
our
newer
in d u s trie s , about guaranteeing to our children a
d e c e n t s t a n d a r d o f l i v i n g and a re w a r d i n g q u a l i f y
o f l i f e , t h e n we must g e t s e r i o u s a b o u t im p ro v in g
e d u c a t i o n , and we m ust s t a r t now (Task F o rc e on
E d u c a t i o n f o r Economic Growth, 1983).
The

challenge,

as

seen

by

the

p r o v i d e "new s k i l l s f o r a new a g e ."
technological

a d v a n c e m e n ts

make

Task

Force,

was

to

G lo b al c o m p e t i t i o n and
it

essential

to

equip

52

students
need

with

more

than

m a th e m a tic s ,
other

sk ills

t h a t go beyo n d

minimum

science,

areas.

They

com prehend l i t e r a l l y

the b asics.

co m p e te n c e

in
use

n eed

first,

w riting

th ese

m e c h a n ic s."

expanded

basic

economic s t a g n a t i o n . "
stake,

in

s im p ly t o

education
b etter

the

ab ility

".

. .

to

S eco n d , t h e

T h ird , t h e m astery

Increasingly,

sk ills

w riting,

of c o m p u t e r s , and

a s im p le w r i t t e n p a s s a g e .

a b i l i t y t o com pute w ith whole n u m b e rs .
of

reading,

reasoning, the
" . . .

Students

students

will

be

w ithout

consigned

to

The c h a l l e n g e , f o r t h o s e t h a t h a v e a
and

economic

g ro w th

" . . .

educate our e l i t e , b u t to

is

not

r a is e both th e

f l o o r and c e i l i n g of a c h ie v e m e n t in America" (Task F o rc e on
E d u c a ti o n f o r Economic Growth, 1983).
The t h e s i s

of t h e Task F o r c e r e p o r t was t h a t A m e ric a 's

fu tu re

success

as

social

stab ility

a

and

nation,

its

w ell-being

n atio n al

and

defense,

national

its

p ro sp erity ,

d e p e n d on i t s a b i l i t y t o im p ro v e e d u c a t i o n and t r a i n i n g f o r
all

citizens.

S ustained

economic

h ig h g e n e r a l l e v e l o f e d u c a t i o n .
Force

was

w ell-being

to
of

".

link

our

in d iv id u al

g ro w th

depends

upon

a

The p u r p o s e of t h e Task

education
states

and

to

the

our

economic

nation

as

a

whole" (Task F o r c e on E d u c a ti o n f o r Economic Growth, 1983).
In d e f i n i n g
Task

Force

Resources
C o m p eten cies

an e x p a n d e d

b o rro w e d
and
in

d irec tly

Academic
reading,

version
from

of " b a s i c
the

C enter

P reparation

w riting,

sk ills"

speaking

for

the

Public

for

C o lle g e .

and

liste n in g ,

m a th e m a tic s , s c i e n c e and r e a s o n i n g were l i s t e d

as n e c e s s a r y

53

basic

sk ills.

The

Task

Force

expanded

the

ab o v e-listed

c o m p e t e n c ie s by a d d i n g t h r e e new c o m p e t e n c i e s .
was

called

ab ility
good

basic

and

w illin g n ess

citizen,

relatio n sh ip s,
concerning
called

employment

the
and

understand

assum e t h e

a b ility
the

attendance

economic

to

co m p e te n c y .

to

ab ility
and

personal

economic

system .

Academic

P reparation

and

econom ics
F in ally ,
for

cope

punctuality.

com p eten c y

included

interpersonal

w ith

requirem ents

The

the

although

C o l le g e ,

it

of a

in

second

included th e
and

the

resp o n sib ility

engage
to

It

The f i r s t

a b ility

American
was

c o m p u ter

was
to

basic

listed

by

literacy

was

named a s t h e t h i r d new c o m p eten c y .
In /response t o t h e p ro b l e m s and c h a l l e n g e s i d e n t i f i e d ,
the

Task

Force

made * e i g h t

re c o m m e n d a tio n s, r e f e r r e d
effo rts

by

ind iv id u als

to

and

major

re c o m m e n d a tio n s.

T hese

as an A ction F l a n , c a l l e d
in stitu tio n s.

L isted

below i s

t h e e x e c u t i v e summary of t h e A c tio n F la n .
1)

D evelop— and p u t i n t o e f f e c t as p r o m p t l y a s
p o s s i b l e — s t a t e p l a n s f o r im p ro v in g e d u c a t i o n
in . t h e
public
schools
from
kind erg arten
t h r o u g h g r a d e 12.
*Led by t h e g o v e r n o r , e a c h s t a t e s h o u l d d e v e lo p
a state
plan
for
education
and
economic
g r o w th .
*Each
governor
s h o u ld
appoint
a
broadly
i n c l u s i v e s t a t e t a s k f o r c e on e d u c a t i o n f o r
economic g ro w th .
*Each s c h o o l
plan.

2)

d istrict

should

d e v e lo p

its

for

own

C r e a t e b r o a d e r and more e f f e c t i v e p a r t n e r s h i p s
f o r im p ro v in g e d u c a t i o n in t h e s t a t e s and
com m unities o f t h e n a t i o n .

54

* B u s i n e s s l e a d e r s , l a b o r l e a d e r s , and members
of t h e p r o f e s s i o n s s h o u ld become more a c t i v e
In e d u c a t i o n .
^B usiness l e a d e r s should e s t a b l i s h p a r t n e r s h i p s
w ith s c h o o l s .
♦ G o v e r n o rs ,
leg islato rs,
chief
state
school
o f f i c e r s , s t a t e and l o c a l b o a r d s o f e d u c a t i o n ,
and
leaders
in
higher
education
s h o u ld
e s t a b l i s h p a r t n e r s h i p s of t h e i r own.
3)

M a rs h a l t h e r e s o u r c e s which a r e e s s e n t i a l f o r
im p ro v in g t h e p u b l i c s c h o o l s .
*School s y s t e m s s h o u l d e n r i c h academ ic p r o g r a m s
and im prove management t o make t h e b e s t
p o ssib le use of re so u rces.
♦ S t a t e s and com m u nities s h o u ld i n v e s t more
f i n a n c i a l , human and i n s t i t u t i o n a l r e s o u r c e s
in e d u c a t i o n .
♦The f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t
s u p p o rt education.

4)

s h o u ld

continue

to

E x p r e s s a new and h i g h e r r e g a r d f o r t e a c h e r s .
*S tates
and
school
d i s t r i c t s — with
fu ll
p a r t i c i p a t i o n by t e a c h e r s — s h o u l d d r a m a t i c a l l y
im prove m ethods f o r r e c r u i t i n g , t r a i n i n g , and
paying te a c h e rs .
*S tates
s h o u ld
teachers.

create

"career

ladders"

for

♦S tates,
c o m m u n itie s,
the
media
and
the
b u s i n e s s community s h o u ld d e v i s e new ways t o
h onor t e a c h e r s .
5)

Make t h e academ ic e x p e r i e n c e more i n t e n s e and
more p r o d u c t i v e .
♦ S t a t e s and s c h o o l s y s t e m s s h o u l d e s t a b l i s h
firm ,
explicit,
and dem anding
requirem ents
c o n c e r n i n g d i s c i p l i n e , a t t e n d a n c e , homework,
grades,
and
other
essen tials
of
effective
schooling.
* S t a t e s and s c h o o l s y s t e m s s h o u l d
th e p u b lic school curriculum .

strengthen

♦ S ta te s should in c re a s e th e d u r a tio n
i n t e n s i t y o f academ ic l e a r n i n g .

and

the

55

6)

P rovide q u a lity a ss u ra n c e in education.
*B o ard s o f e d u c a t i o n
and
higher
education
should
cooperate
w ith
teachers
and
a d m i n i s t r a t o r s on s y s t e m s f o r m e a s u r in g t h e
effectiveness
of
teachers
and
rew arding
outstanding perform ance.
* S t a t e s , w ith f u l l c o o p e r a t i o n by t e a c h e r s ,
s h o u ld
im prove t h e p r o c e s s f o r c e r t i f y i n g
teachers
and
adm in istrato rs
and
make
it
p o s s i b l e f o r q u a l i f i e d o u t s i d e r s t o s e r v e in
th e schools.
* S t a t e s s h o u l d examine and t i g h t e n p r o c e d u r e s
f o r d e c i d i n g which t e a c h e r s t o r e t a i n and
which t o d i s m i s s .
* S t u d e n t p r o g r e s s s h o u l d b e m easured t h r o u g h
p eriodic t e s t s
of
g e n e r a l a c h ie v e m e n t and
s p e c i f i c s k i l l s ; p ro m o tio n from g r a d e t o g r a d e
s h o u l d b e b a s e d on m a s t e r y , n o t age.
♦ S t a t e s and com m unities s h o u ld i d e n t i f y c l e a r l y
th e s k i l l s th e y expect th e schools to im part.

7)

♦ C o lle g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s
e n tra n c e requirem ents.

should

Im p ro ve
schools.

management

leadership

and

ra ise

♦Pay
for
principals
should
r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s and e f f e c t i v e n e s s .

th eir
in

relate

*States
should
set
higher
standards
re cru itin g ,
train in g
and
m o n ito r in g
p e r f o r m a n c e of p r i n c i p a l s .
♦S cho o ls s h o u l d
techniques.
8)

use

more e f f e c t i v e

the
to
for
the

management

Serve b e t t e r
those
students
who a r e now
unserved or u n d erserv ed .
S t a t e s and s c h o o l
d i s t r i c t s s h o u ld i n c r e a s e t h e p a r t i c i p a t i o n of
young women and m i n o r i t i e s in c o u r s e s where
they are u n d errep resen ted .
* S t a t e s s h o u ld c o n t i n u e t o d e v e lo p
finance
measures to in s u r e t h a t
resources are d istrib u te d fa irly .

equitable
education

56

* S ta te s, school system s, p r i n c i p a l s , t e a c h e r s ,
and p a r e n t s s h o u l d work t o r e d u c e s t u d e n t
a b s e n c e s and f a i l u r e s t o f i n i s h s c h o o l .
* S t a t e s and s c h o o l s y s t e m s s h o u l d s p e c i f i c a l l y
in c lu d e handicapped s tu d e n ts in program s fo r
e d u c a t i o n and economic g ro w th (Task F o r c e on
E d u c a ti o n f o r Economic Grow th, 1983).
A

P laceCalled

trouble"

S c h o o l.

UCLA's

graduate

summation

of

un d ertaken
book

school

probably

in

the

for

Inc.,

was

it

D anforth

of
the

United

was d e r i v e d ,

In stitu te

the

S tates.

Developm ent
by

eight

years

s t u d y of

in

of

schools

survey

E ducational

a

ever

called

"A

A ctiv ities,

K e tte rin g Foundation,

43

c o m p le tin g

of

E ducation,

investigators
the

o b s e r v a t i o n s on o v e r 1000 c l a s s r o o m s
secondary schools

is

u n d e r t h e a u s p i c e s of t h e

the

and

book

T h a t s t u d y , from which

U.S. O f f i c e

Goodlad

The

a nationw ide

C o nd u cted

Foundation, th e

and

education.
larg est

was

fu n d e d

groups.

m illion

are

Jo h n Goodlad i s t h e r e t i r e d dean of

S tu d y o f S c h o o l i n g ."

other

schools

were t h e f i r s t words in J o h n G o o d la d 's 1983 book,

A P l a c e C a lle d S chool.

the

"American

study.

in

the

and

spent
They

38 e l e m e n t a r y

in s e v e n s e c t i o n s o f t h e c o u n t r y .

11
$4

made
and
They

o b s e r v e d 12 s e n i o r h ig h s c h o o l s p l u s one s e c o n d a r y s c h o o l,
12

ju n io r

schools.
selected,

high

or

m iddle

schools,

and

13

elem entary

The 13 c o m m u n itie s, from which t h e s e s c h o o l s were
were

in

Data were g a t h e r e d

urban,

suburban,

and

rural

settin g s.

from 8,624 p a r e n t s , 1,350 t e a c h e r s , and

17,163 s t u d e n t s (Goodlad, 1983).

57

The

preface

to

A Place

purposes

of th e

study.

t h e book

was t o

assist

the

place

must

called

"focus

The f i r s t
in th e

school.

on

C a lle d

S ch o o l

th ree

and p r i m a r y p u r p o s e of

necessary understanding

Goodlad

en tire

o u tlin ed

schools,

stressed
not

that

ju st

of

America

teach ers

or

p r i n c i p a l s o r c u r r i c u l a o r o r g a n i z a t i o n o r s c h o o l-c o m m u n ity
r e l a t i o n s b u t a l l o f t h e s e and
was

to' develop

schools
The

based

fin al

an

on

agenda

the

purpose

for

enhanced

was

im portance of b r in g in g

m ore.1*

"that

The sec o n d p u r p o s e

reform ing

and

u nd erstan ding
of

im pressing

im p ro ving
of
on

schools.
us

the

t o t h e p r o c e s s o f im provem ent d a t a

r e l e v a n t t o a p a r t i c u l a r sc h o o l" (Goodlad, 1983).
E arly
prem ises.
schools

the

a

schooling.

first

F irst,

n ee d ed

p reviou sly
lacks

in

chapter,

schools

were

Goodlad
still

gave

needed;

today a r e n o t n e c e s s a r ily

th ree

basic

second,

the

t h e same s c h o o l s

known; and t h i r d , t h e c u r r e n t wave o f c r i t i c i s m
diagnosis
It

was

req u ired

for

the

G o o d la d 's b e l i e f

reconstruction

"that

most e f f o r t s

of
to

im p rov e s c h o o l s f o u n d e r on r e e f s o f i g n o r a n c e — i g n o r a n c e o f
the

ways s c h o o l s f u n c t i o n

in n er

in g e n e r a l and i g n o r a n c e o f t h e

workings of s e le c te d

s c h o o l s in p a r t i c u l a r "

(Goodlad,

1983).
Goodlad i d e n t i f i e d two p e r v a s i v e th em es t h a t emerged i n
the study.
unit

for

"The f i r s t

i s t h e c o n c e p t o f t h e s c h o o l as t h e

im provem ent."

E fforts

for

im pro v em en t

m ust

be

f o c u s e d on t h e s c h o o l a s a whole and n o t j u s t on i n d i v i d u a l
teac h ers,

p rin cip als,

or

curricula.

Goodlad

w rote:

58

"E fforts
s y s te m

at
of

im provem ent
in teractin g

Im p rov em en t
"cu ltiv ate

co u ld

the

must

encom pass

p a rtsr

best

capacity

be

ea ch

the

affecting

a c c o m p lis h e d

of schools

school

to

the

when

as

a

others."
A m ericans

d e a l w ith t h e i r own

p r o b l e m s ," r a t h e r t h a n f o r c i n g r e f o r m s on them*

The s ec o n d

p ervasive

said,

schools
o n ly

to

them e

w ill

was

get

the

th at

b etter

degree

of

caring.

and

th at

a

have

Goodlad

continuing

sig n ifican t

good

proportion

"Our
health

of

our

p e o p l e , n o t j u s t p a r e n t s , c a r e a b o u t them" (Goodlad, 1983).
Goodlad

also

id entified

ten

were " f l e s h e d o u t by t h e d a t a . "
and d e s c r i b e
our

sam ple

schooling,

are

to th e

rep resen tativ e."

additional

th em es

which

They " c o l l e c t i v e l y d e f i n e
d eg ree t h a t t h e schools in
The them es

"help us

see

t h a t s c h o o l i n g h a s a common s e t o f c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s and t h a t
school-to-school
how

these

d ifferen ces

ch aracteristics

resu lt

from

m anifest

the

sum t o t a l

them selves

in

s c h o o l."
♦school fu n c tio n s ( b a b y - s i tt i n g ,
i n t e l l e c t u a l d eve lo pm en t)

job

preparation,

♦ s c h o o l 's r e l e v a n c e in t h e l i v e s o f i t s s t u d e n t s
♦how t e a c h e r s t e a c h
♦the circ u m stan c e s s u rro u n d in g tea c h in g
♦the cu rricu lu m
♦the d i s t r i b u t i o n of r e s o u r c e s f o r le a rn in g
♦equity
♦the hidden or im p lic it cu rricu lu m
♦ satisfactio n
of
the
s t u d e n t s , and p a r e n t s
♦ t h e need f o r d a t a

principal,

teachers,

of

ea ch

59

The

m u lti-y ear

findings.

study

system .

made

in

Goodlad

c o n c lu d e d

h ig h

to

popular

a

strong

s c h o o l and
th at

k no w ledg e.

b elief th a t

p ro d u c e d

indictm ent

academ ic

student

was

feedback,

th at
and

and

a

c o n c lu d e d

v irtu ally

obtained

c o n c lu d e d

many
These

subjects

schools

fa il

of

nu m erou s

a

job

to

g e t a core

students
fin d in g s

are

tim e”

is
to

education.
equal

support

to

jobs.

To

all

w h e th e r

1984).

app ro p riate

The

can

the
in

or not a

su pport,

children

the

an a l t e r n a t i v e

t h a t v o c a tio n a l education

irrelev an t

nearly

tracking

denied

do n o t

conduit

(L ieberm an,

"given

the

a re p u t in to v o cational

v o c a tio n a l education

c o n tra ry , th e study
the

S c h o o lin g

S t u d e n t s in t h e low t r a c k

courses

to

of

Some o f t h e major f i n d i n g s a r e l i s t e d below.

The

access

Study

report

co rrective
l e a r n — and

s u c c e e d — a t t h e " h i g h t r a c k " l e v e l {Goodlad, 1983).
D a ta from t h e s t u d y

r e v e a l e d a c u r r i c u l a r dom inance of

E n g l i s h / l a n g u a g e a r t s and m a th e m a tic s .

S u r v e y s showed o v e r

70% o f t o t a l tim e was s p e n t on i n s t r u c t i o n
weekly i n s t r u c t i o n a l tim e was b e i n g

and 54% of t h e

given to th e s e b a s ic s .

The r e t u r n t o t h e b a s i c s o f r e a d i n g , w r i t i n g and a r i t h m e t i c
h as

already

happened.

However, t h e r e

was l i t t l e

evidence

t o show t h a t i n s t r u c t i o n was " l i k e l y t o go much beyond mere
possession

of

im plications
p o ssible

inform ation
and

eith er

applications”

dem onstrated

little

to

a level

applying
(Goodlad,

of u n d ersta n d in g
it

or

exploring

1983).

o r no a b i l i t y t o t h i n k

u s e , e v a l u a t e , and a c c u m u la te k n ow led g e.

its
its

S tudents

ra tio n a lly or to
They a l s o showed

60

little
of

d esire

for

activ ities

fu rth er

"likely

involve

them

in

already

laid

bare

to

seeking
by

learn in g .
arouse

There

was an a b s e n c e

stu d en ts'

so lu tio n s
teachers

to

or

cu rio sity

some

or

p ro b le m s

textbooks"

to
not

(Goodlad,

1983).
Goodlad
d o cu m en ts

and

rep o rtin g

education.
the

his

colleagues

examined

on t h e e f f o r t s

a

vast

array

to defin e the

of

g o a l s of

He c o n c lu d e d t h a t f o u r b r o a d a r e a s o f g o a l s f o r

schools

v o cational,

have

em erg ed .

s o c i a l and

T h ese

civic,

goals

were

and p e r s o n a l .

academ ic,

Goodlad a s k e d

p a r e n t s , t e a c h e r s and s t u d e n t s w h at t h e i r p r e f e r e n c e s were
among

the

four

d e v e lo p m e n t
groups.

goals.

was

considered

However,

"parents, teac h ers
of

those

goal

cen tu ries."

He

it

and

fo u n d

most

th at

im portant

was

G o o d la d 's

students

see as

areas

which

h av e

in telle ctu al
by

all

three

conclusion

th at

im portant
emerged

a ll four
over

the

He c o n c lu d e d t h a t "when i t comes t o e d u c a t i o n ,

i t a p p e a r s t h a t most p a r e n t s want t h e i r c h i l d r e n t o have i t
a l l " (Goodlad, 1983).
The

researchers

students

had l i t t l e

on in t h e

a lo n e ."

o rganizes

the

tech n iq u es.
talk ,

A Studv__of S c h o o lin g

o r no a c t i v e

c la s s r o o m .

achieves

teacher

for

class,

teach er
and

The s t u d e n t i s
ind iv id u al

"essen tially
selects

chooses
confronted

seat

th at

i n v o l v e m e n t in w hat went

Each s t u d e n t
The

fou n d

work,

the

the

works and
m aterials,

in stru ctio n al

day a f t e r d ay with

and

testin g .

Seldom

a r e s t u d e n t s g i v e n t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o l e a r n from ea ch o t h e r

61

or to I n itia te
not

alw a y s

in teractio n

understand

w ith t h e t e a c h e r s .

what t h e

teachers

enou g h tim e t o f i n i s h t h e i r l e s s o n s .

S t u d e n t s d id

wanted

nor have

T h e r e was "a p a u c i t y

of p r a i s e and c o r r e c t i o n

of s t u d e n t s ' perform ance/ as

as

in

of

Much

teach er
of

guidance

the

teaching

described

as

"n eith er

joyful

.

.

.

"passively

but

content

and

how t o

do

b etter

am bience

of

the

harsh

and

flat."
w ith

p u n itiv e

S u rprisingly /

classroom

life."

next

well

tim e ."

classroom

was

nor

and

warm

students

seem

S tudents

"felt

p o s i t i v e a b o u t b o t h p e e r s and t e a c h e r s . . . and e x p r e s s e d
considerable
activ ities"

lik in g

for

all

subjects

and

c la s s r o o m

(Goodlad, 1983).

The s t u d y p r o d u c e d some c o n t r a d i c t o r y v ie w s of s c h o o l s
which

should

make

us

cautiou s

s o l u t i o n s t o complex p r o b l e m s .
some

schools

and

teachers

other

schools

w h ile

it

o n ly

respect
they

ea ch

view

about

s im p le

C u r r i c u l u m h a s d i r e c t i o n in

d rifts
other

ea ch

accepting

in

other

in

others.

P rincipals

some s c h o o l s
as

the

w h ile in

enemy.

While

p a r e n t s a r e s u p p o r t i v e in some s c h o o l s , t h e y a r e u n i n v o l v e d
in

other

schools.

C reativ ity

is

visible

in

the

lo w e r

g r a d e s b u t g i v e s way t o i n c r e a s e d u n i f o r m i t y in t h e h i g h e r
g r a d e s (L ieberm an, 1984).
Even

though

essential

there

sameness

are
in

differences,
schooling.

Goodlad
" S c h o o ls

s c h o o l i n g i s e v e r y w h e r e v e r y much t h e same."
parents

have

curriculum .

a
This

h ig h

lev el

meant t o

of

Goodlad

d i f f i c u l t t o re fo rm (Goodlad, 1983).

an

differ;

S t u d e n t s and

satisfactio n
that

noted

schools

w ith

the

would b e

62

Goodlad p r o p o s e d n um erou s r e f o r m s and
in h i s l a s t two c h a p t e r s .

reco m m en datio ns

C h a p t e r 9 d e a l t w ith "Im p rov ing

t h e S c h o o ls we Haver” w h ile C h a p t e r 10 looked a t l o n g - r a n g e
altern a tiv e s
follow ing

to

reshaping

paragraphs

American

categorize

some

education.
of

The

G o o d la d 's

major

re com m end ation s:
Recommendations
education.

the

on

s ta te 's

role

for

im p ro v in g

The d i s t r i c t s h o u ld b e a c c o u n t a b l e t o t h e s t a t e

for
com m unicating t h e s t a t e ' s g o a l s f o r e d u c a t i o n in
schoolsr developing balanced c u r r i c u l a in each
s c h o o lr em ploying
qualified
te a c h e rs , providing
t im e and r e s o u r c e s f o r l o c a l s c h o o l im provem ent,
and a s s u r i n g e q u i t y in t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e s e
resources.
They

should

back

away

from

the

tendency

to

focus

on

p r i n c i p a l s , t e a c h e r s and i n d i v i d u a l s c h o o l s in t h e i r e f f o r t
to

assure

acco u n tab ility .

accountable

for

The

articu latin g

state

s h o u ld

a c o m p r e h e n s iv e

be

set

h e ld

of goals

f o r t h e s c h o o l s (Goodlad, 1983).

Recommendations

on

S uperintendents

should

resp o n sib ility

for

principals

and

p rin c ip a ls— the
proposed

p ro g ra m

"take

as

ab ility

giving

more

developing,
of stu d ies.

to

d istrict

first

selectin g

developing

in d iv id u a l schools.
planning,

the

order

of

prom ising

in

th em — and

lead

and

au thority

and

____ievei.
business

prospective
in

manage."

present
Goodlad

resp o n sib ility

to

Bach s c h o o l s h o u ld b e a c c o u n t a b l e f o r
budgeting

and

p resenting

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t

a balanced

and b o a r d

sh o u ld

€3

concern
than

them selves

w ith

school-to-school

decentralization
schools lin k ed

the

in

uniform ity.

was n o t
both

balance

to

cu rricu la

G o o d la d 's

p ictu re

of

ra th e r

of

"schools cut loose, b u t
a hub— th e

d istrict

rath er

o f f i c e — and t o

e a c h o t h e r i n a n e t w o r k ” (Goodlad, 1983).
Recommendations
G o o d la d 's
must

guiding

become

on

the

principle

larg e ly

ind iv id u al

was

that

gghflfll

in d ividu al

self-d irectin g .

They

m ust

level.
schools
become

self-ren ew in g .

They need t h e a b i l i t y t o d i a g n o s e and t h e n

im plem ent

appropriate

school

the

p ro b le m s .

solu tio n s

M andates from

in s e n s itiv e to in d iv id u a l building
t h e p ro b le m

are

to

th eir

cen tral
needs.

in dividual

o ffice

can

be

Those c l o s e s t t o

in t h e b e s t p o s i t i o n t o make im p ro v em en ts

(Goodlad, 1983).
R ecommendations on t e a c h e r s .

Goodlad b e l i e v e d

t e a c h e r s n ee d more t im e f o r p l a n n i n g .

th at

He recommended t h a t

t e a c h e r s b e employed f o r a minimum o f 180 d a y s o f t e a c h i n g
and an a d d i t i o n a l 20 d a y s f o r p l a n n i n g and e f f e c t i n g s c h o o l
im p ro vem en t.

Head

teachers

in stru ctio n al

leadership

in

a

should
salary

th e reg u lar teach er sa la ry scales.
incentive
classroom .

for

k e e p in g

These

be
range

above

for

that

of

T h i s would p r o v i d e t h e

h ig h-quality

sp ec ia lists

employed

would

teachers

teach

in

the

p art-tim e,

hold

d o c t o r a t e d e g r e e s , s e r v e a s r o l e m odels, p r o v i d e i n s e r v i c e ,
and

diagnose

(G oo d lad ,1983).

p ro b l e m s

for

other

staff

members

64

Recommendations
should
five

be

made t o

su bject

science;

teach

areas

of

lite ratu re

studies;

the

on

arts;

curriculum .
all

stu d en ts

human
and

and

k n o w ledg e;

and

(a v e ra g e d

science;

15% in
and

up t o

society

up

to

su bject

for

the

areas,

be

Goodlad

years)

literatu re

vocational.

10% s h o u ld

and

and

social

preferred

u p t o 18% o f a s t u d e n t ' s

and s o c i a l s t u d i e s ;

15% f o r

fro m w i t h i n

society

secondary

18% in

effo rts

M a th e m a tic s

v ocations..

t h e f o l l o w i n g a l l o c a t i o n o f tim e ;
p ro g ra m

equally

language;

the

G reater

in

and l a n g u a g e ;

up t o
In

t o b e in

math
up t o

15% in t h e a r t s ;

addition

to

the

p h y s ic a l education

five
and

a

re m a in in g 10% s h o u l d b e f o r i n d i v i d u a l c h o i c e w ith t h e h e l p
of

staff

slig h tly

guidance.

This

last

less

the

maximum

than

another area.
common.

only

possible

allocation

is

when

used

in

T w o -th ird s of a l l s tu d e n t program s should be

S ch o o ls

general,

10% i s

not

a

should

be

sp ecialized ,

providing

students

ed u cation.

w ith

Goodlad

a

would

t o t a l l y e l i m i n a t e a b i l i t y g r o u p i n g and t r a c k i n g , which d eny
whole

classes

of

people

access

to

im portant

spheres

of

k now ledge.

F i n a l l y , Goodlad recommended t h a t s c h o o l s make

b etter

of

use

the

tim e

they

h av e

before

extending

the

s c h o o l d a y o r sim p ly a d d i n g m an d ates which a t t e m p t t o r a i s e
standards.

They

may

only

increase

the

dropout

rate

(Goodlad, 1983).
Recommendations
s h o u ld

begin

S c h o o lin g

school

would

be

on
at

reshaping
age

divided

four
into

t h e school.
and

finish

th ree

C hildren
at

closely

ag e

16.

linked

65

phases:

an

nongraded
fin ally

ungraded

elem entary

a

prim ary

teach in g

p articu larly

by

the

envisioned

seven;

to

for

ages

should

tw elve

receive

older

student

as

to

school

using

college or e n te r

four

eleven;

co uld

w ithin

a

and

fifteen.

greater

stu d en ts

u n it to teach younger s tu d e n ts .
sixteen,

ages

school fo r ages e ig h t to

secondary

Peer-group

for

em phasis,

a four-year

Upon r e a c h i n g t h e a g e o f

join

the

w orkforce,

go

to

a f o u r t h p h a s e o f e d u c a t i o n t h a t Goodlad

being

a

c o m b in a tio n

of

work,

study

and

s e r v i c e (Goodlad, 1983).
Recommendations
d e v e lo p m e n t
create

na

charged

cen te rs.
n e tw o rk

w ith

p ra ctic es."

fore stab lish in g
Goodlad

of

the

L esearch

recommended t h a t ea ch s t a t e

d istrict-b ased

schools,

sp ecifically

resp o n sib ility

of

schools

provide g re a te r

T h ese

and a h i g h e r s a l a r y f o r

would

the

and.

developing

most g i f t e d

e x e m p la r y
p restig e

educators.

Their

key p u r p o s e would be t o " d e v e lo p p r o g r a m s and d i s s e m i n a t e
d escrip tio n s
lev el

of

and

evaluatio ns

successful

of

p ractices

operation."

They

brought

would

be

to

a

closely

l i n k e d t o u n i v e r s i t i e s and t o one a n o t h e r (Goodlad, 1983).
Goodlad c o n c lu d e d
t h a t schools
tin k erin g

likely

to

America
including

do

must

w ith an e x p r e s s i o n of hope

in America co uld b e im p ro v ed .

w ith

perform ance,

h i s book

the

with

curriculum ,
the

very

credentialing

much

approach

w ith

to

"the

However, mere

standards
of

im p ro v e
ch allenge

of

teachers,
the
as

public
most

student
was

not

school.
nations,

o u r own, have a p p r o a c h e d w a r s , f o r e x a m p le— w ith

t h e e x p e c t a t i o n o f w inning" (Goodlad, 1983).

66

High S ch o o l.

"Academic s t a n d a r d s h av e s l i p p e d and t e s t

■scores h a v e d e c l i n e d .
are p ro tected

and s c h o o l s y s t e m s h ave become d i s t u r b i n g l y

b u reau cratic.
confused"
jack e t,
S chool.

In

(Boyer,

the

T e a c h e r s who a r e l e s s t h a n c o m p e te n t

short,

1983).

reader

is

the

goals

With t h e s e
introduced

to

of

education

are

words from t h e

dust

the

Hlah

1983

book

A s t u d y o f American h i g h s c h o o l s , t h e r e p o r t was

s p o n so re d by t h e C a r n e g i e F o u n d a t i o n f o r t h e Advancem ent of
T e a ch in g

and

w ritten

by

Foundation

presid en t

and

U.S. Commissioner o f E d u c a ti o n E r n e s t L. Boyer.

form er

A team o f

t w e n t y - f i v e e d u c a t o r s s p e n t two y e a r s and o v e r two t h o u s a n d
hours

v isitin g

scheduled

for

geographically
urban,
rich

fifteen
tw enty

p o o r;

and

h ig h

days.

dispersed.

suburban,
and

public

rural;

homogeneous

They

schools.
The
were

V isits

were

"schools
large

and

were
sm all;

c o m p re h e n s iv e and s p e c i a l i z e d ;
and

cu ltu rally

and

racially

mixed" (Boyer, 19B3).
B o y e r 's g o a l f o r t h e s t u d y was " t o examine t h e c u r r e n t
condition

o f American

secondary

education.

The f o c u s

t h e s t u d y was
on t h e h ig h s c h o o l as an e d u c a t i o n a l
i n s t i t u t i o n , a p l a c e where p e o p l e come t o s t u d y
and t o l e a r n .
Our s p e c i f i c aim was t o look a t
t e a c h e r s , a t s t u d e n t s , a t what i s b e i n g t a u g h t ,
s e a r c h i n g f o r ways t o s t r e n g t h e n t h e academ ic
g u a l i t y of t h e h i g h s c h o o l.
In a p r o l o g u e t o t h e s t u d y , Boyer s t a t e d :
[This] r e p o r t on t h e American h i g h s c h o o l b e g i n s
w ith t h e c o n v i c t i o n t h a t t h e tim e f o r renew ing
education has a r riv e d .
We b e l i e v e t h a t , t o d a y ,
America h a s t h e b e s t o p p o r t u n i t y i t w i l l hav e in
t h i s c e n t u r y t o im prove t h e s c h o o l s .
There is a

of

67

g ro w in g n a t i o n a l c o n s e n s u s t h a t o u r f u t u r e d e p e n d s
on p u b l i c e d u c a t i o n . . . T h e r e i s an e a g e r n e s s t o
move beyond t h e a l a r m i n g h e a d l i n e s , t o b e g i n t o
rebuild,
w ith
confidence,
the
public
schools
(B oyer, 1983).
The C a r n e g i e r e p o r t c o n c lu d e d t h a t " t h e academ ic r e p o r t
c a r d on t h e n a t i o n ' s s c h o o l s i s m ixed.”

For a
sm all p e r c e n t a g e o f s t u d e n t s — 10 t o 15
p e r c e n t p e r h a p s — t h e American h i g h s c h o o l p r o v i d e s
an
outstanding
education,
the
fin est
in
the
w o rld .
T heir
schooling
com bines
a
solid
c u r r i c u l u m w ith good t e a c h i n g .
S tu d e n ts n o t only
a r e e x p e c t e d t o remember and r e c i t e , b u t a l s o t o
e x p l o r e , t o t h i n k c r e a t i v e l y , and t o c h a l l e n g e .
A
l a r g e r p e r c e n t a g e o f s t u d e n t s — p e r h a p s 20 t o 30
p e r c e n t — mark tim e in s c h o o l o r d r o p o u t .
For
them , t h e h i g h s c h o o l e x p e r i e n c e o c c a s i o n a l l y may
be s o c ia lly s u p p o rtiv e , b u t academ ically i t ' s a
fa ilu re .
The m a j o r i t y o f s t u d e n t s a r e in t h e v a s t
m id dle
ground.
They a t t e n d s c h o o l s . . . where
p o c k e t s of e x c e l l e n c e can b e fo u nd b u t where t h e r e
is l i t t l e in t e l le c t u a l ch allenge.
Boyer

w ro te

S tates

th at

are

most

"like

secondary

the

schools

in

com m unities

the

th at

United

surround

them — s u r v i v i n g b u t n o t t h r i v i n g " (B oyer, 1983).
The

report

Commission
schools

are

th reaten s
Commission
that

the

on

rejected
E xcellence

plagued
to
on

the

place

by

in

E d u c a ti o n

a "rising
the

E xcellence,

m ediocrity

underlying

1983).

em phasized

th at

tid e

nation a t

in

finding

of

risk"

of

American

hig h

m ediocrity

th at

(The

N ational

The

researchers

the

A

N a tio n

at

r e p o r t came t o a head in t h e l a t e 1970's .
T h e r e r e m a in s , h ow ev e r, a l a r g e ,
b e tw e e n s c h o o l a c h ie v e m e n t and
a c c o m p lis h e d .
A deep erosion of
s c h o o l s , co u p le d with d i s t u r b i n g
l e a s t some o f t h e s k e p t i c i s m
made r e v i t a l i z i n g t h e American
u r g e n t m a t t e r (Boyer, 1983).

the

even a la r m in g gap
t h e t a s k t o be
confidence in our
evidence t h a t a t
i s j u s t i f i e d , h as
h i g h s c h o o l an

found
Risk

68

R e g a r d l e s s of t h e p r o b l e m s , t h e F o u n d a t i o n r e p o r t s a i d :
American
public
education
is
beginning
to
im prove.
A f t e r y e a r s o f d e c l i n e , t e s t s c o r e s hav e
l e v e l e d o f f and in some s t a t e s m o d est g a i n s have
been r e c o r d e d .
A co re cu rric u lu m i s b e g in n in g to
be shaped.
C o l le g e a d m i s s i o n s s t a n d a r d s
a r e b e in g
tig h ten ed ..
Most i m p o r t a n t l y , t h e r e i s a r e v i v a l
of i n t e r e s t in t h e n a t i o n ' s s c h o o l s .
B usiness
l e a d e r s and g o v e r n o r s a r e p ro m o tin g e d u c a t i o n and
t h e r e a r e s t i r r i n g s a t th e f e d e r a l l e v e l , too. . .
America i s t u r n i n g once a g a i n t o e d u c a t i o n (Boyer,
1983).
Boyer

id entified

school

four

s h o u ld

"essen tial

help

communicate e f f e c t i v e l y .

work

(4)

fu lfill

its

civic

To meet t h e l a s t
Unit"
were

of

req uired

included

framework

for

in

The

high

critically

and

(2) The h i g h s c h o o l s h o u l d p r o v i d e

(3) I t

college.

(1)

stu d e n ts think

a core curriculum .
or

goals."

should p r e p a r e a l l s t u d e n t s fo r

F inally,

ob ligation

the

through

high

school

s c h o o l and

should

community.

g o a l , Boyer recommended a "new C a r n e g ie
service.
tw elve

re fo rm in g

T h ese
general

the

four
th em es

American

"essen tial
th at

g o a ls "

provided

high school

a

(Boyer,

1983).
I.

C l a r i f y i n g Goals
A high
Goals

s c h o o l m ust have a c l e a r , v i t a l m is s io n .

must b e

teac h ers,

clearly

students,

stated

and

w idely

ad m in istrato rs,

and

shared

by

parents.

Goals s h o u l d " f o c u s on t h e m a s te ry o f l a n g u a g e , on a
c o r e o f common l e a r n i n g , on p r e p a r a t i o n f o r work and
fu rth er

education,

and

s e r v i c e " (B oyer, 1983).

on

community

and

civic

69

II.

The C e n t r a l i t y o f Lang uage
S t u d e n t s m ust become s k i l l e d
o ra l use of E nglish.
firB t

and

those

most

and

"The m a s t e r y o f E n g l i s h i s t h e

essen tial

d eficien t

in t h e w r i t t e n

in

goal

the

use

of
of

education."
English,

For

pre-high

s c h o o l summer p r o g r a m s and f r e s h m a n y e a r r e m e d i a t i o n
should

be provided.

"C lear

thin k in g ;

clear

w riting."

A ll h i g h s c h o o l s t u d e n t s

a basic
should

th in k in g

w riting

E nglish
also

course

include

is

the

leads
basis

the

study

of

should

on w r i t i n g .

to

clear
clear

co m p lete

The c u r r i c u l u m

of

the

sp o k e n

word

(B oyer, 1983).
III.

The C u r r i c u l u m Has a C ore
"A

core

of

common

learning

is

essen tial."

R e q u i r e d c o u r s e s in t h e c o r e c u r r i c u l u m s h o u l d e q u a l
tw o-thirds

of

T rad itio n al

and

the

in

science

" e m p h a s is

language,

units

courses

m a th e m a tic s
addition,

to tal

graduation.

lite ratu re,
should

should

arts,

for

be

histo ry ,

offered.

In

a lso be given to fo re ig n

civics,

non-W estern

studies,

t e c h n o l o g y , t h e meaning o f work, and t h e i m p o r t a n c e
of

health."

D uring

th eir

senior

year,

students

should

c o m p le te a S e n i o r I n d e p e n d e n t P r o j e c t .

would

be

a

"w ritten

sig n ific a n t social issue

report

th at

focuses

T h is
on

a

and d ra w s upon t h e v a r i o u s

f i e l d s o f s t u d y i n t h e academ ic c o r e " (B oyer, 1983).

T ransition:

To Work a n d L e a r n i n g

Today,
those

students

who

are

"think"

and

tracked
those

into

who

program s

"work"

when,

f a c t , l i f e f o r a l l of us is a blend of both.
should

be

a

single

track

for

all

for
in

There

students.

The

f i r s t two y e a r s s h o u l d b e d e v o t e d a l m o s t e x c l u s i v e l y
t o t h e common c o r e and a p o r t i o n o f t h i s work would
continue

year.

The l a s t

two y e a r s a r e f o r p u r p o s e s o f t r a n s i t i o n

w ith a b o u t

h alf

into

the

the

tim e

devoted

electiv e

clu ster

selected

academ ic

career

option,

th ird

e lectiv e

clu sters,

connected

to

art

to

would

or

or

fourth

"electiv e

in clu d e

subjects,
both.

sp eciality

g alleries,

advanced

the

a fu ll

schools

An

study

ex p lo ratio n

To o f f e r

h ig h

clu sters."

in

of

range

a
of

m ust

become

schools, l i b r a r i e s ,

museums,

colleges,

and

in d u strial

lab o ra to rie s.
To

help

students

decide

what

to

do

afte r

g ra d u a tio n , guidance s e r v ic e s should be expanded.

A

new S t u d e n t A ch ie v em en t and A d v isem en t T e s t s h o u ld
be developed.

The t e s t would b e l i n k e d t o t h e c o r e

curriculum

to

learned.

Personal

would

be

about

th eir

D e p a rtm e n t

determ ine

assessed

the

ch aracteristics
to

help

fu tu res.
of

what

B d u c a tio n

students

student
and

had

in terests

make d e c i s i o n s

F inally,

the

U nited

should

ex pand

its

States
n ational

s u r v e y of s c h o o l s t o i n c l u d e a s am p lin g o f g r a d u a t e s

from

all

learn

high

about

schools

th eir

at

four-year

post-high

school

in terv als

to

placem ent

and

e x p e r i e n c e (B oyer, 1983),

Service;

The New C a r n e g i e Unit

A ll

high

service
would

school

students

requirem ent,called
involve

them

community o r s c h o o l .
during

w ee k en d s,

students

should

o rg anizing

and

s h o u ld

c o m p le te

a

a new C a r n e g i e u n i t , t h a t

in

volunteer

work

in

the

The r e q u i r e m e n t co u ld b e met

evenings

or

have

the

the

m o n i to r in g

the

summer.

The

resp o n sib ility
new s e r v i c e

of

p ro g ra m

(B oyer, 1983).
Teacherst
High

R en ew in o _ th e P r o f e s s i o n
school

classes

plus

teachers

one

should

period

to

independent

p ro jects

each

day.

should

an

for

class

have

hour

have

help

exempt from a l l r e c e s s d u t i e s .

At

four

regular

students

with

minimum,

they

preparation

and

be

E v ery s c h o o l s h o u ld

-have a T e a c h e r E x c e l l e n c e Fund t o e n a b l e t e a c h e r s t o
compete f o r f u n d s t o c a r r y
p ro jects.

Good

outstandin g
every

teachers

teachers

d istrict.

should

should
The

out sp ecial p ro fessio n al
be

recognized

and

b e h o n ore d

annually

in

governor,

leg islatu re,

n e w s p a p e r s , p a r e n t s , s t u d e n t s , and b u s i n e s s e s may b e
involved

in

th is

reco g n itio n .

Teacher

salaries

s h o u ld b e i n c r e a s e d a t l e a s t 25% beyond t h e r a t e o f
inflatio n .

72

E v ery
p ro g ra m

high
to

school

should

encourage

g ifted

teachers.

C o l le g e s

f u ll tu itio n

sch o larsh ip s

who p l a n

teach .

to

estab lish

a

scholarship

and

a cadet

stu dents

teacher

to

univ ersities
to th e top

become

should

give

5% o f s t u d e n t s

The f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t s h o u ld

N ational

for

h ave

Teacher

stu d en ts

Service

in t h e t o p

tu itio n

th ird

of t h e i r

c l a s s who p l a n t o t e a c h in s c i e n c e and math.
P rospective

teachers

should

po in t average or b e t t e r ,

have

a letter

a

3.0

grade

o f recom mendation

from a t l e a s t two p r o f e s s o r s , and s h o u l d co m p le te a
core

of

common

o u tlin e the
th is

learn in g

academ ic

Once
teacher

m ajor,

system atically
education

Its

outside

v isit

The

to

the

s h o u ld
of

p ro g ra m ,

co m p le te

education,

schools.

A

an
and

fifth -y ear

b e b u i l t a r o u n d t h e fo llo w in g

T e a c h in g

Uses.

of

This f i f t h

W riting,
year

and

should

T e c hn olo gy
also

classroom

ob servation,

teaching

experience

series

six

learning

sem inars

of

students

b ro a d

S c h o o lin g i n Am erica, L e a r n i n g T h eo ry and

Research,
and

adm itted

candidates

c o r e s h o u ld

subjects:

in

h ig h s c h o o l c o r e c u r r i c u l u m p r o p o s e d in

report.

p ro sp ectiv e

p arallelin g

meet

one-day
w ith

scholar-teachers.

outstanding

arts

and

in

include
and

a

which
science

73

Lifelong
for

every

Teacher
to

learning
teacher.

Based

should

te a c h e rs to

proposed

essen tial

a

two-week

D evelopm ent Term f o r

teach ers

i n s t r u c t i o n * and

exp a n d

im p ro v e

k n ow led g e .
d istrict

re tra in in g is

Boyer

P rofessional

s tu d y *

and

on c o m p e t i t i v e

application*

h av e T e a c h e r T r a v e l

each

F u n d s t o allow

t r a v e l t o p r o f e s s i o n a l m e e t i n g s t o keep

c u r r e n t in t h e i r f i e l d s .

E v ery f i v e y e a rs * t e a c h e r s

s h o u l d b e e l i g i b l e t o a p p l y f o r a p a i d Summer S tu d y
Term.
A ca re e r path
developed.

"The

te a c h in g * you
be

or lad d er fo r te a c h e rs

removed

irony

is

m ust l e a v e

from

college

th at

it."

w ith

get

ah e ad

C redentialing

preparation

exam s h o u l d have t o b e p a s s e d .
c a re er path

to

s h o u ld b e

and

in

s h o u ld

a w ritten

Once c r e d e n t i a l e d * a

moving from a s s o c i a t e t o s e n i o r t e a c h e r *

app ro p riate

provided.

salary

Teacher

in creases,

perform ance

should

evaluation

be

s h o u ld

l a r g e l y b e g o v e r n e d by t e a c h e r s who have been ju d g e d
t o be o u t s t a n d i n g .
S ch o o l
p ro g ra m

d istricts
to

should

perm it

p ro fe s s io n a ls to

establish

a lectu resh ip

qualified

teach p a r t- tim e .

non-academ ic
They may i n c l u d e

p r o f e s s i o n a l s from b u s i n e s s , g o v e r n m e n t o r law o r b e
retired

personnel.

appointm ents
F lex ib ility

S c h o o ls

w ith
in

teacher

should

business
term s

consider
and

should

jo in t

industry.
allow

a

74

p ro fessio n al to

teach

and

f o r a n o t h e r one t o t h r e e - y e a r

the

E v ery

retu rn

state

C red en tial

should
to

one t o t h r e e

create

im plem ent

y ears, step

a P art-T im e

the

above

out,
te rm .

P rac titio n er

reco m m e n d atio n s

(B o y er, 1983).
VII.

In stru ctio n ;

A Time f o r L e a rn in g

Teachers

should

styles:

lectu rin g ,

questioning.
student
be

high,

v ariety

co a c h in g

em p h a s is

of

teaching

and

S ocratic

should

b e on a c t i v e

C lassroo m

ex p ectatio n s

standards

clear,

and

evaluations

S t u d e n t s s h o u l d be h e ld a c c o u n t a b l e f o r t h e i r

work.

Teachers

source

s h o u ld

m aterials.

d istricts
and

S pecial

a

p articip atio n .

should
fa ir.

use

the

g reater

exp an d

the

S tates

g reater

authority

local

d istrict

voice

in

use

of o rig in a l

should

over

s h o u ld

selectin g

give

textbook
give

the

appropriate

local

selectio n
teacher

a

m aterials

(B oy er, 1983).
V III.

T ec h n o lo g y :

E x te n d in g t h e T e a c h e r ’s Reach

The p u r p o s e
be linked

to

and u s e o f s c h o o l c o m p u t e r s s h o u ld

school o b je c tiv e s.

strategy

seems

Computer

purchasing

e q u ip m e n t

quality,

c o m p u ter

be

"buy

m aterial

a

and

s h o u ld

S pecial

plan
be

av ailab ility ,

commitment

m aterials.

establish

now

d ecisio n s

com pany's

instructional
should

to

U nfortunately, th e

E v ery

to

c o m p u te r

In stru c tio n al

later."

based
and

on
the

develop
company
M aterials

75

Fund

to

d e v e lo p

school

softw are

and

provide

inservice for teachers.
Federal

funds

T e c h n o lo g y
latest

should

Resource

S ch o o ls

A

should

relate

social

c o m p u te r
com puters,

a

establish

ten

dem onstrate

the

Commission

ev aluate

on

softw are.

resources

to th e i r

S tu d e n ts should le a rn about
of

technology

p art.

learn

to

com puter

im portance
is

to

N ational

I n s t r u c t i o n s h o u ld

educational o b jectiv es.
the

u sed

C enters

technology.

Computer

be

They

w ith

them

of

s h o u ld

and

which

the

learn about

learn

from

them

(B o y er, 1983).
IX. F le x ib ility ;
C lass
larg er

P a tte r n s to F it Purpose
schedules

blocks

science,

s h o u ld

o f tim e

foreign

in

be

flex ib le

such

language,

areas

and

to

as

perm it

lab o rato ry

creative

w riting.

Small h i g h s c h o o l s s h o u ld exp a n d t h e i r o f f e r i n g s by
using

off-cam pus

p art-tim e
2000)
for

mobile

pro fessio n als.

should
a

sites,

more

o rg anize
cohesive

Large

into
and

classroom s,

high

"schools

schools
w ithin

supportive

or
(o ver

schools"

social

setting

fo r all students.
Special
exam ination,
w ith

independent

u n iv ersities

students.
of

arrangem ents

should

such
study,
be

as
and

credit
sp ecial

available

to

by
study

gifted

F e d e r a l f u n d s s h o u l d e s t a b l i s h a n etw o rk

R esidential

Academies

in

Science

and

76

M a th e m a tic s .
E lem entary
fully

T itle
and

funded

(the

Secondary
to

p articip ate

in

cooperation

w ith

school

I

E d u c a ti o n

support

all

rem edial

should

a

a

Act)

should

be

elig ib le

to

Working

in

students

program s.

community

h av e

federally-funded

college,

re-en try

every

program

high

to

allow

d r o p o u t s t o c o m p le te t h e i r e d u c a t i o n (B oyer, 1983).
X.

The P r i n c i p a l as L e a d e r
As

the

co m p le te

all

key

educator,

licensing
a

the

principal

requirem ents

principal,

for

a

p o ten tial

s h o u ld
teacher.

B efore

becoming

can d id ates

should

s e r v e one y e a r a s an " a d m i n i s t r a t i v e i n t e r n "

and a t l a s t two y e a r s as an a s s i s t a n t .
P rincipals

and

th eir

staffs

control over th e ir

budgets.

have

Im p ro ve m e n t

a

S ch o o l

discretio n ary
sem inars,
g reater
th eir

money f o r

in serv ice,
control

teach ers.

P rincipals
current

s h o u ld

w ith

the

of

have g r e a t e r

E v ery p r i n c i p a l s h o u ld
Fund

to

provide

sp e c ia l program s, m a te rials,

etc.
the
A

should

P rincipals

s e l e c t i o n • and
n etw o rk

be esta b lish e d
latest

of
to

should

have

re w a r d i n g
Academies

of
for

keep p r i n c i p a l s

d e v e lo p m e n t s

in

education

(B oy er, 1983).
XI.

S tre n g th e n in g Connections
High s c h o o l s a r e c o n n e c t e d t o e l e m e n t a r y , j u n i o r
h i g h and h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n .
h ig h

schools

w ill l a r g e ly

The q u a l i t y o f American
be s h a p e d

by t h e q u a l i t y

77

of t h e s e c o n n e c t i o n s .
S chool-C ollege
recommended
education.

A ll s t a t e s

should e s t a b l i s h a

C oordination

academ ic

Panel

requirem ents

to

C o l le g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s

com prehensive p a r t n e r s h i p
adm ission,

advanced

exam ination

d efin e

enter

higher

s h o u ld form a

with h i g h s c h o o l s .

placem ent,

should

to

be

and

av ailable

E arly

cred it

for

the

by
able

stud en ts.
S c h o o ls
in d u stry .

should

stren gthen

to b u s in e s s

and

B u s i n e s s e x p e r t i s e can b e v e r y h e l p f u l t o

schools

in s t r e n g t h e n i n g

science

program s,

g ran ts

to

new t e c h n o l o g i e s , math and

fa cility

and t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m s .
or

ties

im p rov em ent,

inventories,

They can p r o v i d e c a s h aw ard s

outstanding

They can h e l p e s t a b l i s h

teach ers

or

p rincipals.

f a m ily c o u n s e l i n g

program s,

t u t o r i a l p r o g r a m s , o r even an a p p r e n t i c e s h i p p ro g ra m
f o r h ig h r i s k s t u d e n t s (B oyer, 1983).
XII.

E x c e ll e n c e !

The P u b l i c Commitment

S ch o o l

im provem ent

commitment.

Parent

P aren t-T each er-S tu d en t
established
activ ely

at

all

involved

depends
volunteer

A d v is o ry

schools.
in

on
program s

C o u n c ils
P aren ts

school

board

public
and

s h o u ld
should

m eetings

be
be
and

electio n s.
Community
Schools--should

c o a litio n s — C itizen s
be

formed

to

for

support

Public
education.

B o ard s o f e d u c a t i o n s h o u ld h av e s p e c i a l m e e tin g s f o r

78

th e ir

e m p lo y e e s .

th e ir

p r im a r y

The

sta tes

s h o u ld

r e sp o n sib ility

is

to

r e c o g n iz e

e s ta b lish

th a t

general

s t a n d a r d s and t o p r o v i d e f i s c a l s u p p o r t .

The f e d e r a l
establishing
Equ ip m en t

government

excellence.

fund

should

s h o u ld

equipm ent.
achieve

and
A ll

be

established

for

high

a p artn er

in

A new S ch o o l B u ild in g and

s h o r t - t e r m r low i n t e r e s t l o a n s t o
reh ab ilitatio n

be

of

should

The

provide

schools fo r p la n t

purchase

schools

excellen ce.

to

sp ecial

take

C arnegie

steps

to

Foundation

b e l i e v e s t h a t t h e s c h o o l s can meet t h e c h a l l e n g e t o
p r o v i d e e x c e l l e n c e (B oyer, 1983).

Summary
T h is

chapter

contained

a

lite ra tu re

re v ie w

of

p a r t i c i p a n t s i n f l u e n c i n g c h a n g e and a re v ie w of e i g h t major
excellence

reports.

p articip an ts

of t h e c h a n g e

p ro ject, th e
were

researcher

capable

p articip an ts
members,
sphere

influencing

were

identified

principals,
of

iden tified

the
the

as

Michigan

American

S tate

T h ese

F or t h i s

in tern al

su p erin ten d en ts,

students

influences

M ichigan

external

how i n t e r n a l p a r t i c i p a n t s
change.

The e i g h t major
by

and

p r o c e s s were re v ie w e d .

teach ers,

possible

A dm inistrators,
the

in tern al

examined

of

p articip an t.

and

Both

and

was

A ssociation

A ssociation

D e p a rtm e n t o f

citizens.

given

ex cellence

board
A

for

ea ch

rep orts

were

of

of School

E ducation, as

S chool
B o ard s
major

79

w ork s in t h e e x c e l l e n c e m ovem ent.
th ese

rep o rts

ra n g ed

o r g a n iz a tio n ;

from

r e q u ir e m e n t s
tr a in in g

and

to

from

The re c o m m e n d a tio n s from

su b ject

in s titu tio n a l
ex ten d ed

in v o lv in g

m a tte r

to

c u r r ic u lu m

str a te g ie s

to

g r a d u a t io n

school

years;

b u sin e ss

and

and

i n s t r u c t i o n a l p ro g ra m — and m ore.

from

in d u str y

The f o l l o w i n g

teach er
in

is

th e

a sh ort

r e v ie w o f t h e s e e i g h t e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s .

M ortim er

A d le r's

strengthen

Paideia

o n e - t r a c k , 1 2 - y e a r s y s te m o f p u b l i c e d u c a t i o n d e d i c a t e d

to

general

lib eral

Three prim ary goals
and

sp iritu al

in stitu tio n s

to
a

thorough

dem ocratic

proposed
w ith

a

A m e r ic a 's

Proposal

education

were i d e n t i f i e d

g ro w th

and

for

as:

im provem ent;

all

stu dents.

(1) m e n ta l, moral
(2)

the

making

of

good c i t i z e n s ; and (3) t h e c a p a c i t y f o r e v e r y a d u l t t o ea rn
a

liv in g

in

objectives
curriculum

our

can
for

advanced
be

all

attained
students

l i t e r a t u r e and t h e f i n e a r t s ;
and

(3)

histo ry ,

in d u strial

geography,

by

economy.

im plem enting

consisting

o f:

(1)

T hese
a

c o re

language,

(2) math and n a t u r a l s c i e n c e ;
and

social

studies.

P hysical

e d u c a t i o n , i n t r a m u r a l s p o r t s , and h e a l t h e d u c a t i o n would be
taught

all

12 y e a r s .

second

language.

The

Upon

o n ly

elec tiv e

c o m p le tio n

of

would
the

s c h o o l i n g , ea ch s t u d e n t would h ave a c q u i r e d
(1)

an

organized

curriculum

areas;

body
(2)

of

know ledg e

in telle ctu al

in

each

sk ills

12

be fo r

a

years

of

th e follow ing:
of

the

necessary

core
to

a p p ly t h a t knowledge; and (3) an e n l a r g e d u n d e r s t a n d i n g of
i d e a s and v a l u e s n e c e s s a r y t o expand t h e i r know ledg e b a s e .

80

T e a c h e r s co uld

use

(1)

instruction;

didactic

th re e d i f f e r e n t teaching
(2)

coaching

m e t h o d o lo g ie s :
and

supervised

p r a c t i c e ; and (3) S o c r a t i c q u e s t i o n i n g .
The
h ig h

A N ation

at

school y e a rs

Risk

and

report

focused

represented

the

p rim arily
end

on t h e

p r o d u c t o f an

e x h a u s t i v e c o l l e c t i o n of t e s t i m o n y and do cu m en ts a d d r e s s i n g
t h e q u a l i t y o f e d u c a t i o n in t h e United S t a t e s .

T h e r e were

t h r e e e s s e n t i a l m e ssag e s

in t h e r e p o r t :

(1) t h e n a t i o n i s

at

not

was

risk;

(2)

m ediocrity,

American

education;

to lerate

m ediocrity.

and

and

The C om mission's

into fiv e ca te g o ries:
teach in g ,

Im p lem entin g

Am ericans

do

We can do b e t t e r ,

m ust do b e t t e r .

tim e ,

(3}

excellence,

the
not

s h o u ld

norm

in

have

to

do b e t t e r ,

recom m endation f e l l

c o n t e n t , s t a n d a r d s and e x p e c t a t i o n s ,

and

leadership

and

fiscal

support.

reco m m e n d atio n s were o f f e r e d w ith ea ch o f t h e

f i v e b a s i c re co m m e n d atio n s.
Making t h e Grade:__ R e p o rt of t h e Twen t i e t h C e n t u r y Fund
f o c u s e d on t h e l e g i t i m a t e and e s s e n t i a l r o l e o f t h e f e d e r a l
governm ent

in

education.

The

reco m m e n d atio n s
education.

education,
choice

of

for

the

of

the

students,
fo sterin g
schooling

elem entary
presented

federal
included

encouraging

p rim a c y

s p e a k in g

report

T h ese

lead e rsh ip ,
the

supporting

quality

English

in

and
a

of

to

im pro ving

educational

teach ers,

language

im prove

establishing

among

non-E nglish
m a th e m a tic s

science

and

education

research,

and

students

v ariety

government

im p ro v in g

to

secondary

and p a r e n t s .

providing

a

The r e p o r t

81

indicated

th at

the

was

the

One

of

the

establishm ent

d e v e lo p m e n t
the

The Task
were

most

im portant

of lite racy

re p o rt's

more

of

But

a national

they

in

the

in terestin g

F o r c e ac k n o w le d g e d

co stly.

objective

fe lt

education

E nglish

language.

re c o m m e n d a tio n s

M aster

th at

of

T ea c h e r's

P rog ram .

many o f t h e i r

education

was

was

proposals

every

b it

as

i m p o r t a n t as t a n k s , p l a n e s , s h i p s and h ig h w a y s .
Academic P r e p a r a t i o n

for

C ollege o u tlin e d

w hat c o l l e g e

e n t r a n t s n e e d e d t o know an d b e a b l e t o do f o r s u c c e s s in
college.
of

The r e p o r t r e f l e c t e d c o n s e n s u s v iew s of h u n d r e d s

academ ic

sp ecialists,

adm issions o f f i c e r s
academ ic

from a l l

c o m p e t e n c ie s

in telle ctu al
fields

teachers,

of

sk ills
college

p arts

w ere

guidance coun selo rs
of th e

iden tified

essen tial

to

study.

B asic

as

b ro a d

are

the
work

reading,

all

w riting,

and

studying.

Knowledge o f h i s t o r y , s c i e n c e , l a n g u a g e , and a l l

In

subjects

addition

also

to

id en tified

social stu d ie s,

is
th e

m a th e m a tic s ,

in

speaking

other

listen in g ,

country.

effective

They

and

im possible
basic

w ithout

these

com petencies,

E nglish,

the

and f o r e i g n

arts,

reasoning,

the

and

c o m p e t e n c ie s .
C o l le g e

m a th e m a tic s ,

Board

science,

l a n g u a g e a s t h e b a s i c academ ic

subject.
H o ra c e 's Compromise:
School

is

the

first

The Dilemma of t h e American High

of th r e e

b o o k s from A s t u d y

of

High

Schools.

H o ra c e 's Compromise i s an a c c o u n t of t h e a u t h o r ' s

v isits

h ig h

the

to

teaching

schools
and

across

learn in g

the

nation.

processes

and

He f o c u s e d
the

on

excessive

82

com prom ises
with
of

what

th at
the

educators

author,

are

forced

to

T h e o d o re

S izer,

calls

schools— sp e c ific a lly ,

teacher,

and

subject

a

and

critical

on t h e

which t h e t r i a n g l e f u n c t i o n s .
four

make.
the

trian g le

clim ate

It

"insides"

of

of t h e

S izer divided

d eals

student,
s c h o o l in

h i s book i n t o

s e c t i o n s t h r o u g h which he d e v e lo p e d h i s them e o f t h e

dilemma

of

the

American

high

school:

the

student,

p ro g ra m , t h e t e a c h e r , and t h e b u r e a u c r a t i c p r o b l e m s .
proposed

a

S c h o o ls

su b stan tial

m ust

d elivering

a

and l e a r n

for

stop

restructuring

the

serv ice

idea

and

of

start

them selves.

of

the

giving,

Sizer

h ig h

s c h o o l.

p resen tin g

inspiring

M a ste ry

the

kids

or

to

explore

of th e s u b je c t

m atter,

m o t iv a ti o n a n d l e a r n i n g s t y l e a r e t h e i m p o r t a n t e l e m e n t s .
A c t i o n ... f o r
b e tw e e n
support

a

E xcellence

strong

n ee d ed

addressed

natio n al

to

fo ster

economy

and

the

and

su stain

relation ship

the

it.

ed u catio n al

The t a s k

force

w ro te t h a t s t u d e n t s n ee d ed more t h a n minimum c o m p eten c e in
reading,
of

w riting,

m a th e m a tic s ,

com puters,- and

other

areas.

science,

reasoning,

They need

the

the

ab ility

use
to

com prehend a s im p le w r i t t e n m essag e , t o com pute with whole
n u m b e rs and t h e
of th e task

m a s t e r y of w r i t i n g

m e c h a n ic s.

The t h e s i s

f o r c e r e p o r t was t h a t o u r f u t u r e s u c c e s s as a

n a t i o n , o ur n a t i o n a l d e f e n s e , o u r s o c i a l s t a b i l i t y
being
to

and

im prove

report
and

national

p ro sp erity ,

education

listed

listen in g ,

basic

and

w ill depend

train in g

sk ills

m a th e m a tic s ,

as

for

our

reading,

science

and

and w ell

on o u r

ab ility

citizen s.

w riting,

The

s p e a k in g

reasoning.

The

83

report

listed

three

new a r e a s

as

employment c o m p e t e n c ie s ,

b a s i c economic com petency and c o m p u te r l i t e r a c y .
A

P lace

m u lti-year

C a lle d
" S tu d y

investigators

S ch o o l

culm inated

of

Schooling*"

$4

m illio n

spent

schools.

Goodlad f o u n d t h a t

The

and

study

eight

and

years

43

making

38 e l e m e n t a r y and

produced

most c l a s s r o o m s

G o o d la d 's

Goodlad

o b s e r v a t i o n s on o v e r 1000 c l a s s r o o m s in
secondary

John

many

findings.

were " e m o t i o n a l l y f l a t "

and t h a t s t u d e n t s l o s e i n t e r e s t a s t h e y move from g r a d e t o
grade.

P a r t of the

curriculum
schools
start

planning

are

a

on

have

recommended

not

not

fourth

education,

exceed

b etw e en
the

given

Goodlad

th eir

general

enrollm ents
should

is

to o l a r g e .

school

receive

reason i s t h a t te a c h e r s ta lk

400

600

elim in atio n of " tra c k in g ."

attention

birth d ay ,

th at

and

elem entary

and

th at

800
of

that

secondary

students.
"head

all

He

teachers"

children
school
schools
fu rth er
and t h e

O th e r f i n d i n g s showed t h a t o v e r

70% of t o t a l s t u d e n t tim e was s p e n t on i n s t r u c t i o n
curricular

d om in an ce

m a th e m a tic s .
the

state,

of

E n g lish/language

w ith a

arts

and

Recommendations f o r im provem ent were g i v e n a t
d istrict

re co m m e n d atio n s
reshaping

and

recommended t h a t c h i l d r e n

and

establishm ent

enou gh

to o much,

of t h e

were

and
given

school
for

s c h o o l and t h e

level.

teachers,

Specific

curriculum ,

the

establishm ent of research

and d e v e lo p m e n t c e n t e r s .
High S c h o o l i s t h e s t u d y o f A m erican h ig h s c h o o l s b y a
team o f t w e n t y - f i v e e d u c a t o r s who s p e n t tw o y e a r s and o v e r

84

two

thousand

hours

v isitin g

fifte e n public

high

schools.

The r e p o r t c a l l e d f o r a " r e n e w a l" o f American ed u c a tio n # an
e m p h a s is

on

teaching

com m unication

sk ills,

conditions

for

contention

th at

"rising

tid e

stu d e n ts to

w ritten

and h i g h e r pay and im proved

teach ers.
American

of

m aster

The
high

m ediocrity."

report

schools
The

rejected

are

report

working

plagued

the
by

contended

a

th at

s u c h m e d i o c r i t y came t o a head i n t h e l a t e 1970's and s i n c e
t h a t tim e e d u c a t i o n
standardized
more

has ex p erien ced

m odest im p rov em ent i n

t e s t scores, tig h ten in g

o f t h e c u r r i c u l u m and

strin g en t

college

adm issions

standards.

F or

fifteen

p e r c e n t o f American s t u d e n t s , p u b l i c h ig h s c h o o l s o f f e r an
ex cellen t
m ajority
at

of

tim es

th irty

students,

achieving

percent

failed .
th at

education — th e

the

of

public

in

the

year

But

n a tio n 's
included
s h o u ld

the

education

excellence.

O th e r f i n d i n g s
school

best

be

w orld.
has

the

been

fo r about

students,

the

rejectio n

lengthened.

F or

the

adequate,
tw enty

to

schools

have

of t h e

idea

R ather,

the

r e p o r t c a l l e d f o r b e t t e r u s e o f c u r r e n t i n s t r u c t i o n a l tim e .

C h a p te r I I I :

C h a p te r
research
e a ch

ill

discusses

METHODOLOGY

the

m ethodology

used f o r t h i s

p r o j e c t and i n c l u d e s t h e i n t e r v i e w q u e s t i o n s aske d

p articip an t.

The

exp lo rato ry .

The

the

stu d ies

six

case

In itial

These

substan tiated

w ith

p ro fessio n als

w ithin

questions

was

both

q u a l i t a t i v e and

m ethodology used f o r d e v e l o p i n g ea c h o f
was

interview ing

questions.

study

th a t of in-depth interv iew in g .

was

done

first
the

w ith

questions

were

assistan ce

the

field

a

of

of

protocol
d e v e lo p e d

th ree

ed u catio n .

of
and

well-known
F o llo w -u p

and a d d i t i o n a l a r e a s were e x p l o r e d as a r e s u l t o f

the i n i t i a l in terv iew q u e s tio n s .

Methodology
The

research

six

M ichigan

was

an

p ro ject

school

ex p loratory

approxim ately
interview ed
p rin cip als,
in d iv id u als
q u alitativ e

a

d i s t r i c t s l o c a t e d i n s m a l l to w n s.
study.

Each

su p erin ten d en ts,

It

case study re p re se n ted

dozen i n - d e p t h i n t e r v i e w s .
assistan t

The r e s e a r c h e r
su p erin ten d en ts,

b o ard members, community l e a d e r s , t e a c h e r s , and
serving
method

d is tr ic t's

response

easily

extracted

be

c o n s is te d of s ix case s tu d ie s of

on

ex cellence

c o m m itte e s .

The

o f r e s e a r c h was chosen b e c a u s e a s c h o o l
to

the

in to

e x c e l l e n c e movement c o u ld n o t
numbers.

T h ere were sim p ly to o

many t h i n g s happ en ing t o r e d u c e t o numbers.
85

86

s o c i o l o g i s t s u s u a l l y use t h i s method ( q u a l i t a t i v e )
when
they
ace
esp e cially
in terested
in
understanding
a
p articu lar
o rg an izatio n
or
substantive
p ro b lem
r a t h e r th a n d e m o n s t r a t i n g
re la tio n s
between a b s t r a c t l y d e f i n e d v a r i a b l e s
(B e c k e r, 1 9 8 5 ).
The

s i x s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s s e l e c t e d f o r c a s e s t u d i e s were

chosen on t h e b a s i s o f t h e f o l l o w i n g c r i t e r i a :
(1)

School

size

as

between

1000

and 4000 s t u d e n t s .

these

measured

by

enrollm ent

varied

D i s t r i c t s w ithin

en ro llm en ts re p re s e n t the m a jo rity o f school

d i s t r i c t s i n M ichigan .
(2)

The

d i s t r i c t s s e l e c t e d f o r c a s e s t u d y were l o c a t e d

i n c e n t r a l M ich ig an.
(3)

Bach d i s t r i c t had a s i n g l e s e n i o r h ig h s c h o o l .

(4)

The

superintendent

served

in

h i s / h e r a s s ig n m e n t

f o r a minimum o f t h r e e y e a r s .
The
of

m ethodology f o r d e v e l o p i n g each c a s e s t u d y was t h a t

in-depth in terv iew in g .

used.
areas

In itia lly
suggested

a
by

Two i n t e r v i e w i n g p r o c e d u r e s were

protocol
the

was

developed.

A dditional

r e s p o n s e s were e x p l o r e d .

In some

c a s e s , i n t e r v i e w e e s were i n t e r v i e w e d more th a n o n c e .
A fter

sp e n d in g

some

sup erin ten d en t,

the

th e

response

d is tr ic t's

s u p e rin te n d e n t's
who

played

the

ca ll

researcher

tim e

g e t t i n g ac q u ain ted w ith th e

researcher

response

to

ask e d q u e s t i o n s c o n c e r n i n g

t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.

indicated

The

o t h e r key i n d i v i d u a l s

an i m p o r t a n t p a r t in t h e d i s t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o
fo r ex cellen ce.
interview ed

W ith in ea c h s c h o o l d i s t r i c t , th e
all

activ e

p articip an ts

who

87

contributed

to

ex cellen ce.

the

shaping

of the d i s t r i c t ' s response to

These i n d i v i d u a l s i n c l u d e d t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t ,

assistan t

su p erin ten d en t,

p rin cip als,

board

members,

t e a c h e r s , and i n d i v i d u a l s s e r v i n g on e x c e l l e n c e c o m m i tt e e s .
For

th is

study,

m e th od olog y.

A ltho ug h

interview ing,
c o u ld

be

th at

are

p ro b lem s i n h e r e n t w i t h

was c o n f i d e n t t h e s e prob lem s
disadvantages

relian ce

v alid ity .

on

the

were

th at

su b jects

the
b ein g

M u ltip le in te rv ie w s w ith in each

a measure o f v a l i d i t y a s t o t h e a c c u r a c y

d is tr ic t's

believe

The

to tal

provided

the

The

for

th ere

researcher

placed

interview ed

of

the

overcome.

technique

d istric t

i n t e r v i e w i n g seemed t h e o n l y s u i t a b l e

response.

T h e re was l i t t l e

reason to

t h e i n t e r v i e w e e s p r e v a r i c a t e d from t h e t r u t h .

researcher

presented

an

o b jectiv ity

and

did

not

v a lid ity

and

r e p r e s e n t any s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t g r o u p .
The

researcher

re lia b ility

w ith

a

d istrict.

The

most

synthesis
c o u ld

d escribing

be

used

d istricts.

In

to

attem pted
dozen

or

serious

to
more

satisfy

in terv iew s per school

o b j e c t i o n ' was

w hether t h e

the responses of s ix school d i s t r i c t s
g eneralize

to

other

sim ilar

school

an a r t i c l e on t h e o r e t i c a l s a m p l i n g , G l a s e r

and S t r a u s s w r o t e :
Conventional
theo rizin g
claim s
g e n e ra lity of
scope;
th at
is,
one
assumes
t h a t i f the
r e l a t i o n s h i p h o l d s f o r one g roup un der c e r t a i n
co nditions,
i t w i l l p r o b a b l y h o ld f o r o t h e r g ro u p s
under t h e same c o n d i t i o n s .
T h i s a s s u m p tio n o f
p ersisten ce
is
su bject
only
to
b e in g
disproven—not
p r o v e n —when
other s o c io lo g is ts
q u e s t i o n i t s c r e d i b i l i t y ( G l a s e r , 1 96 7 ).

88

M in tzb erg

m aintained

technique

th at

th at

"such

d irec t

research

is

a

makes up i n d e p t h what i t l a c k s i n b r e a d t h "

( M i n t z b e r g , 1 9 7 9 ).

Review and V e r i f i c a t i o n o f t h e I n t e r v ie w Q u e s t i o n s
In

developing

p articip an t,

the

a

w ell-q u alified

making

and

the

larg e

g reatest
L isted

Michigan

experience.

of

the

p ossible
b elow ,

th eir

suggestions

ex ecutive

o f School B o ard s.
a

b ro a d

ra n g e

of

They have a l l re a c h e d t h e summit
areas
from

boards

credence

was

of edu cation .

T h is

the u n i v e r s i t y , p u b lic
devised

t o g i v e th e

to the in te rv ie w in g q u e s tio n s .

alp h ab e tica lly ,

g en tlem en

the c u r re n t

possesses

ex p ertise
school

and

A ssociation

respective

mix

form at.

system ,

g e n tle m e n

these

and

interview

U n i v e r s i t y , a r e t i r e d s u p e r i n t e n d e n t from a

the

and

the i n i t i a l

dean o f t h e C o l l e g e o f E d u c a ti o n a t

th eir

schools

of

past

these

p articu lar

re v ie w in g

school

ed u catio n al
w ithin

p r o f e s s i o n a l e d u c a t o r s a s s i s t i n th e

a

for

of

each

p urpo se, th e re se a rc h e r chose th r e e

city

Each

for

th is

S tate

d irec to r

questions

For

in d iv id u als:
Michigan

of

r e s e a r c h e r acknowledged t h e im p o r t a n c e o f

h aving

questions.

protocol

are

the

q u a lif ic a tio n s of

t o s e r v e i n t h e re v ie w c a p a c i t y a lo n g w ith

Each

and comments f o r t h e i n t e r v i e w q u e s t i o n s
o f t h e s e comments and s u g g e s t i o n s were

in co rp o rated in to the f i n a l d r a f t o f in te rv ie w q u e s tio n s .

89

Dr.

H arry

schools

for

p rin cip al,
two

of

his

last

Ann

of

Dr.

the

is

M ichigan .

best

superintendent

of

He h as been a t e a c h e r ,

known s c h o o l s y s t e m s .

w ell

all

Ann A r b o r ,

recognized

M ichigan

as

one

of

the

superintendencies.

most

For many

Howard s e r v e d as a l e a d e r and l e a d i n g spokesman

Michigan A s s o c i a t i o n o f School A d m i n i s t r a t o r s .

cu rren tly

three

re tire d

s c h o o l d i s t r i c t , i s t h e home o f t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f

d ifficu lt

is

the

A rb o r ,

M i c h i g a n 's

and

for

is

a s s i s t a n t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , and s u p e r i n t e n d e n t f o r

M ichigan

years,

Howard

the

senior

president

p artn ers

of

in

a

He

C l e a r y C o l l e g e and one o f
p restig io u s

M ic h ig a n -b a s e d

ed u catio n al co n su ltin g firm .
Dr.

Howard

carefu lly .
led

to

several
that

in d iv id u al
a

undoubtedly

be

orig in al

questions

very

r e v i s i o n o f many q u e s t i o n s and t h e a d d i t i o n o f

new q u e s t i o n s .

d is tr ic t's
be

of

w ritten

One o f h i s k e e n e s t o b s e r v a t i o n s was

perceptions

about
response

who
to

i n i t i a t e d and who
excellence

w ill

d i f f e r e n t d e p e n d in g upon who t h e r e s e a r c h e r

interview ing.

expression

the

He made keen o b s e r v a t i o n s and s u g g e s t i o n s which

the

m o t iv a te d

was

re vie w ed

Dr.

Howard,

d isplaying

a

v isib le

i n t r i g u e , s a i d t h a t t h e s e p e r c e p t i o n s s h o u ld

down

ex actly

as

r e p o r t e d and t h a t t h e y would

t h e r e f o r e add g r e a t l y t o t h e r i c h n e s s o f t h e s t u d y .
Dr.
of

K e i t h Goldhammer i s t h e r e t i r e d dean o f t h e C o l l e g e

E d u c a ti o n

at

Michigan S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y .

teacher,

p rin cip al,

professor,

and d e a n .

school

He has been a

su p erin ten d en t,

author,

Most s i g n i f i c a n t l y , Dr. Goldhammer i s

90

nationally
tim e.

known

He

is

as

one

of

the

great

e d u c a to rs o f our

c u r r e n t l y one o f t h r e e s e n i o r p a r t n e r s i n a

p r e s t i g i o u s M i c h ig a n -b a s e d e d u c a t i o n a l c o n s u l t i n g f i r m .
D r.

Goldhammer

p articu lar
him self,

study.
he

fe lt

d ev e lo p m e n t
for

of

The

author

that

the

of

several

in-depth

understanding

were

Goldhammer

f i r s t t o s u g g e s t t h e need f o r t h i s
case s tu d ie s

interview

and

the

i n d i v i d u a l c a s e s t u d i e s was t h e b e s t method

thoroughly

d istricts

was

was

how

sm all

Michigan

school

r e s p o n d i n g t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.

Dr.

instrum ental

the

in

the

d ev elo pm ent

of

fo r m a t and t h e l a n g u a g e f o r t h e i n t e r v i e w q u e s t i o n s .
In

lig h t

determ ine

of

how

th e f a c t t h a t th e re se a rc h e r attem pted to

six

Michigan

s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s responded t o

the

1983 e x c e l l e n c e movement, Dr. Goldhammer i n d i c a t e d t h a t

the

q u e s t i o n s cho se n f o r i n t e r v i e w i n g would s e r v e as a good

g u id e

for

system .
should
as

interview ing
He

be

stressed

re d u c e d

possible.

interview

was

interview s
suggested

question

f lo w

more

richness
In
the

the

school

t o i t s s i m p l e s t form and be a s e x p l i c i t
noting

open -en ded

and

case

stu d ies

th at

w ithin

t h a t t h e l a n g u a g e f o r ea ch q u e s t i o n

F in ally ,

and

e a ch

p articip an ts

th at
being

the
the

him self,

fo r m a t

of the

v e t e r a n o f many
Dr.

Goldhammer

i f t h e r e s e a r c h e r c o u l d more o r l e s s commit
to

memory,

t h e i n d i v i d u a l i n t e r v i e w s would

n a t u r a l l y a t a c o n v e r s a t i o n a l l e v e l and t h a t t h e
of

the

o v e r a l l s t u d y c o u l d be g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e d .

making t h a t s u g g e s t i o n , he em phasized s e v e r a l t im e s t h a t
essen tial

inform ation

from

ea ch

s u f f i c i e n t l y and t h o r o u g h l y p r o v i d e d .

question

had t o be

91

Dr.
for
a

Norman Weinheimer i s t h e c u r r e n t e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r

t h e M ichigan A s s o c i a t i o n o f School B o a rd s .
teach er,

at

p r i n c i p a l , s c h o o l s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , and p r o f e s s o r

Michigan

p o sitio n ,
R apids,

S tate

he
one

of

M ichigan

clearly
For

at

U n iv ersity .

was

P rior

superintendent

M ichig an 's

schoold i s t r i c t s .
the

He has been

of

larg est

His p o s i t i o n
A ssociation

to

his

schools
and

current

for

Grand

most c h a l l e n g i n g

as ex e cu tiv e d i r e c t o r fo r

of

School

Boards

places

him

t h e summit o f M ichigan p u b l i c s c h o o l e d u c a t i o n .

many y e a r s , t h e name o f Norm Weinheimer has been w i d e l y

recognized

in

researcher

and

out

of

M ichigan

ed ucation .

T h is

and many o t h e r s s e e Dr. Weinheimer a s M i c h i g a n 's

senior

spokesman f o r e d u c a t i o n .

highly

respected personal

He has been a t r u s t e d and

advisor fo r t h i s research er

for

many y e a r s .
Dr.

Weinheimer

carefu lly .
and

the

questions
valuable
have
and

the

o rig in al

q u e s tio n s very

He was o p e n l y i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e r e s e a r c h t o p i c
fo c u s o f t h e q u e s t i o n s .

veryin s tru m e n ta l
program s

rev iew ed

of
and

in

leading

ex cellen ce.
the

inform ation

He

resu ltin g
as

to

His o r g a n i z a t i o n has been

school

d istric ts

thought
case

t h a t the in te rv ie w

stu d ies

would p r o v i d e

how Michigan s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s

re sp on de d t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.
co m p arability,

toward

For c o n s i s t e n c y

he s t r e s s e d t h a t p a r t i c i p a n t s s h o u l d be

asked ea ch q u e s t i o n a s w r i t t e n .

92

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT
G e n e ra l Q u e s t i o n s f o r Opening t h e I n t e r v i e w D i s c u s s i o n
I.

As I 'm s u r e you

know, t h e r e l e a s e o f t h e

R is k r e p o r t

the

in

c r e d i t e d w ith
to

of

1983

is

in itia l

ex cellence in

thrust

t h e n a t i o n ’s s c h o o l s .

r e p o r t was f o l l o w e d

r e p o rts , task fo rc e s , sp e c ia l

at

generally

the beginning of a n atio n -w id e

provide fo r

That

spring

N atio n

by s c o r e s

o f new

l e g i s l a t i o n and recom­

m en d atio n s from numerous o r g a n i z a t i o n s .
1.

Do you

t h i n k t h i s e x c e l l e n c e movement w i l l even­

t u a l l y p ro v e t o be j u s t a n o t h e r

p a s s i n g fa d w ith

no l a s t i n g b e n e f i t s o r do you b e l i e v e
i c a n e d u c a t i o n has been p e r m a n e n t ly

t h a t Amer­
changed w ith

lo n g -la stin g b en efits?
2.

Did

y ou r

d i s t r i c t re sp on d

w ith

a program

for

ex cellence?
3.

If

t h e r e was a r e s p o n s e ,

do you

s p o n s e was l a r g e l y an e f f o r t

think th a t re ­

to s a t i s f y

various

g roups such a s t h e b o a r d , s t a f f , community, s t a t e
d e p a r t m e n t , MASB o r do you t h i n k t h e r e was a s i n ­
cere

recognition

t h a t the

d istrict

needed

to

improve i t s s t a n d a r d s and p r o v i d e f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
II.

The f o l l o w i n g
sp ecifically

questions
at

your

e x c e l l e n c e movement*

are

designed to

d i s t r i c t ’s

response

look more
to

th e

In t h i s f i r s t s e t o f q u e s t i o n s ,

I am i n t e r e s t e d in d i s c o v e r i n g who i n i t i a t e d t h e d i s ­
t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement. The word

in itia te

is

used

t o i d e n t i f y who

took

the

first

a c t i o n t o r e s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Would you d e s c r i b e

any new spaper, r a d i o , o r T.V.

e d i t o r i a l s t h a t may

have i n f l u e n c e d y o u r

school

t o make a r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement?
2.

Were t h e r e any
e i t h e r you

community

g ro u p s which r e q u e s t e d

o r y o ur Board t o make

a response fo r

ex cellence?
3.

Would you

d e s c r i b e t h e i n f l u e n c e o f any i n d i v i d ­

u a l community members who s u g g e s t e d
the school

t o make

t h e need f o r

a response to th e ex c elle n ce

movement?
4.

Did members from t h e
t h a t the

school

teaching s t a f f ever suggest

should

d e v e lo p

an

excellence

response?
5.

Was t h e Board f i r s t t o r e q u e s t t h a t e i t h e r you o r
your

a d m i n i s t r a t i o n d e v e lo p an r e s p o n s e

to

the

e x c e l l e n c e movement?
6.

I f so,
the

i n y ou r
Board

d e v e lo p

to

o p i n i o n , who o r what
make

a policy

or

th eir

in itia l

program f o r

influenced
request

dealing

to
w ith

excellence?
7.

Did you o r y o u r
w ith

a d m i n i s t r a t i o n p r e s e n t t h e Board

an u n s o l i c i t e d r e s p o n s e t o

movement?

the

ex cellen ce

94

8.

In

y o u r o p i n i o n , what f a c t o r s

your

i n f l u e n c e d you o r

board t o make t h i s i n i t i a l p r o p o s a l o f p r o ­

viding f o r excellence?
III.

In t h i s sec o n d s e t o f q u e s t i o n s , I

am

in te r e s te d in

i d e n t i f y i n g t h o s e f o r c e s , p r e s s u r e s , d r i v e s , needs o r
tensions

which may have been

the m otivation f o r the

d i s t r i c t to develop i t s response to e x c e lle n c e .
1.

In y o u r o p i n i o n , what

m o tivational in flu en ce

t h e community have on t h e d i s t r i c t ' s

did

d e c isio n to

re s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
2.

In y o u r o p i n i o n ,

what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

t h e i n t e r m e d i a t e d i s t r i c t have on y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s
d ecisio n

to respond w ith

a program

for

excel­

lence?
3.

In y o ur o p i n i o n , what
the

m o tivational in flu en ce

S t a t e D epartm ent o f E d u c a tio n have on

d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp on d w i t h a program

did
y o ur
for

ex cellence?
4.

In y o u r

o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

a n c i l l a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n s such a s AASA, MASB, HASA,
MEA have on

your d i s t r i c t ' s d e c isio n to

respo nd

w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
5.

Which a n c i l l a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n s were

most i n f l u e n ­

t i a l and i n what way were t h e y i n f l u e n t i a l ?
6.

In y ou r o p i n i o n ,
the

what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

m ajor e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s , su ch as

R is k , A Place C alled S chool,

N a tio n a t

High S c h o o l , Making

95

t h e Grade

have

on y o ur

d i s t r i c t ' s d ecisio n

to

re sp o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
7.

In y o u r

o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

telev isio n ,

r a d i o , newspaper

and

m agazine news

media have on your d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d
w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
8.

Had

y o u r d i s t r i c t c o m p leted a needs

an aly sis or

an e v a l u a t i o n o f need p r i o r t o 1983?
9.

What p e r c e n t a g e o f

m o tivational in flu en ce

you a s s i g n t o e x t e r n a l

would

s t i m u l i as t h e r e a s o n f o r

y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d

w ith

a pro­

gram f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
10.

What

percentage

o f m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e would

you

a s s i g n t o an i n t e r n a l r e c o g n i t i o n o f need as

th e

reason

for

y o ur

d is tr ic t's

d ecisio n

to

re s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
IV.

In

th is th ird s e t of questio n s,

determ ining

what

method o r

I am i n t e r e s t e d

procedure

was

in

used t o

e s t a b l i s h th e d i s t r i c t ' s response to e x c e lle n c e .
1.

Did

t h e Board e s t a b l i s h

a co m m ittee f o r d e a l i n g

w ith th e is s u e of p ro v id in g fo r e x c e lle n c e ?
2.

If

s o , what segments

o f t h e community s e r v e d on

t h i s com m ittee?
3.

Were

t h e r e any o t h e r com m ittees o r su bco m m ittees

established

and what

d id they r e p r e s e n t?

segments of

t h e community

4.

Was

a

com m ittee g i v e n

developing th e

the

d i s t r i c t ’s

resp o n sib ility
response

for

for

excel­

len ce?
5.

Were

you,

as

su p erin ten d en t,

resp o n sib ility

for

d e v e lo p i n g

g iv e n

the

the

main

d is tr ic t's

response fo r ex cellence?
6.

Was any o t h e r

ad m inistrator

s i b i l i t y for

d e v e lo p i n g t h e

given th e

respon­

d i s t r i c t ' s response

f o r ex cellence?
7.

Was an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team g iv e n t h e r e s p o n s i b i l ­
ity

f o r developing

the d i s t r i c t ' s

response fo r

excellence?
8.

If

so,

was

the

a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team g iv e n t h a t

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y by you o r t h e Board?
In

t h i s f o u r t h s e t o f q u e s t i o n s , I am i n t e r e s t e d

d e t e r m i n i n g who

a c t u a l l y made

to th e d i s t r i c t ' s response
lence.

the d e c isio n r e l a t i v e

t o t h e demand f o r

I would assume t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n

have been

the

Board,

appointed

co m m ittee,

a Board
the

in

excel­

maker c o u ld

co m m itte e,

su p erin ten d en t,

a

Board
another

a d m i n i s t r a t o r o r p o s s i b l y an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team.
1.

Has t h e

Board approved a

d i s t r i c t - w i d e program ,

proposal or r e s o lu tio n to provide fo r ex cellen ce?
2.

Would you i d e n t i f y

t h e i n d i v i d u a l o r g rou p

th at

w ro te t h i s program, p r o p o s a l o r r e s o l u t i o n ?
3.

Was

th e w r i t e r of the proposal a l s o the d e c is io n

maker?

97

4.

If

not,

who i n y o ur

opinion

was t h e

d ecision

maker?
5.

Who

recommended

the d i s t r i c t ' s

response to th e

Board f o r a p p r o v a l ?
VI.

In t h i s

fifth set

id en tify in g

of q u e s tio n s ,

a l l p articip an ts

I am i n t e r e s t e d i n

who

were i n v o l v e d

or

included in th e process of form ulating th e d i s t r i c t ' s
response to the c a l l fo r e x c e lle n c e .

V II.

1.

What r o l e d i d t h e Board p l a y ?

2.

What r o l e d i d you, r a s s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , p l a y ?

3.

What r o l e d i d t h e a s s i s t a n t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p l a y ?

4.

What r o l e d i d co m m itte es p l a y ?

5.

What r o l e d i d t h e p r i n c i p a l s p l a y ?

6.

What r o l e d i d t h e t e a c h e r s p l a y ?

7.

What r o l e d i d th e s t u d e n t s p l a y ?

8.

What r o l e d i d t h e community p l a y ?

In t h i s
d etails

s i x t h s e t o f q u e s t i o n s , I am l o o k i n g f o r t h e
or s p e c ific s for

ex cellen ce.

your

s c h o o l ' s program f o r

In o t h e r w ords, what p ro g ra m s, p r o p o s a l s

o r r e s o l u t i o n s were a d o p ted ?
1.

What was added o r d e l e t e d from t h e p r i o r c u r r i c u ­
lum?

2.

What r e s o l u t i o n s ,

pro g ra m s,

proposals or

plans

were a d o p te d ?
3.

In y o ur w ords, would you d e s c r i b e y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s
plan of a c tio n fo r addressin g the c a l l fo r e x c e l­
lence?

98

4.

To

what e x t e n t was y ou r

d i s t r i c t ’s p l a n modeled

a f t e r one o f t h e m ajor e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s ?
5.

To

what

afte r

e x t e n t was y ou r d i s t r i c t ' s p l a n modeled

the S t a t e

D epartm ent o f E d u c a tio n

”Blue­

p r i n t f o r A c tio n " p l a n ?
6.

To what e x t e n t was

your

d i s t r i c t ' s p l a n modeled

a f t e r MASB's "School B o a r d ' s P la n n in g f o r

Excel­

lence" re p o rts ?
7.

Would you

i d e n t i f y any

other

plans

u sed

as a

model f o r y ou r d i s t r i c t ' s p l a n ?
8.

Did y o u r p l a n c o n t a i n an a s s e s s m e n t model and

if

so would you d e s c r i b e i t ?
V III.

In

th is

l a s t s e t of q u e s t i o n s ,

I am i n t e r e s t e d i n

what y o u r d i s t r i c t has a c h i e v e d

o r what

i s expected

to

of your

d is tr ic t's

be

achieved

as

a

resu lt

r e s p o n s e t o t h e demand f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Would you i d e n t i f y any v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n ts as a
r e s u l t o f your d i s t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .

2.

What i n s t r u m e n t s were u sed f o r v e r i f i c a t i o n ?

3.

Would you i d e n t i f y any u n v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n ts as
a

resu lt

of your d i s t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e

to e x c e l­

lence?
4.

Would

you

an ticip ate

id en tify
as

a

the
resu lt

response to excellence?

a c h ie v e m e n ts which you
of y o u r

d is tr ic t's

99

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT
G e n e ra l Q u e s t i o n s f o r Opening t h e I n t e r v i e w D i s c u s s i o n
I.

As I 'm s u r e you

know, t h e r e l e a s e o f t h e

R is k r e p o r t

the

in

c r e d i t e d w ith
to

of

1983

is

in itia l

e x c e lle n c e in

thrust

the n a tio n 's schools.

r e p o r t was f o l l o w e d

r e p o rts , task fo rc e s, sp e c ia l

at

g en erally

th e beginning o f a n atio n -w id e

provide fo r

T h at

spring

N ation

by s c o r e s

o f new

l e g i s l a t i o n and recom­

m en d atio n s from numerous o r g a n i z a t i o n s .
1.

Do you

t h i n k t h i s e x c e l l e n c e movement w i l l ev e n ­

t u a l l y pro v e t o be j u s t a n o t h e r

p assin g fa d w ith

no l a s t i n g b e n e f i t s o r do you b e l i e v e
i c a n e d u c a t i o n has been p e r m a n e n tly

t h a t Amer­
changed w ith

lo n g -la stin g b en efits?
2.

Did

your

d i s t r i c t re sp on d

w ith

a program

for

ex cellence?
3.

If

t h e r e was a r e s p o n s e ,

do you

sp o n s e was l a r g e l y an e f f o r t

think th a t re­

to s a t i s f y

various

g ro u p s such a s t h e b o a r d , s t a f f , community, s t a t e
d e p a r t m e n t , MASB o r do you t h i n k t h e r e was a s i n ­
cere

recognition

t h a t the

d istrict

needed

to

improve i t s s t a n d a r d s and p r o v i d e f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
II.

The f o l l o w i n g
sp e c ific a lly

q u e stio n s
at

yo u r

e x c e l l e n c e movement.

are

d e s ig n e d t o

d istr ic t's

resp onse

lo o k more
to

th e

In t h i s f i r s t s e t o f q u e s t i o n s ,

I am i n t e r e s t e d i n d i s c o v e r i n g who i n i t i a t e d t h e d i s ­
t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement. The word

100

in itia te

is

used

t o i d e n t i f y who

took

the

first

a c t i o n t o re sp o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Would you d e s c r i b e

any new sp ap er, r a d i o , o r T.V.

e d i t o r i a l s t h a t may

have i n f l u e n c e d y o u r

school

t o make a r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement?
2.

Were t h e r e any
e i t h e r you

community

g ro u p s which r e q u e s t e d

o r y ou r Board t o make

a response fo r

excellence?
3.

Would you

d e s c r i b e t h e i n f l u e n c e o f any i n d i v i d ­

u a l community members who s u g g e s t e d
the school

t o make

t h e need f o r

a response to the e x c e lle n c e

movement?
4.

Did members from t h e
th a t the

school

teaching s t a f f ever suggest

should

d e v e lo p

an

excellence

response?
5.

Was t h e Board f i r s t t o r e q u e s t t h a t e i t h e r you o r
y our

a d m i n i s t r a t i o n d e v e lo p an r e s p o n s e

to

the

e x c e l l e n c e movement?
6.

-If so,
the

i n y ou r

Board

d e v e lo p

to

o p i n i o n , who o r what
make

a policy

or

th eir

in itia l

program f o r

influenced
request

dealing

to
w ith

excellen ce?
7.

Did you o r y o ur
w ith

a d m i n i s t r a t i o n p r e s e n t t h e Board

an u n s o l i c i t e d re s p o n s e t o

movement?

the

excellen ce

101

8.

In

y ou r o p i n i o n , what f a c t o r s

your

i n f l u e n c e d you o r

b o ard t o make t h i s i n i t i a l p r o p o s a l o f p r o ­

viding fo r excellence?
III.

In t h i s second s e t o f q u e s t i o n s , I

am

i n t e r e s t e d in

i d e n t i f y i n g t h o s e f o r c e s , p r e s s u r e s , d r i v e s , need s o r
tensions

which may have been

the m otivation fo r the

d i s t r i c t t o d e v e lo p i t s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

In y o u r o p i n i o n , what

m otiv atio n al influence

t h e community have on t h e d i s t r i c t ' s

did

d e c isio n to

re sp o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
2.

In y o u r o p i n i o n ,

what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

t h e i n t e r m e d i a t e d i s t r i c t have on y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s
d ecisio n

t o re sp o n d w i t h

a program

for

excel­

lence?
3.

In y o u r o p i n i o n , what
the

m o tivational influence

S t a t e D epartm ent o f E d u c a ti o n have on

d i s t r i c t ’ s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d w i t h a program

did
your
for

excellen ce?
4.

In y o u r

o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

a n c i l l a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n s such a s AASA, MASB, MASA,
MEA have on

y o ur d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o

re sp o n d

w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
5.

Which a n c i l l a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n s were

most i n f l u e n ­

t i a l and i n what way were t h e y i n f l u e n t i a l ?
€.

In y o u r o p i n i o n ,
th e

what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

m ajor e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s , such as

R is k , A Place C alled S chool,

N ation a t

High S c h o o l , Making

102

t h e Grade

have

on y o ur

d i s t r i c t ’s d e c i s i o n

to

re s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
7.

In y o u r

o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

telev isio n ,

r a d i o , newspaper

and

m agazine news

media have on y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d
w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
8.

Had

y o u r d i s t r i c t com p leted a needs

an aly sis or

an e v a l u a t i o n o f need p r i o r t o 1983?
9.

What p e r c e n t a g e o f

m o tivation al in flu en ce

you a s s i g n t o e x t e r n a l

would

s tim u li as th e reason fo r

y o u r d i s t r i c t ’s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d

w ith

a pro­

gram f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
10.

What

percentage

o f m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e would

you

a s s i g n t o an i n t e r n a l r e c o g n i t i o n o f need as

the

reason

for

your

d is tr ic t's

d ecision

to

r e s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
IV.

In t h i s

th ird s e t of q u estio n s,

determ ining

what

method o r

I am i n t e r e s t e d

procedure

was

used

in
to

e s t a b l i s h the d i s t r i c t ' s response to e x c e lle n c e .
1.

2.

Did

t h e Board e s t a b l i s h

w ith

th e is s u e of providing fo r ex cellen ce?

If

s o , what segments

a com m ittee f o r d e a l i n g

o f t h e community s e r v e d on

t h i s com m ittee?
3.

Were

t h e r e any o t h e r com m ittees o r su bco m m ittees

estab lish ed

and what

did they re p re s e n t?

segm ents of

t h e community

4.

Was

a

com m ittee g i v e n

developing th e

the

d is tr ic t's

resp o n sib ility
response

for

for

excel­

lence?
5.

Were you, a s

a s s i s t a n t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , g i v e n th e

main r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r d e v e lo p i n g t h e d i s t r i c t ' s
response fo r ex cellen ce?
6.

Was any

other

sib ility

for

ad m in istrato r

given

the respon­

developing th e d i s t r i c t ' s response

f o r excellence?
7.

Was an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team g iv e n t h e r e s p o n s i b i l ­
i t y f o r developing

the

d i s t r i c t ' s response

for

ex cellence?
8.

If

so,

was t h e

resp o n sib ility

a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team
by

the

given t h a t

superintendent

or

the

Board?
In

th is

f o u r t h s e t o f q u e s t i o n s , I am i n t e r e s t e d in

determ ining

who a c t u a l l y made t h e d e c i s i o n

to th e d i s t r i c t ' s
lence.

I

t h e demand f o r e x c e l ­

would assume t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n maker c o u ld

have been t h e
appointed

response to

re la tiv e

Board,

co m m itte e,

a
the

Board

co m m itte e,

superintendent,

a

Board
another

a d m i n i s t r a t o r o r p o s s i b l y an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team.
1.

Has t h e Board

app ro v ed a

d i s t r i c t - w i d e program ,

propo sal o r r e s o lu tio n to provide fo r e x c e lle n ce?
2.

Would

you i d e n t i f y t h e i n d i v i d u a l o r group

w ro te t h i s program , p r o p o s a l o r r e s o l u t i o n ?

th at

104

3.

Has t h e w r i t e r o f t h e

p roposal a ls o the d e c isio n

maker?
4.

If

not,

who

in your opinion

was t h e

decision

maker?
5.

Who recommended

the

d i s t r i c t ' s response to

th e

Board f o r a p p r o v a l ?
VI.

In t h i s f i f t h s e t o f
identifying a l l

q uestions,

I

p a r t i c i p a n t s who

am i n t e r e s t e d in
were

involved

or

included in the process of form ulating th e d i s t r i c t ' s
response to th e c a l l fo r e x c e lle n c e .
1.

What r o l e

did

2.

What r o l e d i d

t h e Board p l a y ?
you, as a s s i s t a n t

su p erin ten d en t,

play?

V II.

3.

What r o l e

d id th e su p e rin te n d e n tplay?

4.

What r o l e

did

co m m ittees p l a y ?

5.

What r o l e d i d t h e p r i n c i p a l s p l a y ?

6.

What r o l e d i d t h e t e a c h e r s p l a y ?

7.

What r o l e d i d t h e s t u d e n t s p l a y ?

8.

What r o l e d i d t h e community p l a y ?

In t h i s

s i x t h s e t o f q u e s t i o n s , I am l o o k i n g

d etails

or s p e c i f i c s f o r your

ex cellen ce.

f o r th e

s c h o o l ' s program

for

In o t h e r words, what p ro g ra m s, p r o p o s a l s

o r r e s o l u t i o n s were a d o p te d ?
1.

What was added o r d e l e t e d from t h e p r i o r c u r r i c u ­
lum?

2.

What

r e s o l u t i o n s , pro g ra m s,

were a d o p te d ?

proposals

or plans

105

3.

In y o u r w o rd s, would you d e s c r i b e y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s
plan of a c tio n fo r ad dressing th e c a l l f o r e x c e l­
lence?

4.

To what

e x t e n t was y ou r d i s t r i c t ' s

p l a n modeled

a f t e r one o f t h e m ajo r e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s ?
5.

To what e x t e n t was
afte r

the

your

d i s t r i c t ' s p l a n modeled

S t a t e D epartm ent

o f E d u c a tio n "B lu e ­

p r i n t f o r A c tio n " p l a n ?
6.

To what e x t e n t was y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s
a fte r

plan

modeled

MASB's "School B o a r d 's P l a n n in g f o r E x c e l ­

lence" re p o rts?
7.

Would you

id en tify

any

o th er plans

used a s

a

model f o r y o ur d i s t r i c t ' s p l a n ? •
8.

Did y o u r p l a n c o n t a i n an

a s s e s s m e n t model and i f

s o would you d e s c r i b e i t ?
V III.

In

th is la s t set

what
to

o f q u e s t i o n s , I am

y ou r d i s t r i c t has a c h i e v e d
be

achieved

as

a

resu lt

in terested

in

o r what i s e x p e c t e d
of

y o ur

d is tr ic t's

r e s p o n s e t o t h e demand f o r e x c e l l e n c e . 1.

Would you i d e n t i f y any v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n ts a s a
r e s u l t of your d i s t r i c t ' s response to e x c e lle n c e .

2.

What i n s t r u m e n t s were used f o r v e r i f i c a t i o n ?

3.

Would you i d e n t i f y any u n v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n ts as
a

r e s u l t o f your d i s t r i c t ' s

lence?

response to

excel­

Would

you

anticip ate

id e n tify the
as

a

a c h ie v e m e n ts which

resu lt

resp onse to e x c e lle n c e ?

of

your

you

d i s t r i c t *s

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR BOARD MEMBERS
G e n e ra l Q u e s t i o n s f o r Opening t h e I n t e r v i e w D i s c u s s i o n
I.

As I 'm s u r e you

know, t h e r e l e a s e o f t h e

R is k r e p o r t

the

in

c r e d i t e d w ith
to

of

1983

is

in itia l

excellence in

at

generally

th e beginning of a n atio n -w id e

provide fo r

T hat

spring

N a tio n

th ru st

the n a t i o n 's s c h o o ls .

r e p o r t was fo l l o w e d

re p o rts , task fo rces, sp ecial

by s c o r e s

o f new

l e g i s l a t i o n and recom­

m e n d a tio n s from numerous o r g a n i z a t i o n s .
1.

Do you

t h i n k t h i s e x c e l l e n c e movement w i l l e v e n ­

t u a l l y p ro v e t o be j u s t a n o t h e r

p assin g fad w ith

no l a s t i n g b e n e f i t s o r do you b e l i e v e
i c a n e d u c a t i o n has been p e r m a n e n tly

t h a t Amer­
changed w i t h

lo n g -la stin g b en efits?
2.

Did

your

d i s t r i c t re sp on d

w ith

a program

for

excellence?
3.

If

t h e r e was a r e s p o n s e ,

do you

sp o n s e was l a r g e l y an e f f o r t

think t h a t r e ­

to s a t i s f y

v arious

g ro u p s such a s t h e b o a r d , s t a f f , community, s t a t e
d e p a r t m e n t , MASB o r do you t h i n k t h e r e was a s i n ­
cere

recognition

t h a t the

d istrict

needed

to

improve i t s s t a n d a r d s and p r o v i d e f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
II.

The f o l l o w i n g
sp ecifically

questions
at

your

e x c e l l e n c e movement.

are

designed to

d is tr ic t's

response

lo o k more
to

the

In t h i s f i r s t s e t o f q u e s t i o n s ,

I am i n t e r e s t e d i n d i s c o v e r i n g who i n i t i a t e d t h e d i s ­
t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement. The word

108

in itiate

is

used

t o i d e n t i f y who

to o k

the

first

a c t i o n t o re sp o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Would you d e s c r i b e

any new spaper, r a d i o , o r T.V.

e d i t o r i a l s t h a t may

have i n f l u e n c e d y o u r

school

t o make a r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement?
2.

Were t h e r e any
e i t h e r the

community

g ro u p s which r e q u e s t e d

Board o r t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n t o make a

response f o r e x c e lle n c e ?
3.

Would you d e s c r i b e t h e i n f l u e n c e

o f any i n d i v i d ­

u a l community

members who s u g g e s t e d t h e need f o r

th e school to

make a r e s p o n s e t o

the e x c e lle n c e

movement?
4.

Did members
th at

from t h e t e a c h i n g s t a f f e v e r s u g g e s t

the school

should

d e v e lo p

an

excellence

response?
5.

Was

the

Board

ad m in istratio n

first

to

d e v e lo p

request

an

response

th at

the

to

the

e x c e l l e n c e movement?
6.

If so,
the

i n y o ur o p i n i o n , who o r

Board

d e v e lo p

to

a

make

th eir

policy or

what

in itia l

program

for

influenced
request

to

d e a l i n g w ith

excellence?
7.

Did t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n

p r e s e n t t h e Board w ith an

u n s o l i c i t e d r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement?
8.

In

y o ur

o p i n i o n , what

facto rs

Board o r t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n t o

influenced

th e

make t h i s i n i t i a l

proposal of providing fo r excellence?

109

III.

In

t h i s second s e t o f q u e s t i o n s , I am

i n t e r e s t e d in

i d e n t i f y i n g t h o s e f o r c e s , p r e s s u r e s , d r i v e s , needs o r
t e n s i o n s which

may have been t h e

m o tiv a tio n f o r the

d i s t r i c t t o d e v e lo p i t s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .
X.

In y o u r o p i n i o n , what

m otivational in flu en ce

t h e community have on t h e d i s t r i c t ' s

did

d ecision to

re sp o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
2.

In y o ur o p i n i o n ,

what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

t h e i n t e r m e d i a t e d i s t r i c t have on y ou r d i s t r i c t ' s
d ecisio n

t o re sp on d w ith

a program

for

excel­

lence?
3.

In y o u r o p i n i o n , what

m o tiv a tio n a l in flu e n c e did

the

o f E d u c a tio n have on

S t a t e Departm ent

your

d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re spo nd w ith a program f o r
ex cellence?
4.

I n your

o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

a n c i l l a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n s such a s AASA, MASB, HASA,
MEA have on

your d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o

resp on d

w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
5.

Which a n c i l l a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n s were

most i n f l u e n ­

t i a l and i n what way were t h e y i n f l u e n t i a l ?
6.

In y ou r o p i n i o n ,
the

what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

m ajor e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s , such as

R isk , A Place C alled S chool,
t h e Grade

have

on y o ur

N atio n a t

High S c h o o l , Making

d i s t r i c t ' s d ecision

re sp o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?

to

110

7.

In y o u r

o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

telev isio n ,

r a d i o , newspaper

and

m agazine news

media have on y o u r d i s t r i c t ’ s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d
w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
8.

Had

y o u r d i s t r i c t co m pleted a needs

a n a ly s is or

an e v a l u a t i o n o f need p r i o r t o 1983?
9.

What p e r c e n t a g e o f

m o tivatio nal in flu en ce

you a s s i g n t o e x t e r n a l

would

s t im u li as the reason fo r

y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp on d

w ith

a pro­

gram f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
10.

What

percentage

of m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e would

you a s s i g n t o an i n t e r n a l r e c o g n i t i o n o f need as
the

reason

for

your

d is tr ic t's

decision

to

re sp o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
IV.

In

th is th ird s e t of questions,

d e t e r m i n i n g , what

method o r

I am i n t e r e s t e d

procedure

was

in

used t o

e s t a b l i s h the d i s t r i c t ' s response to e x c e lle n c e .
1.

Did

t h e Board e s t a b l i s h

a com m ittee f o r d e a l i n g

w ith th e is s u e of p ro v id in g f o r e x c e lle n c e ?
2.

If

s o , what segments

of t h e community s e r v e d on

t h i s committee?
3.

Were

t h e r e any o t h e r com m ittees o r su bco m m ittees

estab lish ed

and what

segments o f

t h e community

d id they r e p r e s e n t?
4.

Was

a

com m ittee g iv e n

d e v e lo p i n g t h e
lence?

the

d is tr ic t's

resp o n sib ility
response

for

for

excel­

5*

Did

the

Board

resp o n sib ility

give
for

the

superintendent

d e v e lo p i n g

the

d is tr ic t's

response fo r excellence?
6.

Was

any o t h e r

s i b i l i t y for

ad m in istrato r

given

d e v e lo p i n g t h e

the respon­

d i s t r i c t ' s response

f o r ex cellence?
7.

Was an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team g iv e n t h e r e s p o n s i b i l ­
ity for

developing

th e d i s t r i c t ’s

response fo r

excellence?
8.

If

so,

was t h e

ad m in istrativ e

team g iv e n t h a t

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y by t h e Board o r a d m i n i s t r a t i o n ?
In

th is

f o u r t h s e t o f q u e s t i o n s , I am i n t e r e s t e d i n

d e t e r m i n i n g who a c t u a l l y

made t h e d e c i s i o n

to the

d i s t r i c t ' s response

lence.

I

t o t h e demand f o r e x c e l ­

would assume t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n maker c o u ld

have been t h e
appointed

re la tiv e

Board,

c o m m itte e,

a
the

Board

com m ittee,

sup erin ten d en t,

a

Board
another

a d m i n i s t r a t o r o r p o s s i b l y an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team.
1.

Has t h e Board

approved a

d i s t r i c t - w i d e program,

proposal or r e s o l u t i o n to provide fo r ex c elle n ce?
2.

Would

you i d e n t i f y t h e i n d i v i d u a l o r group

th at

w ro te t h i s program , p r o p o s a l o r r e s o l u t i o n ?
3.

Was t h e w r i t e r o f t h e

proposal a ls o the d e c isio n

maker?
4.

If

not,

maker?

who

in your o p i n i o n

was t h e

decision

112

5.

Who recommended

the

d i s t r i c t ' s response to

the

Board f o r a p p r o v a l ?
V I.

In t h i s f i f t h s e t o f
id en tify in g a l l

questions,

p a r t i c i p a n t s who

I

am i n t e r e s t e d i n
were

involved

or

included in th e process o f form ulating th e d i s t r i c t ' s
response to the c a l l fo r e x c e lle n c e .

V II.

1.

What r o l e d i d t h e Board p l a y ?

2.

What r o l e d i d t h e a s s i s t a n t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p l a y ?

3.

What r o l e d i d t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p l a y ?

4.

What r o l e d i d com m ittees p l a y ?

5.

What r o l e d i d t h e p r i n c i p a l s p l a y ?

6.

What r o l e d i d t h e t e a c h e r s p l a y ?

7.

What r o l e d i d t h e s t u d e n t s p la y ?

8.

What r o l e d i d t h e community p l a y ?

In t h i s s i x t h
d e ta ils or

s e t o f q u e s t i o n s , I am l o o k i n g f o r t h e

sp ecifics

ex cellen ce.

f o r y o ur s c h o o l ' s program

for

In o t h e r words, what p ro g ra m s, p r o p o s a l s

o r r e s o l u t i o n s were a d o p te d ?
1.

What was added o r d e l e t e d from t h e p r i o r c u r r i c u ­
lum?

2.

What

reso lu tio n s,

p ro g ra m s, p r o p o s a l s

or plans

were a d o p te d ?
3.

In y ou r words, would you d e s c r i b e y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s
plan of a c tio n fo r ad dressing the c a l l fo r e x c e l­
lence?

4.

To

what e x t e n t

was y o ur d i s t r i c t ' s p l a n modeled

a f t e r one o f t h e m ajor e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s ?

113

5.

To what e x t e n t was
a f t e r the

S tate

your d i s t r i c t ' s
Departm ent

p l a n modeled

o f E d u c a ti o n "B lu e­

p r i n t f o r A ction" plan?
6.

To

what e x t e n t

was y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s p l a n modeled

a f t e r MASB’ s "School B o a r d ' s P l a n n i n g f o r

Excel­

lence" re p o rts ?
7.

Would

you

i d e n t i f y any

other

plans

u sed a s

a

model f o r y ou r d i s t r i c t ' s p l a n ?
B.

Did y o u r p l a n c o n t a i n an a s s e s s m e n t

model and i f

so would you d e s c r i b e i t ?
V III.

In

th is

what
to

l a s t s e t of

q u e s t i o n s , I am i n t e r e s t e d

y o ur d i s t r i c t has a c h i e v e d
be

achieved

as

a resu lt

in

o r what i s e x p e c t e d
o f y o ur

d is tr ic t's

r e s p o n s e t o t h e demand f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Would you i d e n t i f y any v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n ts a s a
r e s u l t o f y ou r d i s t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .

2.

What i n s t r u m e n t s were u sed f o r v e r i f i c a t i o n ?

3.

Would you i d e n t i f y any u n v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n ts as
a

r e s u l t of your d i s t r i c t ' s

response to

ex cel­

lence?
4.

Would

you

an ticip ate

i d e n t i f y the
as

a

a c h ie v e m e n ts which

resu lt

response to ex cellen ce?

of your

you

d is tr ic t's

114

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR PRINCIPALS
G e n e r a l Q u e s t i o n s f o r Opening t h e I n t e r v i e w D i s c u s s i o n
I,

As I 'm s u r e you
R is k r e p o r t

know, t h e r e l e a s e o f t h e

in

c r e d i t e d w ith
to

the

of

1983

is

in itia l

e x c e lle n c e in

at

generally

the beginning of a n atio n -w id e

provide fo r

That

spring

N a tio n

thrust

the n a t i o n 's s c h o o ls .

r e p o r t was f o l l o w e d

re p o rts , task fo rc e s, sp e c ia l

by s c o r e s

o f new

l e g i s l a t i o n and recom­

m e n d a tio n s from numerous o r g a n i z a t i o n s .
1.

Do you

t h i n k t h i s e x c e l l e n c e movement w i l l even­

t u a l l y p ro v e t o be j u s t a n o t h e r

p a s s i n g fa d w ith

no l a s t i n g b e n e f i t s o r do you b e l i e v e
i c a n e d u c a t i o n has been p e r m a n e n tly

t h a t Amer­
changed w ith

lo n g -la s tin g b en e fits?
2.

Did

your

d i s t r i c t respond

w ith

a program

for

excellen ce?
3.

If

t h e r e was a r e s p o n s e ,

do you

sp o n s e was l a r g e l y an e f f o r t

think t h a t r e ­

to s a t i s f y

v arious

g ro u p s such a s t h e b o a r d , s t a f f , community, s t a t e
d e p a r t m e n t , MASB o r do you t h i n k t h e r e was a s i n ­
cere

reco g n itio n

th a t the

d istrict

needed

to

improve i t s s t a n d a r d s and p r o v i d e f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
II.

The f o l l o w i n g
sp ec ific ally

questions
at

y o ur

e x c e l l e n c e movement.

are

designed to

d is tr ic t's

response

lo o k more
to

the

In t h i s f i r s t s e t o f q u e s t i o n s ,

I am i n t e r e s t e d i n d i s c o v e r i n g who i n i t i a t e d t h e d i s ­
t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement. The word

in itia te

i s used

t o i d e n t i f y who

took

the

first

a c t i o n t o re sp o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Would you d e s c r i b e

any n ew sp a p er, r a d i o , o r T.V.

e d i t o r i a l s t h a t may

have i n f l u e n c e d y o u r

school

t o make a r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement?
2.

Are

you

aware

in d iv id u al

of

any

cmmunity

requested

community g ro u p s

members

or

which may

have

e i t h e r thea d m in is tra tio n or the

Board

t o make a r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e ?
3.

Would you d e s c r i b e t h e i n f l u e n c e
u a l community
th e school

o f any i n d i v i d ­

members who s u g g e s t e d t h e need f o r

t o make a r e s p o n s e

to the ex c elle n ce

movement?
4.

To your knowledge, d i d

members o f

the

teaching

s t a f f e v e r s u g g e s t t h a t t h e s c h o o l s h o u l d d e v e lo p
an e x c e l l e n c e r e s p o n s e ?
5.

To you knowledge, was

t h e Board f i r s t t o r e q u e s t

t h a t t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n d e v e lo p a r e s p o n s e t o th e
e x c e l l e n c e movement?
6.

I f so, in
th e

your o p in io n ,

Board

d e v e lo p

a

to

make

policy or

who o r what

th eir

in itia l

program

influenced
request

fo r dealing

to
w ith

excellence?
7.

To y o ur knowledge, d i d t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n p r e s e n t
th e

Board

w i t h an

e x c e l l e n c e movement?

u n so licited

response to the

116

8.

In

y ou r

school

o p i n i o n , what
to

make

facto rs

th eir

influenced

in itia l

th e

proposal

of

providing fo r ex cellence?
III.

In t h i s second s e t o f q u e s t i o n s , I

am

i n t e r e s t e d in

i d e n t i f y i n g t h o s e f o r c e s , p r e s s u r e s , d r i v e s , needs o r
tensions

which may have been

the m o tiv a tio n f o r the

d i s t r i c t t o d e v e lo p i t s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

In y o u r o p i n i o n , what

m o tiv a tio n a l in flu e n c e did

t h e community have on t h e d i s t r i c t ' s

d e c is io n to

r e s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
2.

In y ou r o p i n i o n ,

what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

t h e i n t e r m e d i a t e d i s t r i c t have on y ou r d i s t r i c t ' s
decision

t o re sp o n d w ith

a program

for

excel­

lence?
3.

In y o u r o p i n i o n , what

m o tiv a tio n a l in flu e n c e did

the

of E d u c a tio n have on

S t a t e Department

your

d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp on d w i t h a program f o r
ex cellence?
4.

In y ou r

o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

a n c i l l a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n s such a s AASA, MASB, MASA,
MEA have on

your d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o

respo nd

w ith a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
5.

Which a n c i l l a r y
most

in flu en tial

o r g a n i z a t i o n s do
and

in

what

you f e e l
way

were

were
they

in flu en tial?
6.

In y ou r o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l
t h e m ajor

excellence

in flu en ce did

r e p o r t s , such a s N a tio n a t

117

R isk , A Place C alled
t h e Grade

have

S c h o o l , High S c h o o l , Making

on y o u r

d is tr ic t's

d e c isio n to

re sp o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
7.

In y o ur o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l

in flu en ce did

telev isio n ,

magazine news

r a d i o , newspaper

and

media have on y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d
w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
8.

To y ou r knowledge, had y o u r d i s t r i c t
needs a n a l y s i s o r an e v a l u a t i o n o f

c o m p leted a
need p r i o r t o

1983?
9.

What
you

percentage

o f m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e would

a s s ig n to e x te r n a l s t im u li as the reason fo r

your d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n

t o re sp o n d w i t h a

pro­

gram f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
10.

What

percentage of m o tiv a tio n a l in flu en ce

you a s s i g n t o
the

reason

would

an i n t e r n a l r e c o g n i t i o n o f need as
for

your

d i s t r i c t ' s decisio n

to

re sp o n d w ith a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
IV.

In

th is th ird set

determ ining

of

what method

q u e s t i o n s , I am i n t e r e s t e d i n
or

p r o c e d u r e was used

to

e s t a b l i s h th e d i s t r i c t ' s response to e x c e lle n c e .
1.

Did t h e Board e s t a b l i s h a com m ittee

for

dealing

w ith the is s u e of p ro v id in g f o r ex c e lle n ce ?
2.

If

s o , what segments o f

t h i s committee?

t h e community s e r v e d on

3.

Were

t h e r e any o t h e r committees o r subcommittees

e s t a b l i s h e d and what

segments

of

th e community

d i d th e y r e p r e s e n t ?
4.

Was

a

committee

d e v e lo p in g t h e

given

the

d is tr ic t's

re sp o n sib ility for

re sp o n s e

for

excel­

lence?
5.

Was an a d m i n i s t r a t o r g iv e n t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r
d e v e lo p in g

the

d is tr ic t's

re s p o n s e

for

ex cellence?
6.

Was an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team g iv en t h e r e s p o n s i b i l ­
ity

f o r d e v e lo p in g

the

d i s t r i c t ' s response fo r

excellence?
7.

If

so,

was th e

ad m inistrative

re sp o n sib ility

by

the

team g iv en t h a t

superintendent

or

th e

Board?
In t h i s f o u r t h s e t o f
d e te r m in in g who

questions, I

a c t u a l l y made th e d e c i s i o n

to t h e d i s t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e
lence.
have

I would assume t h a t
been

appointed

am i n t e r e s t e d in

t h e Board,
com m ittee,

a
the

re la tiv e

to t h e demand f o r

excel­

t h e d e c i s i o n maker could
Board com m ittee,
superintendent,

a

Board
another

a d m i n i s t r a t o r or p o s s i b l y an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team.
1.

Has t h e

Board

approved a d i s t r i c t - w i d e program,

p r o p o s a l o r r e s o l u t i o n t o p ro v id e f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
2.

Would you i d e n t i f y

t h e i n d i v i d u a l o r group

w rote t h i s program, p r o p o s a l or r e s o l u t i o n ?

th at

119

3.

Was t h e

w r i t e r of the proposal

a ls o the d e c isio n

maker?
4.

If

not,

who in your

o p in io n

was t h e

decision

maker?
5.

Who recommended

the d i s t r i c t ' s

re s p o n s e t o t h e

Board f o r a p p r o v a l?
VI.

In t h i s

fifth set

identifying

of q u e stio n s,

a l l p articip an ts

I am i n t e r e s t e d in

who

were in v o lv e d

or

in c l u d e d i n t h e p r o c e s s o f f o r m u l a t i n g t h e d i s t r i c t ' s
response to the c a l l fo r ex c e lle n c e.

V II .

1.

What r o l e d i d t h e Board p la y ?

2.

What r o l e d i d th e a s s i s t a n t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t play ?

3.

What r o l e d i d th e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p la y ?

4.

What r o l e d i d committees p la y ?

5.

What r o l e d i d you , as p r i n c i p a l , p la y ?

6.

What r o l e d i d t h e t e a c h e r s play ?

7.

What r o l e d i d th e s t u d e n t s p lay ?

3.

What r o l e d i d th e community play ?

In t h i s

s i x t h i s e t . of q u e s t i o n s , I am lo o k in g f o r th e

d etails

or sp ec ific s for

excellence.

your

s c h o o l ' s program f o r

In o t h e r words, what program s, p r o p o s a l s

o r r e s o l u t i o n s were adopted?
1.

What was added o r d e l e t e d from th e p r i o r c u r r i c u ­
lum?

2.

What r e s o l u t i o n s ,
were adopted?

programs,

proposals or

plans

120

3.

In y ou r w ords, would you d e s c r i b e y ou r d i s t r i c t ' s
plan of a c tio n fo r addressing the c a l l fo r e x c e l­
lence?

4.

To

y ou r

knowledge,

d is tr ic t's

to

p l a n modeled

what e x t e n t

was

your

a f t e r one o f t h e

major

ex cellen ce re p o rts?
5.

To

y o ur

knowledge,

d is tr ic t's

plan

D epartm ent o f

to

what e x t e n t

modeled

E d u c a tio n

a fte r

"B lueprint

was
the

your
S tate

f o r A c tio n "

plan?
6.

To

y ou r

knowledge,

was

your

d is tr ic t's

plan

modeled a f t e r MASB's "School B o a r d ' s P l a n n in g f o r
E xcellence" r e p o rts ?
7.

Would you i d e n t i f y

any

o t h e r p l a n s used

as

a

model f o r y o ur d i s t r i c t ' s p l a n ?
8.

Do

you know i f y o ur p l a n c o n t a i n e d an a s s e s s m e n t

model and i f so would you d e s c r i b e i t ?
V III.

In

t h i s l a s t s e t of q u e s t i o n s ,

what your d i s t r i c t has
to

be

achieved

as

I

am i n t e r e s t e d

a c h ie v e d o r what
a

resu lt

of

your

in

is expected
d is tr ic t's

r e s p o n s e t o t h e demand f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Would you i d e n t i f y any v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n ts a s a
r e s u l t o f y o ur d i s t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .

2.

Do

you

know

v erific atio n ?

what

instrum ents

were

used

for

Would you i d e n t i f y any u n v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n ts as
a

r e s u l t o f y o ur

d i s t r i c t ' s response to

excel­

lence?
Would

you

an ticip ate

id en tify
as

a

the
resu lt

response to ex cellen ce?

a c h ie v e m e n ts which you
of

your

d is tr ic t's

122

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS
G e n e ra l Q u e s t i o n s f o r Opening t h e I n t e r v i e w D i s c u s s i o n
I.

As I ' m s u r e you

know, t h e r e l e a s e o f t h e

R isk r e p o r t

the

in

c r e d i t e d w ith
to

of

1983

is

in itia l

e x c e lle n c e in

at

g en erally

th e beginning of a n atio n -w id e

provide f o r

T h at

spring

N a tio n

th ru st

the n a t i o n 's sch o o ls.

r e p o r t was f o l l o w e d

re p o rts, task fo rces, sp ecial

by s c o r e s

o f new

l e g i s l a t i o n and recom­

m e n d a tio n s from numerous o r g a n i z a t i o n s .
1.

Do you

t h i n k t h i s e x c e l l e n c e movement w i l l ev e n ­

t u a l l y p ro v e t o be j u s t a n o t h e r

p assin g fad w ith

no l a s t i n g b e n e f i t s o r do you b e l i e v e
i c a n e d u c a t i o n has been p e r m a n e n t ly

t h a t Amer­
changed w ith

lo n g -la stin g b en efits?
2.

Did

your

d i s t r i c t re sp o n d

w ith

a program

for

excellence?
3.

If

t h e r e was a r e s p o n s e ,

do you

sp o n s e was l a r g e l y an e f f o r t

think th a t re ­

to s a t i s f y

v arious

g ro u p s such a s t h e b o a r d , s t a f f , community, s t a t e
d e p a r t m e n t , MASB o r do you t h i n k t h e r e was a s i n ­
cere

reco g n itio n

th a t the

d istrict

needed

to

improve i t s s t a n d a r d s and p r o v i d e f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
II.

The f o l l o w i n g
sp ec ific ally

questions
at

y o ur

e x c e l l e n c e movement.

are

designed to

d is tr ic t's

response

look more
to

th e

In t h i s f i r s t s e t of q u e s t i o n s ,

I am i n t e r e s t e d i n d i s c o v e r i n g who i n i t i a t e d t h e d i s ­
t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement. The word

in itia te

is

u sed

t o i d e n t i f y who

took

the

first

a c t i o n t o r e s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Would you d e s c r i b e

any n ew sp a p er, r a d i o , o r T.V.

e d i t o r i a l s t h a t may

have i n f l u e n c e d y o u r

school

t o make a r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement?
2.

To

y o ur

g ro u p s

knowledge,
or

were

in d iv id u al

th ere

any

cmmunity

community

members

which

r e q u e s t e d t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o r t h e Board t o make
a response to excellence?
3.

Are you aware o f any i n d i v i d u a l community members
who s u g g e s t e d

t h e need f o r t h e s c h o o l

t o make a

r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement?
4.

Did members
that

of

the

th e school

teaching s t a f f ever suggest

should

d e v e lo p

an

excellence

response?
5.

To you knowledge, was t h e

Board f i r s t t o r e q u e s t

t h a t t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n d e v e lo p a r e s p o n s e t o t h e
e x c e l l e n c e movement?
6.

I f s o , i n y o ur
the

Board

d e v e lo p a

to

o p i n i o n , who o r
make

policy

th eir

or

what

in itia l

program

influenced
request

fo r dealing

to
w ith

ex cellence?
7.

To your knowledge, d i d t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n p r e s e n t
t h e Board

w i t h an

e x c e l l e n c e movement?

u n so licited

response

to the

124

8.

In

y ou r

opinion,

what

fa c to rs influenced

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t o r t h e Board t o make

th e

th is i n itia l

proposal of providing for ex cellence?
III.

In t h i s

second

s e t of q u e s t i o n s , I am i n t e r e s t e d i n

i d e n t i f y i n g t h o s e f o r c e s , p r e s s u r e s , d r i v e s , needs o r
t e n s i o n s which may

have been t h e m o t i v a t i o n

f o r th e

d i s t r i c t t o d e v e lo p i t s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

In y o u r

o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

t h e community have on

the d i s t r i c t ' s d e c is io n to

re s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
2.

In your o p i n i o n , what

m o tiv a tio n a l in flu e n c e did

t h e i n t e r m e d i a t e d i s t r i c t have on y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s
d ecisio n

to

re s p o n d w ith a

program

for excel­

lence?
3.

I n y ou r o p i n i o n ,
the

what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e

S t a t e D epartm ent o f

E d u c a tio n have

did

on your

d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o nd w ith a program

for

excellence?
4.

In y o ur o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l

in flu e n c e did

a n c i l l a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n s such a s AASA, MASB, MASA,
MEA

have on

y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d

w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
5.

In y o ur o p i n i o n , which a n c i l l a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n s do
you

f e e l were most

in flu en tial

and i n what way

were t h e y i n f l u e n t i a l ?
6.

In

y o u r o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e

t h e major e x c e l l e n c e

r e p o r t s , such a s N a tio n

did
at

125

R i s k / ft P l a c e C a l l e d S c h o o l , High S c h o o l ,
the

Grade

have on

y ou r d i s t r i c t ' s

Making

d e c is io n to

r e s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
7.

I n y o u r o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l
te le v is io n , rad io ,

new spaper

in flu en c e did

and m agazine

news

media have on y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d
w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
8.

To y o u r

knowledge, had y ou r d i s t r i c t co m p leted a

needs a n a l y s i s

o r an e v a l u a t i o n o f need p r i o r t o

1983?
9.

What

p e r c e n t a g e of m o t i v a t i o n a l

i n f l u e n c e would

you a s s i g n t o e x t e r n a l s t i m u l i a s
y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d

th e reason fo r
w ith a

pro­

gram f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
10.

What p e r c e n t a g e
you a s s i g n t o
the

reason

of m o tiv a tio n a l in flu en ce

would

an i n t e r n a l r e c o g n i t i o n of need as
for

your

d is tr ic t's

decision

to

re s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
IV.

In t h i s t h i r d s e t
determ ining

of

q u e s t i o n s , I am i n t e r e s t e d

what method

or

procedure

was used

in
to

e s t a b l i s h the d i s t r i c t ' s response to e x c e lle n c e .
1.

Did

t h e Board

e s t a b l i s h a committee f o r d e a l i n g

w ith th e is s u e o f providing for ex cellen ce?
2.

I f s o , what

segments

t h i s com m ittee?

o f t h e community s e r v e d on

3.

Were t h e r e any
estab lish ed

o t h e r co m m ittees o r su bco m m ittees

and

what segm ents

o f t h e community

d id they re p re s e n t?
4.

Was a

com m ittee

developing

the

given

the

resp o n sib ility

d i s t r i c t ' s response

for

for

excel­

lence?
5.

Was

the

superintendent

resp o n sib ility

for

g iv e n

developing

the

the

main

d is tr ic t's

response fo r ex cellence?
6.

Was

any

other

resp o n sib ility

adm in istrato r

for

developing

given

the

the

d is tr ic t's

response f o r ex cellen ce?
7.

Was an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team g i v e n t h e r e s p o n s i b i l ­
ity

for

developing th e d i s t r i c t ' s

response f o r

excellence?
8.

If

so,

was

t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team

resp o n sib ility

by

the

given t h a t

superintendent

or

th e

Board?
In t h i s f o u r t h s e t o f q u e s t i o n s ,
d e t e r m i n i n g who

have

I would assume t h a t
been

appointed

i n t e r e s t e d in

a c t u a l l y made t h e d e c i s i o n

to th e d i s t r i c t ' s response
lence.

I am

t h e Board,
co m m itte e,

a
the

re la tiv e

t o t h e demand f o r

excel­

t h e d e c i s i o n maker c o u l d
Board co m m itte e,
superintendent,

a

Board
another

a d m i n i s t r a t o r o r p o s s i b l y an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team.
1.

Has t h e

Board

ap pro v ed a d i s t r i c t - w i d e program ,

proposal or r e s o lu tio n to provide fo r excellence?

127

2.

Would you

id en tify

t h e i n d i v i d u a l o r g rou p

th at

w ro te t h i s program , p r o p o s a l o r r e s o l u t i o n ?
3.

Was

the w r i t e r of the p ro p o sal a l s o th e d e c is io n

maker?
4.

If

not,

who i n y o ur

opinion

was t h e

recommended

the

d ecisio n

maker?
5.

Do

you

know

who

d is tr ic t's

r e s p o n s e t o t h e Board f o r a p p r o v a l ?
VI.

In t h i s

fifth set

identify in g a l l

of

q u e s t i o n s , I am i n t e r e s t e d i n

p articip an ts

who were

involved

or

included in th e p ro c ess of fo rm u latin g th e d i s t r i c t ' s
response to th e c a l l fo r e x c e lle n c e .

VII.

1.

What r o l e d i d t h e Board p l a y ?

2.

What r o l e d i d t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p l a y ?

3.

What r o l e d i d t h e a s s i s t a n t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p l a y ?

4.

What r o l e d i d com m ittees p l a y ?

5.

What r o l e d i d t h e p r i n c i p a l p l a y ?

6.

What r o l e d i d th e t e a c h e r s p l a y ?

7.

What r o l e d i d t h e s t u d e n t s p l a y ?

8.

What r o l e d i d th e community p l a y ?

In

t h i s s i x t h i s e t of q u e s t i o n s , I am l o o k i n g f o r th e

d etails

or s p e c ific s fo r

ex cellen ce.

your

s c h o o l ' s program f o r

In o t h e r words, what p ro g ra m s, p r o p o s a l s

o r r e s o l u t i o n s were a d o p te d ?
1.

What was added o r d e l e t e d from th e p r i o r c u r r i c u ­
lum?

128

2.

What r e s o l u t i o n s ,

p ro g ra m s ,

proposals or

plans

were a d o p t e d ?
3.

In y o u r w ords, would you d e s c r i b e y o ur d i s t r i c t ' s
p lan of a c tio n fo r ad d ressin g the c a l l f o r e x c e l­
lence?

4.

To

y ou r

knowledge,

d is tr ic t's

to

p l a n modeled

what

extent

was

a f t e r one of t h e

your
m ajor

excellence re p o rts?
5.

To

your

knowledge,

d i s t r i c t ’s

plan

D epartm ent o f

to

what

modeled

E d u ca tio n

extent
afte r

"B lueprint

was
the

your
S tate

f o r A ction "

plan?
6.

To

y ou r

knowledge, was your

d is tr ic t's

plan

modeled a f t e r MASB's "School B o a r d ' s P la n n in g f o r
E xcellence" re p o rts ?
7.

Can you i d e n t i f y

any o t h e r p l a n s used a s a model

f o r your d i s t r i c t ' s plan?
8.

Do

you know i f y o u r p l a n c o n t a i n e d an a s s e s s m e n t

model and i f so would you d e s c r i b e i t ?
V III.

In

th is l a s t s e t of

what y o u r
to

be

questions,

I am i n t e r e s t e d

d i s t r i c t has a c h ie v e d

achieved

as

a

resu lt

in

o r what i s e x p e c te d
of

your

d is tr ic t's

r e s p o n s e t o t h e demand f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Can you i d e n t i f y any

v erifie d

a c h ie v e m e n ts a s a

r e s u l t o f y o ur d i s t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .
2.

Do

you

know

v e rific atio n ?

what

instrum ents

were

used

for

Can you i d e n t i f y any u n v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n ts a s a
r e s u l t of

your

d is tr ic t's

response

to

excel­

lence?
Can you
d istrict

id en tify

the

an ticip ates

response to ex c ellen ce?

a c h ie v e m e n ts
as

a

resu lt

which
of

your
th eir

130

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS
G e n e ra l Q u e s t i o n s f o r Opening t h e I n t e r v i e w D i s c u s s i o n
I.

As I ' m s u r e you
R is k r e p o r t

know, t h e r e l e a s e o f t h e

in

c r e d i t e d w ith
to

the

of

1983

is

in itia l

e x c e lle n c e in

at

generally

the beginning o f a n ation -w ide

provide fo r

That

spring

N atio n

th ru st

the n a tio n 's schools.

r e p o r t was f o l l o w e d

re p o rts , task fo rc e s , sp e c ia l

by s c o r e s

o f new

l e g i s l a t i o n and recom­

m en d atio n s from numerous o r g a n i z a t i o n s .
1.

Do you

t h i n k t h i s e x c e l l e n c e movement w i l l ev en ­

t u a l l y pro v e t o be j u s t a n o t h e r

p a s s i n g f a d w ith

no l a s t i n g b e n e f i t s o r do you b e l i e v e
i c a n e d u c a t i o n has been p e r m a n e n tly

t h a t Amer­
changed w ith

lo n g -lastin g b en efits?
2.

Did

your

d i s t r i c t re s p o n d

w ith

a program

for

excellence?
3.

If

t h e r e was a r e s p o n s e ,

do you

sp o n s e was l a r g e l y an e f f o r t

think th a t r e ­

to s a t i s f y

various

g ro u p s such a s t h e b o a r d , s t a f f , community, s t a t e
d e p a r t m e n t , MASB o r do you t h i n k t h e r e was a s i n ­
cere

reco g n itio n

t h a t the

d istric t

needed

to

improve i t s s t a n d a r d s and p r o v i d e f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
II.

The f o l l o w i n g
sp ec ific ally

questions
at

your

e x c e l l e n c e movement.

are

designed to

d is tr ic t's

response

l o o k more
to

th e

In t h i s f i r s t s e t of q u e s t i o n s ,

I am i n t e r e s t e d in d i s c o v e r i n g who i n i t i a t e d t h e d i s ­
t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement. The word

131

in itia te

is

used

t o i d e n t i f y who

to o k

the

first

a c t i o n t o re sp o n d w ith a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Would you d e s c r i b e

any new sp ap er, r a d i o , o r T.V.

e d i t o r i a l s t h a t may

have i n f l u e n c e d y o u r

school

t o make a r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement?
2.

Were t h e r e any
e i th e r the

community

g ro u p s which r e q u e s t e d

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t o r t h e Board t o make a

response t o e x c e lle n c e ?
3.

Would

you

in d iv id u al
need f o r

describe

the

community members
the school

to

influence
who

make

of

any

suggested the

a response to the

e x c e l l e n c e movement.
4.

To y o u r knowledge, d i d

members o f

the

teaching

s t a f f e v e r s u g g e s t t h a t t h e s c h o o l s h o u l d d e v e lo p
an e x c e l l e n c e r e s p o n s e ?
5.

In

your o p in io n ,

what

facto rs

influenced

the

a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o r t h e Board t o make t h e i r i n i t i a l
proposal of providing fo r excellence?
Ill,

In t h i s

second s e t of

q u e s t i o n s , X am i n t e r e s t e d i n

i d e n t i f y i n g t h o s e f o r c e s , p r e s s u r e s , d r i v e s , needs o r
t e n s i o n s which may have been t h e m o t i v a t i o n

for

th e

d i s t r i c t t o d e v e lo p i t s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

In y o u r o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l

influence

did

t h e community have on t h e d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n

to

r e s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
2.

In y o u r o p i n i o n , what
the

m otivational influence

S t a t e Department of E d u c a tio n

have

did

on your

d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d w i t h a program f o r
ex cellen ce?
3.

In y o ur o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l
the

m ajor e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s , such a s N ation

R isk , A Place
the

in flu e n c e did
at

C a l l e d S c h o o l , High S c h o o l , Making

Grade have on

your d i s t r i c t ' s

d ecisio n

to

r e s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
4.

In

y o u r o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e d i d

telev isio n ,

rad io ,

newspaper and magazine

news

media have on y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d
w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
5.

What

p ercen tag e of m o tiv a tio n a l

you a s s i g n t o e x t e r n a l
your d i s t r i c t ' s

influence

would

s tim u li as th e reason fo r

d e c i s i o n t o re sp o n d w ith

a pro­

gram f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
6.

What

percentage

you a s s i g n
the

of m o tiv atio n al in flu en ce

would

t o an i n t e r n a l r e c o g n i t i o n o f need as

reason

for

your

d is tr ic t's

decision

to

re s p o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
IV.

In

th is th ird

determ ining

s e t of q u estio n s, I

what

method o r

am i n t e r e s t e d i n

procedure

was used

to

e s t a b l i s h the d i s t r i c t ' s resp o n se to e x c e lle n c e .
1.

Did

t h e Board e s t a b l i s h a com m ittee

fo r d ealing

w ith the is s u e o f p ro v id in g fo r e x c e lle n c e ?
2.

I f s o , what segments of
t h i s com m ittee?

t h e community

s e r v e d on

3.

Were t h e r e any o t h e r c o m m itte es
e s t a b l i s h e d and

what

o r sub com m ittees

segments o f

t h e community

d id they re p r e s e n t?
4.

Was

a

com m ittee

developing

the

g iv e n

the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y

d i s t r i c t ’s

response

for

for ex cel­

lence?
5.

Was t h e
for

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t g iv e n

developing

the

the r e s p o n s i b i l i ty

d is tr ic t's

response

for

excellence?
6.

Do you know

i f t h e r e was any o t h e r a d m i n i s t r a t o r

given

resp o n sib ility

the

for

d e v e lo p i n g

th e

d i s t r i c t ' s response f o r ex cellen ce?
7.

Was an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team g i v e n t h e r e s p o n s i b i l ­
i t y fo r developing

the

d is tr ic t's

response for

q u e s t i o n s , I am

i n t e r e s t e d in

ex cellence?
In t h i s f o u r t h s e t o f
determ ining

who

a c t u a l l y made t h e d e c i s i o n r e l a t i v e

to the d i s t r i c t ' s
lence.
have

response to

I would assume
been t h e

appointed

Board,

c o m m itte e ,

t h e demand f o r e x c e l ­

t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n maker c o u l d
a

Board c o m m itte e ,

the

sup erin ten d en t,

a

Board
another

a d m i n i s t r a t o r o r p o s s i b l y an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team.
1.

Has

t h e Board

app ro v ed a d i s t r i c t - w i d e program ,

proposal or r e s o lu tio n to provide fo r ex cellence?
2.

Would you i d e n t i f y t h e

in d iv id u al

o r group t h a t

w ro te t h i s program , p r o p o s a l o r r e s o l u t i o n ?

13*

3.

Was t h e w r i t e r

of t h e p r o p o s a l a l s o t h e d e c i s i o n

maker?
4.

If

not,

who

in y o u r

o p i n i o n was

the d e c isio n

maker?
5.

Who recommended t h e

d is tr ic t's

response to

the

Board f o r a p p r o v a l ?
VI.

In t h i s f i f t h s e t
id en tify in g

all

of q u e s t i o n s ,

I

am i n t e r e s t e d i n

p a r t i c i p a n t s who

were

involved or

included in the process of form ulating th e d i s t r i c t ' s
response to the c a l l fo r ex c e lle n c e .

V II.

1.

What r o l e d i d th e Board p l a y ?

2.

What r o l e d i d t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p l a y ?

3.

What r o l e d i d t h e a s s i s t a n t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p l a y ?

4.

What r o l e d i d com m ittees p l a y ?

5.

What r o l e d i d t h e p r i n c i p a l p l a y ?

6.

What r o l e d i d t h e t e a c h e r s p l a y ?

7.

What r o l e d i d t h e s t u d e n t s p l a y ?

8.

What r o l e d i d t h e community p l a y ?

In t h i s

s i x t h s e t o f q u e s t i o n s , I am l o o k i n g f o r t h e

d e ta ils or sp ec ific s
ex cellen ce.

f o r y ou r s c h o o l ' s

program

for

In o t h e r words, what p rog ra m s, p r o p o s a l s

o r r e s o l u t i o n s were a d o p te d ?
1.

What was added o r d e l e t e d from t h e p r i o r c u r r i c u ­
lum?

2.

What

reso lu tio n s,

were a d o p te d ?

p rogram s,

proposals or plans

135

3.

In y ou r w ords, would you d e s c r i b e y ou r d i s t r i c t ' s
p la n of a c tio n f o r a d d re ssin g the c a l l f o r e x c e l­
lence?

4.

To

y o ur

knowledge, t o

d i s t r i c t ' s p l a n modeled

what

extent

a f t e r one o f

was
the

your
major

excellence re p o rts?
5.

To

your

knowledge, t o

d is tr ic t's
D epartm ent

plan
of

what

modeled

E d u c a tio n

extent
afte r

was
the

your
S tate

" B l u e p r i n t f o r A c tio n "

plan?
/

6.

To

y ou r

knowledge, was

your d i s t r i c t ' s

plan

modeled a f t e r MASB's "School B o a r d 's P l a n n in g f o r
E xcellence" r e p o r ts ?
7.

Can you i d e n t i f y any o t h e r p l a n s used

as a model

f o r y o ur d i s t r i c t ' s p l a n ?
8.

Do you know i f your p l a n c o n t a i n e d an

assessm ent

model and i f so would you d e s c r i b e i t ?
V III.

In

th is

last set

what y o u r
to

be

of q u e s t i o n s ,

d i s t r i c t has a c h i e v e d
a c h ie v e d

as

a resu lt

I am i n t e r e s t e d in
o r what i s e x p e c t e d
o f your

d is tr ic t's

r e s p o n s e t o t h e demand f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Can you i d e n t i f y

any

v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n ts as a

r e s u l t of your d i s t r i c t ' s response to e x c e lle n c e .
2.

Do

you

know

v erificatio n ?

what

instrum ents

were

used

for

Can you i d e n t i f y any u n v e r i f i e d achievem ents as a
resu lt

of

your

d is tr ic t's

re s p o n s e

to excel­

lence?
Can

you

d istrict

id en tify

th e ach iev em en ts

an ticip ates

response to exc elle n ce?

as

a

resu lt

which
of

your
th eir

137

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS
G e n e ra l Q u e s t i o n s f o r Opening t h e I n t e r v i e w D i s c u s s i o n
I.

As I 'm s u r e you

know, t h e r e l e a s e o f t h e

R is k r e p o r t

the

in

c r e d i te d w ith
to

of

1983

is

in itia l

excellence in

th ru st

the n a t i o n 's sc h o o ls.

r e p o r t was fo l l o w e d

re p o rts, task fo rces, sp ecial

at

generally

th e beginning of a n atio n -w id e

provide f o r

T h at

spring

N a tio n

by s c o r e s

of new

l e g i s l a t i o n and recom­

m e n d atio n s from numerous o r g a n i z a t i o n s ,
1.

Do you

t h i n k t h i s e x c e l l e n c e movement w i l l e v e n ­

t u a l l y p ro v e t o be j u s t a n o t h e r

p assin g fad w ith

no l a s t i n g b e n e f i t s o r do you b e l i e v e
i c a n e d u c a t i o n has been p e r m a n e n tly

t h a t Amer­
changed w i t h

lo n g -la stin g b en efits?
2.

Did

y ou r

d i s t r i c t re sp o n d

w ith

a program

for

ex cellence?
3.

If

t h e r e was a r e s p o n s e ,

do you

sp o n s e was l a r g e l y an e f f o r t

think th a t re ­

to s a t i s f y

various

g ro u p s such as t h e b o a r d , s t a f f , community, s t a t e
d e p a r t m e n t , MASB o r do you t h i n k t h e r e was a s i n ­
cere

recognition

th a t the

d istrict

needed

to

improve i t s s t a n d a r d s and p r o v i d e f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
II.

The f o l l o w i n g
sp ecifically

questions
at

your

e x c e l l e n c e movement.

are

designed to

d is tr ic t's

response

look more
to

the

In t h i s f i r s t s e t o f q u e s t i o n s ,

I am i n t e r e s t e d i n d i s c o v e r i n g who i n i t i a t e d t h e d i s ­
t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement. The word

138

in itia te

is

used

t o i d e n t i f y who

took

the

first

a c t i o n t o re sp o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Would you d e s c r i b e

any n ew sp a p er, r a d i o , o r T.V.

e d i t o r i a l s t h a t may

have i n f l u e n c e d y o u r

school

t o make a r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement?
2.

Were t h e r e any
e ith e r the

community

g ro u p s which r e q u e s t e d

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t o r t h e Board t o make a

response to e x cellen ce?
3.

Are you aware o f any i n d i v i d u a l community members
who s u g g e s t e d t h e need f o r

the

s c h o o l t o make a

r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement?
4.

To

y o ur knowledge, d i d

members o f

the te a c h in g

s t a f f e v e r s u g g e s t t h a t t h e s c h o o l s h o u l d d e v e lo p
an e x c e l l e n c e r e s p o n s e ?
5.

To y o u r knowledge, d i d s t u d e n t s e v e r s u g g e s t t h a t
the

school

s h o u ld

make

a

response

to

th e

influenced

the

e x c e l l e n c e movement?
6.

In

y o ur o p i n i o n ,

what

facto rs

a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o r t h e Board t o make t h e i r i n i t i a l
proposal of providing fo r ex cellence?
III.

In t h i s second

s e t of q u e s tio n s ,

I am i n t e r e s t e d in

i d e n t i f y i n g t h o s e f o r c e s , p r e s s u r e s , d r i v e s , needs o r
t e n s i o n s which may have been t h e m o t i v a t i o n

for

th e

d i s t r i c t t o d e v e lo p i t s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

In y o u r o p i n i o n , what m o t i v a t i o n a l

in flu e n c e did

t h e community have on t h e d i s t r i c t ' s d e c i s i o n
re sp o n d w i t h a program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?

to

139

2.

I n y o u r o p i n i o n , what do you t h i n k m o t i v a t e d y ou r
school

to

make

a

d ecision

t o re sp o n d w i t h

a

am i n t e r e s t e d

in

program f o r e x c e l l e n c e ?
IV .

In

th is

t h i r d s e t of q u e s tio n s , I

determ ining

what method

or

procedure

was u s e d

to

e s t a b l i s h th e d i s t r i c t ' s response to e x c e lle n c e .
1.

Did t h e Board

e s t a b l i s h a com m ittee f o r

dealing

w ith the is s u e of p ro v id in g fo r e x c e lle n c e ?
2.

I f s o , what segm ents

of

t h e community s e r v e d on

t h i s com m ittee?
3.

Were t h e r e any o t h e r co m m ittees
e s t a b l i s h e d and what

segments

o r su b co m m ittee s
of t h e

community

d id they re p re s e n t?
4.

Was

a

com m ittee

developing

the

given the
d is tr ic t's

resp o n sib ility
response

for

for ex cel­

lence?
5.

Do

you know who was g i v e n t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r

developing

the

d is tr ic t's

response

for

excellence?
V.

In

th is

f o u r t h s e t of q u e s t i o n s , I am i n t e r e s t e d i n

determ ining

who a c t u a l l y

made t h e d e c i s i o n r e l a t i v e

to th e d i s t r i c t ' s response
lence.
have

I would assume t h a t
been

appointed

the

Board,

co m m itte e,

to the

th e d e c i s i o n maker c o u ld

a Board
the

demand f o r e x c e l ­

co m m itte e, a

sup erin ten d en t,

Board
another

a d m i n i s t r a t o r o r p o s s i b l y an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e team.

140

1.

Do you

know i f y o ur s c h o o l

d i s t r i c t - w i d e program ,

b o a r d has app ro v ed a

p ro p o sal or r e s o l u t i o n to

provide fo r ex cellence?
2.

Do you know what

i n d i v i d u a l o r group w ro te t h i s

prog ram , p r o p o s a l o r r e s o l u t i o n ?
3.

Do

you

know i f t h e w r i t e r

of the proposal a lso

t h e d e c i s i o n maker?
4.

If

not,

who

i n your

o p i n i o n was

the d e c isio n

maker?
5.

Do you

know

who

recommended

th e d i s t r i c t ’s

r e s p o n s e t o t h e Board f o r a p p r o v a l ?
VI.

In t h i s

fifth

id en tify in g

set

o f q u e s t i o n s , I am i n t e r e s t e d i n

a l l p a r t i c i p a n t s who

were

involved

or

included in th e process of form ulating the d i s t r i c t ' s
response to the c a l l fo r e x c e lle n c e .

VII.

1.

What r o l e d i d t h e Board p l a y ?

2.

What r o l e d i d t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p l a y ?

3.

What r o l e d i d t h e a s s i s t a n t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p l a y ?

4.

What r o l e d i d co m m ittees p l a y ?

S.

What r o l e d i d th e p r i n c i p a l p l a y ?

6.

What r o l e d i d t h e t e a c h e r s p l a y ?

7.

What r o l e d i d th e s t u d e n t s p l a y ?

8.

What r o l e d i d t h e community p l a y ?

In t h i s s i x t h s e t o f q u e s t i o n s ,
d e t a i l s or s p e c i f i c s
ex cellen ce.

for

you r

I

am l o o k i n g f o r t h e
s c h o o l ’ s program f o r

In o t h e r w o rd s, what p rogram s, p r o p o s a l s

or r e s o l u t i o n s were a d o p t e d ?

141

1.

What was added o r d e l e t e d from t h e p r i o r c u r r i c u ­
lum?

2.

What r e s o l u t i o n s ,

pro g ra m s,

proposals

or plans

were a d o p te d ?
3.

In y o u r w o rds, would you d e s c r i b e y o ur d i s t r i c t ' s
p lan o f a c tio n fo r ad d ressin g the c a l l fo r e x c e l­
len ce?

4.

To y o ur

knowledge,

d is tr ic t's

plan

to

what e x t e n t

modeled a f t e r one

was

your

o f t h e m ajor

excellence rep o rts?
5.

To y o u r

knowledge,

d is tr ic t's
D epartm ent

plan

to

what e x t e n t

modeled

afte r

o f E d u c a tio n . " B l u e p r i n t

was
th e

for

your
S tate

A ctio n "

plan?
6.

To your

knowledge,

was

y o ur d i s t r i c t ' s

plan

modeled a f t e r MASB's "School B o a r d 's P l a n n in g f o r
E xcellence" re p o rts ?
7.

Can you i d e n t i f y any

o t h e r p l a n s used a s a model

f o r y ou r d i s t r i c t ' s p l a n ?
S.

Do you know i f your p l a n c o n t a i n e d

an a s s e s s m e n t

model and i f so would you d e s c r i b e i t ?
VIII.

In t h i s
what
to

last

your

set

of q u e s tio n s ,

I am i n t e r e s t e d i n

d i s t r i c t has a c h i e v e d o r what i s e x p e c t e d

be a c h ie v e d

as

a

resu lt

of your

d is tr ic t's

r e s p o n s e t o t h e demand f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
1.

Can

you i d e n t i f y

any v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n ts a s a

r e s u l t of y o u r d i s t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .

Do

you

know

what

instrum ents

were

used

for

v erific atio n ?
Can you i d e n t i f y any u n v e r i f i e d a c h ie v e m e n t s a s a
re s u lt of

your

d is tr ic t's

response

to

ex cel­

lence?
Can

you

d istric t

id en tify

the

an ticip ates

response to ex cellen ce?

a c h i e v e m e n t s which
as

a

resu lt

of

your
th eir

Summary
T his c h a p te r c o n ta in e d a

d i s c u s s i o n o f t h e m eth od olog y

used f o r t h i s re s e a rc h p r o j e c t
asked each p a r t i c i p a n t .
ex p lo rato ry .

and t h e i n t e r v i e w

The s t u d y was

q uestions

b o t h q u a l i t a t i v e and

The q u a l i t a t i v e method o f r e s e a r c h was

ch ose n

b e c a u s e a s c h o o l d i s t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e move­
ment

could

not

easily

be

r e s e a r c h e r ' s o b j e c t i v e was
system s responded to

ex tracted
to e x p lo re

into

i n c e n t r a l M ic h ig a n

and

The

how s i x s m a l l s c h o o l

t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement

s ix school d i s t r i c t s s e le c te d f o r case

num bers.

o f 1983.

The

s t u d i e s were l o c a t e d

had e n r o l l m e n t s between

1000

and

4000 s t u d e n t s .
The m eth o d o lo g y u s e d f o r d e v e l o p i n g e a c h c a s e s t u d y was
t h a t o f i n - d e p t h i n t e r v i e w i n g . I n i t i a l i n t e r v i e w i n g was done
w ith

a protocol of q u e stio n s.

developed
w ell-k n o w n

and s u b s t a n t i a t e d w i t h
p ro fe ssio n a ls

T hese p r o f e s s i o n a l s were
E ducation

These f i r s t q u e s t i o n s

w ith in
a past

a t M ichigan S t a t e

ten d en t of schools fo r
ex ecu tiv e d ir e c to r

the a s s i s t a n c e
the
dean

field
of

of

were
th ree

of ed u catio n .

the

C ollege

of

U n iv ersity , a r e t i r e d superin­

Ann A r b o r , M ic h ig a n , and t h e c u r r e n t

f o r t h e M ichigan A s s o c i a t i o n

of

School

B o a r d s . The e x p e r t i s e o f t h e s e g e n tle m e n p r o v i d e d t h e g r e a t ­
e s t p o s s ib le credence to the in te rv ie w in g q u e s tio n s .

In ter­

v iew q u e s t i o n s were d e v e l o p e d f o r t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , a s s i s ­
tan t

su p erin ten d en t,

b o a r d members, p r i n c i p a l s ,

s t u d e n t s and community members.

teachers,

C h a p t e r IV :

CASE S T U D IE S

In tro d u ctio n
C hapter
town

IV c o n s i s t s

school

d istricts

of

case

studies

responded

to

of

the

how s i x

1983

s m a ll

excellence

movement.

Each e x p l o r a t o r y c a s e s t u d y r e p r e s e n t e d a dozen

or

in -depth

interview s.

lasted

from 45

more

interview s

S up erin ten d en tsr
lead ers,

teach ers,

ex cellence
were

p rin cip als,

interview ed

suggesting

other

were

first
k ey

m ajority

m in u te s

board

students

c o m m itte es

The

and

to one

members,

they

indiv id u als

the

hour.

community

in d iv id u als serving

interview ed.

as

of

were
to

on

Superintendents
most h e l p f u l

interview .

In

in
many

i n s t a n c e s , i n d i v i d u a l s were i n t e r v i e w e d more t h a n o n ce.
The names o f t h e com m u nities

and r i v e r s a r e f i c t i o n a l .

A ll co m m un ities were l o c a t e d in m id -M ichigan and ra n g e d i n
size

from

2,200

to

7,481

resid en ts.

F iv e

of

the

com m unities were w i t h i n a 20 mile commuting d i s t a n c e of a
major

city.

None

of

thed i s t r i c t s

d ire c tly bordered

a

major c i t y .
The s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s
students.

Each

ra n g e d in s i z e from 1,441 t o 3,318

d istrict

had

o n ly

one

high

school.

The

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t and h i g h s c h o o l p r i n c i p a l f o r ea ch d i s t r i c t
were in t h o s e p o s i t i o n s p r i o r t o t h e r e l e a s e o f A Nation a t
Risk

in

the

each d i s t r i c t

spring

of

1983.

E xpenditures

per

child

for

r a n g e d from a low o f $2,329 t o a h ig h o f o v e r

$3,400 p e r c h i l d .
14 4

PIO N E E R

Community

P ioneer
L ansing,

th eir

.

early

a

quaint

M ic h i g a n 's

stretch
1833

1b

trail

R apids.

over

years

settlem ent

Indian

cap ito l

lim bs

. . th ree

villag e

b etw e en

city.

th is

an

the

L a n sin g

im portant
v illag es

a

few

G ia n t

h isto ric

before

became

w ithin

m iles

maple

town

of

trees

settled

was f o u n d e d .
w ay-station
P ontiac

in
The

on

and

of

the

Grand

Twenty y e a r s b e f o r e t h e C i v i l War, P i o n e e r b o a s t e d

m i d - M i c h i g a n 's l a r g e s t h o t e l .

I t welcomed weary t r a v e l e r s ,

s e r v e d as t h e c o u n t y c o u r t h o u s e , h o used t h e c i r c u i t j u d g e
and

became

prom inent

the

gath ering

people

from

p e a c e f u l n e s s of t h i s
shopping

m alls

of

place

the

for

many

new s t a t e

of t h e

capitol.

socially

Today, t h e

old v i l l a g e c o n t r a s t s s h a r p l y w ith t h e
other

modern

suburban

areas.

A new

e x p r e s s w a y l i n k s P i o n e e r d i r e c t l y t o L a n sin g which may mean
t h e end of t h e

s l e e p y v i l l a g e and t h e b e g i n n i n g

of a new

e r a of g ro w th f o r P i o n e e r .
There
fu ll

tim e

are

no major

farm er.

Most

e m p lo y e rs
of t h e

in

la n d

P i o n e e r and o n ly one
is

divided

into

sm a ll

a c r e a g e which i s e i t h e r s h a r e c r o p p e d o r l y i n g fa ll o w .

Many

i n t e r v i e w e e s d e s c r i b e d t h e a r e a as a bedroom d i s t r i c t .
other

w ords,

although

they

live

in

P ioneer,

most

3,200 r e s i d e n t s commute t o n e a r b y L an s in g f o r work.
resid en ts
"m iddle

were

ch aracterized

classed,"

and

as

b e in g

" a c h ie v e m e n t
14 5

of

In
the

T hese

" u p w a rd ly

mobile,"

m o tiv a te d ."

Many

146

com m uters

live

subdivisions.

in

one

of

several

new

re sid e n tial

A p r i n c i p a l e s t i m a t e d t h e home v a l u e in t h e

n e w e s t s u b d i v i s i o n a t b etw e e n $70,000 and $130,000.

The School D i s t r i c t
The

school

p resen tly
m iddle

system

counts

school,

elem entary

h a s had

1,669
and

schools

a d eclining

students

two
are

h o used

elem entary
l o c a t e d in

e n r o l l m e n t and

in

a h ig h

b u ild in g s.
the

older

s c h o o l,
The

two

of

the

part

v i l l a g e w h ile a modern h ig h s c h o o l and a new m iddle s c h o o l
a r e l o c a t e d o u t s i d e o f t h e v i l l a g e in a p r e d o m i n a n t l y r u r a l
area.

The

m iddle

h ig h s c h o o l .
bordered

c o rn

field s

d e v e lo p m e n t

com prises

is

situ ated

Both f a c i l i t i e s

by

h o u s in g

school

only

on

15s q u a r e

d irec tly

behind

the

o c c u p y a l a r g e t r a c t of la n d

on one s i d e

and

the

The

other.

m i le s — s m a l l

a m iddle income
en tire
in d e e d

d istrict
for

most

where t h e d i s t r i c t f e l l

short

r u r a lly located school d i s t r i c t s .
The o n ly
of

school f a c i li t y

p ro jectin g

w ell-m aintained
office.

This

lo o k ed a s i f i t
for

tem porary

a

co nsistent

b u ild in g s
b u ilding

was

had

a

image

the

of

ce n tral

corrugated

attrac tiv e ,
ad m in istrativ e

m etal

com fortable

office,
control
office.

an

use during

w a itin g

im pressive

room,

and

m ight h av e been so m eth in g t h e army p u t up
World

War IX.

Inside,

was a most p l e a s a n t and modern o f f i c e f a c i l i t y .
a

roof

and

room,

a

b o a r d room,
a

stately

ho w ever,
T h e r e was

w ell-equipped
a

com puterized

lo o k in g

clerical
data

su p e rin te n d e n t's

147

I n itia tio n
P i o n e e r n e v e r d e v e lo p e d s p e c i f i c p r o p o s a l s o r p r o g r a m s
in

response

to

the

ex cellence

movement.

a d d r e s s e d and P i o n e e r r e s p o n s e d .
a r a t i o n a l e , w ith accom panying
not

responding

w ith

a

The

issue

was

However, i t s r e s p o n s e was

r e a s o n s , of why P i o n e e r was

sp ec ific

excellence

p ro g ra m .

r e s p o n s e was o r c h e s t r a t e d b y t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t .

The

This case

s t u d y d e a l s w ith t h e s e q u e n t i a l s e g m e n ts of a d e c i s i o n n o t
t o r e s p o n d with a s p e c i f i c p r o g r a m f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
There
exerted

was

no

evidence

persuasion

to

make

p ro g ra m f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
on

the

issue.

opinion.
The

any

the

in d iv id u al

school

group
w ith

a

The community was c o m p l e t e l y q u i e t

Teachers

never

or

respond

never

publicly

expressed

The l o c a l news media n e v e r a d d r e s s e d

board

issue.

th at

asked

the

ad m inistration

to

the

an

issue.

examine t h e

Even t h o u g h no one co uld be fo u n d e x e r t i n g p r e s s u r e

to have th e is s u e s a d d re sse d , th e s u p e r in te n d e n t recognized
that

the

ignore.

ex cellence
He was

movement

a strong

was

b eliever

to o
in

large

to

"nipping

sim ply

p o tential

p ro b le m s in t h e b u d " b e f o r e t h e y became to o b ig t o h a n d l e .
He

th erefo re

in itiate d

movement b e f o r e i t
the d i s t r i c t

discussion

became an i s s u e .

of

the

excellence

He u l t i m a t e l y g u id e d

i n t o t h e w id e ly a c c e p t e d b e l i e f t h a t no a c t i o n

was

necessary.

the

excellence

Q u ite

s im p ly ,

movement co uld

P io n eer's

only

b e summarized

response

to

w ith a q u o t e

from t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , ". • . P i o n e e r was a l r e a d y meeting
o r e x c e e d in g t h e reco m m end atio n s of many o f t h e e x c e l l e n c e
p ro g ra m s ."

148

M o tiv a tio n
The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t

had b ee n

on t h e

job f o r

six y e a r s

and e n v i s i o n e d t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n c y as a "b o x in g m atch."

He

r e l a t e d how "someway o r a n o t h e r I ' v e managed t o s t a y on my
feet

for

was

six

a lm o s t

rounds.

rounds," t h a t i s , fo r
K.O.'d

in

the

first,

six

years.

second,

He s a i d

th ird

and

he

fourth

He t o l d how he had n e v e r had a honeymoon p e r i o d on

th e job.

At t h e end of h i s f i r s t b o a r d m e e tin g , one o f t h e

members a d v i s e d him t h a t s h e had n o t v o te d f o r him and t h a t
s h e o n l y g a v e him s i x months t o s u r v i v e as s u p e r i n t e n d e n t .
C o n s i d e r i n g t h e f a c t t h a t he was t h e f o u r t h s u p e r i n t e n d e n t
in

two y e a r s ,

he took

he had

her

lost

seriously.

By t h e

s u p p o r t from t h e

end o f

m ajority

his

th ird

year,

board

and d e c i d e d t h a t he had n o t h i n g t o l o s e by a c t i v e l y

s e e k i n g and s u p p o r t i n g f r i e n d l y b o a r d c a n d i d a t e s .
it

was a

risky

decision,

but

it

p a id

off.

of th e

He s a i d

H ostile board

members were d e f e a t e d , i n c l u d i n g t h e l a d y who p r e d i c t e d h i s
d em ise in

six

m onths.

The c u r r e n t b o a r d h a s

lo t easier for th e sup erin ten d en t.
up

fairly

well

the

last

c o u p le

made l i f e

a

He r e l a t e d how he s to od
of

r o u n d s — "must

be

my

sec o n d wind."
Like

a

p riso n er

m arking

off

the

calen d ar,

the

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s a i d he had f i v e more r o u n d s t o s t a n d u n t i l
retirem ent.

He wanted v e r y

much t o be a b l e t o l a s t u n t i l

t h e e n d , b u t w ondered i f t h a t was going t o b e p o s s i b l e .
had hoped f o r a l a r g e r jo b t o
were o f f e r e d .

He

f i n i s h h i s c a r e e r , b u t none

He was v e r y c l o s e t o f i n i s h i n g h i s d o c t o r a t e

14 9

bat
of

saw l i t t l e
a

larg er

fu rth er
wanted

to

sales.
was

in

p o i n t in c o m p le tin g
job.

He

education
try

was
than

so m eth in g

He was " b u r n e d

d o in g

his

best

not
the

new

i t w ithout th e p ro s p e c t
in terested

next

after

in

"five

goin g

any

r o u n d s ."

retirem ent

.

.

He
.

like

o u t " from t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n c y

to

keep

the

w aters

calm

and

un til

his

r e t i r e m e n t in f i v e y e a r s .
The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t r e l a t e d how he had re ad a c o u p l e o f
the

major

ex cellence

S i z e r and

reports.

was g i v e n

He had

an a u t o g r a p h e d

perso n ally

met Ted

copy o f h i s book.

He

r e f l e c t e d back t o a q u o t e he had r e a d from S i z e r a b o u t "how
can

we e x p e c t an e d u c a t o r t o t h i n k

the

b u ild in g s

the

are burning."

su perinten den t

thoughts
many

about

fires

developing
cou ld

to

T h a t q u o t e and t h e
from

excellence

put

out

to

it

ratio n ale

ch aracterized

movement.
h ave

when

T h e re

tim e

to

his

were

think

a b o u t an

do in g t h e b e s t

ex cellence

too

about

new p r o g r a m s f o r t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.

he t h i n k

already

the

formed

about curriculum

How

movement when he was

he co u ld j u s t t o s u r v i v e u n t i l t h e

end of t h e c u r r e n t "ro u n d " and somehow s a v e enough e n e r g y
for

"five

more

ro u n d s?"

The

su p erin ten d en t

said,

"It

is

n i c e t o s a y we o u g h t t o b e doing t h i s and t h a t , b u t with no
d ollars
and

attached,

it's

reco m m e n d atio n s

furnished

n o t g o in g
are

not

to

go f a r . "

mandated

and

t o im plem ent re c o m m e n d a tio n s, t h e

f e l t t h a t most o f t h e
ev en tu ally fiz z le .

I f p r o g ra m s
money

is

not

superintendent

reco m m e n d atio n s f o r e x c e l l e n c e would

150

The

s u p e rin te n d e n t's

m otivation

r e s p o n s e was n e e d e d " p o s t u l a t i o n
to

spend

tim e

and

energy

for

to o

many b u r n i n g

" n o t t o k ic k

chasing

issues.

any s l e e p i n g

the

"no

was t h a t he d id n o t want

c o n tr o v e r s ia l program s f o r e x celle n ce.
already

in itiatin g

new

possibly

Be f e l t t h e r e were

E v ery

d o g s ."

and

effort

was made

He was h i g h l y m o tiv a te d

t o make s u r e t h a t a l l d o g s re m a in e d s l e e p i n g .
There

was

In term ediate
or

no

evidence

school

district#

an y

otheran c illa ry

sig n ifican t

m o t iv a ti o n

school

d istrict

to

to

th eir

stim uli.

cause

respond

m otivational fo rc e .

the

to

the

not

of

the

E d u c a ti o n

provided

superintendent
excellence

media c o n t r i b u t e d

had

The d i s t r i c t

community#

D e p a rtm e n t

the

The m a j o r i t y

d istrict

the

o rg an izatio n

In terv iew ees thought th e

th at

th at

of th e

responded

had n o t c o m p leted

any
or th e

movement.

i n d ir e c tly as a

interview ees
to

an

fe lt

external

a needs a n a ly sis

p r i o r t o 1983.

Process

The

superintendent

ex cellence
of th e
the

in itiated

discussion

movement w ith t h e b u i l d i n g

p rincipals

i s s u e . . . we

said,

of

the

ad m in istrato rs.

One

"T h e re was enough

hullabaloo over

j u s t c o u l d n ' t sweep i t u n d e r t h e

rug.

I

mean i t was on t h e news e v e r y n i g h t f o r a w h ile and in e v e r y
educational
least

publication

address

discussion

the

among

th at

issue."
the

we
The

d istrict

received.

We had

superintendent
ad m in istrato rs.

to

led

at
the

V a r io u s

151

re com m e n d atio ns and p r o p o s a l s from t h e s t a t e D e p a rtm e n t o f
E ducationr
American

M ichigan

A ssociation

A ssociation

of

of

S ch o o l

S ch o o l

B o a rd s

A dm inistrato rs

and

(MASB),
several

e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s were re v ie w e d .
It

was

"d istrict

was

ex cellence
m eeting

decided

among

already

assumed

p osition to te a c h e rs
assumed
the

m eeting

proposals."

and

w ithout

a

the

adm in istrato rs
or

exceeding

Individual

th at

many

prin cip als

of

left

the
th at

resp o n sib ility

for

and p a r e n t s .

T h a t r e s p o n s i b i l i t y was

sp ecific

r e a s o n s why P i o n e e r

ex cellence

movement t o

curriculum

m eetings.

com m unicating

the

d irectiv e.

P rincipals

th at

carried

would n o t h a v e t o r e s p o n d t o t h e
staff
Each

m eetings

and t o

principal

districtw ide

w ro te

and

sent

n e w s l e t t e r s home which were d e s i g n e d t o a s s u r e p a r e n t s t h a t
Pioneer

was

more

than

m eeting

the

new

dem ands

for

excellence.
Y ears

of e x p e r i e n c e t a u g h t

the

superintendent

on t o p of an i s s u e b e f o r e i t g e t s on t o p o f you."
"I b e l i e v e in alw a y s p r o v i d i n g

"get

He s a i d ,

t h e b o a r d with so m eth in g t o

work on, o t h e r w i s e , t h e y b e g i n t o work on me."
a study

to

He p l a n n e d

n i g h t f o r t h e b o a r d t o re v ie w t h e re co m m end atio n s

of v a r i o u s

excellence

o n ce a g a in

leading

D e p a rtm e n t

of

proposals.

With t h e

the discussion,

E d u ca tio n 's

superintendent

th e board

"B lueprint

for

re v ie w ed t h e

A c tio n ,"

MASB's

p r o p o s a l s and an o v e r v ie w o f reco m m e n d atio n s b e in g made by
v arious
the

excellence

board

d e c id e d

reports.
th at

A fter
the

a

lim ited

"d istrict

was

discussion ,
m eeting

or

15 2

exceeding

various

re co m m e n d atio n s'1 and

a c t i o n was n e e d e d .
that

position

th at

no

fu rth er

Board members a s s i s t e d in com m unicating

to

the

community.

No f u r t h e r

action

nor

d i s c u s s i o n was e v e r h e l d .

D e c isio n Making
P i o n e e r d e v e lo p e d no s p e c i f i c p r o g r a m s o r p r o p o s a l s in
response to th e nationw ide c a ll fo r excellence.
decision

was

made

response

was n ee d ed

to

in itiate

the

. . . Pioneer

exceeding

reco m m e n d atio n s

rep o rts."

The p r i m a r y

of

objective

Instead, a

po stu latio n
was a l r e a d y

many

of

for

th is

that

"no

m eeting

or

the

excellence

decision

making

s e g m e n t of t h e s t u d y was t o d e t e r m i n e who made d e c i s i o n .
C learly,
that

"no

the

superintendent

response

was

made

necessary"

the

in itial

and

then

m ach in ery in motion" t o h a v e t h a t p o s i t i o n
throughout th e d i s t r i c t .
p articip an ts
of

"no

in v o l v e m e n t
the

was

superintendent

in

making

needed.”

id en tifies

the

u sed

"set

the

w idely a c c e p t e d

No o t h e r p a r t i c i p a n t o r g r o u p o f

were i n v o l v e d

response

d ecision

in

The

various
selling

th at

i n i t i a l d ecision

fo llo w in g
groups
and

of

s eg m en t

on

p articip an ts

executing

the

"no

re sp o n se needed" p o s tu la tio n .

In v o lv e m e n t
Several d iffe re n t
in

the

d e v e lo p m e n t

groups of p a r tic ip a n ts
of

the

"no

response

were i n v o l v e d

n e e d ed "

decision

153

from i t s
w idely

in itiatio n
accepted

community.

belief

The

accepted

the

the

reasons

and

the

first

of b u ild in g

ratio n ale

council.

a p r e d o m i n a n c e of t e a c h e r s ,

response"

decision

w ith

influenced

the

paren ts

principals.

th at

no

response

fe ll o w
and

The

curriculum

helped

was

council,

rein fo rce th e

teachers.

The

community

"no

principals
building

F inally, the su p e rin te n d e n t c a rrie d

the issue

He sum m arized s e l e c t e d

reco m m e n d atio n s from
r e a s o n s and

r a t i o n a l e why P i o n e e r would n o t need t o r e s p o n d .
accepted th e p o s tu la tio n
various

th at

in t h e community.

The b o a r d

" P i o n e e r was a l r e a d y meeting

re co m m e n d atio n s

t h a t no r e s p o n s e was n e e d e d .
th a t b elief

They

t h e m essage t o

various excellence re p o rts , then p re se n ted th e

exceeding

the

via

to th e board.

or

by

and

t h a t m essage t o t h e i r i n d i v i d u a l s t a f f s

curriculum

n ew sletters.

school

presented

w ith t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , c a r r i e d

d istrict

with

was

a m eeting

and c a r r i e d

an d , alo n g

throughout

concept

su p erin ten d en t to

needed

in t h e mind o f t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t t o a

for

excellence"

and

They a s s i s t e d in r e i n f o r c i n g
No f u r t h e r

action

was e v e r

taken.

Elans
Pioneer p ro v id ed
for

excellence.

resolutions
the

were

postu latio n

exceeding

various

no new p r o p o s a l s
T herefore,

adopted.
th at

no

Instead,

"they

were

to

meet t h e demand

ex cellence
the

plans

d istrict

already

e x c e l l e n c e re com m en dation s"

or

accepted

m eeting

or

with p r e s e n t

15 4

p rogram m in g.
w hat

the

Therefore,

d istrict

ration ale

used

was
in

th is

segment

already

not

on

doing

or

resp ond in g

to

p lan s
the

d escrib es

reasons

the

and

ex cellen ce

movement.

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t e x p l a i n e d t h a t P i o n e e r was p u r s u i n g
excellence
Several
rated

long

before

ad m in istrato rs

first

college

reported

ago

each y e a r .

and

accreditation

th at

recently

A Nation

fact th at

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t

th at

At

R is k .

Pioneer

was

related

N orth C e n t r a l A c c r e d i t a t i o n

several

with

of

the

vario u s

requirem ents

for

th is

suggestions

from

the

F or ex a m ple, t h e h ig h s c h o o l p r i n c i p a l

one and
ad ded

fu rth er

many

overlap

excellence re p o rts .
said

the

of

As many a s 77% o f g r a d u a t i n g s e n i o r s go on

t h a t t h e school gained
years

release

among a l l a r e a s c h o o l s in academ ic a c h ie v e m e n t

two y e a r s ago.
to

the

one-half

as

a

h ig h

cred its
school

of

social

stu d ies

curriculum

was

requirem ent.

The d i s t r i c t had a f i v e - y e a r p ro g ra m in math, i n c l u d i n g two
c l a s s e s in c a l c u l u s .

I t a l s o o f f e r e d a t w o - y e a r p ro g ra m in

■anatomy, a t w o - y e a r p ro g ra m
F rench.

in b i o l o g y

and

five years

of

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , p r i n c i p a l s , t e a c h e r s and b o a r d

members a l l s p o k e of P i o n e e r ' s c o m p u te r p ro g ra m which g av e
e v e r y c h i l d a c c e s s t o a c o m p u ter a t t h e e l e m e n t a r y , m iddle,
and

secondary

responsible

school

for

level.

overseeing

council

made

up

members

m o nitored

of
the

A
th is

teachers,

c o m p u ter
p ro g ra m .

co m m ittee

A curriculum

ad m in istrato rs,

districtw id e

was

curriculum .

and

b o a rd

P aren ts,

t e a c h e r s , a d m i n i s t r a t o r s and b o a r d members p a r t i c i p a t e d

in

155

a new

c o m m itt e e

further

for

evidence

in terview ees
statew id e

of

told

q u iz

the

g ifted

and

commitment

about

the

talen ted .

to

ex cellen ce,

school

bowl com p etition

F in ally,

recen tly

and t a k i n g

as

several

w inning

a

f i r s t p l a c e tw o

y e a r s in a row in a s t a t e w i d e g r a p h i c a r t s c o m p e t i t i o n .
These

d escrip tion s

evidences

given

exceed in g

various ex c e lle n c e

the

fact

mathr

it

that

of

the

that

the

only

required

excellen ce

d istrict

d istrict

was

the

already

a fiv e

years

of

only

"m ee tin g

r e c o m m e n d a t io n s ."
offered

two

w ere

or

In s p i t e o f

year

p r o g ra m i n

for

graduation

math

. . . a f u l l y e a r s h o r t o f t h e t h r e e y e a r s recommended in fi.
N a tio n

At R i s k .

of scien ce.

P ioneer

grad u ation .
E n glish
Risk

w hile

education

of

in

so cia l

Risk

h alf

was l i t t l e

a

P ion eer's
evidence

only
of

required

stu d ies,

on e-h alf

recommended t h r e e y e a r s

recommended

year

graduation

on ly

of

three

support

they

after

years

the

of

w ere

years

of

A N ation

at

education
in

were

the

Pioneer

accom plishm ents
to

three.

cred its

although

and

four

c o m p u ter
no

c r e d i t s , did

recom m e n d ation

A lt h o u g h

Risk

required

P ioneer
for

o n e and

At

P ioneer

recommended

At Risk

r e q u i r e d o n l y two y e a r s o f s c i e n c e f o r

A N ation

graduation.

Only

A N a tio n

for

co m p u ter
availab le.

recen t addition

m eet A N atio n
so cia l

stu d ies.

im p ressive,

conten tion

At

there

th a t P ioneer

met o r e x c e e d e d t h e r e c o m m e n d a t io n s from v a r i o u s e x c e l l e n c e
reports.

1 56

R e su lts - A ctual ox A n ticip ated
T h e r e was no o f f i c i a l c o o r d i n a t e d d i s t r i c t w i d e r e s p o n s e
which

co uld

be called

excellence.
Q u ite

by

social

T herefore,

coincidence,

studies

This

studies

prin cip al

social stu d ie s.

were

no
had

the

demand f o r

reported

resu lts.

increased

req u ired

from one and o n e - h a l f t o

from

said

requirem ent

answer to

d istrict

curricular

re co m m e n d atio n s

school

th ere

the

cred its

g radu ation .
w ith

P io n e e r's

adjustm ent

A N ation

he

At

anticipated

would

resu lt

in

did

th ree for

not

R isk.

the

coincide
The

increased

higher t e s t

high
social

scores

in

T h e r e were no o t h e r r e p o r t e d r e s u l t s .

Summary
A ll

the

evidence

p articip an ts

were

providing

for

im plem ent

new and

pointed

satisfied

ex cellence

the

and

additional

ind iv id u als

demanded

ex cellence.

No

to

th at

community

the

school
there

s y s te m

was

program s
the

conclusion

no

of

groups

was a l r e a d y
real

need

excellence.

school

provide

seized

th at

the

to
No
for

excellence

i s s u e as an o p p o r t u n i t y t o sweep old b o a r d members o u t and
t h e m s e l v e s i n t o new b o a r d s e a t s .
a

response

never

saw

excellence.

for

more

the
Not

ex cellence.

need
a

for

single

S tu dents never suggested
Teachers

additional

board

member

or

prin cip als

commitments
came

forw ard

to
to

r e q u e s t t h a t t h e s c h o o l exam ine i t s p ro g ra m in l i g h t o f t h e
ex cellence re p o rts .

15 7

A ll agreed
to

p rovid e

that

for

response.

t h e m agnitude o f t h e

excellen ce

L ikew ise,

n ecessita ted

a ll

agreed

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t who f i r s t

recogn ized

the

Bowever,

u ltim ate

that

the

response.

d istrict

r e c o m m e n d a t io n s

of

su p erin ten d en t
p rin cip als.
teachers
carried

and

"already

many o f

first
The

the

was

to

message

that

kind

it

of

was

a
the

t h a t n e e d and i n i t i a t e d

the

response
or

ex cellen ce

carried

the

some

m e e t in g

the

p rin cip a ls

then

n ationw ide t h r u s t

that

was

exceed in g

p rogram s."

m essage

carried

the

parents.

the
The

to

m essage

The

t o t h e b o a rd and t h e

sim ply

the

to

the

su p erin ten d en t

b o a rd

rein forced

i t w it h t h e com m unity.

The old a d a g e " t h e wheel t h a t s q u e a k s t h e l o u d e s t g e t s
t h e g r e a s e " seems somewhat of an a p p r o p r i a t e d e s c r i p t i o n as
t o how P i o n e e r
its

not

squeaking,

indicated

they

pro g ra m .

The

evidence to
or

re s p o n d e d

to the

d o n 't

were

grease

satisfied

su p erin ten d en t

various

it."
w ith

ex cellence

movement.

All

an

academ ic

abundance

t h a t Pioneer alre a d y
proposals.

"If

interview ees

P io n eer's

p ro d u c e d

prove th e contention

exceeded

ex cellence

The

of
met

school

s y s t e m had r e c e n t l y a c q u i r e d North C e n t r a l a c c r e d i t a t i o n , a
new

c o m p u ter

p ro g ra m ,

the

highest

academ ic

a c h ie v e m e n t

aw a rd , s e v e r a l s t a t e f i r s t p l a c e a w a r d s , and saw n e a r l y 77%
of

its

grad uating

seniors

attend

college.

The community,

t h e b o a r d of e d u c a t i o n , and t h e e n t i r e s c h o o l s y s te m seemed
agreeable

to

the

postu latio n

th at

Pioneer

was

"already

m eeting o r e x c e e d i n g t h e e x c e l l e n c e re co m m e n d atio n s."

158

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t f e l t he a l r e a d y had to o many b u r n i n g
i s s u e s t o s p en d tim e and e n e r g y c h a s i n g new and p o t e n t i a l l y
c o n t r o v e r s i a l program s f o r
it

u n til the

end

ex cellence.

of t h e y e a r

and

f i v e more y e a r s and r e t i r e m e n t .
t o k ic k any s l e e p i n g d o g s ."

save

He wanted t o make
enough

energy fo r

E v e r y e f f o r t was made " n o t

T h e r e was c l e a r e v i d e n c e t h a t

t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t c o o r d i n a t e d an e f f o r t t o make s u r e t h a t
a l l d o g s rem ained s l e e p i n g .

R IV E R V IL L E

Community

Many
trails

of

and

M ic h ig a n 's

oldest

cities

settled

on

Indian

r i v e r s , and among them was R i v e r v i l l e .

In th e

y e a r 1839, t h r e e b r o t h e r s , a l l f a r m e r s from New York, b u i l t
t h e f i r s t lo g c a b i n alo n g t h e b a n k s o f t h e Rapid R i v e r in
c l o s e p r o x i m i t y t o an I n d i a n
t o Grand R a p id s .
a v illag e

in

t r a i l trav ersin g

from D e t r o i t

The e a r l y s e t t l e m e n t p r o s p e r e d and became

1871 and

a city

of

1,400

resid en ts

in

1945.

The old I n d i a n t r a i l e v o lv e d

into

r o a d , a g r a v e l r o a d , a paved

road and f i n a l l y a f o u r - l a n e

in terstate

still

expressway

which

a wagon r o a d , a p l a n k e d

p aralle ls

the

original

Indian t r a i l .
With
tim e

im proved

b etw een

tran sp o rtatio n ,

sm a ll

towns and

the

cities

distance

in

trav el

was s h o r t e n e d .

T h is

allowed c i t y w o r k e r s t h e o p p o r t u n i t y f o r c o u n t r y and sm all
town l i v i n g .

A c c o r d i n g l y , R i v e r v i l l e f a r m la n d g a v e way t o

resid en tial

suburbs.

R iv erv ille

new

liv in g .

ideas

New r e s i d e n t s
and

from t h e c i t y

expectation s

for

brought

community

R i v e r v i l l e became a m i x t u r e o f r u r a l and s u b u r b a n

liv in g .
Today, t h e community o f 2,981 r e s i d e n t s r e t a i n s much of
the

flavor

of

a

sm all

country

cem eteries,

m eetings,

and

an

M idw estern
church

occasional

town.

bazaars,
quiltin g

T h ere
annual

bee.

are

still

t o w n s h ip

F a rm e rs

still

h e lp a s i c k o r i n j u r e d n e i g h b o r plow h i s f i e l d or p l a n t h i s

160

corn.

R iverville

resid en ts:

lo ca l

Is

home

farm ers,

for

a

b ro a d

m erchants,

spectrum

shopkeepers,

of

serv ice

and l i g h t i n d u s t r i a l w o r k e r s , and com m u ters from t h e c i t y .

The S ch o o l D i s t r i c t
R iv erv ille
school,

one

elem entary
and

m iddle
building

spacious

fairly
last
is

Community

new
ten

w ithin

middle

school

facility ,

include
one

a community

h a v in g

L o c a te d

been

in

a

elem entary

school.

The

education

cen ter

offices.

It

co nstructed

an o l d e r

from t h e

occupies

one

high

adm inistration

a few b l o c k s

school

and

contains

cen tral

years.

S c h o o ls

w ithin

resid en tial

main p a r t

tw o-story

is

the

area, it

of town.

building

a

The

originally

b u i l t as a h ig h s c h o o l in e a r l y 1900.

I t is lo ca te d w ithin

two

The

blocks

located

of

about

m id-1960s.

the

cen ter

a

mile

A half

of

from

dozen

tow n.
town

and

p o rtab le

was

high

school

b u ilt

classroom s

add

is

in

the

to

the

a u s t e r e and c o n s e r v a t i v e a p p e a r a n c e of t h e b u i l d i n g .

H alls

and c l a s s r o o m s a r e u n c a r p e t e d and t h e o f f i c e a r e a i s r a t h e r
b a r e and u n p r e t e n t i o u s .
The s c h o o l s y s te m h a s had a d e c l i n i n g e n r o l l m e n t s i n c e
1974 when 1,897 s t u d e n t s
en ro lls

only

enrollm ent

in t h e

C aucasian.
from

and
near

anticipates
future.

Today t h e s c h o o l

fu rth er

Over

decreases

98% o f s t u d e n t s

Some 80% o f s t u d e n t s a r e t r a n s p o r t e d

w ithin

district.

1,441

were e n r o l l e d .

the

The

75

school

square

m iles

d istrict

is

com prising
proud

of t h e

in
are

ea ch d ay

the

school

fact

th at

161

30% o f i t s
train in g

high

school s tu d e n ts

fa cilities

post-secondary
Scholars

in

in

and 70% o f g r a d u a t i n g

education.

th e

en ro ll

1965

There

area

s e n i o r s go on t o

were f o u r

g rad uating

vo cation al

class.

N ational

M e rit

One

these

of

s c h o l a r s was named a P r e s i d e n t i a l s c h o l a r . . . one o f o n ly
t h r e e from t h e S t a t e o f M ichigan.

In itia tio n

D uring t h e summer o f 1983, t h e s c h o o l d i s t r i c t en g ag ed
in

heated

U n re s o lv e d

negotiations
issues

f a l l o f 1983.
Only

a

led

to

w ith

the

a b itte r

tw o-w eek

The s t r i k e was s e t t l e d

few

days

after

the

te a c h e r's

u n io n .

strik e

in

the

in November of 1983.

strik e

settlem ent,

the

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p r o p o s e d t o t h e b o a r d a t i t s r e g u l a r m eeting
th at

it

ahead

was tim e t o
to

"Q u est

new

for

set

d irectio n s.

Q uality."

The

board

h e ll's

the

proposed

those

a

and move

p roject

present

at

called

the

board

sh o c k e d w ith t h e e a r l y tim in g

of t h e

Wounds were s t i l l b e in g l i c k e d from t h e s t r i k e .
presid en t

w ith him?

strike?"

d i f f e r e n c e s behind

He

A ll

m eeting were a l i t t l e
proposal.

past

O th e r

suddenness

wondered

and

commented,

D o e s n 't he know we j u s t
board
of

members

the

proposal

the

went t h r o u g h

were a l i t t l e

in itial

"What

stunned

which

had

a

with
not

a p p e a r e d on t h e b o a r d a g e n d a .
A fter
students

interview ing
and

sup erintendent

board

community

members, p r i n c i p a l s , t e a c h e r s ,

leaders,

alone i n i t i a t e d

it

was

R iv e rv ille 's

clear

that

the

response to th e

162

ex cellence

movement.

media i n f l u e n c e

There

on t h e d i s t r i c t ' s

a program f o r e x c e lle n c e .

what

was

h a p p e n in g

decision

to

respond

with

T e a c h e r s and b o a r d members were

b u s ily engaged in a s t r i k e .
w ith

was no e v i d e n c e o f any news

The community was p r e o c c u p i e d

with

th eir

schools.

C learly/

it

was o n l y t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t who saw t h e need and i n i t i a t e d
th e o r ig in a l a c tio n lea d in g to R iv e r v ille 's

response to th e

e x c e l l e n c e movement.

M o tiv a tio n
The

su p erin ten d en t

d istrict
hard

"away

feelin g s

ed u cation.
strong

had

At

and

d is tr ic t's

the

children.

p o st-strik e

im p a c te d

labor

back

the

to

the

staff

volleys

still

to

move

the

H o stilities

and

forw ard

community

and

With

need

issue."

m eetings/

about

get

strik e

severely

public

concerns

fighting

and

from

recognized

progress

members

management
issue

of

to

for

v o iced

quit

the

educating

the

m orale a t an a l l tim e low
being

exchanged,

the

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t knew i t was o n l y a m a t t e r o f tim e b e f o r e a l l
fin g ers

pointed

d ifficu lties.
issue.
In stitu te

at

him t o

resolve th e

p o st-strik e

He needed t o g e t p e o p l e i n v o l v e d

w i t h t h a t in
of

mind, he d i s c u s s e d

D evelopm ent

( I /D /E /A ) , a c o n s u l t i n g

for

with a new

h i s need w ith t h e

E ducational

agency c o n tr a c tin g

A ctiv ities

w ith s c h o o l s t o

p r o v i d e a p r o g ra m

fo r e f fe c tiv e schools.

They a s s u r e d him

t h a t t h e y had j u s t

t h e r i g h t p ro g ra m t o meet h i s n e e d s .

163

C learly,

the

s u p e rin te n d e n t's

m o t iv a ti o n

for

in itiatin g

t h e " Q u e s t f o r Q u a l i t y " p r o p o s a l was t o p r o v i d e a new i s s u e
for

people

to

p ro b le m s .
would

ultim ately

facto rs

the

in

be

order

the

h e ld

to

resolve

accountable.

su perintendent

which c o n t r i b u t e d

in itiate

p o st-strik e

that

the

board

and o b j e c t i v e s .
proposal

evaluation

The

fu rth er

two

other

rein fo rcem en t to h is d ec isio n
The f i r s t

evaluated

the

by

I/D /E/A

sec o n d

to

was r e l a t e d

to

superintendent

by

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t

o utlined

tim e.

Upon

ack no w led ged

an e x c e l l e n c e proposal*.

fact

goals

on

I f t h e s e p ro b le m s were n o t r e s o l v e d , he knew he

questioning,

the

work

said

would

rein fo rcin g

he t h o u g h t

look
factor

good

at

was t h a t

th e s u p e r in te n d e n t th o u g h t t h e "Quest f o r Q uality" p ro p o s a l
would look
that

o n ly

expressed

good on h i s
the

school

k no w led g e

s u p e rin te n d e n t's
ex cellence.

h ig h

resu m e.

of

decision

I t is

in terestin g

principal
the

to

and

real

respond

one

reason
with

to note
teacher
for

the

a proposal

for

The t e a c h e r ac k n o w led g ed h e r a w a r e n e s s o f t h e

s u p e rin te n d e n t's

major

in terest

in

providing

a process

to

r e s o l v e p o s t - s t r i k e p ro b le m s o n l y b e c a u s e t h e p r i n c i p a l had
told

her.

Not even t h e b o a r d p r e s i d e n t

was a w a re o f t h e

s u p e r in te n d e n t's prim ary i n t e r e s t .
There

was

no

d istrict,

the

D e p a r tm e n t

an cillary

organization

cause th e

superintendent

the

excellence

evidence

th at
of

provided

movement.

or

the

interm ediate

E ducation,

or

sig n ifican t

interview ees

other

m o t iv a ti o n

school d i s t r i c t to
Many

any

school

respond
thought

to
to
the

164

news

media

coveragec o n trib u te d

m otivational fo rc e .
the

d istrict

rath er

The m a j o r i t y

re s p o n d e d

than

an

in d irectly

of th e

t o an i n t e r n a l

e x te rn a l stim uli.

as

a

interview ees

fe lt

r e c o g n i t i o n of need

The

d i s t r i c t had

not

com p leted a n e e d s a n a l y s i s p r i o r t o 1983.

Process
We

have

in itiate d

examined

the

R iv e rv ille 's

fact

response

th at

to

the

the

superintendent

excellen ce

movement

and t h a t t h e m o t iv a ti o n f o r t h a t r e s p o n s e was t o p r o v i d e a
process
the

w hereby

teacher

lingering
strik e

divisio n s

c o u ld

be

and

h o stilities

healed.

For

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , t h e p r o c e s s was t h e main o b j e c t i v e .
no p a r t i c u l a r e d u c a t i o n a l p l a n in mind.
process

that

lin g erin g

involved

problem s,

superintendent
process
in

to

im p ro v in g

planning
"that

in

students,
the
to

It

school

who a r e

i n v o l v e d in
occur

schools.

a

school

parents

and

decision-m aking."
meet

subsequently

the

a

change.
by

and t h a t

when

all

plan

B a s ic

members)

the

p ro ject

and

to

the

students

process

prem ises
ought

for
were

to

be

more l i k e l y t o
p arties
are

(staff,

in v o lv e d

in

seemed p e r f e c t

objectives
school

some

step-by-step

system atic

in terested

s u p e rin te n d e n t's
to

a

a decision

The I/ D / E / A

He had

resolve

parents

"change is

community

recommended

would

prescribed

staff,

was

affected

making i t "

a

the

He m ere ly wanted a

proposed

included

community,

effective

those

and

I/D /E/A

which

involve

people

from

board

and
by

was
the

165

su p erin ten d en t.
Q uality"

The s c h o o l b o a r d a p p r o v e d t h e

proposal

and

provided

the

funding

"Quest f o r

necessary

to

h i r e a f a c i l i t a t o r from I / D / E / A t o implement t h e p ro g ra m .
The
member

plan

called

excellence

for

ea c h

com m ittee

in d iv id u als
and

given

them

for

th eir

members.
from

in d iv id u al

20

t h r e e c o m m itte es i n v o l v e d

a sp ecial th re e -d a y
the

a

The

building

conducting

establish

up o f s t u d e n t s r p a r e n t s ,

P rincipals

ea ch

to

made

s t a f f and community members.
60 com m ittee

b u ilding

and two or t h r e e

were

named

train in g

in itial

as

facilitato rs

period

series

of

other

to p re p are

m eetings

e x c e l l e n c e c o m m itte e s.

with

The p r i m a r y

p u r p o s e o f ea ch com m ittee was t o d e v e lo p a c o n s e n s u s a b o u t
a "Vision of E x c e l l e n c e " . . . "What do we want o u r s c h o o l
t o b e in 3 t o 5 y e a r s ? "
The

em p h asis

process

was

on

g reatly

p articip atio n
expanded

by

and

i n v o lv e m e n t

the

use

of

a

in

the

p yram id

a p p r o a c h which r e q u i r e d e a ch of t h e 60 com m ittee members t o
id en tify
the

a p y ra m id g r o u p of 4 t o 6 p e o p l e .

to tal

group

i n v o lv e m e n t

member

was

ac tiv ities

and

com m ittee

m e e tin g .

to

over

300 p e o p l e .

u p d a t e d on

as k e d

for
The

T h is expan ded

prior

input

Each

com m ittee m eeting

relev an t

involvem ent

p y ra m id

to

and

the

next

p articip atio n

a s p e c t s o f t h e p ro g ra m were f u r t h e r e x p a n d e d by d e s i g n and
im p le m e n ta tio n

team s

com m ittees

of

"Vision

E x c e ll e n c e ."

of

20

established

com pleted

th eir

This

afte r
work

increased

g r e a t l y e x p a n d e d community i n v o l v e m e n t .

the
of

excellence

establishing

p articip atio n

a

and

166

D e c isio n Making
The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t

in itiated

and ch o se t h e p r o c e s s f o r

t h e d i s t r i c t t o e s t a b l i s h a p ro g ra m f o r e x c e l l e n c e , s t a t i n g
t h a t " t h o s e a f f e c t e d b y a p r o g r a m o u g h t t o be i n v o l v e d in
making

and

c h o o s in g

influencing

th at

decision s

process,

he

also

a b o u t t h a t p ro g ra m ."
releg ated

decision

In

making

r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s t o e a ch i n d i v i d u a l s c h o o l com m ittee.
Each

building

resp o n sib ility
E xcellence"

co m m ittee

of

necessary

com m ittee

of

20

20

form ulating

statem ent

objectives

of

and

to

its

charged
own

establishing

reach

broke

was

into

that

the

vision.

sm aller

w ith

the

"Vision

of

goals

and

Each b u i l d i n g

s u b c o m m itte e s

who

in

t u r n worked on s p e c i f i c s e g m e n t s of t h e c o m m itte e 's "Vision
of

E x c e ll e n c e ."

The

s u b c o m m itte e s

furnished

the

larg er

co m m ittee w ith s u g g e s t e d s t a t e m e n t s which were r e c o r d e d by
the

facilitato r.

statem ents
building

The

actu al

em erged

from t h e

statem ent,

alo ng

objectives,

was g iv e n

"Vision

work of
with

to th e

of

E x c e ll e n c e "

s u b c o m m itte e s .

accompanying

superintendent

Each

goals

and

who p r e s e n t e d

them t o t h e b o a r d f o r a d o p t i o n .

in.v.plvejugat
R iv e rv ille 's
people.

response

to

excellence

in v o lv e d

many

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t had t h e n e c e s s a r y m o t iv a ti o n t o

in itiate

the

interview ees
m otivator,"

d is tr ic t's
described

"the

behind

excellence
his

role

the

scene

as

response.
"the

leader,"

V a r io u s

in itia to r,"
"the

"the

overseer."

167

His

role

was most i n f l u e n t i a l in t h a t h i s p o s i t i o n allo w ed

im m ediate a c c e s s t o t h e I / D / E / A f a c i l i t a t o r and t o b u i l d i n g
prin cip als
school

who

board

were

received,

necessary funds.

bu ild in g .

facilitato rs

served
for

as

The

facilitato rs.

supported

and

members

of

for

th ree

and

role

of

excellence

community

building

the

the

building

and

They a l s o s e r v e d

s u b c o m m itte e s

provided

major r o l e o f

perform ed
ea ch

stu d en ts
the

The

an e x c e l l e n c e p r o p o s a l f o r

prin cip als

lead ers

Teachers,

excellen ce.

various

approved,

and w r i t i n g

and

co m m ittee.

com m ittee

The co m m itte es p l a y e d t h e

planning, designing
ea ch

also

leaders

lev el

all

c o m m itte es

as com m ittee members on

design

and

im p le m e n ta tio n

team s.

Elans.
The

superintendent

said,

e x c e l l e n c e was modeled a f t e r
I t's

a

process

schools."
"process

He

that

fu rth er

versus

" R iv e rv ille 's

h as

described

u sed

the

That

in

process

own " v i s i o n

.

design

a

to

and

im plem ent

program

p la n

allowed

s c h o o l t o d e v e lo p i t s

.

hundreds

d is tr ic t's

in d iv id u al
.

for

a p r o v e n p r o c e s s by I / D / E / A .

I/D /E/A

co n ten t."

p la n

of
as
each

of e x c e l l e n c e
geared

to w a rd

achieving t h a t ex cellen ce."
The s c h o o l d i s t r i c t had t h r e e p l a n s f o r e x c e l l e n c e , one
from e a c h

20-member b u i l d i n g

c o n d e n se d

into

one

co m m ittee.

d istrict-w id e

proposal

They were n e v e r
for

excellence.

Each p l a n c o n t a i n e d a s h o r t one or two p a r a g r a p h " v i s i o n o f

168

ex cellence"
com m ittee
and

statem ent.
listed

goals

for

into

a c c o m p lis h

of

suggestions,

dozens
possible

re c o m m e n d a tio n s,
divided

To

and

four

that

vision,

re co m m e n d atio n s,

i m p le m e n t a t io n .

suggestions

for

categ o ries:

each

The

goals,

im p ro vem ent

outcom es

for

were

parents,

t e a c h e r s , s t u d e n t s , and community.
Recommendations
new sletters,

b en efittin g

b etter

com m unication

"parenting

advice",

volunteer

o rganization.

teac h ers

inclu ded

increased
at

teachers,

and

the

tim e

intram ural
m iddle

more

of

more

a

parent

to

b enefit

increased

teacher

for

teachers

and

stu d en t/teach er

a w a r e n e s s f o r t h e need o f
b en efitin g

program s,

school,

thank

com m unication

Suggestions

included

for

. school,

b e tw e e n

Recommendations

b etter

ad m in istrato rs.
community

inservice,

an i n c r e a s e d

facilities.

from

Recommendations

increased

adequate

called

establishm ent

com m unication

com m unication, and

homerooms

the

more

b etter

ad m in istrato rs,

child

and

included

reco g n itio n ,

parents

designed

the

students

creation

you

of

notes

from

w ith

staff

and

to

benefit

the

f o u r n e w s l e t t e r s p e r y e a r , an ex p a n d ed

c a r e p ro g ra m , i n c r e a s e d community i n v o l v e m e n t in t h e

school,

and

increased

community

u tiliza tio n

of

the

facilities.

R e s u l t s - A c tu a l
The
provide

o riginal
a

new

A nticipated
objective
issue

for

of

the

people

to

superintendent
work

on

in

was

to

order

to

169

resolve

p o st-strik e

problem s.

process

calling

activ e

p aren ts,

for

students,

C onsidering
which

it

th e

p articip atio n

staff

was t h i s

T herefore,

and

from

chose

a

dozens

of

community

fu ll p articip atio n

su perinten den t

he

sought,

members.

and in v o l v e m e n t

the

resu lts

of

R i v e r v i l l e ' s e x c e l l e n c e r e s p o n s e were ph eno m enal.
A ll i n t e r v i e w e e s s p o k e a b o u t p e o p l e b e i n g b r o u g h t back
together

for

a

common

cause.

The

high

school

p rincipal

s a i d , "We g o t s t a f f , p a r e n t s and community a l l i n v o l v e d in
the

school.

Things

returned

t o n orm al."

The

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s a i d , "We h e a l e d t h e wounds from t h e s t r i k e
and r e g a i n e d s t a f f m o rale.

We r e c e n t l y s i g n e d a new 3 - y e a r

t e a c h e r c o n t r a c t in

tim e and w i t h o u t i n c i d e n t . "

was t h i s
which

record

involvem ent, p a r t i c i p a t i o n

e x c i t e d co m m ittee

It

and s e n s e o f o w n e r s h ip

members i n t o

thin king

th eir

r e s p o n s e s t o e x c e l l e n c e were s u c c e s s f u l .
When
achieved

questioned

detailed

fru stratio n .
the

mean,

we

now

and

resu lts.

A stu d e n t said,

r e s u l t s . I'm n o t s u r e
spent

ac c o m p lis h e d
increase

about

what

actu ally

was

w ith t h e i n v o l v e m e n t p r o c e s s , many had d i f f i c u l t y

remembering

w ith

fu rth er

a

lo t

anything.

of
I

Some

"I was a l i t t l e
what we
and

do

think

school

prin cip al

th ere

were a l o t

said,

increase it

"T h e re

w e r e n 't

outright

disappointed

a c c o m p lis h e d .

tim e

c r e d i t s n eed ed f o r g r a d u a t i o n .
t h e y 'l l probably

expressed

I'm

not

I

sure

th e y 'll

we

probably

I believe i t ' s
t o 22."
any

The

resu lts.

of sm a ll t h i n g s ac c o m p lis h e d

20

h ig h
Well,

and we d id

17 0

g e t people involved."
the

interview ees,

Such were t h e s e n t i m e n t s of many of

but

they

all

seemed

hap p y

w ith

the

resu lts.
O th e r
resu lts

than
of

the

process

R iv e rv ille 's

of

school,

more

volunteer

in serv ice

recog nition ,

ad m inistration.

ex cellence

advice,"

and t h e

organization.

tim e,

and

to

actu al
included

a

b etter

greater

e m p h a s is

com m unication

S tudents

gained

a new ex pand ed

child

establishm ent

T eachers

an

care

were g iv e n
on

b etw een

teacher

staff

ex pand ed

p ro g ra m and homerooms a t t h e m iddle s c h o o l .
now h a s

the

com m unication b etw e en p a r e n t s and

more " p a r e n t i n g

a parent

involvem ent,

response

more n e w s l e t t e r s , b e t t e r
th e

of

and

intram ural

The community

p r o g r a m and i n c r e a s e d

u t i l i z a t i o n of s c h o o l f a c i l i t i e s .

Summary
R iverville
of

1983.

the

suffered

H o stilities

ed ucational

a te a c h e r's
and

hard

process.

strik e

feelin g s

When

the

during

severely
strik e

the

fa ll

im pacted

en d e d ,

the

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t r e c o g n i z e d t h e d i s t r i c t was in need o f a new
issue

to

draw

people

back

together.

p riv a te educational consulting
calling

for

active

With t h e

f i r m , he i n i t i a t e d

p articip atio n

and

h e lp

of a

a process

involvem ent

of

p a r e n t s , s t a f f and community members.
C learly,
R iv e rv ille 's
in itiatin g

it

was

response

the
for

superintendent
excellence.

His

who

in itiated

m o t iv a ti o n

for

t h e e x c e l l e n c e p r o p o s a l was tw o fo ld and d i r e c t l y

171

related

to

the

perform ance of
he

had

to

his
find

job
a

as

c h ie f executive

officer.

F irst,

way

to

con flict.

He would b e e v a l u a t e d on h i s s u c c e s s o r f a i l u r e

i n b r i n g i n g t h e s c h o o l back t o g e t h e r a g a i n .

resolve

the

S eco n d , i f f o r

no o t h e r r e a s o n he t h o u g h t t h e " Q u e s t f o r Q u a l i t y " p r o p o s a l
would look good on h i s resum e.
The

"Quest

p articip atio n
members.

for

Q uality"

from p a r e n t s ,

project

stu d en ts,

required

staff,

and

active

community

B asic p r e m i s e s were t h a t " t h o s e who a r e a f f e c t e d

by a d e c i s i o n o u g h t t o b e i n v o l v e d in making i t "

and t h a t

"change

when

is

in terested

more

likely

p arties

are

to

occur

involved

in

in

a

the

school
decision

all

making."

Bach o f t h e t h r e e b u i l d i n g s had an e x c e l l e n c e com m ittee of
20

who were

w riting

given

th at

the

sc h o o l's

resp o n sib ility
response

for

for

d e v e lo p i n g

q u ality .

and
Many

i n t e r v i e w e e s s a i d , "The c o m m itte es were t h e work h o r s e s f o r
t h e 'Q u e s t f o r Q u a l i t y ' p r o j e c t . "
involvem ent.
and s c h o o l .

They

represented

They were t h e c e n t e r f o r
all

s e g m e n ts

of

community

They p r o d u c e d e a c h s c h o o l ' s i n d i v i d u a l "Vision

o f E x c e ll e n c e ."
Bach
im pro ve

building
th eir

com m ittee

schools.

d e v e lo p e d

The

m ajority

dozens
of

of p l a n s

plans

to

involved

b e t t e r and ex pand ed communication b e tw e e n s c h o o l and home,
b e tw e e n s t a f f and a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , and i n c r e a s e d
of

efforts

by

all

p arties.

The

community

recognition
received

an

e x p a n d e d d a y c a r e p ro g ra m and s t u d e n t s g a i n e d an expand ed
i n t r a m u r a l p ro g ra m .

Most of t h e p l a n s were sm all i n s c a l e

17 2

and

easily

money.

im p le m e n ted .

The

None

superintendent

In v o l v e d

said

th is

large
was

outlays

because

of

local

t a x p a y e r s were on t h e co m m itte es and s p o k e o u t a g a i n s t " p i e
in

the

sky"

proposals.

Interv iew ees

said

facilitato rs

coached co m m ittees t h a t t h e b o a r d and s u p e r i n t e n d e n t would
be

h esitan t

about

approving

proposals

requiring

larg e

a l l o c a t i o n s of money.
The
clearly

o riginal
and

objective

fully

of

the

a c c o m p lis h e d .

superintendent

A ll

p articip an ts

drawn t o g e t h e r w h ile w o rking on a common g o a l .
c o m m u n ity /s c h o o l
before

the

sim ilarity
the

relatio n s

strik e.
b etw een

in

the

is

area

staff

were

Morale and
lev els

than

to

note

to

ex cellence

response

made by t h e
of

higher

in terestin g

R iv erv ille ^

reco m m e n d atio n s

came

It

reached

was

the

major e x c e l l e n c e

recognition

and

o n ly
and

reports

appreciation.

Each of t h e i n t e r v i e w e e s

made i t v e r y c l e a r t h a t t h e y had

not

major e x c e l l e n c e

follo w ed

other
was

prescribed
w holly

parents,
fe lt

any

program

attrib u tab le

staff,

they

of th e

had

to

community
fu lly

for

excellence.

nationw ide c a ll fo r ex cellen ce.

T heir

R iv erv ille.

and

and

reports

students
adequately

at

n or

any

response

R eg ard less,

the

R iverville

all

responded

to

a

COOPERVILLE

Community.
Cooperville
Today

it

is

highways.
large

was

founded

located

It

is

cities

in

at

on

an

the

w ith in

Indian

in tersectio n

office,

Michigan.

numerous

a

sm all

of

in

1836.

two

major

e a s y commuting d i s t a n c e o f t h r e e
A

m ain lin e

th r o u g h town b u t no l o n g e r makes a s t o p .
post

trail

lib rary ,

a

businesses,

railroad

The v i l l a g e has a

dozen

different

a

new

and

passes

large

churches,

IGA g r o c e r y

store.
The
T h ere

v i l l a g e of

is

no

residents

Cooperville

large

industry

a r e employed

has
in

the

a population
area

so

of 2,200.

most

of

the

in one of t h e t h r e e n e a r b y c i t i e s ,

A m a j o r i t y o f t h e r e s i d e n t s a r e "working c l a s s " and l i v e in
low er-

to

m iddle-class

"White c o l l a r "
taken

up

w orkers

residence

in

housing
living
one

throughout

the

in t h e d i s t r i c t

of

three

upper

d istrict.

have mostly

middle

income

h o usin g d ev e lo p m en ts.

£h £ School D is t r i c t

The

sch o o l d i s t r i c t

miles.
fam ily

T hre e
fa rm s ,

serves

su b divisions,
and

some

d is tric t's

makeup.

one l a r g e

e le m e n ta r y

an a r e a

three

sm aller

A combined
building,

square

parks,

contribute

s c h o o l/m id d le

and t h r e e

s c h o o ls house t h e d i s t r i c t ' s 1,908 s t u d e n t s .
173

te n

trailer

farm s
high

of

large
to

the

sch oo l,

sm all e le m e n ta r y

174

The t h r e e
of p a s t
of

th e

a n n e x a t i o n s and a r e l o c a t e d
school

d istricts
the

s m a ll e l e m e n t a r y b u i l d i n g s a r e a l l t h e r e s u l t

d istrict.

hold

The

o n to a p o r t i o n

continued

o peration

in t h e o u t l y i n g

resid en ts

of

these

of t h e i r p r i o r

of th e s e

elem entary

areas

ann ex ed

id en tities

by

schools.

The

one l a r g e e l e m e n t a r y s c h o o l i s t w e n t y - f i v e y e a r s old and i s
b u ilt

on t h e

o r i g i n a l high

Main S t r e e t in C o o p e r v i l l e .
facility

was b u i l t

p erim eter

of t h e

neat

w ell

and

school

The h i g h

th irty -fiv e
v illag e

site,

several

are

of

located

th e

ago on t h e

of C ooperville.

m aintained.

There

around

are

elem entary

the

off

school/m iddle school

years

au d ito riu m s, or ca rp e te d classroom s.
classroom s

a s h o r t b lo c k

outerm ost

The s c h o o l s
no

swimming

are

pools,

A h a l f dozen p o r t a b l e
secondary

b uildings.

fa cility

and

C ooperville

is

a

f i s c a l l y c o n s e r v a t i v e s c h o o l d i s t r i c t , n o t a w e a lth y one.

In itiatio n
A N ation
Shortly

At Risk

was

th ere after,

C o o p e rv ille 's

released

in t h e

questions

response

to

the

spring

were

of 1983.

raised

ex cellence

about

movement.

The

e a r l i e s t q u e s t i o n s came from a c o n c e r n e d l o c a l c i t i z e n
was

the

m other

of

assistan t

attorney

children

and

C ooperville
m e e tin g s

was

had

th ree
general.
deep

providing

reg u larly

children
She

and

the

wanted

the

reservations

as

the

b est.

and p a r t i c i p a t e d

She

wife

of

best for
to

attended

who
an
her

w hether
board

on s e v e r a l co m m itte e s .

She was i n v o l v e d e v e r y w h e r e s h e t h o u g h t s h e co u ld make an

175

im p a c t

upon

im p ro v in g

education.

She

sup erin ten d en t,

was

q u ality

a

first-nam e

on

s e v e ra l board

many o f t h e t e a c h e r s .
conversations

the

with

of

C o o p e rv ille 's

basis

w ith

members, t h e p r i n c i p a l s ,

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t r e c a l l e d

Lisa

the

and

said,

" T h e re

was

and

several

d efin itely

p r e s s u r e i n t h e back o f my mind t h a t we ( t h e s ch o o l) needed
to

do

so m e th in g

movement)

. . . "

conversations
d o in g

about

to

The

w ith

responding

board

Lisa

respond

p rin c ip a ls a ll described

p resident

about

to

the

{to

what

the

excellence

remembered

C ooperville

ex cellence

h a v in g

should

movement.

be
The

L is a a s a r e g u l a r v i s i t o r t o t h e i r

offices.
The s c h o o l b o a r d p r e s i d e n t was t h e l o c a l C o n g r e g a t i o n a l
C hu rch

m in ister

addition,
and

he

was

and

was

fath er

an e d u c a t o r

keenly

L isa's

the

of

of

w ith

in terested

C ooperville.
children

the

in

th ree

children.

a degree

in

im p ro v in g

C ooperville

were

equally

counseling

education

c o n c e r n s w ith p r o v i d i n g

In

at

ex cellence fo r

shared

w ith

the

first

action

to

board p re s id e n t.
Thus,
move

it

the

was

L isa

d istrict

movement.

It

who

to w a r d

in itiate d
a

response

was h e r p r o d d i n g

caused th e d i s t r i c t to respond.
concerned

board

suggesting
evaluate

to
itself

excellence.

president

the
in

board
relatio n

The b o a r d

the

to

the

excellence

and p o s s i b l e n e e d l i n g

th at

A s y m p a t h e t i c and e q u a l l y

took
that

to

the
the

the

sec o n d
d istrict

various

step

of

needed

to

demands

and s u p e r i n t e n d e n t a g r e e d

for

th a t the

176

school d i s t r i c t

s h o u ld

evaluate

itself

in

relatio n

v a r i o u s r e p o r t s were s a y i n g a b o u t e x c e l l e n c e .

to

what

A com m ittee

was e s t a b l i s h e d t o s t u d y t h e m a t t e r and r e p o r t back t o t h e
board.

The work o f t h i s co m m ittee became t h e b a s i s of t h e

d i s t r i c t ’s r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.

M otivation

b isa

was

general.

to

three
stay

o utside

to

of

in

children.

her

Her

respond

provide

state

Lisa

home w ith

to

a

assistan t

an u p p e r m iddle c l a s s

employment.

C ooperville
effort

w ife

They l i v e d

with t h e i r
chose

the

to

the

major

best

subdivision

was c o l l e g e e d u c a t e d b u t

children

the

attorney

rath er

than

obtain

in

urging

m o t iv a ti o n

e x c e l l e n c e movement was an

educational

o p p o rtu n ities

for

her th r e e ch ild ren .
The

board

p resident

was a

member o f t h e community.
church m in ister.
had

a

to

known and

respected

He was t h e l o c a l C o n g r e g a t i o n a l

He was t h e f a t h e r of t h r e e c h i l d r e n and

m a ste r's

addition

w ell

degree

in

his p a s to ra l

public

school counseling

train in g .

L ike L i s a ,

he

in
was

h i g h l y m o tiv a te d to w a r d p r o v i d i n g e d u c a t i o n a l o p p o r t u n i t i e s
fo r his children.
wanted

his

ten u re

school d i s t r i c t
providing
children
both

of

He was a d e d i c a t e d b o a r d p r e s i d e n t , and
as

board

made g i a n t

ed u cational
was

the

these

prim ary

p resident

leaps

in

show

th at

excellence.

o p p o rtu n ities
m otivational

in d iv id u a ls to

to

for

However,

C o o p e r v i l l e ’s

facto r

co ordinate

the

that

th eir

caused
efforts

177

to w a rd

getting

C ooperville

to

make

a

response

to

excellence.
There

was

interm ediate
nor

any

excellence

the

news

force.

The

sparked

L i s a ’s

an

had

in tern al

to

community,

D e p a rtm e n t

of

o rg anization

in d irectly

planted

in terest

in

gaining

The m a j o r i t y
to

recognition

the

of

as

to

E d u c a ti o n

a

q u ality

respond to

seed

which

education

stim uli

The

th at

m otivational

interview ees f e l t

of • need.

any

thought

o riginal

an e x t e r n a l

the

provided

Many i n t e r v i e w e e s

media

re s p o n d e d

the

cause the d i s t r i c t

contributed

news

children.

the

ancillary

movement.

media

th at

d istrict,

m o t iv a ti o n

the

d istrict

evidence

school
other

sig n ifican t

her

no

for

th at

rath er

d istrict

the
than

had

not

com pleted a n e e d s a n a l y s i s p r i o r to 1983.

Process
The

b oard

ex cellen ce

at

p resid en t

a

regular

in itia ted

m e e t in g

a

of the

d iscu ssion
board.

about

The

school

b o a r d a g r e e d t h a t t h e r e was a n e e d t o e x a m in e t h e i s s u e in
relation

to

c o m m itt e e
Members

C o o p e r v i l l e ’s

called

the

in clu d ed

p rin cip als.
resp on sib ility
and a s s e s s i n g

of

"Task

parents,

The

standards.
Force

review ing

on

teachers,

c o m m itt e e
the

They
School

board

was

esta b lish ed

A ssessm ent."

members

charged

various

a

and

w it h

ex cellen ce

two
the

reports

how C o o p e r v i l l e compared and i f c h a n g e s w er e

needed.

They

curriculum

cou n cil

w er e
and

to

" filter

fin d in g s

make r e c o m m e n d a t io n s

through
to

the

the

school

178

b o a r d ."

The

high

school

prin cip al

was

elected

as

c h a i r p e r s o n f o r t h e co m m ittee.
At i t s f i r s t
"Task

Force

m e e t i n g , t h e co m m ittee c h a n g e d i t s name t o

on

S cho o l

Im p ro v e m e n t."

The

newly

named

com m ittee met t h r e e t i m e s d u r i n g t h e e a r l y f a l l of 1983 and
finished
and

its

the

work

board

w ith a r e p o r t t o t h e c u r r i c u l u m
of

education.

The

report,

council

"Findings

C o n c e r n in g t h e N ation At Risk

R e p o r t " made an a n a l y s i s o f

what

what

C ooperville

recommended.

offered

and

the

A Nation

At

Risk

With t h e r e l e a s e of t h e s e f i n d i n g s , t h e work

of t h e com m ittee ended in O c to b e r o f 1983.
I n t h e s p r i n g of 1984, a new com m ittee was e s t a b l i s h e d
to

re v ie w

re co m m e n d atio n s

D epartm ent
com m ittee

of

E d u ca tio n 's

was

curriculum

It

Subcom m ittee"
com m ittee

was

and

for

and

made

"B lueprint

established

council

com m ittee.

being

as
was

called
assumed

the

S tate

A c tio n ."

T h is

su b c o m m itte e

designed
the

the

excellence.

a

for

by

as

an

"B lueprint
role

of

A lth o u g h

the

of

ongoing

for

the

the

A ction

d is tr ic t's

com m ittee

was

o n g o in g , t h e y p r e s e n t e d what was c a l l e d a " F i n a l R e p o rt" t o
the

curriculum

1985.
Board

That
of

sp ecific
adopting.

council

report

E d u ca tio n 's

and

listed

the

school

reco m m e n d atio n s

"B lueprint fo r

recom m end ation s

board

th at

The co m m ittee h a s

in

from

June
the

A ctio n " and t h e n

C ooperville

should

S tate
made

consider

met a c o u p l e o f t i m e s

J u n e 1985 b u t no f u r t h e r a c t i o n h a s been t a k e n .

of

since

179

D ec is io n Making
The p r i m a r y d e c i s i o n making r e s p o n s i b i l i t y was a s s i g n e d
to

the

two

responding

c o m m itte es

given th e

to th e ex cellence

re c o m m e n d a tio n s

from

w e ig h te d

to w a r d

principal

was

the

the

movement.

v arious

as

lev el,

prin cip al

and

interview ees
the

related

shaping

A lth o u g h

of

the

resp o n sib ility
was

chairperson

the

the

who

from t h e

school

the

first

As b o t h h i g h s c h o o l

the

as

providing
who

a

w ro te

controlled

report.

for

ex cellence

d i s t r i c t 's response

com m ittee
of

high

were

com m ittee,

how he p l a y e d a v e r y p o w e r f u l r o l e in

chairp erson

principal

for

reports

the

ch airp erson

com m ittee r e v ie w i n g A N ation At R is k .

of

S i n c e most of t h e

ex cellence

secondary

elected

re sp o n sib ility

to

a whole

was

response

to

the

what was

given

the

ex cellence,

fin al

report

included

and

A fellow a d m in is tr a to r said

a d o p t e d t h a t t h e h ig h

excellence.

and

it
the

e x c lu d e d

"nothing

school p rin c ip a l d id n 't su p p o rt."

was
A

p a r e n t la m e n te d t h a t s i n c e t h e c h a i r p e r s o n h e ld s u c h t i g h t
control

over

w orthless.

The

t h e co m m ittee,

the

su p erin ten d en t

c o m m i tt e e 's

id en tified

the

work
h ig h

was
school

p r i n c i p a l a s b o t h t h e w r i t e r and t h e d e c i s i o n maker f o r t h e
d i s t r i c t 's i n i t i a l response to excellence.
The

sec o nd

com m ittee

was

assigned

to

study

the

" B l u e p r i n t f o r A c tio n " and was c h a i r e d by t h e s c h o o l b o a r d
p r e s i d e n t — t h e same man t h a t was i n s t r u m e n t a l in i n i t i a t i n g
and m o t i v a t i n g
chairperson

the d is tr ic t

of th e f i r s t

to

make a r e s p o n s e .

co m m ittee,

he

was

very

L ike t h e
pow erful

ISO

and p e r s u a s i v e i n p r e s i d i n g
w ro te

the

fin al

in flu en tial
making

in

report

o v e r t h e c o m m i tt e e 's work.

for th is

second

com m ittee and

what

it

roles

for

C o o p e rv ille 's

response

to

to

the

chairp erso n s

of

two

belonged

contained.

He

T h u s, t h e

the

was

key d ecision
ex cellence
separate

c o m m i tt e e 's f o r e x c e l l e n c e .

Involvem ent
C o o p e rv ille 's
concerned

parent

presid en t.
establish ing
com m ittee
centered

equally

sym pathetic

school board

The

school

b o a rd 's

o n ly

was

two

c o m m itte es

role

as

the

w ith

role

receiving

and

s u p e rin te n d e n t's
ex

officio

curriculum

the

school

w ith t h e d i s t r i c t ' s

th at

approving
in v o lv e m e n t

member
council

board.

response

to

of

of

b o th

and

her

Her

to tal

e x c e l l e n c e was

T e a c h e r s , s t u d e n t s , p r i n c i p a l s and community

members were a l l
the

sp ecifically , the
most

her

position

and

The

c o m m itte e s ,

very lim ited.

g iv e n

by a

an

around

in v o l v e m e n t

and

and

reports.

excellence
advisory

r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e was i n i t i a t e d

members of t h e two e x c e l l e n c e com m ittees
major

involvem ent

ch airp erso n s

sig n ifican tly

involved

resp o n sib ility .

f o r t h e two com m ittees
in

shaping

More
were

C o o p e rv ille 's

resp o n se to ex cellen ce.

Plans
C o o p e rv ille 's

only

plan

of

action

for

addressing

the

e x c e l l e n c e movement was t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t of two e x c e l l e n c e

181

com m ittees.
action

No

was

adopted

com m ittees.
Risk..

reso lu tio n s

The

It

beyond
first

ended

w er e
the

passed

estab lish m en t

c o m m it t e e

its

work

and

review ed

w it h

the

no

plan

of

these

A

N ation

p resen tation

of
two
at

of

a

c o m p a r a t i v e s t u d y b e t w e e n what C o o p e r v i l l e o f f e r e d and what
A N a tio n a t Risk
tim es.

No

recom m ended.

r e c o m m e n d a t io n s

The c o m m it t e e met o n l y t h r e e

were

given

and

no

reso lu tio n s

adopted as a r e s u l t o f t h e com m ittee's f i n a l r e p o r t.

The s e c o n d
E d u ca tio n 's
a

co m m ittee

"B lueprint fo r

s u b c o m m itte e

was

re v ie w e d t h e

directed

council fo r

to

to

the

d is tric t's

report

acceptance

Board of E d u c a t i o n ."

A c tio n ."

any

S tate

It

Departm ent of

was e s t a b l i s h e d

curriculum

fin ding s

and p o s s i b l e

to

council.

"the

as
It

curriculum

recom m endation

to th e

I t p r e s e n t e d a " F i n a l R e p o r t " on J u n e

13, 1985.

The r e p o r t i n c l u d e d a num ber o f re c o m m e n d a tio n s,

but

were

none

S in c e

giving

com m ittee

what

e v o lv e d

s u b co m m ittee
represents

adopted.
was
into

for

The

report

called
the

current

s im p ly

"F inal

curriculum

excellence.

C o o p e rv ille 's

its

was

In
and

accepted.

R eport,"

co u n c il's
th at

ong oing

the

standing’

capacity,
response

it
to

excellence.

R esults - Actual
C o o p e rv ille 's
establishm ent
ex cellence
C o o p e rv ille 's

of

SIX . A n t i c i p a t e d

only

response

to

excellence

was

two

co m m itte e s

to

re v ie w

separate

reports.

The

o n ly

docum ented

two

result

the

of

re sp o n se to e x c elle n ce is th e f a c t t h a t th e s e

182

two

co m m ittees

fin al

were

reports.

actions,

established,

However,

resolutions,

th ere

changes,

did

meet,

was

no

additions

and

presented

evidence
or

of

any

deletions

th at

e v e r r e s u l t e d as a d i r e c t r e s p o n s e t o t h e work o f e i t h e r o f
t h e s e co m m itte es.
Many i n t e r v i e w e e s were a t a l o s s when q u e s t i o n e d a b o u t
the

resu lts

principal

o f t h e two c o m m itte e s ' work.

said

there

were

form ed two co m m itte es t o
to

the

curriculum

one

cred it

study

science

The

h ig h

other

than

. .we

e x c e l l e n c e and r e p o r t back
school board.

n o r c h a n g e d ."

of

re quirem ents.

resu lts

c o u n c i l and

ever added, deleted
th at

no

The h i g h s c h o o l

Nothing

was

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s a i d

was

add ed

school

to

prin cip al

the

graduation

disputed

th at

claim and s a i d t h e a d d i t i o n a l c r e d i t in s c i e n c e had n o t h i n g
t o do w ith t h e e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t o r t h e c o m m itte e s ' work.
The
lig h t

superintendent

on t h e

the

resu lts

d is tr ic t's
of

the

included a reduction
"B lueprint"

wanted

to

response

put
to

d is tr ic t's

the

best

possible

ex cellence.

response

to

She s a i d
excellence

in c l a s s s i z e , t h e c o n t i n u a t i o n o f t h e

co m m ittee

as

the

d istricts'

standing

com m ittee

on e x c e l l e n c e and t h e a d d i t i o n o f one c r e d i t in s c i e n c e f o r
graduation.

The

school

board

president

fe lt

th at

s i g n i f i c a n t r e s u l t s i n c l u d e d a r e - e m p h a s i s on a f u n c t i o n i n g
c u r r i c u l u m c o u n c i l and a renewed commitment on t h e p a r t of
the

superintendent

i te m s
The

su c h

as

teachers

to

commit

textbooks,
also

saw

money t o

supplies
the

and

curriculum

related

inservice

training.

s u p e rin te n d e n t's

renewed

183

w illingness
supplies

to

and

d is tr ic t's

commit

additional

in serv ice

response

to

as

a

resources
d efin ite

excellence.

to

textbook s,

resu lt

parents

of

and

the

students

were g e n e r a l l y u n a w a re of a n y t h i n g h a p p e n in g as a r e s u l t o f
th e d i s t r i c t 's response to excellence.

SumTnacy.
C ooperville
students.
three

is

a

sm all

rural

school

d istrict

of

1,908

Most r e s i d e n t s from t h e d i s t r i c t work i n one o f

large

citiesr

all

w ithin

commuting

d istance.

The

s ocio ec o no m ic s t a t u s o f t h e community was mixed w ith some
u p p e r m iddle income r e s i d e n t s , b u t a s t r o n g p re d o m in a n c e of
b lu e c o lla r w orkers.
the

b o tto m

The s c h o o l d i s t r i c t i s a p o o r one, in

p ercen tile

M ichigan s c h o o l s .

of p e r

cap ita

expen ditures

for

all

A n e i g h b o r i n g d i s t r i c t d e s c r i b e d them as

"po or sec on d c o u s i n s . "
T h i s was t r o u b l i n g t o some u p p e r m iddle c l a s s r e s i d e n t s
who had

ch o se n

children to
in

richer

Lisa,

a

attorney
her

suburban
m other

was

the

country,

but

wanted

th eir

the

three

and

One s u c h p e r s o n

the

wife

of

an

was

assistan t

The e x c e l l e n c e movement o f 1983 o f f e r e d

from

goals

sup erin ten d en t,
in

in

school d i s t r i c t s .

of

general.

ed u cational

She

live

have t h e same e d u c a t i o n a l o p p o r t u n i t i e s o f f e r e d

a platform

resulted

to

which

for

board

by

cou ld

C ooperville.
members,

d is tr ic t's

m o tiv a te d

she

her

o n ly

campaign
Her

needling

principals
response

desire

to

for

and
to

provide

higher
of

the

teachers
excellence.
the

best

184

po ssib le school fo r her ch ild ren .

Her e f f o r t s

were g r e a t l y

e n h a n c e d by a s c h o o l b o a r d p r e s i d e n t who s h a r e d e q u a l l y i n
her sentim ent fo r a b e t t e r school d i s t r i c t .
The

issue

came

superintendent
they

to

and h ig h

the

forefront

enough

school p rin c ip a l to

for

the

recognize t h a t

were g o in g t o h a v e t o do s o m e th in g t o g e t t h e i s s u e

quieted

down.

com m ittee

to

The
study

com m ittee, t h e
h e ld

tig h t

im m ediate
the

h ig h

so lu tio n

m atter.

As

over

the

to

appoint

chairperson

school p rin c ip a l

control

was

was

of

reported

c o m m i tt e e 's

a

th at

t o hav e

work.

A board

member and p a r e n t h e ld t h a t t h e c h a i r p e r s o n was " d e f e n s i v e "
and

"unmoving"

ad m in istrativ e
b etter

in

his

attitu d e

educational

position.
was

Several

not

op p o rtu n ities

fe lt

responsive
but

rath er

th at

to
to

the

w an tin g

provide

a

d e f e n s e a g a i n s t a c c u s a t i o n o f a d e f i c i e n c y in e x c e l l e n c e .
The h ig h

school p rin c ip a l

said,

"Our o n ly

response to

t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement was t o a p p o i n t a com m ittee t o s t u d y
i t and r e p o r t back t o t h e b o a r d . "
few

of

the

p ictu re
f o rm e r

of

respondents
the

d is tr ic t's

d escrip tio n

occurred.

tried

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t and a
to

p aint

response

seemed

to

The d i s t r i c t ' s

o n ly

be

to

a

b etter

excellence, b u t

accurate

response

t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t of two c o m m itte e s .

little

to

of

w hat

the

really

ex cellence

was

T h ese com m ittees g av e

r e p o r t s and made re co m m e n d atio n s, b u t t h e r e was no e v i d e n c e
o f any d i r e c t
work.
of

the

action

taken

a s a r e s u l t of t h e

c o m m itte e 's

The c o n c e r n e d m other who i n i t i a t e d t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t
first

com m ittee

h e ld

some

resentm ent

o p p o r t u n i t y t o p u r s u e e x c e l l e n c e had been l o s t .

th at

the

185

The

superintendent

d istricts
school

response to
prin cip al

played

ex cellence.

as

the

i n f l u e n t i a l in shaping th e
of

two

h ig h

c o m m itte e s .
school

com parative

C ooperville o ffe re d .

role

She i d e n t i f i e d

person

first

prin cip al,
of

lim ited

most

in

the

th e high

involved

and

response . . . the estab lish m en t

The

study

a very

co m m itte e,

m e re ly

the

A

chaired

produced

N ation

The s e c o n d

At

a

by

the

favorable

Risk

and

co m m itte e, c h a i r e d

what
by t h e

b o a r d p r e s i d e n t , made r e c o m m e n d a tio n s , b u t t h e y n e v e r went
fu rth er
and

than

high

the

school

curriculum
prin cip al

council.

a lo n g

w ith

The

su p erin ten d en t

other

ad m in istrato rs

w ere a l l members o f t h e c u r r i c u l u m c o u n c i l .
E v id e n c e
response

points

to

to

the

ex cellence

conclusion

was

m ain ly

dressing.

community,

the

appointed.

T h ese com m ittee members b u s i e d t h e m s e l v e s i n a
th at

However, t h e

teaching

s o m e th in g

record

k ey

window

were

board,

and

C o o p e rv ille 's

Committees

perception

established

th at

staff

w orthw hile

members
and

from

students

the
w ere

was a b o u t t o h a p p e n .

shows t h a t n o t h i n g o f f i c i a l l y h a p p e n e d

as a r e s u l t of com m ittee work.

The i s s u e was s u c c e s s f u l l y

" s i d e t r a c k e d , 11 " p i g e o n h o l e d ," or " d e r a i l e d . "
It
from

is
the

seemed

to

in terestin g
excellen ce
agree,

to

note

movement

th at

being

that

th ere

was

upon

which

all

the

consciousness about th e ex cellen ce
as

well

as

sup erin ten d en t,

the
all

nation.
agreed

recognition

result

respondents
of

a

public

movement in C o o p e r v i l l e

R espondents,
that

one

such

including

aw areness

le d

the
to

186

Increased
train in g
cred it
its
some

expenditures
and

in

science

relatio n sh ip
of

increased

excellence.

. . .

curriculum ,
the

even

e m p h a s is

ex cellence

resu lts,

on

council

addition

though

p articip an ts

overall

curriculum

even

to th e

the

C o o p e rv ille 's

the

possibly

in

curriculum
and

its

inservice

of t h e

one e x t r a

the

p rin cip al

movement.

w ere
all

more

Even t h o u g h

disappointed

were
and

denied

h ap p y
the

standing

to

w ith
see

the

continuation

of

su b c o m m itte e

on

RIME. LAKE

Community
Like
first

c en tral

M ichigan

settled

in

m id -1 8 3 0 's .

and

lu m b e r

farm ers
trees

many

grow ing

tw entieth

the

in

jacks
the

cen tu ry ,

In

Lake

the

the

was

Pine

E arly

h arvesting

area.

Pine

v illag es,

Lake

settlers

huge

early

a fav o rite

were

w h ite

part

was

pine

of

the

vacation

and

e n t e r t a i n m e n t haven f o r t h e r i c h and a f f l u e n t from L a n s i n g ,
M i c h i g a n 's
Tow nship

capito l
park

city .

are

Today,

still

Pine

popular

Lake and

spots

for

Pine

Lake

picnicking,

b o a t i n g , and swimming.
The community h a s a p o p u l a t i o n o f 7,481.

The b u s i n e s s

s e c t i o n of t h e community i s s m a ll and l a r g e l y o v e r lo o k e d as
a

viable

s h o p p in g

convenience

of

m in u te s away.
fa cilities,
new

is

a

cen ter
larg e

a suburban
and

increasing frequency.
for

area

suburban

resid en ts.

shopping

many

can

be

is

ju st

recreatio n al

r e s i d e n t i a l community.

condominiums

The

mall

P i n e Lake, known m ostly f o r i t s

ap artm ents

residence

by

B eautiful
fo un d

with

New s u b d i v i s i o n s p r o v i d e a s u b u r b a n

urban

p ro fessio n als.

As old

suburban

a r e a s re a c h c a p a c i t y , new s u b u r b a n a r e a s move f u r t h e r from
the city .
longtim e
somewhat
liv in g

So i t i s w ith P i n e Lake.
resid en ts

of

inexpensive
in

the

working

housing

expensive

and

I t i s d i v i d e d b etw een
class
the

apartm ents,

subdivisions.
187

liv in g
new

in

older,

suburbanites

condominiums

or

188

Thg S c h o o l D i s t r i c t
Pine

Lake P u b l i c

S c h o o ls

hav e

an

e n r o l l m e n t o f 1,834.

S t u d e n t s a r e h o u s e d i n t h r e e e l e m e n t a r y b u i l d i n g s , a m idd le
school,
b u ilt

and

a high school.

b etw e en

1950

and

The e l e m e n t a r y b u i l d i n g s

1967.

The

high

school,

were

bu ilt

in

1971, i s on t h e main ro a d l e a d i n g t o P i n e Lake and i s a b o u t
a

mile

from

the

school,

bu ilt

in

m iddle s c h o o l in

business
1957,

was

1968.

d istrict.

The

rem odeled

and

o riginal
converted

w ealthier

suburban

S c h o o ls o f f e r i t s

to

a

A new a d m i n i s t r a t i o n b u i l d i n g , b u s

g a r a g e , and t e n n i s c o u r t s were b u i l t in 1972.
the

h ig h

school

d istricts,

Like many o f

Pine

Lake P u b l i c

r e s i d e n t s a swimming p o o l, a u d i t o r i u m and

ca rp eted school b u ild in g s.
A p e r p u p i l c o s t of o v e r $3,400 p u t s P i n e Lake in t h e
t o p 19% of t h e s t a t e ' s s c h o o l s in e x p e n d i t u r e p e r p u p i l .
h ea v y

p re d o m i n a n c e

resid en ts

expect

o p p o rtu n ities

of

m i d d le -

nothing

for

th eir

less

d istricts

t e s t i n g p ro g ra m .

in

than

children.

s e n i o r s go on t o c o l l e g e .
school

and

the

upper-m iddle
the

Over

best

A

class

educational

70% of g r a d u a t i n g

P in e Lake was one o f t h e f i r s t
state

to

implement

a

com petency

S t u d e n t s must p a s s t h e s e com petency t e s t s

of minimum r e q u i r e m e n t s b e f o r e t h e y can g r a d u a t e from P i n e
Lake

High

tu to rial
and

services

math.

ath letics,

S ch oo l.

A
m usic,

The
to

all

fu ll
arts,

d istrict
children

range

of

science,

provides
n e e d in g

program s
foreign

s c i e n c e , c o u n s e l i n g and s p e c i a l e d u c a t i o n .

r e m e d ia l

help

in

are

offered

language,

and

reading
in

co m p u ter

189

In itiatio n
The

Pine

Lake

school

in te r e s te d in curriculum .
all

co n firm e d

the

superintendent

was

k e e n ly

T e a c h e r s , p r i n c i p a l s and p a r e n t s

fact

th at

curriculum

was

the

s u p e r in te n d e n t's f i r s t love.

P r i o r t o becoming P i n e L a k e 's

su p erin ten d en t,

assistan t

he

was

an

su perintendent

curriculum a t a la r g e suburban school d i s t r i c t .
reasons

Pine

Lake

was

in terested

in

for

One o f t h e

hiring

him

as

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t was b e c a u s e of h i s i n t e r e s t and e x p e r t i s e in
curriculum .

P a r e n t s and t h e s c h o o l b o a r d a t P i n e Lake were

very

in terested

much

q uality

ed ucation al

school

s y s te m

as

in

providing

o p p o rtu n ities.

a

"frontrunner"

th eir

children

They

prided

and an

with
th eir

"innovator" for

e d u c a t i o n a l program m ing.
It

was

which

led

the

su p e rin te n d e n t's

him

E x c e l l e n c e 's

to

attend

in itial

p resen tatio n

t h e s p r i n g of 1983.
a t Risk
go

the

to

his

re co m m e n d atio n s."

in

N ational

Commission on

of

A Nation

first

responsible
to

take

the

d istrict

That

and

in terest

for

in itiatin g

issue

s t u d e n t s and t h e community.
other

group or

at

He i n d i c a t e d

Risk

in

to

he wanted t o

"im plem ent

le d

P in e L a k e 's r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .
solely

curriculum

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t f e l t t h a t A Nation

was " r i g h t on t a r g e t . "

back

in terest

to

the

th eir

in itiatio n

of

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t was
th at

the

response.

board,

the

He

was

staff,

the

T h e r e was no e v i d e n c e t h a t any

in d iv id u a l influenced

r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.

P in e Lake t o

make a

190

M o tiv a tio n
The

superintendent

excellence.

It

le d

him t o

Risk

and

attend
to

ex cellence

the

his

the

keen

reports.

The

Pine

L a k e ’s

in terest

in itial

subsequently

w ith them ."
of

was

in itiated

in

curriculum

p resen tatio n
re a d

to

th at

of A N ation a t

several

superintendent

response

of

the

said,

major

"I

agreed

He e x p l a i n e d how he took t h e re co m m e n d atio n s

major

ex cellence

rep o rts

to

the

school board,

the

C o u n c il f o r C u r r i c u l u m Im provem ent (CCI) and t h e community,
b asically
th e y 're

saying,

"Look

at

recommending."

us,

we’re

already

d o in g

P i n e Lake was p i c t u r e d

what

by a l l t h e

i n t e r v i e w e e s as b e i n g ahead o f most s c h o o l s , an " i n i t i a t o r "
and a " f r o n t r u n n e r . "
a

"steam ro ller

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t saw t h e r e p o r t s as

helping

to

c o n f ir m

what

we

were

already

d o in g ."
The m o t i v a t i o n a l f o r c e s which l e d t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t t o
in itiate

Pine

L a k e 's

follow s.

F irst,

saying.

He

strength en

he

response
believed

sincerely

its

in

fe lt

standards.

to

excellence

what

th at

the

Pine

S econd, t h e

were

repo rts

Lake

needed

superintendent

as
were
to
saw

them as c o n f ir m i n g what he was a l r e a d y d o in g and t r y i n g t o
do.

T h i r d , he u s e d t h e r e p o r t s t o p r o v i d e f o r h i s own v o t e

of c o n f i d e n c e from t h e b o a r d , s t a f f and community.
There
in term ed iate
nor

any

sig n ifican t

was

no

school
other

evidence
d istrict,
an cillary

m o t iv a ti o n

to

that
the

the

D e p a rtm e n t

o rg an izatio n

cause

community,

the

of

the

E d u c a tio n

provided

superintendent

or

any
the

191

school

d istrict

Most of t h e

to

respond

interview ees

to

the

thought

excellence

th at

the

vast

movement.
amount of

media c o v e r a g e and p o s s i b l e i n f l u e n c e from t h e ab o v e l i s t e d
areas

may

force.
reason

have

A ll

contributed

the

for

in d irectly

interview ees

th e

d is tr ic t's

not

the

resu lt

c o m p leted

ind iv id u als
the

of

in itiato r

o verw helm ing

to ex cellence

p rio r

id en tified

and t h e n

the

stim uli.

an aly sis

interview ed

a m otivational

was

the

of need and o n ly t o a minor

ex ternal

a needs

th at

response

d i s t r i c t 's in t e r n a l recognition
ex tent

fe lt

as

correctly

The d i s t r i c t
to

the

1983.

had

A ll th o s e

superintendent

id en tified

his

as

m o t iv a ti o n

as b e i n g a s i n c e r e d e s i r e t o r a i s e s t a n d a r d s and t o u s e t h e
reports

to

fu rth er

program m ing.

No

o n e,

verb alized

theth ird

opportunity

to

fa irn ess

the

to

unplanned

but

support
other

his
than

m otivational

provide

a

"vote

su p erin ten d en t,

welcome

re co m m e n d atio n s
the

force
of

b en e fit.

su p erin ten dent,
of

seizing

confidence."

th at
The

for

appeared
first

two

to

the

In

all

be

an

were

the

p rim e m o t i v a t o r s .

Process
The
for

su p erin ten d en t

A N a tio n

ex cellen ce

the

R isk .

reports.

about v a rio u s
p eriod ic

at

resp on sib ility

the

He a l s o

read

opening

p resen tation

several of

the

major

He k e p t t h e s c h o o l b oard k n o w l e d g e a b l e

aspects

reports

attended

to

o f t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement b y g i v i n g

the
of

board.

The

d e v e l o p i n g an

b o a rd

never

ex cellen ce

assigned

response to

192

t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t o r an y o t h e r g r o u p .
assumed

the

resp o n sib ility

for

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t

coordinating

a response

on

h i s own i n i t i a t i v e .
In

early

fa ll

of

1983, t h e

su perintendent

rep rin ted

&.

N ation a t Risk and m ailed a copy t o e v e r y employee o f t h e
school

d istrict

d istrict
At

several

v>orkshop

th at

w ork sh op ,

assigned

to

s m a ll

Nation a t Risk
Lake

for

should

weeks

the

in

advance

afternoon

all

school

groups

to

of

a

O ctober

d istrict

discuss

of

sp ecial
10,

1983.

em p lo yees

were

the

contents

of

&

and d e v e lo p re c o m m e n d a tio n s a s t o how P in e

respond.

Small

group le a d e rs

collected

and

t a b u l a t e d g r o u p r e s p o n s e s which were t h e n combined t o show
resu lts

from

w ork sh o p .

all

T h ese

of

was g i v e n

fin al

re co m m e n d atio n s

th e task

were

given

and r e s p o n s i b i l i t y

for

the

to

in

the

the

CCI

of d e v e lo p i n g

superintendent

and

school

The CCI s p e n t a y e a r and a h a l f in t h a t s t u d y and

presented
and

groups p a r tic ip a tin g

re co m m e n d atio n s

which

board.

the

its

board

fin al

in

re co m m e n d atio n s t o

May of

1985.

the

The b o a r d

superintendent
accepted

those

r e co m m e n d atio n s in A u g u s t of 1985.
In

addition

em ployees
exercise

and
in

to

the

coordinating
CCI,

the

a

response

su perintendent

community g o a l s e t t i n g .

of

community t o h e a r v a r i o u s
the

m eeting ,

ex cellence
guests

movement.

were

ask e d

if

an

On e i g h t c o n s e c u t i v e
m eetings f o r

speakers discussing
At

staff

coordinated

Wednesday n i g h t s , t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t a r r a n g e d
the

from

the

they

conclusion
would

be

aspects
of

w illing

each
to

193

s e r v e on a 40 member lo n g

range planning

com m ittee.

The

com m ittee of 40 met on a weekend and d e v e lo p e d a l i s t of 32
prio ritized
board.
as k e d

goals

which

were

then

given

The b o a r d drew a l i n e u n d e r t h e
the

superintendent

to

d e v e lo p

to

the

school

t w e l f t h g o a l and

action

plans

for

all

g o a l s ab o v e t h a t l i n e .

D e c is io n Making
The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t i n i t i a t e d t h e d e c i s i o n t o r e s p o n d t o
t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.
people

were

ex cellen ce.

involved
Goal

two g r o u p s

He c h o s e a p r o c e s s w h ereb y many
in

settin g

the

d is tric t's

re sp o n sib ilities

. . . the orientation

response
were

given

w orkshop a t t e n d e d

to
to

by a l l

s c h o o l em ploy ees and a com m ittee o f 40 community members.
Both g r o u p s d e v e lo p e d re co m m e n d atio n s which were t h e n t a k e n
by t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t t o t h e CCI.
The

CCI

had

representation

from

the

teachers,

p r i n c i p a l s , s t u d e n t s , b o a r d members, community members and
the su p erin ten d en t.
g iv e n t h e a u t h o r i t y
excellence."

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s a i d , " t h e CCI was
fo r d eciding th e d i s t r i c t ' s

response to

A c h a i r p e r s o n f o r t h e CCI r e f e r r e d t o t h e CCI

as " o u r com m ittee f o r e x c e l l e n c e . "
Many i n t e r v i e w e e s
was

adm inistered

p articip ativ e
th at

fact

m en tion ed t h e f a c t t h a t t h e d i s t r i c t

with

h ea v y

management.

and

added

th at

The
"in

use

of

co m m ittees

superintendent
order

to

and

c o n firm e d

elim inate

any

p o s s i b l e m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g , I a lw a y s c l a r i f y t h e e x t e n t of a
c o m m itte e 's power and t o whom t h e y r e p o r t . "

194

A fter

reading

s e v e r a l o f t h e major e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s ,

t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t h e ld t h e b e l i e f t h a t P i n e Lake n e e d e d t o
upgrade

its

g rad u atio n

requirem ents.

fu rth er

supported

by t h e

settin g

groups.

With

recom m endation

of

That

reco m m e n d atio n s
h is

two

personal
goal

b elief

of th e

two g o a l

conviction

settin g

was

and

groups,

the
the

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t a p p r o a c h e d t h e CCI w ith t h e s u g g e s t i o n t h a t
eith er

"they

work

requirem ents
g raduation

or

I

on

a

w ill

proposal

present

requirem ent

to

the

rev ise

board

p roposal."

The

graduation

w ith

CCI

a

revised

accepted

the

t a s k f o r r e v i s i n g g r a d u a t i o n r e q u i r e m e n t s and s p e n t one and
a half

years

fin alizin g

what u l t i m a t e l y

became

recognized

as t h e d i s t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .
A ll

interview ees,

id entified

the

d e v e lo p e d
The

CCI

a proposal

chairperso n

rep resen tativ e
the

of

including

as

the

school board

for

decision

for

rev ised

the

CCI

from t h e

the

CCI

su p erin ten d en t,
m aker.

graduation

w ro te

that

recommended

adoption.

The

CCI

requirem ents.
proposal.

th at

A

p ro posal to

The s c h o o l b o a r d

a d o p te d

t h e C C I's re co m m e n d atio n s.
On

the

decision

maker*

envisioned
He had
raise

surface,

the
its

and

it

appeared

However,
molded

personal
g raduation

it

Fine

the

was

L a k e 's

conviction

CCI

the

was

standards.

major

superintendent

response to

th at

the

Pine
He

who

excellence.

Lake needed

orchestrated

to
the

i n v o l v e m e n t o f t h e two l a r g e g r o u p s which recommended t h e
r a i s i n g of t h e g r a d u a t i o n

requirem ent.

He s e l e c t e d t h e CCI

195

as

the

co m m ittee

to

work

on t h e

ex cellence

t h e n g a v e them a s p e c i f i c a s s i g n m e n t .

response

and

As a member o f t h e

CCI, t h e i n t e r v i e w e e s a l l r e f e r r e d t o t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t as
a p o w e r f u l and i n f l u e n t i a l v o i c e on t h e com m ittee.
o f t h e CCI were d i v i d e d
graduation

Members

i n o p i n i o n b e tw e e n i n c r e a s i n g t h e

requirem ents

to

the

s u p e rin te n d e n t's

recom m endation o f 22 c r e d i t s o r t h e h i g h s c h o o l p r i n c i p a l ' s
recom m endation

of

21

cred its.

The

CCI

supported

the

p o s i t i o n of t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t .
I t s h o u l d b e n o t e d t h a t n o t one i n t e r v i e w e e t h o u g h t o f
t h e CCI a s a mere r u b b e r stam p f o r t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t .

A ll

were c o n f i d e n t t h a t t h e r e were no p r e c o n c e i v e d i d e a s f o r c e d
upon

the

com m ittee.

-When

questioned

about

such

a

p o s s i b i l i t y , one t e a c h e r s a i d , "When t h e camps d i v i d e d o v e r
21

or

cred its

22

cred its,

were

the

sim p ly

s u p e rin te n d e n t's

more

persuasive."

argument
Even

for

th o u g h

22
the

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t was n o t r e c o g n i z e d as t h e d e c i s i o n maker by
i n t e r v i e w e e s , he c e r t a i n l y
in

the

shaping

of

the

played
d is tr ic t's

t h e most i n f l u e n t i a l r o l e
response

to

excellence

from b e g i n n i n g t o e n d .

In v o lv e m e n t
S e v e r a l i n t e r v i e w e e s s p o k e a b o u t F i n e L a k e 's e x t e n s i v e
use of p a r tic ip a tiv e

management.

F i n e L a k e 's

response to

t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement c h a r a c t e r i z e d

an i n v o lv e m e n t s t y l e

of management.

e x c e l l e n c e movement,

the

in

superintendent

responding
chose

a

to th e
process

th at

involved

many

196

d ifferen t

p articip an ts.

The

teach ers,

ad m in istrato rs,

en tire

board

school

staff

members, c u s t o d i a n s ,

of

aides,

b u s d r i v e r s and s e c r e t a r i e s were i n v o l v e d in a g o a l s e t t i n g
exercise.

The

consecutive

Wednesday

co m m ittee

of

w o rk sh o p s.
range

community

40

was

n ight

citizens

in v ited

to

w o rk s h o p s

on

form ed

from

was

attend

eight

excellence.
these

A

e v e n in g

T h a t com m ittee was g i v e n a t a s k o f s e t t i n g lo n g

goals.

Teachers,

c i t i z e n s and s t u d e n t s

ad m in istrato rs,

board

members,

were a l l i n v o l v e d in t h e work o f t h e

CCI.
The

superinten den t

i n v o lv e m e n t

in

the

d is tr ic t's

orchestrated

the

school

m erely

board

held

response

the

most

response

from

accepted

to

excellen ce.

beginning

and

sig n ifican t

to

a p p ro v e d

He

en d .

The

reports.

The

p r i n c i p a l s were i n v o l v e d in t h e CCI and t h e two l a r g e g r o u p
p articip atio n
th eir
all

exercises.

staffs.

Teachers,

represented

excellence

They

carried

students

and

a t t h e CCI l e v e l .

was most d i s t i n c t i v e l y

rep o rts

the

back

community

to
were

P in e L a k e 's r e s p o n s e t o
marked by

its

expansive

i n v o lv e m e n t o f many p e o p l e .

Elans
The CCI was g i v e n t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f d e v e l o p i n g P in e
L a k e 's p l a n f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
half

studying

the

issue

requirem ents

from

20

p articip ativ e

management

to

The c o u n c i l s p e n t a y e a r and a
of

raising

22.

In

sty le

of

P in e

the

graduation

harmony
Lake,

with

they

the

invited

197

i n p u t from many i n d i v i d u a l s .
facu lty

members

school.
of

w ell

as

departm ent

interview ed

heads

at

the

high

Comments o f p a r e n t s were i n v i t e d t h r o u g h m e e t i n g s

school

about

building

the

Parent

proposed

presented
for

as

They p e r s o n a l l y

Advisory

g rad u atio n

C ouncils.

Inform ation

requirem ent

changes

were

in s c h o o l d i s t r i c t n e w s l e t t e r s w ith an i n v i t a t i o n

in terested

community

persons

to

contact

d i s t r i c t w ith s u g g e s t i o n s and o p i n i o n s .
dissem inated
proposed

a

one-page

changes

among

school

The c o u n c i l w idely

inform ation

staff,

the

sheet

students

and

describing

the

community

and a g a in i n v i t e d r e a c t i o n .
The

co u n c il's

t h a t g raduation

recom mendation

to

the

r e q u i r e m e n t s be r a i s e d

school board

was

from 20 c r e d i t s t o

22 c r e d i t s .

R e q u ire d s u b j e c t c r e d i t s were r a i s e d from 10.5

cred its

14

to

cred its

w ithin

cred its.

cred its

to

R e q u ir e d c r e d i t s in E n g l i s h were r a i s e d from 3 t o

Science
S ocial

was

raised

studies

math

was

were

from
raised

Foreign la n g u a g e /fin e a r t s
The

raisin g

grad uation
ex cellence
excellence.

of
was

the
Pine

movement.

to tal

raised

1.5
from

2.5

was

to

1 to
2

cred its

was r a i s e d

L a k e 's
It

from

cred its

number

9.5

22

cred its.

in

from

of

c red its

C redits

d ro p p e d

to tal

E lective

3.5.

were

a

of

plan
P in e

2 cred its.

fu ll
to

8

cred its.

3 cred its.

from 1 t o 2 c r e d i t s .
cred its
for

needed

addressing

L a k e 's

response

for
the
to

198

R esu lts - A ctual o r A n ticip ated
Pine

Lake

Increasing

responded

g raduation

g rad u atio n

were

E lectives

were

to

the

excellence

re quirem ents.

increased
decreased

by

required

for

S ubjects

from
from

movement

10.5

9.5

to

to

8

14

cred its.

cred its.

The

c o m b in a tio n o f t h e s e c h a n g e s meant t h a t t h e o v e r a l l c r e d i t s
f o r g r a d u a t i o n were i n c r e a s e d from 20 t o 22 c r e d i t s .
When q u e s t i o n e d
was

expected

able

to

to

about

be

name any

what had been

achieved,

v erified

most

resu lts.

a c h ie v e d

interview ees
They

o r what
were

sim p ly

not

made an

u n v e r i f i e d s t a t e m e n t t h a t s t u d e n t s would b e b e t t e r e d u c a t e d
as a r e s u l t of t h e c r e d i t s b e i n g added f o r g r a d u a t i o n .
h ig h
I

school p r in c ip a l said ,

mean,

after

how do I

an

assum e

increase

students

m easu re
in

w ill

" T h e re a r e n ' t any r e s u l t s . . .
a c h ie v e m e n t

graduation
be

The

results

before

req u irem ents.

b etter

educated

and

We sim ply

after

g rad u atin g

with 22 c r e d i t s i n s t e a d of t h e old 20 c r e d i t r e q u i r e m e n t . "
The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t i d e n t i f i e d
t h e i n c r e a s e in r e q u i r e d
drop

in

the

With

the

number

increase

of
in

courses.
students

re quired

tim e t o e n r o l l in s t u d y h a l l s .

one v e r i f i e d

re su lt afte r

T h e r e was a s u b s t a n t i a l
enrollin g

cred its,

in

study

students

had

h alls.
less

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t assumed

t h a t t h i s would r e s u l t in a b e t t e r e d u c a t e d s t u d e n t .

Summary
It

was

the

su p e rin te n d e n t's

in terest

in

curriculum

which le d him t o a t t e n d t h e news c o n f e r e n c e where A Nation

19 9

a t Risk was f i r s t r e l e a s e d .
was s a y i n g .

He f e l t

th at

He b e l i e v e d in what t h e r e p o r t
Pine

Lake n eed ed t o s t r e n g t h e n

i t s s t a n d a r d s and t h o u g h t t h a t t h e r e p o r t ' s reco m m e n d atio n s
supported
Pine

the

Lake.

very

things

This

was

he was t r y i n g

the

to

m o t iv a ti o n

ac c o m p lis h a t

that

le d

him

to

i n i t i a t e P i n e L a k e 's r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .
He

chose

movement
groups

a

th at

process

of

involved

p articip ated

responding

to

many d i f f e r e n t

in

goal

the

people.

settin g

. . .

excellence
Two l a r g e

a

community

com m ittee of 40 and an a l l s c h o o l employee w orkshop.
e v e n in g

sessions

on

ex cellence

were

scheduled

Eight

for

the

community.

P r i n c i p a l s d i s c u s s e d t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement a t

th eir

m eetings.

staff

info rm ed

as

movement.
revising
and

to

the

The

which

response

accepted

kept

to

the

the

the

board

excellence

resp o n sib ility

of

r e q u i r e m e n t s , i n t e r v i e w e d s t a f f members

students,

parents,

members b e f o r e f i n a l i z i n g
g raduation

superintendent

d is tr ic t's

CCI,

g raduation

q u eried

The

its

requirem ents.

facu lty

and

community

recom mendation f o r i n c r e a s i n g

Every

employee and c i t i z e n

was

given th e o p p o rtu n ity f o r in p u t.
The
the

superintendent

decision

maker

never
nor

in terv iew e es as th e decision
showed

th at

d is tr ic t's

he

response

was
to

very

identified
was

he

m aker.

recognized

as
by

b ein g
the

However, t h e e v i d e n c e

in flu en tial

excellence.

him self

He

in
had

shaping
the

c o n v i c t i o n t h a t P i n e Lake needed t o im prove i t s
He had a v i s i o n of what need ed t o b e do ne.

the

personal
standards.

He o r c h e s t r a t e d

200

t h e i n v o l v e m e n t o f two l a r g e g r o u p s which recommended t h e
exact

changes

pulling

the

he f e l t

rig h t

were n e e d e d .

strin g s

to

Re was

v e r y good

at

get the rig h t

co m m itte e s

to

recommend t h e r i g h t d e c i s i o n s .
Pine
major

L a k e 's

ele m e n t

increased

cred its

of

of

th eir

graduation

graduation
Electives

process

were

response.

increased

g rad uation

from

many
That

requirem ents.

were d e c r e a s e d
for

involving

people
response

S ubjects
10.5

from

9.5 t o

were

increased

was

was

req uired

to

14

for

cred its.

8 cred its.
from

a

O verall,
20

to

22

cred its.
The

o n ly

requirem ent

v erified
was

students

en ro llin g

number

of

Interview ees

a

resu lt

of

su b stan tial
in

study

h alls

the

ch a n g ed

graduation

in

the

number

and

an

increase

in

academ ic

drop

stu d en ts

enrolling

made

a s s u m p t i o n t h a t more

the

of

in t h e
courses.

cred its

and a

t o u g h e r academ ic s c h e d u l e would p r o d u c e a b e t t e r e d u c a t e d
student.

MINERAL SPRINGS

Community
M in e ra l S p r i n g s
M ichigan.

L o ca te d

M ichigan,
The

is

it

Rapid

provided

a sm a ll

at

the

was f o u n d e d
River,

exact

as

which

flo w s

in

geographic

cen ter

community

through

cen tral

the

in

great

brought

healing

pow er,

community in t h e l a t e
s m a ll

1853.

M in e ra l

T h is w a t e r , claim ed t o have
w e a lth

18 0 0 's.

s aw m ill

of

community,

t h e p e r f e c t pow er s o u r c e f o r a saw m ill.
in 1869.

a

community

a s aw m ill

w a te r was d i s c o v e r e d

from

rural

and

n o toriety

to

the

By 1880, t h e town ex p a n d ed

community

to

a

town

with

eight

i n d u s t r i e s , two r a i l r o a d s , and f o u r h o t e l s .
Today,

old

m a n s io n s ,

th is

f a rm in g community o f 4,101 r e s i d e n t s .

There a re
vast

a

handful

look

w e a lth y

m ineral

only

era,

by

the

to w n s,

springs

bu ilt

of

area

a few s h o p k e e p e r s

m ajority

of

e m p lo y e rs

in d u strial

in

local

working r e s i d e n t s

M in e ra l

em p lo yer

went

out

out

of

place

in

actually

farm .

m erchants, b u t th e

commute t h i r t y ,

work each d a y .
S prings.

of

from

Like most farm

resid en ts

and

f i f t y and even s i x t y m ile s t o
major

stran g e ly

resid en ts

T h e r e a r e no

When t h e
business

forty,

last

in

major

the

late

1 9 7 0 's , t h e l o s s o f o v e r 400 j o b s b r o u g h t s e v e r e h a r d s h i p s
upon

fam ilies,

recovering

the

town and

from t h a t l o s s

the

school.

The

town

is

and t h e s c h o o l s h av e become t h e

p r e d o m i n a t e u n i t t y i n g t h e community t o g e t h e r .
20 1

202

Ehe School D i s t r i c t
The

M in e ra l

square

m ile s ,

teac h ers.

S prings
en ro lls

There

S ch o o l
1,500

are

three

D istrict

students,

and

elem entary

schools,

middle

a

h ig h

located

on

a

10

sections

of t h e community in o r d e r t o p r o v i d e e a s y a c c e s s

w alking

site

children.

and

elem entary

a

77

and

acre

Each

employs

86

school,

for

school.

encompasses

situ ated

The b u i l d i n g s

were

in

school

is

differen t

co nstructed

in

1954, 1957, and 1968.

They v a r y in s i z e w ith 10, 6, and 12

teaching

A ll

newest

stations.
b uilding

has

h av e

carpeted

carpeted

lib raries.

classroom s

The

and

is

air

1968,

is

air

conditioned.
The

m iddle

school,

co n stru cted

in

c o n d i t i o n e d and c a r p e t e d in t h e l i b r a r y .
a 15 a c r e s i t e , h o u s e s g r a d e s
teaching

stations.

con structed
1968.

on

5 t h r o u g h 8 and c o n t a i n s

23

o rig in al

in 1932 with a d d i t i o n s

High S ch oo l I and

b u ild in g s
are

The

I t is situ ated

which

two s t o r y

are

not

b uildings.

and t h e

m e ta ls b u i l d i n g

are also

separated

high

a r e two s e p a r a t e

by a p a s s a g e w a y .

F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e annex
a r e on t h e

was

in 1950, 1957, 1961 and

High School I I
connected

school

same 15 a c r e

from t h e two main b u i l d i n g s .

s c h o o l c o n t a i n s a t o t a l of 32 t e a c h i n g

statio n s.

Both

building
site

and

The h ig h
Some a r e

c a r p e t e d and some s t i l l h av e wooden f l o o r s .

In itiatio n
School e n r o l l m e n t a t M in e ra l S p r i n g s d e c l i n e d 27% o v e r
t h e p a s t 10 y e a r s .

The d e c l i n e was a t t r i b u t e d t o a g r a d u a l

203

erosion

of

employment o p p o r t u n i t i e s

Projections
drop

to

drops

ca ll

1,318

for

by

resulted

p a y m e n ts
level

for

of

the

school year

in

the

d istrict.

m illa g e .

in o p e r a t i o n a l

red uction s

school

V oters

of

in
its

raised

approved

community.
1,443

to

T h ese m em bership

To m a i n t a i n

the

the

enrollm ent

1990-91.

sig n ifican t

prog ram m ing ,

op eratio n al

current

w ithin

state

a id

statu s

quo

the

a one

level

of

m ill i n c r e a s e

m i l l a g e i n 1985 and .3 of a m ill i n c r e a s e in

1986.

The

most

child,

slig h tly

child.

T h e r e was a f e e l i n g e x p r e s s e d by many i n t e r v i e w e e s

below

t h a t th e schools
They were a
thought i t

recent

to tal
the

ex penditure

state

average

was $2,721
of

per

$2,921

per

were t h e co m m un ity 's most v a l u a b l e a s s e t .

focal

extrem ely

p o i n t f o r community

p rid e.Interview ees

i m p o r t a n t t o p r o v i d e f o r a v e r y good

s c h o o l s y s te m .
A h ig h
front
The

school s tu d e n t

page
h ig h

d iscip lin e

news c o v e r a g e d u r i n g
school

p r i n c i p a l was

a

p ro b lem

erupted

the

1982-83

school year.

lo n g

tim e

M in e ra l S p r i n g s and had n um erou s
the

community

F ailing

h ealth

had

into

resident

of

f r i e n d s and r e l a t i v e s

in

p ro d u c e d

a p attern

of

l a t e a r r i v a l s t o work, e a r l y d e p a r t u r e s from work, and lo n g
lunch

h o u r s . His

predecessor

described

him

as

h a v in g

a

p r e f e r e n c e f o r " b a n k e r ' s h o u r s " and " c o n f e r e n c e s away from
the

office."

foggiest

He was

idea

degenerated
v ulg arities

about
to

to

the

described
how t o
point

teach ers,

as

control
w h ere

and

a

man

"w ithout

kids."

students

teachers

The
spoke

lo c k e d

the

situ atio n
obscene

th eir

doors

204

during

class

tim e .

the

high

depicted

F or t h r e e
school

m onths, t h e l o c a l n e w s p a p e r

d iscip lin e

p ro b le m

as

s o m eth in g

e x p e c t e d in an i n n e r c i t y g h e t t o .
I t was d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d of tim e t h a t A Nation a t Risk
called

upon s c h o o l s t o p r o d u c e e x c e l l e n c e .

In th e f a l l of

1983, t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t recommended t h a t t h e s c h o o l b o a r d
e s t a b l i s h a C i t i z e n ' s A d v i s o r y Committee (CAC) t o s t u d y t h e
d is tr ic t's

K through

th at

hire

they

Michigan

to

12 p r o g r a m .

a re tire d

serv eas

a

He f u r t h e r

recommended

p r o f e s s o r from t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f

resource

consultant

and

th at

the

com m ittee b e c h a r g e d w ith t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f p r o v i d i n g a
five

year

future

long r a n g e

needs

of

plan to

the

meet b o t h

d istrict

the

current

and c h i l d r e n .

and

A lth o u g h

e s t a b l i s h e d f o r more t h a n one p u r p o s e , t h i s co m m ittee grew
to

represent the d i s tr ic t 's

for

excellence.

superintendent
need

for

resulted
other

in

A ll
who

re sp o n se to th e nationw ide c a ll
in te rv ie w e e s agreed

in itiate d

t h i s co m m ittee.
the

p articip an ts

idea

He took

d is tric t's
were

the

and

the

was

the

recognized

first

re sp o n se to

preoccupied

it

action

the
th at

excellence.

with

other

All

m ounting

p ro b le m s .

H otivation
M in e ra l

S prings'

movement was t h e
1983.
1983. The

first

response

estab lish m en t of th e

to

in itia te d the

excellence

CAC in t h e f a l l of

A Nation a t Risk had b een r e l e a s e d
su perinten den t

the

in t h e s p r i n g of
establishm ent

of

205

the

CAC.

His m o t i v a t i o n

for in itiatin g

the

co m m ittee was

m ultifaceted.
The

establishm ent

response

to

striv e

the

to

of

the

nationw ide

produce

com m ittee

demand

was

th at

a

v isib le

schools

ex cellence.

should

In itially ,

the

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t d e n i e d t h a t t h e com m ittee was a r e s p o n s e t o
the

ex cellence

movement.

ackn ow led g ed t h a t t h e
He d e s c r i b e d
way,

"The

his

However, in l a t e r

i n t e r v i e w s , he

CAC d i d i n f a c t s e r v e t h a t p u r p o s e .

m o t iv a ti o n

community

has

for

establish ing

lost

the

p ra ctic ally

CAC t h i s

all

of

its

i n d u s t r y , t h e t o w n 's d y in g and t h e o n l y t h i n g t h e y h av e i s
t h e s c h o o l s y s te m ."

His most i m p o r t a n t m iss io n was t o keep

t h e s c h o o l s y s t e m s t r o n g and h e a l t h y in o r d e r t o p r o v i d e a
s e n s e o f p r i d e and u n i t y f o r h o l d i n g t h e town t o g e t h e r .
s a i d t h a t t h e town co uld
good

schools

CAC was

to

and t h a t
give

n o t a t t r a c t new i n d u s t r y

his

the

m o t iv a ti o n

community

for

a voice

w ithout

estab lish in g
in

He

shaping

the

those

schools.
There
the

were

CAC.

"deal

The b o a r d

w ith

p ro blem

other

the

and

m illa g e ."

m otivating
presid en t

p o litica lly
to

win

He s a i d

the

facto rs
said

sen sitiv e

community

it

establishing

was e s t a b l i s h e d

h ig h

support

su p erin ten d en t

for

to

school p rin c ip a l
for

in fo rm e d

additional
the

school

b o a r d t h a t t h e y would c h a n c e a r e c a l l i f t h e y t r i e d t o f i r e
t h e h ig h s c h o o l p r i n c i p a l .
consultant

and

appointing

w aters," th e board

The l o g i c was t h a t by h i r i n g a
a

com m ittee

to

"muddy

the

and s u p e r i n t e n d e n t c o u ld " s t a y c l e a r o f

206

the

stin k ."

assistan t

current

superintendent

c o n firm e d
the

The

th is

CAC.

as

The

high

and

other

a suspected

strategy

school

the

members

all

board

m o t iv a ti o n

worked

principal,

in

th at

for

establishing

the

high

school

p rin c ip a l resigned.
All i n t e r v i e w e e s

recognised

the

need

to

win community

s u p p o rt as a m otivational f a c to r fo r e s ta b lis h in g

t h e CAC.

T h e re were s h a r p c u t b a c k s in e d u c a t i o n a l program ming as a
r e s u l t o f d r o p s in

state

and l o c a l f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t .

One

b o a r d member s a i d , "We can t e l l them ( v o t e r s ) t h a t we need
more money, b u t t h e y n e v e r b e l i e v e u s .
(CAC)

decide

for

them selves

that

we

I t 's b e tte r if they
need

more

m illa g e ."

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t ackn ow led ged t h a t t h e r e was a need f o r
t h e co m m ittee t o p r i o r i t i z e
sh o u ld

be

rein stated

assu m ing t h a t

ea rlie r

into

the

a successful

c u t s in t h e o r d e r t h e y
curriculum .

This

was

m illa g e campaign would p r o v i d e

t h e a d d i t i o n a l money t o r e i n s t a t e c u t p r o g r a m s .

A gain, t h e

strategy

additional

worked

since

the

community

passed

an

one m ill in 1985 and an a d d i t i o n a l .3 m ill in 1986.
There

was no

d istrict,
an cillary
to

t h e D e p a r tm e n t
organization

cause

re s p o n d

evidence

th at
of

to

the

ex cellence

interm ediate

E ducation,

provided

the superin ten d en t

the

any
or

or

any

sig n ifican t

th e school

movement.

Many

school
other

m o t iv a tio n

d istrict

to

interview ees

t h o u g h t t h a t t h e news media c o v e r a g e c o n t r i b u t e d i n d i r e c t l y
as a m o t i v a t i o n a l f o r c e .
the

d is tr ic t's

response

The m a j o r i t y o f i n t e r v i e w e e s f e l t
was

more

of

a

response

to

an

207

extern al
need.

stim uli
The

rath er

d istrict

than

had

an

not

in tern al

c o m p leted

recognition

a

needs

of

an aly sis

p r i o r t o 1983.
Exocess
The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t
excellence.

His

in itiated

m o t iv a ti o n

the d i s t r i c t 's

response to

for

d o in g

so was t o

solve

an

the

h ig h s c h o o l p r i n c i p a l , win

a d m i n i s t r a t i v e p ro b le m

w ith

community

a d d i t i o n a l m i ll a g e and t o p r o v i d e a

support for

response to

the ca ll fo r

ex cellence.

He e l e c t e d

to use a

p r o c e s s t h a t i n v o l v e d an o u t s i d e c o n s u l t a n t and a c i t i z e n ' s
com m ittee o f 35 members.
The

su perintendent

occasion
he

and

was p l e a s e d

recommended

purpose

of

p ro g ra m ."

used

the

the

He f u r t h e r

consultant

with t h e

hiring

"studying

a

on

experience.

d is tr ic t's

prior

Therefore,

of a c o n su lta n t fo r
school

a

the

stated

K through

recommended t h e b o a r d

a p p o i n t a 35

member c i t i z e n com m ittee t o work with t h e c o n s u l t a n t .
school

board

selected

ea ch

community,
the

accepted
of

the

including

com m ittee.

s u b c o m m itte e s :

th at
35

members.

three
The

h ig h

recom m endation

teach ers,
CAC

was

school

were

"studying

the

K through

y ea r long

r a n g e p la n t o

needs"

of

the

charged

children.

with

and

were

The

carefully

s e g m e n ts

of

represented

divided

education,

e d u c a t i o n and e l e m e n t a r y e d u c a t i o n .
su b c o m m itte e s

A ll

12

into
m iddle

the
on

three
school

The com m ittee and i t s
the

12 p r o g ra m and

resp o n sib ility
producing

of

a five

meet b o t h t h e c u r r e n t and f u t u r e
The

com m ittee

alo ng

with

the

208

c o n s u l t a n t were g i v e n t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r d e v e l o p i n g t h e
d i s t r i c t s response fo r excellence.
The

com m ittee

met

every

f o u r months of 1984.
school board
th at

other

week

during

the

first

A f i n a l r e p o r t was p r e s e n t e d

to th e

in May of 1984, a t a d i n n e r m eeting h e ld f o r

purpose.

The

school

board

accepted

the

c o m m i tt e e 's

re co m m e n d atio n s.

D e c isio n Making
The s c h o o l b o a r d h i r e d a c o n s u l t a n t and a p p o i n t e d a 35
member

c itiz e n 's

p ro g ra m

and

co m m ittee

com m ittee

produce

and

its

reco m m e n d atio n s
group

was

response

to

given
to

to

a five

year

consultant
the
the

"study
lo n g

were

excellence.

A ll

K through

range

given

school board.
au thority

the

plan."

power

No o t h e r

to

shape

other

the

12
The

to

make

person

or

d is tr ic t's

p articip an ts

became

resource persons.
T h e r e was no e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t , a n o t h e r
ad m in istrato r,

or

even

the

c o m m itte e 's

reco m m end ation .

interview ees

made

work

b e lo n g e d

chairperson,

sp ec ific

solely

su b co m m ittee

consultant
To

the

mention

th at

to

the

colored

the

contrary,

all

the

c o m m itte e 's

co m m ittee.

ch airp erso n s

and

The
the

CAC

consultant

a l l d e n i e d h a v in g

any dom in ance o v e r t h e c o m m itte e 's f i n a l

re co m m e nd atio ns.

The h ig h

school p rin c ip a l,

a l l of t h e co m m ittee m e e t i n g s ,

who a t t e n d e d

was t h e o n ly i n t e r v i e w e e t o

q u e s t i o n t h e c o n t e n t i o n t h a t t h e com m ittee was unswayed by

209

the

consultant.

sig n ifican tly
mean,
really
it's

here

colored
you

d o n 't

have

know

"I

what t h e

co m m ittee p r o p o s e d

an

th at

p r e t t y easy

way." I t

He s a i d ,

to

expert
much

the

(a b o u t

had

them

re p o rt, b u t obviously t h e r e

on

with

. . .

people

th is

way

the

I

mean,

or

th at

c o m m itte e 's
What i s

I

th at

the exact degree

was some.

t h a t t h e r e were no p r e d i s p o s e d

consultant

e d u c a t io n } .

ascertain

consultant

the

working

g e n t l y move

was i m p o s s i b l e t o

influence

think

of

final

certain

is

p r o g r a m s b e i n g s o ld t o t h e

co m m ittee by any p a r t i c i p a n t . . . i n s i d e o r o u t s i d e o f t h e
com m ittee.
The c h a i r p e r s o n of t h e CAC combined t h e re com m e nd ation s
o f ea ch of t h e t h r e e s u b c o m m itte e s i n t o t h e f i n a l r e p o r t o f
the
some

CAC*

The r e p o r t o f re c o m m e n d a tio n s, w h ile s i m i l a r

a r e a s , was s e p a r a t e

and d i f f e r e n t

from a r e p o r t

in
and

recom mendation g i v e n by t h e c o n s u l t a n t d u r i n g t h e same May
1984

m eeting with

presented

to

c o n s u lta n t's
consultant.
CAC a c t u a l l y

the

the
report

school board.

board
was

by

the

presented

The CAC r e p o r t
CAC
to

chairperson.
the

board

made t h e d e c i s i o n

t h e demand f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
to

The
by

the

A ll e v i d e n c e p o i n t s t o t h e c o n c l u s i o n t h a t t h e
a b o u t what re co m m e n d atio n s

t o make t o t h e b o a r d r e l a t i v e t o t h e d i s t r i c t ' s

right

was

make t h e

fin al

t h o s e re co m m e n d atio n s.

The s c h o o l b o a r d

decision

re la tiv e

to

response to
re se rv ed the
im p le m e n tin g

21 0

Involvem ent
The
to

superintendent in itia te d

excellence

by

M ineral S p r i n g s ' r e s p o n s e

recommending

the

sch o o l

board

hire

a

c o n s u l t a n t and a p p o i n t a 35 member c i t i z e n ' s committee. By
a c c e p t i n g t h a t recom mendation, t h e b o ard and s u p e r i n t e n d e n t
removed

th e m s e l v e s

from

d e c is i o n

making

delegated

the

center

of

re sp o n sib ility

controversy
to the

and

committee.

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t knew t e n s i o n s were high a t t h e tim e and
th a t the

situ atio n

could

get a li tt l e

messy.

By a d v i s i n g

th e board t o h i r e a c o n s u l t a n t and a p p o i n t a committee, he
e s s e n t i a l l y a d v is e d t h e b o a rd t o s t a y above t h e f i g h t .
s u p e r i n t e n d e n t assumed t h e
which

the

committee

in f o r m a t i o n .
reserved

The

r o l e of a r e s o u r c e p e r s o n from

and

consultant

could

gather

The b o ard a p p o in te d t h e committee members and

the

right

or

all

of

the

m an ip ulated

the

committee by u s in g them and t h e i r s p h e r e o f i n f l u e n c e .

The

recom mendations.
committee,

one

In
b oard

to

accept

describing
member

or
the

said,

reject

any

in v olvem ent
"We

b o ard could have done i t , b u t who would have b e l i e v e d us?"
As p e r c e i v e d by t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t and t h e b o a r d , t h e
committee
off

steam

m eetings
about

became b a t t l e g r o u n d s

the

h ig h

school

where

discipline

p e o p le l e t

problem ,

high sch oo l p r i n c i p a l , and v a r i o u s c u r r i c u l u m c u t s .

the

By t h e

time t h e smoke from t h e b a t t l e had c l e a r e d , t h e high s c h o o l
p r i n c i p a l r e s i g n e d and t h e 35 c i t i z e n s were convinced t h a t
t h e sc h o o l needed a d d i t i o n a l m illage.

I t was t h i s " s p h e r e

of i n f l u e n c e " t h a t t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t and sc h o o l board used

211

to

persuade

the

rest

of

the

community

to

pass

two

s u b s e q u e n t a d d itio n a l m illage is s u e s .
The com m ittee p l a y e d

a major

role

in

M in e ra l S p r i n g s '

response to ex cellence.

S t u d e n t s were n o t i n c l u d e d on t h e

com m ittee.

s t a f f was r e p r e s e n t e d o n ly by t h e

th ree

The t e a c h i n g

teach ers

com m ittee

on

m eetings

the
and

com m ittee.
served

P rincipals

as

resource

attended

people.

One

b o a r d member, who a l s o s e r v e d on t h e co m m ittee, s a i d , "They
were h o v e r i n g in t h e w in g s ."
served

o n ly

a

inform ation.

minor
The

role

The a s s i s t a n t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t
in

com m ittee

g ath erin g

provided

needed

the

fin an cial

d istrict

w ith

a

r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e , r e s o l v e d t h e p ro b le m w ith t h e h ig h
school

prin cip al

and

prepared

the

community

for

the

report

and

s u b s e q u e n t p a s s a g e o f two a d d i t i o n a l m i ll a g e i s s u e s .

Plans
The

school

board

accepted

re co m m e n d atio n s in May of 1984.
com m ittee
th eir

and

the

subsequent

re c o m m e n d a tio n s

formed

the

CAC’s

The e s t a b l i s h m e n t of t h a t
im p le m e n t a t io n
the

essence

S p r i n g s ' r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.
was

not

modeled

after

any

other

of
of

many

of

M in era l

The r e s p o n s e

excellence

plan

or

recom m endation and was u n i q u e t o M in e ra l S p r i n g s .
R e q u i r e m e n t s f o r h ig h s c h o o l g r a d u a t i o n
from

18

to

20

from 7.5 t o 10.

cred its.

R e q u ir e d

cred its

were i n c r e a s e d
were

increased

New r e q u i r e m e n t s now i n c l u d e 2 c r e d i t s in

math, 2 c r e d i t s in s c i e n c e and 1 c r e d i t in g o v e r n m e n t.

The

212

old

requirem ents

and

.5

c red its

called
in

for

1 cred it

g o v e r n m e n t.

of

math and

C alculus

and

science
ad v a n c e d

c h e m i s t r y were added t o t h e h i g h s c h o o l c o u r s e o f f e r i n g s .
The

h ig h

school

A ssociation.
school
That

seek

The

education
school.

accreditation

were

was
ad d e d

from

to

North

the

in

N orth

th at

m iddle

C entral

the

C entral

m iddle

A ssociation.

A reading

the

program

school.

a ll four grades

A fine a rts/u n ifie d

s c h o o l and

by

recommended

achieved.

was r e i n s t a t e d

t h e m iddle s c h o o l .
h ig h

accredited

co m m ittee

accreditation

consultant

was

and

P hysical

of t h e

m iddle

a r t s p r o g r a m was r e i n s t a t e d

at

F i n a l l y , re co m m e n d atio n s from b o t h t h e

the

m iddle s c h o o l s u b c o m m itte e s c o n t a i n e d

o p e n in g s t a t e m e n t s e m p h a s i z i n g t h e c o m m i tt e e 's d e s i r e f o r a
w ell d i s c i p l i n e d s t u d e n t b ody.
At

the

education

elem entary
were

recommended

level,

re in stated .

the

hiring

r e s o u r c e room a i d e .

of

vocal
The

an

music

and

elem entary

elem entary

physical

su b c o m m itte e

lib rarian

and

a

N e i t h e r o f t h e s e re com m end ation s were

im plem ented.

The e l e m e n t a r y su b c o m m itte e a l s o recommended

a

sk ills

language

w ork sho p

for

all

teachers.

This

recom mendation was n o t im plem ented.
The e d u c a t i o n a l c o n s u l t a n t made h i s own f i n a l r e p o r t t o
the

school

board.

p ro jectio n s,
suggestions

That

suggestions
for

re co m m e n d atio n s.

report
for

school f a c i li t y

included
grade

renovation

enrollm ent
organ izatio n,

and

many o t h e r

T h ese re com m en dation s i n c l u d e d t h e h i r i n g

of tw e l v e new s t a f f p o s i t i o n s .

A ll of t h e recom m end ation s

213

made b y t h e
list

of

by

CAC were encom p assed

re co m m e n d atio n s.

the

board

w ithin t h e c o n s u l t a n t 's

The re co m m e n d atio n s im plem ented

appeared

on

both

the

CAC's

and

the

c o n s u l t a n t ' s l i s t of re c o m m e n d a tio n s.

The t w e l v e new s t a f f

p o sitio n s

consultant

recommended

by

only

the

were

not

in stitu ted .

R e s u l t s - AgfcUfll QL A n t i c i p a t e d
There

were

no

M in e ra l S p r i n g s '

v erified

achievem ents

response to excellence.

as

a

resu lt

of

The r e s p o n s e was

t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a co m m ittee and t h e im p le m e n t a t io n o f
many

of

th at

superintendent

c o m m i tt e e ’s

said

th at

re com m e n datio n s.

a c h ie v e m e n t

t h e c o m m itte e 's i n v o l v e m e n t , " i t

came

as

a

The
resu lt

of

r e i n f o r c e d t h e co m m unity's

good f e e l i n g to w ard o u r s c h o o l . . . p e o p l e a r e once a g a in
proud

of

th eir

schools."

th at

"students

are

can

see

change

a

The

high

more s e r i o u s
in

school

principal

said

studies.

We

about th e ir

attitu d e."

The

assistan t

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s a i d , "The c h a n g e s we made s h o u l d make f o r a
b e t t e r educated stu d en t."
The middle s c h o o l p r i n c i p a l

spoke about th e f a c t t h a t

h i s s c h o o l now had an a r t , p h y s i c a l e d u c a t i o n
p ro g ra m .

He

talked

im p ro v in g

the

elem entary

prin cip al

education

e x c e l l e n c e had been
l o s t programs*

about

those
available

thought

the

additions
for

and r e a d i n g
significantly

children.

d is tr ic t's

An

response

a good way f o r t h e d i s t r i c t t o

to

regain

214

A b o a r d member s a i d / "We g a i n e d community s u p p o r t f o r
our

schools

member

. . .

said/

offering

a

we

"We

more

passed

a

im proved
balanced

m illa g e ."

our

lev el

p ro g ra m ."

A n o th er

of

b o a rd

excellence

O th e r

by

interview ees,

i n c l u d i n g t e a c h e r s , co m m ittee members and community members
thought

th at

the

d is tr ic t's

response

to

excellence

would

mean b e t t e r e d u c a t i o n f o r t h e c h i l d r e n .
Many c h a n g e s

were

made as

response to excellence.

a resu lt

of th e

d is tr ic t's

E n ric h m e n t c o u r s e s were r e i n s t a t e d

and a d v a n c e d academ ic c o u r s e s were added t o t h e h ig h s c h o o l
curriculum .

A

G raduation
gained

requirem ents

at

the

d istrictw ide
perhaps
the

r e m e d ia l

p ro g ra m

were i n c r e a s e d .

middle

em p h as is

reading

school.
on

ad d e d .

A c c r e d i t a t i o n was

There

good

was

was

discip lin e.

a

renewed

F in ally ,

and

most i m p o r t a n t l y , community p r i d e and s u p p o r t f o r

school

was

reestab lish ed .

An

ad ditional

m illa g e

was

passed.

Summary
In
th at

the

fa ll

the

of

school

1983,
board

the

superintendent

establish

Committee t o s t u d y t h e d i s t r i c t ' s
p ro g ra m .

A lth o u g h

purpose,

th at

response

to

establishm ent
the

hiring

it

excellence.

of

the
an

C itiz e n 's

grew
In

to

outside

for

represent

addition

CAC, t h e

A d v is o ry

K t h r o u g h 12 e d u c a t i o n a l

was e s t a b l i s h e d

com m ittee

of

a

recommended

to

more t h a n
the

educational

d is tr ic t's

recommending

superintendent

one

the

recommended

consultant.

The

215

c o n s u lta n t coordinated

t h e work o f t h e com m ittee and made

an i n d e p e n d e n t r e p o r t t o t h e s c h o o l b o a r d .
The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t ' s
and

hiring

sensitive

the

m o t iv a ti o n

consultant

high

school

for

was t o

prin cip al

deal

in itiatin g
w ith

problem#

the

CAC

a p o litica lly
win

community

s u p p o r t f o r a d d i t i o n a l m i ll a g e and t o p r o v i d e a r e s p o n s e t o
t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.
were

given

board.
shape

power

to

T h a t co m m ittee and i t s c o n s u l t a n t

make

re co m m e n d atio n s

to

the

school

Mo o t h e r p e r s o n o r g ro u p was g i v e n t h e a u t h o r i t y t o
the

d is tr ic t's

p articip an ts
appointed

became

all

35

response
resource

co m m ittee

to

excellence.

persons.

members.

T he
They

All

other

school

board

represented

a

d i v e r s e s e c t i o n of t h e s c h o o l and community.
Many

changes

were

made as a

response to excellence.

r e s u l t of th e

d is tr ic t's

E n ric h m e n t c o u r s e s were r e i n s t a t e d

and a d v a n ced academ ic c o u r s e s were added t o t h e h ig h s c h o o l
curriculum .

A

G raduation

r e m e d ia l

requirem ents

sig n ifican tly ,

the

h ig h

reading
were
school

p ro g ra m

was

added.

increased.
principal

p roblem

Most
was

r e s o l v e d , community p r i d e was r e g a i n e d and s u p p o r t f o r t h e
school

was

reestab lish ed .

The

community

s u b s e q u e n t a d d i t i o n a l m illa g e r e q u e s t s .

supported

two

MILLCRBBK

In t h e e a r l y 1 8 0 0 's , much o f M ichigan was c o v e r e d with
dense f o r e s ts
south

cen tral

hardwoods
1836.

and

The

lu m b e r i n g

o f hardwood and p i n e .
M ichigan,
alo n g

riv er

provided

industry

fo u n d e d

in

th e banks of th e

th rived

of i t s c e n t r a l l o c a t i o n
the

was

M illcreek, lo ca te d in

power

to

an

area

of

h uge

C learw ater R iver in

the

s a w m ills

and t h e

1880*8.

Because

u n til the la te

w i t h i n t h e c o u n t y , M illc re e k became

c o u n t y s e a t in 1846 and was i n c o r p o r a t e d

as a c ity

in

1875.
The lu m b e r e r a i s o v e r .
gone.

The h ug e t r a c t s o f t i m b e r a r e

Today, t h e a rea* s f e r t i l e

and

its

related

community.

Even

ag ric u ltu ra l,
work

in

services

the

areas

an

th o u g h
m ajority

unrelated

made a g r i c u l t u r e

im portant

the
of

to

s o il has

area

the

part

is

city*s

ag ric u ltu re .

of

the

predom inantly
6,000

resid en ts

Most commute t o

work in one of two n e a r b y c i t i e s and l i v e in what m ight be
d e s c r i b e d a s m iddle income h o u s i n g .
mobile

home

abundance

of

$40,000 p r i c e
country
The

roads

parks,

m o d e r a te ly
range.
and

su perintendent

community
co m b in atio n

for

four

over

apartm ent

priced

homes

H ig h er p r i c e d
also

in

The c i t y h a s two l a r g e

the

of

schools,

17

years,

buildings
in

$30,000

homes a r e found

a re a 's
who

an
to

alon g

newest s u b d iv isio n .
has

described

of "old t i m e r s from t h e fa rm in g
216

the

and

been
the

in

area

the
as

a

community and

21 7

com m uters from t h e c i t y .
f a r m in g

community s t i l l

Both a r e s o l i d m iddle c l a s s .

The

h o l d s t h e p o l i t i c a l m uscle t o t u r n

any e l e c t i o n . "

The S.Ch<?9l D i s t r i c t
M i l lc r e e k
enrolls
are

3,300

four

1955.

S c h o o ls

students,

elem entary

school.
contain

P ublic

Two

Two

carpeted.

schools,

other

schools,

110 s q u a r e m ile s ,

167 t e a c h e r s .

a m iddle

school,

located

schools,

There

and

in

a h ig h

the

and were b u i l t i n

elem entary

1951

located

in

city ,
and
the

13 and 14 c l a s s r o o m s and were b u i l t on 10

in 1961.

m aintained.

employs

16 c l a s s r o o m s

co u n try , contain
acre s ite s

and

elem entary

15 and

encompasses

They

The b u i l d i n g s a r e a t t r a c t i v e and w ell
are

m odest

in a p p e a r a n c e .

None

are

A ll h av e a l i b r a r y and a m u l t i p u r p o s e room t h a t

d o u b l e s a s a gym and c a f e t e r i a .
The

m iddle

school

is

the

d is tr ic t's

newest

I t i s l o c a t e d on a

20 a c r e s i t e a t t h e e d g e of

bu ilt

houses g rad es 6through

43

in 1969.

classroom s

and

a fu ll

It
(all

range

carpeted),
of

a

gym,

sp ecial f a c ilitie s

b uildin g.
town and was

8 and c o n t a i n s

cafeteria,
for

lib rary ,

science,

shop,

homemaking, s p e c i a l e d u c a t i o n , and a r t s and c r a f t s .
The h i g h s c h o o l , a l s o l o c a t e d on t h e e d g e of tow n, was
b u ilt
is
two

in

1958.

C u rre n t enrollm ent in g ra d es

1,125 s t u d e n t s .
assistan t

T h e r e a r e 58 t e a c h e r s , a p r i n c i p a l and

principals.

C en tra l A ssociation.

9 t h r o u g h 12

It

is

accredited

by

N orth

218

M i llc re e k
standard

of

P ublic
th eir

S c h o o ls

reflects

community.

The

the

school

socioeco n om ic
d is tr ic t's

most

r e c e n t e x p e n d i t u r e o f $2,830 p e r p u p i l r e p r e s e n t s t h e 48th
p e r c e n t i l e o f e x p e n d i t u r e p e r c h i l d f o r a l l Michigan s c h o o l
d istricts.

In itiatio n
M illc reek 's
year

as

chief

s u p e rin te n d e n t of schools
ex ecutive.

P rior

to

was in h i s

th at,

he

had

sixth

been

an

a s s i s t a n t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t f o r e i g h t y e a r s , and an e l e m e n t a r y
p rin cip al fo r th ree
d istrict.

years, a ll

w ithin th e

"his

d esires

school

One t e a c h e r d e s c r i b e d him as a " p e o p le p e r s o n , a

com m ittee man, an o p in io n s u r v e y o r . "
said

M illc re e k

philosophy

of

the

is

to

m ajority."

A p a s t b o a r d member

respond
He

was

to

the

w is h e s

committed

to

and

building

s t r o n g p u b l i c r e l a t i o n s b etw e en s e g m e n t s o f t h e s c h o o l and
community and b etw e en t h e s t a f f and a d m i n i s t r a t i o n .
public

relatio n s

was d e f i n e d

B etter

as more "open com m unication."

The p r o s p e c t of b e t t e r com m unication was one o f t h e r e a s o n s
he had b e e n

hired

positio n ,

he

leadership

style

as

perceived
as

and to o d i c t a t o r i a l . "
m eaningful

su p erin ten d en t.

input,

the

b e in g

"to o

high
closed,

Opon assu m in g t h a t
school
to o

p rin c ip a l's
authoritarian

T e a c h e r s com plained a b o u t n o t h a v in g

parents

i n v o l v e d and u n in f o r m e d .

were

described

as

not

b e in g

The b o a r d and s u p e r i n t e n d e n t were

c o n c e r n e d a b o u t low s t a f f m orale a t t h e h i g h s c h o o l.

219

Each y e a r t h e

superintendent

of perform ance o b je c tiv e s.

established

In l i g h t

his

own l i s t

of A Nation

a t R isk*

t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s e t a g o a l o f re v ie w i n g " a l l a s p e c t s o f
the

h ig h

school

program

including

the

ad m in istratio n .n

Toward t h e a c c o m p lish m e n t o f t h a t p u r p o s e , h e recommended
t h a t t h e s c h o o l b o a r d a p p r o v e t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a "High
S ch o o l

Study

students,

Committee."

teach ers,

That

ad m in istrato rs

rep resentation

of

the

resp o n sib ility

of

re v ie w i n g

C entral

A ccreditation

career

op p o rtu n ities,

m egatrends

co m m itte e,

affecting

community,
A

v isit

and

a

was

charged

Nation
rep o rt,

nation

up

w ith

R isk,

course

a

the
North

offerings,

requirem ents

and t h e

of

cro ss-sectio n al

at

g rad u atio n

the

made

w o rld .

and

The h ig h

s c h o o l p r i n c i p a l r e l a t e d he was somewhat u n c o m f o r t a b l e with
t h a t much m e a n in g fu l co m m ittee p a r t i c i p a t i o n .
back t o h i s i n i t i a l t h o u g h t s , "Oh
everyone

what t h e y

think

He r e f l e c t e d

b o y , h e r e we goi

o f you and

t h e y m ight

You ask
te ll yal”

The com m ittee met f o r t h i r t e e n s e s s i o n s from S e p te m b e r 1983
t o J a n u a r y 1984.
The

superintendent

of

schools

in itiated

r e s p o n s e t o t h e demand f o r e x c e l l e n c e .

M illc reek 's

He d id so by f i r s t

a d d r e s s i n g t h e i s s u e in h i s own p e r f o r m a n c e o b j e c t i v e s and
then

by

S tu d y

Committee."

board,
for

recommending t h e

staff,

No o t h e r

adm in istratio n

M illc reek 's

interview ees

e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a "High Sch oo l

in itial

agreed

th at

group or
or

community

response
it

i n d i v i d u a l from t h e

was

to
the

was

responsible

excellence.
superintendent

All
who

220

in itiate d

the

school d i s t r i c t 's

r e s p o n s e t o t h e demand f o r

excellence.

M o tiv a tio n
The

su perintendent

excellence.
was

The

in itiate d

m o t iv a ti o n

m ultifaceted.

M i llc re e k *s

for

F irst,

in itiatin g

even

th o u g h

response
th at

he

to

response

denied

being

" j e r k e d a ro u n d by what was h a p p e n in g i n t h e news media," he
acknow ledged
excellence

the

m assiv e

movement

response.

The

amount

may

tim ing

have

of

of p u b l i c a t i o n

influenced

his

in itial

him

given
to

response,

the

make
ju st

a

two

months a f t e r t h e r e l e a s e o f A Nation a t R i s k , s u g g e s t s t h a t
the

media b l i t z

on

ex cellence

was a m o t i v a t i n g

cause for

th e s u p e r in te n d e n t to respond.
T h e r e were a number o f o t h e r m o t i v a t i n g r e a s o n s f o r t h e
superintendent
needed
the

to

goal

to

respond.

w rite h is
of

July

was

the

month

own p e r f o r m a n c e o b j e c t i v e s .

re v ie w i n g

the

high

s c h o o l p r o g ra m

th at

he

Choosing
at

a tim e

when t h a t s u b j e c t was a t t h e t o p o f c u r r e n t e v e n t s seemed
only

appropriate.

North

C entral

The

h ig h

A ccreditation

v i s i t n ee d ed t o b e made.
in v o lv e d
The

M illc re e k

d istrict

survey.

in

recently

The h ig h

a

school
v isit

had
and

just
a

co m pleted

re v ie w

of

a

that

The i n t e r m e d i a t e s c h o o l d i s t r i c t
p ro g ra m

com p leted

for
a

school

public

school p r in c ip a l said

im p ro vem en t.

building

needs

th e. com m ittee was

e s t a b l i s h e d by t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t t o a d d r e s s a l l t h e above
needs.

221

One m o t i v a t i n g f a c t o r , n o t i d e n t i f i e d
was

the

school

su p erin ten d e n ts

ad m in istratio n .

about

the

d esire

The

p rin c ip a l's

"open

up"

the

superintendent

was

concerned

authoritative

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p r e f e r r e d
management.

to

by t h e p r i n c i p a l ,

sty le

of

high

leadership.

a more p a r t i c i p a t i v e s t y l e o f

The e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f t h e

"High S cho ol S t u d y

Committee" was a means t o i n t r o d u c e t h e p r i n c i p a l t o a more
p a r t i c i p a t i v e s t y l e o f management.
There

was

no

evidence

D e p a rtm e n t

of

E ducation,

organization

provided

any

th at
or

the
any

sig n ifican t

community,
other

the

an cillary

m o t iv a ti o n

to

cause

th e s u p e r in te n d e n t or th e school d i s t r i c t to respond to th e
e x c e l l e n c e movement.
th at

the

stim uli.

d istrict

The m a j o r i t y o f t h e i n t e r v i e w e e s f e l t
had

The d i s t r i c t

not

had

responded

n o t co m pleted

to

an

external

a needs a n a ly sis

p r i o r t o 1983.

Process
M illc reek 's

response

to

excellence

was

in itiated

when

t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t recommended t h e s c h o o l b o a r d e s t a b l i s h a
"High School S t u d y
that

recom m en datio n,

principal

assumed

Committee."
the

superintendent

the

task

representatives.

Students,

cro ss-sectio n al

representation

t o s e r v e on t h e com m ittee.
com m ittee

members.

A fter th e board

of

teach ers,

and

so licitin g

approved

high

school

com m ittee

ad m in istrato rs

and

a

of t h e community were ask ed

F o r t y - t w o p e o p l e were named as

Hany

were

husband

and

wife

222

com binations.

The com m ittee met f o r t h i r t e e n

S e p te m b e r 1983 t o J a n u a r y 1984.

s e s s i o n s from

Bach s e s s i o n was p r o c e e d e d

by a d in n e r.
The f o r m a t f o r com m ittee work c o n s i s t e d
six

inform ational

series

of

six

follow -up

sessions

discussion

discussion

course

offerin g s

R isk.

the

fo llo w e d

sessions.

sessions

and

by

accreditation

a

corresponding

The i n f o r m a t i o n a l and

were d e v o t e d

graduation

of a s e r i e s o f

to

six

topics:

r e q u i r e m e n t s , A Nation

report,

m egatrends,

at

career

o p p o r t u n i t i e s and t h e diplom a.
The 42 member com m ittee d i v i d e d
discussion.
report

D iscussion

back

to

group

the

into

lead ers

co m m ittee

s m a ll g r o u p s f o r

were

as

a

designated
whole.

to
The

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s e r v e d as b o t h s e c r e t a r y and c h a i r p e r s o n f o r
t h e f u l l co m m itte e.
The

com m ittee

ex am ining

the

reco m m e n d atio n s
com m ittee

or

was

high
were

charged

school

w ith

the

p ro g ra m

and

necessary

in d iv id u al

was

to

resp o n sib ility
making

im prove

given

of

w hatever

it.

No o t h e r

resp o n sib ility

for

developing th e d i s t r i c t ' s re sp o n se to ex c e lle n c e .

D ec is io n Making
The
established
p ro g ra m .

superintendent
a

com m ittee

recommended
for

r e v ie w i n g

and

the

board

the

high

school

T h a t com m ittee was g iv e n t o t a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r

d e v e l o p i n g reco m m e n d atio n s f o r t h e h i g h s c h o o l p ro g ra m and
was

charged

with

that

resp o n sib ility

by

the

223

sup erin ten d en t.

The

charge

given

the

com m ittee

d id

not

make m ention o f t h e n a t i o n w i d e t h r u s t f o r e x c e l l e n c e .

The

superintendent

was

in itially

denied

established

to

excellence.

However, he l a t e r

of

the

com m ittee

excellence.
the

provide

an

became

co m m ittee

had

not

all the

the

a n sw e r

to

co m m ittee

the

demand

ackn ow led ged t h a t t h e

the

W hether o r

th at

d is tr ic t's
it

o n ly

work

response

was ackn ow led ged

appearances

for

as

to

such,

of a co m m ittee f o r

excellence.
As c h a i r p e r s o n ,
a d d r e s s b e f o r e ea ch
the

co m m ittee t o

meeting

and

m eetin g.

the

su p e rin te n d e n t gave the

m e e tin g .

discu ss.

sum m arized

welcoming

He c h o s e t h e s i x t o p i c s f o r
He w ro te t h e

the

c o m m i tt e e 's

m in u te s f o r each
work

after

each

He a l s o w ro te t h e c o m m itte e 's f i n a l r e p o r t t o t h e

school

board.

behind

the

The

superintendent

c o m m itte e 's

work.

was

the

In terv iew ees

real

leader

id en tified

him

a s t h e " c h i e f sp o kesm an," " t h e l e a d e r " and t h e "ram ro d" o f
t h e co m m ittee.
Even th o u g h t h e y r e c o g n i z e d h i s s t r e n g t h in o r g a n i z i n g
the
th at

form at

and

d irectio n

the

co m m ittee,

all

insisted

he d id n o t c o l o r t h e c o m m itte e 's d e c i s i o n s .

t h e m in u te s f o r
approved

by

the

accurate

He w ro te

ea ch m e e tin g , b u t t h e s e m in u te s had t o b e
co m m ittee.

how t h e wording o f t h e
more

of

position

several

m in u te s
of

interview ees

were ch a n g ed t o

the

com m ittee.

related

reflect a
Both

the

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t and t h e com m ittee members i n s i s t e d t h a t t h e
com m ittee

was

the

decision

maker

for

the

d is tr ic t's

224

response

to

com m ittee

excellence.

was

the

The e v i d e n c e

decision

maker,

suggested

but

only

that

the

w ithin

the

p a r a m e t e r s s e t by t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t .

Involvement,
M illc reek 's
h ig h s c h o o l .

r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e was i n c l u s i v e t o t h e
The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t i n i t i a t e d

recommending t h a t t h e b o a r d
Com mittee.1*
th at
and

The b o a r d ' s

reco m m en d atio n,
approve

ex cellence

response.

school

actu ally

o n ly

ad m in istrato r,

involved

w ith

no

the

accept

fin al

report

com m ittee.

involvem ent

high

school

other

than

the

was t o

c o m m itte e 's

made by

had

The

involvem ent

the

reco m m e n d atio n s

sup erintendent

o n ly

a p p r o v e a "High S ch o o l S t u d y

receive

assistan t

t h e r e s p o n s e by

with

prin cip al
the

com m ittee.

was

An
the
the

su p erin ten d en t,
He

assisted

the

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t in p r e p a r i n g t h e a g e n d a s f o r each com m ittee
session

and

served

as

the

chief

resource

person

for

the

com m ittee.
The

com m ittee

ad m in istrato rs
representation
to

the

included

already

Several

disappointm ent
p articip ate .

m e n tio n e d ,

o f t h e community.

co m m ittee.

m eetings.

stu d en ts,

Only
of

th at

one
the

the

Teachers

teachers,

and

a

a

com m ittee
students

from

a

m ajority

did
of

resource

persons

in

th eir

field

of

of

the

expressed

not

d i s c i p l i n e s were r e p r e s e n t e d on t h e com m ittee.
as

were named

members

v ariety

two

cross-sectional

Six s t u d e n t s

attended

the

activ ely

h ig h

school

They s e r v e d

sp ecialty .

The

225

l a r g e s t p o r t i o n o f t h e com m ittee was c o m p ris e d of community
members.

They

lab o rers*

fa rm e rs *

p ro fessionals*

h o u s e w iv e s .
the

included

roles

response.

secretaries

M i l lc r e e k

superintendent

w hile

dentists*
and

and t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p l a y e d

in p r o v i d i n g

The

d irected

b a n k e rs *

T h i s com m ittee

major

doctors*

the unified

w ith an

in itiated *

effo rts

of

excellence

g u id e d

the

and

com m ittee

produced th e response.

E la n s

M i l l c r e e k ’s

p la n f o r

addressing

the

demand

e x c e l l e n c e was n o t modeled a f t e r any o t h e r
or

excellence

School s t u d y

report.

school

The com m ittee
was

educational

of

reco m m e n d atio n s
making

a

providing

p ro g ra m ."

endorsem ent

February

Committee" p r e s e n t e d

school board.
h ig h

In

good

the

school

fe lt
even

e x c e lle n c e plan
1984*

fin al

the

"High

r e p o r t to th e

c o n c lu d e d

th a t the

and

well

balanced

offering

its

general

sound

While

that it

its

generally
"a

existing

of

for

program*
would
b etter."

the
give
In

com m ittee

made

"assistan ce
Part

X*

in
The

L e a r n i n g E n v iro n m e n t, t h e recom m endation was made t h a t t h e
s t u d e n t b e h a v i o r p o l i c y s h o u l d c l e a r l y b e e x p l a i n e d t o b o th
students

and

parents.

Under

the

subheading

of

Academic

A t t i t u d e * " t e a c h e r s were e n c o u r a g e d t o b e well p r e p a r e d f o r
ea ch

in stru ctio n al

syllabus.

Both

period

teachers

commitment t o q u a l i t y . "

and

and

to

parents

provide
must

a

course

dem onstrate

a

Under t h e s u b h e a d i n g of Homework.

226

Social

A ctiv ities,

E xtracurricu lar

A ctiv ities

and

P a r t - T i m e Employment, i t was recommended t h e s t a f f " a d v i s e
stud en ts

and

p arents

student

should

regarding

p articip ate

the

in

degree

to

activ ities

which

which

a

may

i n t e r f e r e w ith c o m p le tin g homework a s s i g n m e n t s . "

Under t h e

subheading

"teachers

of Com m unication, i t

was recommended

and p a r e n t s s h o u ld i n i t i a t e com m unication a t an e a r l y s t a g e
when t h e y
"greater

s u s p e c t p ro b le m s a r e d e v e l o p i n g . "
effort

needs

to

be

exerted

In addition*

in

establishing

p o s i t i v e c o n t a c t s b o t h from s c h o o l t o home and from home t o
s c h o o l ."
Under

Part

IX:

Competency

and

the

B asics,

reco m m e n d atio n s were made:
1.

S tandards
for
com p etency
e s t a b l i s h e d in a u n i f o r m m anner.

s h o u ld

be

2.

It
is
equally
critical
d i f f e r e n t i a t e b e tw e e n l a c k
la c k o f m o t i v a t i o n .

3.

S t u d e n t s who a r e d e f i c i e n t
in b a sic s k i l l
com p eten c e s h o u l d b e d u a l l y e n r o l l e d in t h e
r e q u i r e d c o u r s e s and a r e m e d ia l c o u r s e .

4.

S t u d e n t s who h av e n o t d e m o n s t r a t e d a c c e p t a b l e
l e v e l s o f com p eten cy ( i . e . , a p a s s i n g g ra d e )
i n t h e b a s i c s s h o u l d remain e n r o l l e d in t h e
p a r tic u la r basic d is c ip lin e u n t i l acceptable
co m p eten c e i s d e m o n s t r a t e d .

5.

Remedial c o u r s e s
s h o u ld
be
d e v e lo p e d
o p e r a t e in p a r a l l e l w ith r e g u l a r c o u r s e s .

6.

C o n s i d e r a t i o n s h o u ld b e g i v e n t o i n s t i t u t i n g
a policy providing fo r in -sch o o l suspension.

7.

An i n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y e f f o r t s h o u ld b e e x e r t e d
to
in teg rate
basic
sk ill
in stru ctio n
t h r o u g h o u t a l l a r e a s of t h e c u r r i c u l u m .

th at
teachers
of a b i l i t y and

to

se v e n

227

Under P a r t I I I ;
E lective

C o u rs e O f f e r i n g s and t h e s u b h e a d i n g o f

Cou r s e s .

it

was

recommended

that

"consideration

s h o u ld b e g iv e n t o e s t a b l i s h i n g e x p l a n a t o r y c o u r s e s s i m i l a r
to

those

offered

recommended
content

of

at

that
the

the

"staff

current

subheading

A pplication

recommended

th at

p ro b le m

it

s c h o o l ."

members

should

electiv es
and

"greater

solving."

C ounseling,

m iddle

was

It

was

also

reevaluate

the

curriculum ."

Problem

stress

under

recommended

th at

the

it

was

S olving.

needs

F inally,

Under

to
a

be

placed

subheading

"counseling

on
of

service

should be in c re a se d a t th e high school th ro u g h th e a d d itio n
of

counseling

staff

and

by

introducing

c o m p u ter

assisted

counseling s e rv ic e s ."
Under
the

Part

high

d iplom a

The Diploma, i t

school

and

"provide

its

was

recommended

graduates

a h o n o r ' s diplom a."

it

with

was a l s o

a

th at

regular

recommended

t h a t t h e N a t i o n a l Honor S o c i e t y b e r e e s t a b l i s h e d .
Under Rant 3ti
high

school

Under

a

s h o u ld

add

subheading

recommended
feasib ility

th at
of

grade lev els."
was

C u r r i c u l u m , i t was recommended t h a t " t h e
journalism

called

"the

th at

the

school curriculum ."
it

language

sk ills

"in teg ratio n

lite racy

Science,

curriculum ."

L an gu a ge.

s h o u ld

foreign

com pu ter

of

the

it

was

consider

the

at

the

lo w e r

Under t h e s u b h e a d i n g Computer L i t e r a c y , i t

recommended

h ig h

Foreign

d istrict

introducing

to

was

s h o u ld

be

and

d e v e lo p m e n t

em ph asized

of

throu gh ou t

F i n a l l y , u n d e r a s u b h e a d in g

recommended

that

a

"coordination

of

228

science

offerings

in

grades

6 -1 2

s h o u ld

be

a

d istrict

p rio rity ."

RSSliltg -

QX. A n t i c i p a t e d

Before

concluding

the

last

com m ittee

m e e tin g ,

it

was

d e c i d e d t h a t t h e com m ittee r e c o n v e n e in one y e a r t o re v ie w
t h e d e g r e e t o which i t s

re c o m m e n d a tio n s were a c h i e v e d .

At

a m eeting one y e a r l a t e r , i t was d e t e r m i n e d t h a t a m a j o r i t y
of

its

re co m m e n d atio n s

were

addressed.

re co m m e n d atio n s

were

recom m itm ent,

reem phasis.

O thers

of f u t u r e

reevaluation

w ith

the

or

prom ise

Some had b e e n f u l l y

satisfied

a fter

im p le m e n te d .

a

Some

reevaluation,

had

been

or

satisfied

consideration.

F i n a l l y , a few had been

c l a s s i f i e d in a s e c t i o n l a b e l e d "no p r o g r e s s . "
The f o l l o w i n g
re co m m e n d atio n s
were

added

and

were

N ational

Honor

social

for

studies

purchased
en ro llin g

for

the

high

com m ittee.
school

teachers

were d e v e lo p e d

stu d ies.

c o m p u ter

purchased

the

by

b etw e en

tests

social

made

in

com m unication
reference

c h a n g e s were im plem ented a s a r e s u l t of

added
Society
the

the

for

order

English,

math,

business

room.

in c o m p u te r e d u c a t i o n

im prove
O bjective

staff

and

departm ent.

new

a
The

C o m p ute rs were

ag ric u ltu re ,

Twelve

lin es

math, s c i e n c e

cleric al

was r e e s t a b l i s h e d .

science,

to

p arents.

counseling

departm ents.
the

and

A dditional
to

in

Two p h o n e

E nglish

c o m p u te r s

and
were

The number of s t u d e n t s

sig n ific a n tly increased.

A

229

larger

number

F in ally,

of

students

journalism

enrolled

was

ad d e d

In
to

rem edial
the

courses.

high

school

curriculum .
Recommendations made b y t h e co m m ittee r e s u l t i n g
action
the

included

th e follow ing:

suggestion

homework
action

of

versus

taken

on

advising

No p r o g r e s s
students

ac tiv ities.

the

a dual

concept

of

re c o m m e n d a tio n s t h a t had n o t b e e n
were l i s t e d
commitment

in a s e c t i o n
th at

teachers

called
were

was made with

about

ex tracu rricu lar

p rio rities

diplom a.

rejected

would

of

T h e r e was no
Several

o r implemented

Under S t u d y .
and

in no

T h e r e was a

continue

to

be

rem inded t h a t t h e y s h o u l d b e w e ll p r e p a r e d f o r i n s t r u c t i n g
th eir

classes.

The

use

a d v i s e m e n t by t h e f a c u l t y .

of a c o u r s e

syllabus

was u n d e r

The recom m endation f o r t e a c h i n g

f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e a t t h e e l e m e n t a r y s c h o o l was b e i n g s t u d i e d
by elem entary

ad m in istrato rs.

The i n d u s t r i a l a r t s

p ro g ra m

was b e i n g re v ie w ed by a newly a p p o i n t e d com m ittee.
In terv ie w ees a ttr ib u te d o th e r changes to th e excellence
movement.

The

assistan t

superintendent

said

th at

d e p a r t m e n t c h a i r p e r s o n s were ad d e d t o t h e h i g h s c h o o l as a
r e s u l t of th e ex cellence
an

elec tiv e

course.

movement.

P h ysical

C alculus

education

was

was added as
ch a n g ed

" f u n and games" t o " e d u c a t i o n f o r h e a l t h y l i v i n g . "

from

A high

s c h o o l s c i e n c e t e a c h e r s a i d t h a t new g u i d e l i n e s now r e q u i r e
each h ig h s c h o o l d e p a r t m e n t t o d e v e l o p b o t h lo n g and s h o r t
te rm g o a l s .

The c h a i r p e r s o n of t h e E n g l i s h d e p a r t m e n t t o l d

how a media c l a s s was added t o t h e c u r r i c u l u m .

He f u r t h e r

230

said

that

teachers

must

now f u r n i s h

goals

and o b j e c t i v e s

f o r each c o u r s e .

A n o th e r t e a c h e r s a i d , "we g o t p e o p l e f a c e

to

talking

face

.

.

.

about

problem s.

We

im proved

i n t e r p e r s o n a l r e l a t i o n s . . . t e a c h e r m o rale was l i f t e d . ”
The

superintendent

response to
the

needs

saw

resu lts

excellen ce in term s of
of th e

staff

p re sid e n t thought th e
were

the

already

and
results

reco m m e n d atio n s

were

saying.

were

When q u e s t i o n e d

response

ab o v e

to

in

my mind

is

th at

statem ent

appears

identified

by

we

a

really

little

others.

In

d id n 't

resu lts

the

h ig h

fu rth er

in

changes
of

his

school

"What s t a n d s o u t

do

b affling

any

the

answ er,

"we

excellence

think

ex cellen ce,

p r i n c i p a l g a v e a most p e r p l e x i n g

and s a t i s f y i n g

most

d o n 't
about

d is tr ic t's

the fa c t th a t

what
I

his

The s c h o o l b o a r d

c o n f ir m e d

or

d i s t r i c t ’s

m eeting

community.

at

needed.”

of

anything."
lig h t

questioning,

of

The

results

he t h o u g h t

t h e p r o c e s s was l a b o r i o u s , t e d i o u s , wordy a n d , w h a t e v e r t h e
r e s u l t s , much would h a v e p r o b a b l y been done w ith o r w i t h o u t
t h e co m m ittee.
the

process

everyone

Somewhat r e l u c t a n t l y , he ack no w led ged t h a t
seemed

ben efited

to
a

be
little

im portant.
from

It

the

appeared

process.

A ll

th at
the

i n t e r v i e w e e s t h o u g h t t h a t c h i l d r e n would b e n e f i t from t h e i r
efforts.

Summary
The
response

superintendent
to

excellence.

of

schools

Be had been

in itiate d

M illc reek 's

c h ie f executive fo r

231

s i x y e a r s and was h i r e d f o r t h a t p o s i t i o n p a r t l y b e c a u s e of
his

commitment

community

to

and

public

b e tw e e n

the

relatio n s

b e tw e e n

staff

ad m in istratio n .

and

school

and
His

p r i m a r y m o t iv a ti o n f o r i n i t i a t i n g

a r e s p o n s e was t o s o l v e a

"comm unication

high

p ro b lem "

at

the

school

and

to

e v i d e n c e t h a t a c u r r e n t i s s u e was b e i n g a d d r e s s e d .

show

A n o th er

m o t i v a t i o n a l f a c t o r was t h e f a c t t h a t b o t h t h e i n t e r m e d i a t e
school

d istrict

pressing

the

and

school

e f f e c tiv e schools.
ex cellence

North

C entral

d istrict

to

A ccreditation
provide

had

been

program ming

for

With s o much a t t e n t i o n b e in g g i v e n t h e

issu e r the

superintendent

d e c id e d

that

one

of

h i s p e r s o n a l g o a l s and o b j e c t i v e s f o r s c h o o l y e a r 1983-1984
would b e a c o m p le te re v ie w of t h e h i g h s c h o o l p ro g ra m .
A

42

member

ad m in istrato rs,
study

the

consisted

com m ittee

board

high

of

members and

school.

of a s e r i e s

The

of s i x

p arents,

stu d en ts

form at

of

inform ation

teachers,

was s e t

up t o

com m ittee
sessions

work

follo w ed

by a c o r r e s p o n d i n g s e r i e s of s i x d i s c u s s i o n s e s s i o n s .
of

th ese

sessions

offerings
the

and

were

d e v o te d

g rad u atio n

accreditation

to

six

requirem ents,

report,

m egatrends,

topics:
A N ation

career

Both
course

at

R isk ,

o p p o rtu n ities

and t h e d iplom a.
The

com m ittee

developing

was

g iv e n

reco m m e n d atio n s

for

to tal
the

resp o n sib ility
h ig h

school

for

p ro g ra m .

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t a c te d a s t h e c o m m itte e 's c h a i r p e r s o n and
secretary .

He d e v e lo p e d

th e form at fo r

chose th e six to p ic s f o r d is c u s s io n .

each

m eeting

and

He w ro te t h e m inutes

232

for

ea ch

each

m eeting

and

summarized t h e

A ll

interview ees

m eeting.

com m ittee

leader.

com m ittee

members

decision

maker

However,
in sisted

for

the

com m ittee work a f t e r

recognized

superintendent

and

th at

the

com m ittee

the

to

w ithout

being

m aker,

but

th at

only

by

the

the

w ithin

They

own c o n c l u s i o n s

su p erin ten d en t.

co m m ittee

the

was

excellence.

t h a t t h e com m ittee had drawn i t s

suggested

the

the

in sisted

evidence

as

both

response

influenced

him

was

param eters

The

the

decision

set

by

the

su p erin ten d en t.
The s c h o o l b o a r d
re co m m e n d atio n s.
school.

Honor

reference

tests

and

social

a number o f t h e c o m m i tt e e 's

Two p h o n e l i n e s

Journalism

N ational

accepted

was ad ded

Society

was

were d e v e lo p e d

studies.

More

as

were added
a course

in t h e

offering.

re in stitu te d .
for

English,

students

h ig h
The

O bjective
math, s c i e n c e

were

en ro lled

in

c o m p u ter e d u c a t i o n and in r e m e d i a l c o u r s e s f o r t h e academ ic
subjects.

A ll

principal,

were

interview ees,
pleased

response to excellence.

with

including
the

the

resu lt

of

h ig h

school

M illc reek 's

C h a p t e r V:

CONCLUSION

In tro d u ctio n
This c h a p te r
section

is

is divided

The f i r s t

a Review of t h e p u r p o s e . C o n c e p t u a l Framework

and M ethodology.
F indings.
and

into fiv e sectio n s.

The s e c o n d

section

is

a Summary o f t h e

The f i n d i n g s from t h e c a s e s t u d i e s a r e com piled

c o m m o n a litie s

described.

S y n o p s i s and C o n c l u s i o n s .
conclusions

are

is

called

Major f i n d i n g s a r e re v ie w ed and

d ra w n .

Recommendations f o r

The t h i r d s e c t i o n

The

fourth

F u tu re Research.

section

contains

P ersonal R eflections

a r e given in th e f i n a l se c tio n .

Review

of

th e

P u rp o s e .C onceptual

Framework

and

M ethodology.
The p u r p o s e of t h i s p r o j e c t was to d e s c r i b e and e x p l a i n
how s i x
or

Michigan s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s

failed

to

excellence.

respond
The

ex cellence

a

real

movement

p o s s ib ly did

to

n o t happen

nationw ide

test

was

in s m a l l to w n s re s p o n d e d

to

for

th ru st

to

significance

examine

what

produce
of

h ap p e n ed

in t h e l o c a l s c h o o l s .

the
or

T h i s was a

c a s e s t u d y o f how s i x s m a l l town s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s

responded

t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement in 1983.
A sm a ll town
entity

of

d irectly
secondary

fe w e r

was

defined

than

15,000

a d ja c e n t to
school.

as

an

people,

a m etropolitan
The

id en tifiab le
one

was

not

a r e a , and had a s i n g l e

six schoold i s t r i c t s
2 33

which

p o litical

selected

for

2 34

case

stu d ies

criteria.

were

S ch o o l

chosen
size

on

as

the

m easured

b e tw e e n

1,000 and 4,000 s t u d e n t s .

located

in

ce n tral

M ichigan .

s e n i o r h ig h s c h o o l .

basis
by

of

enrollm ent

S elected

Each

p re-selected
varied

d istricts

d istrict

had

were

a single

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t had s e r v e d in t h a t

a s s i g n m e n t f o r a minimum o f t h r e e y e a r s .
The
school

conceptual
d istrict

in itiatio n ,

framework

responses

m otivation,

u sed

consisted

process,

for

u n d erstandin g

school d i s t r i c t s

explore
of

ind iv id u al

se v e n

d ecision

and r e s u l t s - a c t u a l o r a n t i c i p a t e d .
"vehicle"

to

concepts:

making,

plans,

T h e s e c o n c e p t s were t h e

and

d escribing

how

the

r e s p o n d e d t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.

s ix
The

c o n c e p t u a l framework d id n o t grow o u t o f e m p i r i c a l r e s e a r c h
but

rath er

encom passed

was

logically

seq uential

segm ents

c o n tinu um f o r t h e p r o c e s s
they

represented

developed.
of

The

concepts

a ratio n ally

d e v e lo p e d

of change.

For th e

researcher,

a r e a s o n a b l e , s e n s i b l e and s e q u e n t i a l way

t o d e s c r i b e how s i x Michigan s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s

responded to

t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.
T h is
study

research

represented

su p erin ten dents,
board

members,

in d iv id u als

was

an

over

a

assistan t
community

serving

on

ex ploratory
dozen

study.

in -depth

Each

case

interview s

with

su p erintend en ts,
lead ers,

teachers,

ex cellence

principals,
students,

c o m m itte e s .

and

F indings

from t h e c a s e s t u d i e s e n a b le d t h e r e s e a r c h e r t o draw some
inferences

and

conclusions

about

how s i x

school d i s t r i c t s

r e s p o n d e d t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement of 1983.

The a b i l i t y

235

t o g e n e r a l i z e and d ra w c o n c l u s i o n s a b o u t what was o b s e r v e d
in

six

d istricts

may

h av e

relevan ce

for

the

general

population of school d i s t r i c t s .

Summary of t h e F i n d i n g s
Communities.

The s i x

were a l l l o c a t e d

in

com m u nities c h o s e n f o r c a s e s t u d i e s

c e n t r a l M ichigan.

They were w i t h i n a

6 0 -m ile r a d i u s o f M i c h i g a n 's c a p i t o l c i t y of L a n s i n g .

Bach

c o u ld b e d e s c r i b e d as a s m a ll town h a v in g i t s own mayor and
villag e

council.

resid en ts.
Some

P o p ulations

ranged

from

2,200

to

7,481

A ll were w i t h i n commuting d i s t a n c e o f L a n s i n g .

were

w it h i n

m id -M ichigan
M idland.

commuting

cities

like

d istan ce

Jackson,

of

F lin t,

other

major

Saginaw

and

Each community was an i n d e p e n d e n t u n i t c l a s s i f i e d

as a sm a ll town.
None

of

business

the

co m m u n ities

em ployers.

The

had

school

major

d istrict

s i n g l e em p lo yer w i t h i n ea ch community.
close

proxim ity

to

L a n s in g

co u ld

"bedroom"

co m m un ities

where

community

but

elsew here.

worked

in d u strial
was t h e

or

larg est

Two com m unities in

best

be

resid en ts
The

described
lived

in

re m a in in g

as
the
four

com m unities were d e s c r i b e d as f a rm in g com m unities.
The

m ajority

of

"bedroom" com m unities
in

nearby

Lansing.

the

working

resided
O th e r

resid e n ts

in

the

two

in t h e community and worked
than

the

school

d istrict,

employment o p p o r t u n i t i e s w i t h i n t h e s e two com m unities were
lim ited

as

a resu lt

of close

p roxim ity

to

the la rg e

city.

236

R e s i d e n t s d id t h e i r s h o p p i n g i n t h e n e a r b y c i t y o r s h o p p i n g
m alls.
The

re m a in in g

four

f a r m in g c o m m u n itie s.

com m unities

were

described

This does not i n f e r t h a t th e m ajority

of r e s i d e n t s worked w i t h i n t h e fa rm i n d u s t r y .
th at

the

predom inant

farm ing.

G ra in

dealers

c o u ld

B usiness
resid en ts.
w it h i n

b e fo u n d
were

G reater

the

However,

industry

elev ato rs,

d istricts

fa rm

as

m ajority

ea ch

larg er

to
of

w ithin

than
the

I t d oes mean

the

community

stores,

w ithin

com m u nities

w ork in g

w ithin

feed

nu m bers

was t r u e

of

as

and

of th e s e
meet

the

im plement

co m m u n itie s.

the

local

was

needs

of t h e

resid en ts

worked

bedroom

community.

bedroom c o m m u n itie s, t h e

resid en ts

liv in g

in

the

farm

com m unities commuted t o a n e a r b y c i t y f o r employment.

Xhe Schq.Ql D i s t r i c t
The

six

student
and

school

d istricts

enrollm ents

3,300.

of

S c h o o ls

ch o se n

1,441,

w ith

for

1,443,

case

1,669,

enrollm ents

stu d ies
1,834,

b etw e en

1,000

had
1,908
and

4,000 s t u d e n t s w ere c h o s e n s i n c e t h e y r e p r e s e n t t h e l a r g e s t
number of d i s t r i c t s
d istricts

in

M ichigan.

experienced declin in g

Each of t h e

enrollm ent;

case study

one by as much

a s 27 p e r c e n t o v e r t h e p a s t t e n y e a r s .
As
o n ly

required

one

senior

by

the

h ig h

criteria,

school.

ea c h

Five

middle s c h o o l s in s e p a r a t e f a c i l i t i e s .
were s e p a r a t e i d e n t i t i e s ,

one d i s t r i c t

school

of t h e

s y s te m

had

d istricts

had

A lth o u g h b o t h u n i t s
had a combined h ig h

237

school/m iddle

school

facility .

Each

of

the

case

study

d i s t r i c t s had one o r more e l e m e n t a r y s c h o o l s .
As

required

ea ch d i s t r i c t
T h is

by

the

had b e e n

provided

criteria,
employed

assurance

the

the

superintendent

for

f o r a t l e a s t t h r e e y ea rs*
superintendent

was

chief

e x e c u t i v e a t t h e tim e A N ation a t Risk was r e l e a s e d in t h e
spring
th is

of 1983.

study,

A lth o u g h n o t r e q u i r e d

five

of t h e

h ig h

school p rin c ip a ls

p o sitio n s longer than th r e e y e a rs.
assistan t

high

school

as a c r ite r io n

The s i x t h

principal

in

1983

held

for

th eir

had been an

and

knew

the

s p e c i f i c s o f how h i s s c h o o l had re s p o n d e d t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e
movement o f 1983.
Two

case

study

d istricts,

M illc re e k

and

S p r i n g s , had a s s i s t a n t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s in 1983.
declining
position
in 1985.

M in era l

B ecause of

e n r o l l m e n t and t i g h t f i n a n c e s , M i llc re e k l e f t t h e
vacant

when

its

assistan t

superintendent

retired

T h e r e f o r e , a t t h e tim e o f t h e i n t e r v i e w s f o r t h i s

c a s e s t u d y , o n ly M illc re e k had an a s s i s t a n t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t .
F inancially,

as

m easured

by

ex p enditures

per

child,

t h e r e w ere b r o a d d i f f e r e n c e s among t h e c a s e s t u d y s c h o o l s .
T h re e

of

the

d istricts

were

w ithin

range of e x p e n d itu re s p e r c h ild .
in

the

d istrict
child.

top
was

q u artile
in

the

of

statew ide

median

Two of t h e d i s t r i c t s were

ex p en d itu res

b o tto m

the

q u artile

per
of

child

and

one

ex p en d itu res

per

238

In itiatio n
In f iv e o u t of th e six case study school d i s t r i c t s , th e
su perintendent

of

the

response

d is tr ic t's

concerned

citizen

response

in

follow s
the

schools

ex am in es

to

was

one

was

interview er

the

in

for

in itiatin g

movement.

for

d istrict.

responses

for

ex cellence

responsible

re m a in in g
the

responsible

in itiatin g

the

summary

th at

The

ea c h q u e s t i o n

determ ining

who

A

used

in itiated

by

each

d i s t r i c t 's response to excellence.
The

first

question

explored

by

the

researcher

was

w h e th e r an y l o c a l n e w s p a p e r , r a d i o o r t e l e v i s i o n e d i t o r i a l s
i n f l u e n c e d t h e s c h o o l t o make a r e s p o n s e t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e
movement.

The n a t i o n w i d e t h r u s t f o r e x c e l l e n c e r e c e i v e d an

i n i t i a l p u s h i n t o t h e media s p o t l i g h t w ith t h e r e l e a s e of &
Nation

at

Risk

wanted t o

in

the

determ ine

if

spring
th ere

of

1983.

was any

The

researcher

evidence th e

larg er

n a t i o n w i d e and s t a t e w i d e media c o v e r a g e t r a n s f e r r e d down t o
t h e l o c a l media and
pressure
There

for the

was

no

occurred.
sto ries

w h e th e r t h a t same l o c a l media e x e r t e d

school d i s t r i c t to

evidence

One

school

w ith in

the

d istrict

respond to ex cellen ce.
six

case

experienced

stu d ies

th is

critical

news

and e d i t o r i a l s condemning and demanding a s o l u t i o n

t o a h i g h s c h o o l d i s c i p l i n e p ro b lem ; how ever, t h e r e was no
s u g g e s t i o n t h e s c h o o l s h o u ld make an e x c e l l e n c e r e s p o n s e .
None
d irect

of

the

pressure

six
from

response to excellence.

school
the

d istricts

local

news

were
media

subjected
to

provide

to
a

No l o c a l e d i t o r i a l s s u g g e s t e d t h a t

239

t h e l o c a l s c h o o l s y s te m
to th e
to

ed ito r

respond.

in

were w r i t t e n
The l o c a l

encouraging
They

or

local

six

case

media

urging

news

persuading

were c o m p l e t e l y

all

re s p o n d t o e x c e l l e n c e .

silen t

study

had

no

t h e l o c a l s c h o o l sy stem

media

the

No l e t t e r s

was n o t

school

involved

s y s te m

to

a b o u t t h e need f o r

co m m u n itie s.
d irect

respond.
excellence

The f i n d i n g

role

in

the

with

th a t the

in itiatio n

of

e x c e l l e n c e r e s p o n s e s do es n o t a p p l y t o t h e i n f l u e n c e o f t h e
s t a t e and n a t i o n w i d e media b l i t z .

T h i s l a r g e r c o v e r a g e was

fo u n d t o h av e b ee n a m o t i v a t i o n a l i n f l u e n c e l e a d i n g t o t h e
in itiatio n
facto rs

of
w ill

ex cellence
be

responses.

covered

in

the

T h ese

m otivational

fo llo w in g

section

on

m otivation.
The sec o nd a r e a e x p l o r e d b y t h e r e s e a r c h e r was w h e th e r
or

not

any

su p erin ten d en t
excellence.

community

groups

or

board

Two

school
d istricts

requested
to

had

make

parent

a

eith er

the

response

for

groups

attending

s c h o o l b o a r d m e e t i n g s b o t h b e f o r e and a f t e r t h e r e l e a s e o f
t h e N ation a t Risk

report.

dem anding

a solutio n

A sec o n d

d istrict

school board
from

eith er

had

resolve
group

to

One d i s t r i c t had p a r e n t g r o u p s

a h ig h
parent

s c h o o l d i s c i p l i n e p ro b lem .
groups

a teacher

ever

response to excellence.

dem anding

contract

suggested

th at

th at

disp u te.
the

school

the

No one
make a

T h e r e were no i n s t a n c e s of g r o u p s

of p a r e n t s , c i t i z e n s o r s t u d e n t s coming f o r w a r d t o p r e s s u r e
t h e s c h o o l t o re s p o n d t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.
the

pressure

th at

parent

groups

exerted

for

However,

so lu tio n s to

240

other

p rob lem s

ultim ately

did

leading

provide
to

a

the

m otivational

in itiatio n

of

interview ees

as

influence
excellence

responses.
The

researcher

individuals
or

other

questioned

to

w h e th e r

e v e r came t o t h e s c h o o l b o a r d , s u p e r i n t e n d e n t ,

adm inistrators

excellence.

In

urging

five

of

the

the

sc h o o l

ca s e

to

study

re spo nd

to

d istricts,

no

i n d i v i d u a l s came fo rw a rd t o e n c o u ra g e t h e s c h o o l t o resp on d
to ex cellence.
out

about

the

excellence.
the

One con c ern ed c i t i z e n in one d i s t r i c t spoke

She

principal,

and t o
b o ard

carried

her
her

d istrict

case

to

teach ers,

and

spoke o u t a b o u t

excellence.

sym pathetic

and

T h is

equally

to

the

the

s c h o o l b o a rd t r u s t e e s .

m eetin gs
for

for

individual

other

provide

need

re sp on d

superintendent,

b o a rd

p resid en t,

She a t t e n d e d
the

m o th e r's

s c h o o l 's

b o a rd

sc h o o l
need

persistence

c o n c ern ed

to

to

and

a

president

u l t i m a t e l y le d to t h i s d i s t r i c t ' s r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l le n c e .
The

researcher

questioned

interview ees

about

w hether

anyone from t h e t e a c h i n g

s t a f f had impacted t h e d i s t r i c t ' s

decision

excellence.

to

discussed

the

re spo nd

to

excellence

movement

Although
among

teachers

t h e m s e lv e s

and

o c c a s i o n a l l y with a p r i n c i p a l , t h e r e was no e v id e n c e one or
more t e a c h e r s e v e r went t o a p r i n c i p a l , t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t ,
or

the

school

board

requesting

re s p o n s e to e x c e l l e n c e .

Teaching

six of t h e c a s e s t u d y d i s t r i c t s .

that

the

staffs

d istrict

make a

were q u i e t in a l l

241

In

the

next

series

of

q uestions,

the

researcher

was

i n t e r e s t e d i n w h e t h e r t h e s c h o o l b o a r d was f i r s t t o r e q u e s t
t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n make a r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e o r w h e t h e r
t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t p r e s e n t e d t h e b o a r d w ith an u n s o l i c i t e d
response

to

d istricts,

excellence.

th e

response
in stan ces,

that

unsolicited

by

one

d id

make

a

The

to

the

in

staff

the

first

to

In

and

request

was

requested

turn

was

of

proposal

board

This

out

board.

th e board,

citizen

board

the

in itial

response.

concerned

five

superintendent

proposal

d istrict

In

the

was

a

these

com pletely
in

only

adm inistration

same

the

of

community.
the

school

present

ea ch

school

th e board to

requested

six

where

to
the

make a r e s p o n s e .

ad m inistration

to

fo llo w

case

study

t h r o u g h w ith a r e s p o n s e .
Five

of

d istricts

were

appropriate
of

local

five

su p erin ten d en ts

actio n .

to

perceive

They re s p o n d e d
co u ld

responses

o rganize

before

a

and

take

b e f o r e a g ro u n d

sw ell

make dem ands.

They

and

staff

from
need

members

suggested

They were ahe ad o f t h e news media.
su p erin ten d en ts

teaching
the

six
q u ic k

citizen s

proposed
same.

the

staffs,

excellence

leading

the

researcher

th eir

movement.

way.

perceived

the
was

In

They

degree
recognized

five

Bach o f t h e s e

by

th eir

co m m u nities as b e i n g
were

The most s u r p r i s i n g

was

su p erin ten d en ts
interview ee.

and

were

to
as

d istricts,

ea ch

all

boards,

on t o p of

perceived

as

revelation fo r th is

which
the

the

each

in itiato r

of

these

by

every

interview ees

(100%)

242

identified

the

d istricts
where
there

superintendent

response

the

to

c o n c e rn e d

any v a r i a t i o n

in itiato r.
w hether
parent

In
the

was

the

the

excellence.
citizen

in

th is

b o a rd

as

in itiato r

Only

in itiated

in

of

the

the

d istrict

response

who i n t e r v i e w e e s i d e n t i f i e d

instance,

interview ees

president

in itiato r.

or

the

the

were

Close q u e s t i o n i n g

as t h e

not

id en tified

was

sure

con c ern ed

o f b o th

the

b o ard p r e s i d e n t and t h e c o n c e rn e d mother showed i t was t h e
parent

who f i r s t

concerns

a p p ro a c h e d t h e b o ard p r e s i d e n t with h e r

about

the

school

n ee d in g

to

provide

for

excellence.
The f i n a l q u e s t i o n
c a te g o r y

of

pressures
the

or

external

in itiatio n

None

of

response

to

citizen.

the
the

the
for

was

external

excellence
of

providing

d irectly

a

an

to

external
pressures

ultim ate

responses.

in

excellence.

ground

stim uli

contributing

community

resulted

to

movement.

however,

d istricts

were

response

experienced

pressure

six

there

which

d istricts'

or

were,

by t h e i n t e r v i e w e r in t h e

w hether

stim uli

d istricts

There

of

the

pressure

experienced

reasons

of

the

community

four

in itiatio n

e x p lo re d

s w e ll
p ro d u c e

One

of
a

d istrict

s t i m u l i from one
present
to

w ithin

m o t iv a ti o n a l
These

w ill be

d i s c u s s e d i n t h e follo w ing s e c t i o n on m o tiv a tio n .

M otivation
Q u estio n s on m o tiv a tio n were d e s ig n e d t o i d e n t i f y t h o s e
f o r c e s , p r e s s u r e s , d r i v e s , n e e d s or t e n s i o n s which may have

2 43

been
to

the

m otivation

d e v e lo p

thoroughly

its

for

response

explained

visualized

as

excellence.

and/or

m otivating

cases,

fu rth er

the

ex cellence.

brought

many

to

in itiato r
to

those

h a v in g

In

interview s

the

Interview ees

factors

about

the

which

they

responses

researcher

question

d istrict

to

h e ld

s ec o n d

p articip an ts

about

m otivational fo rc e s .
Communities

did

not

hav e

d irect

roles

in

p ressu rin g

case study school d i s t r i c t s to respond to excellence.
of

the

case

dem anding

study

th at

co m m u n itie s

th eir

excellence.

Except

com m unities

were

been

quiet

school

for

one

about
at

the

situ atio n s

provided

in

silen t

one
on

of

citizens

provide

for

d istrict,

the

the

issue

of

However, t h e y were n o t found t o have

other

d istricts

groups

system s

woman

com pletely

providing excellence.

had

None

pressing

tim e.
a

situ atio n s

Their

m o t iv a ti o n

w ithin

involvem ent

for

d istricts

in
to

th eir
these

in itiate

ex cellence responses.
Four of th e

six

d istricts

p ro b le m s in t h e s p r i n g
released.

fa ll

of

school board
1983.

In

d istrict,

h ig h

school p rin c ip a l

d i s c i p l i n e p ro b le m .

was

had l a r g e g r o u p s of a n g r y p a r e n t s

P arents
resolve

sec o n d

relatio n s

m e e tin g s in t h e s p r i n g , summer and

superintendent
the

public

of 1983 when A Nation a t Risk

Two d i s t r i c t s

attending

experienced

a

demanded

the

teacher

strik e

p arents

and t h e

wanted

resolution

school
in
the

one

board

and

d istrict.

release

of

a

of a high school

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s from b o t h of t h e s e

244

d i s t r i c t s recognized
d id

not

get

th eir

th eir

jobs

were

com m u nities

on t h e

quieted

line

down,

i f they
A th ird

d i s t r i c t had p u b l i c r e l a t i o n s p ro b le m s w ith i t s h ig h s c h o o l
principal.
receiving
never

Board
many

escalated

attending

members

and

the

superintendent

c r i t i c a l phone c a ll s ,
to

the

school

but

p o i n t where

the

angry

boardm eetings.

were

situ atio n

p a r e n t s were

N evertheless,

the

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t r e c o g n i z e d i t as a p ro b le m t h a t needed t o b e
resolved.
fourth

d istrict

respond
the

Public

to

relatio n

were

for

in

a

school

A c o n v e n i e n t and l a r g e p o r t i o n of

ea ch

of

these

p ro b le m s

e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f an e x c e l l e n c e com m ittee.
n e v e r demanded

brew in g

w ith one m other dem anding t h a t t h e

excellence.

so lution

p ro b le m s

was

the

The com m unities

re sp o n s e s f o r ex c e lle n c e , b u t re sp o n se s to

e x c e l l e n c e c e r t a i n l y h e l p e d r e s o l v e community p ro b le m s .
The

re m a in in g

two

d istricts

not

experiencing

public

r e l a t i o n s p ro b le m s a t t h e tim e had s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s who were
very

much

aw are

superintendent

of

from

perceived
one

of

public

these

reactions.

d istricts

spoke

The
about

" g e t t i n g on t o p o f an i s s u e b e f o r e i t g e t s on t o p o f you."
The o t h e r s u p e r i n t e n d e n t had q u i c k l y c a l l e d f o r a s e r i e s of
p u b l i c i n f o r m a t i o n a l m e e t i n g s on t h e i s s u e of p r o v i d i n g f o r
excellence.

Both

of

these

su p erin ten d en ts

s e n s e an u r g e n c y a b o u t k e e p in g
and

satisfied

movement.

w ith

th eir

appeared

to

t h e i r com m unities in fo rm ed

reaction

to

the

excellence

245

There
the

was

no

D e p a rtm e n t

org an izatio n s
school

evidence

of

E ducation,

provided

d istricts

to

any

respond

ackn o w ledg ed

d istricts

discussed

trying

to

these

coordinate

efforts

response
d istrict

to

were

m entioned

th at

interm ediate
any

fo u n d

the

of

k in d
to

of

efforts

to

movement

an

of t h e

S tate

school

and

effo rt.

were

However,
to

interview ees

cause

movement.

interm ediate

in su fficien t

L ik e w is e ,

schools,
an cillary

excellence

th eir

be

the

m otivation

ex cellence

some

the

nor

to

the

ex cellence.

the

sig n ifican t

Two d i s t r i c t s
had

th at

cause
from

a

ea ch

D e p a rtm e n t of

E d u c a ti o n and v a r i o u s a n c i l l a r y o r g a n i z a t i o n s .

However, as

with t h e i n t e r m e d i a t e , none of t h e s e e f f o r t s were fo un d t o
have

been

su fficien t

ex cellence.

m o t iv a tio n

for

a

response

to

The e m p h a s is p l a c e d on t h e e x c e l l e n c e i s s u e by

i n t e r m e d i a t e s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s , t h e D e p a rtm e n t o f E d u c a t i o n ,
and

the

an cillary

org an izatio n s

gave

su p erin ten d en ts

an

o v e r a l l f e e l i n g of need t o a d d r e s s t h e i s s u e .
Very

few

reports.

interview ees

re a d

any

of

the

excellence

Where r e a d i n g had been d o n e , A Nation a t Risk was

the

report

most o f t e n

had

seen

capsulized

read.

The m a j o r i t y of i n t e r v i e w e e s

versions

of

reports.

Many h e a r d p r e s e n t a t i o n s

reports

were

co m m itte es.

saying

w h ile

In g e n e r a l , t h e

various

excellence

o f what t h e e x c e l l e n c e

sittin g

excellence

on

excellence

r e p o r t s were found

t o h av e l i t t l e d i r e c t i n f l u e n c e in p r o v i d i n g t h e m o t iv a ti o n
n ee d ed

to

get

Instead, they

the

d istrict

contributed

to

ad d ress th e excellence issu e.

to
the

re s p o n d

to

excellence.

o v e r a l l s e n s e of need t o

246

The

news

media

fo refro n t.

One

hullabaloo

over

and

received.

the

prin cip al

the

under th e rug.
aw h ile

brought

issue

ex cellence

said,

. . .

issue

" T h e re

we j u s t

was

c o u ld n 't

to

the

enough
sweep

it

I mean, i t was on t h e news e v e r y n i g h t f o r

in

every

ed u catio n al

publication

th at

We had t o a t l e a s t a d d r e s s t h e i s s u e . "

we

None o f

t h e i n t e r v i e w e e s d e s c r i b e d t h e news media a s a c o n t r i b u t i n g
a m otivational fo rc e .

R ather,

the

media c o n t r i b u t i o n

was

in d irect.
None

of

the

interview ees

knew

of

any

needs

co m p leted by t h e i r d i s t r i c t s p r i o r t o 1983.
resu lt
fe lt

of th e
th eir

resu lt

of

external

study

was t h a t t h e

d istricts'
an

stim uli.

to

recognition

This

One s u r p r i s i n g

m ajority of in te rv ie w e e s

responses

in tern al

an aly sis

excellen ce
of

was r a t h e r

need

was

and

su rp risin g

in

the

not

an

th at

all

t h e r e s p o n s e s came s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e r e l e a s e o f A Nation a t
R isk.
h a v in g

Most i n t e r v i e w e e s
an

children.
pride
m ere ly

among

a ltru istic
The

desire

researcher

in

a

or

do

what
a

th eir
was

feeling

d istrict

response.

were a l r e a d y

for
of

was n o t

In terview ees

ex am p les o f how t h e i r

how t h e y

d istrict
good

strong

th at th eir

"knee-jerk"

when t h e y c i t e d

was a " f r o n t r u n n e r "

to

evidenced

many i n t e r v i e w e e s

involved

f e l t p ro u d

wanted t o e n v i s i o n

d istrict

"m eetin g

or

e x c e e d i n g " v a r i o u s e x c e l l e n c e demands.

T h e r e was no p r i d e

in

sim ply

ac k n o w le d g in g

th at

th eir

d istrict

provided

" k n e e - j e r k " r e s p o n s e t o t h e demand f o r e x c e l l e n c e .

a

247

The

interm ediate

E ducation,
reports,
th at

the

and

th e

school

ancillary

the

news

issue

of

d istrict,

the

D e p a rtm e n t

o rg an izatio n s,

media a l l

ex cellence

the

contributed
needed

to

of

excellence

to

a feeling

be

addressed.

However, none o f t h e ab o v e were i d e n t i f i e d by i n t e r v i e w e e s
as

d irect

d istrict

m o t iv a ti n g

to respond.

responsible

for

excellence.

In

was d i f f e r e n t ,
the

facto rs

five

to

in itiatin g
ea c h

needed

to

wanted

to

case,

although

solve
"move

actu ally

caused

the

F i v e of t h e s i x s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s were

in itiatin g

response

which

th eir

d is tr ic t's

th eir

m otivation

there

im m ediate

resolve

used

p ro b le m s

d istrict
a

h ig h

for

away

from

school

a

so

T h r e e of

th eir

and

to

doing

were s i m i l a r i t i e s .

su p erin ten d en ts

his

response

excellence

concerns.

One

strik e."

One.

d iscip lin e

p ro b le m ,

a

p r i n c i p a l p ro b lem and win community s u p p o r t f o r a d d i t i o n a l
m illa g e .
solution

A th ird
a

h ig h

superintendent

not

d is tr ic t's

to

superintendent
school

response

also

principal

responsible
u sed

th at

n eed ed

to

p ro blem .
for

find

Even

in itiatin g

a
the

her

response— specifically ,

to

q u i e t t h e b o a r d p r e s i d e n t and t h e l a d y who d i d i n i t i a t e t h e
response.

A ll f o u r

su p erin ten d en ts

used

the

response to

s o l v e s p e c i f i c p ro b le m s .
The two s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s
sp ecific
excellence

p ro b le m s

were

movement.

p ro b le m s a p p e a r e d .

not using

both
They

q u ic k

a re sp o n se to solve
to

provided

r e sp o n d

to

responses

the

before

One s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s p o k e a b o u t " g e t t i n g

on t o p of a s i t u a t i o n

b e f o r e i t g e t s on t o p of you."

The

248

o t h e r s u p e r i n t e n d e n t was q u ic k t o i n v o l v e d o z e n s o f p a r e n t s
and c i t i z e n s in c o m m itte es f o r e x c e l l e n c e .

They s e n s e d

an

u r g e n c y and need t o a d d r e s s t h e i s s u e .
One

m otivating

su p erin ten d en ts
five

had

th eir

in itiate d

somehow u s e d

own

response

factor

th eir

a ll five

responses

the

perform ance
for

in

was t h e

excellence

ratin g .

personal

instances
fact

where
th at

all

r e s p o n s e t o im pro ve

Two

used

g o a l s and

the

excellence

o b jectives.

They

f e l t some k i n d o f a r e s p o n s e n ee d ed t o b e made, so why n o t
include

it

as

a

su perintendent
resum e.
as
the

an

personal

said

g o a l and

he t h o u g h t

it

objective?

would

look

One

good on h i s

T h r e e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s u s e d t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement
opportunity

community

exceeding
provided

to

th at

many
the

proclaim

to

th eir

schools

the

dem ands

of

opportunity

for

staff,

school

were a l r e a d y
for

board

and

m eeting

ex cellence.

many t o

take p rid e

or

T h is
in

th eir

schools.
Only
fo un d t o

one

of

the

h ave been

im p ro v in g

the

c o n c e rn e d

citizen

d istrict

was

five

in itiatin g

su p erin ten d en ts

was

m o tiv a te d by h i s own keen i n t e r e s t in

h ig h

school
who

m o t iv a te d

curriculum .

in itiate d
by

the

her d esire

L ik e w is e ,
response

to

the

in

one

provide th e

best

e d u c a tio n a l environm ent p o s s ib le fo r her c h ild re n .
A ll

six

su p erin ten d en ts

e x c e l l e n c e movement t o

th eir

found

a

way

b e s t advantage.

to

use

the

A ll u s e d

it

t o win some d e g r e e of p u b l i c s u p p o r t .

Some u s e d i t t o win

support

o thers

for

additional

m illage,

w h ile

u s ed

it

to

249

re so lv e tough

and s e n s i t i v e

podium from which
already
tim e .

doing.

responded

i t to

look

good

i t t o look good on t h e i r

because

respond.

Some used

t o p r o c l a i m what a good job

Some u s e d

Some u s e d

p ro b le m s .

they

sensed

they

at

it

as a

they

were

evaluation

re s u m e s .

were

Some

expected

to

Some r e s p o n d e d b e c a u s e t h e y t h o u g h t i t would be

good f o r t h e s t u d e n t s .
Hhen

questioned

about

m o t iv a ti o n

for

r e s p o n s e , one s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s a i d , " I t ' s
tru e

for

any

one

of the

an

my j o b ."

five in itia tin g

excellence
T h a t was

su p erin ten d en ts.

They were m o tiv a te d t o do t h e i r j o b s i n o r d e r t o keep t h e i r
jobs.

R e s p o n d in g

d o in g t h e j o b .
or

k e e p in g

to the

ex cellence

movement was

s im p ly

I t may h a v e been p u t t i n g o u t " b r u s h f i r e s "

"brush

fires"

nationw ide c a ll fo r

from

startin g .

E ither

way, t h e

e x c e l l e n c e had p r o d u c e d a "how do you

m easu re up" c h a l l e n g e a t t h e l o c a l l e v e l .

S uperintendents

f e l t t h e need t o a n s w e r t h a t c h a l l e n g e and t o g i v e an " a l l
i s well" a s s u r a n c e t o s t a f f , b o a r d and community,
are

the

that

king,

it

is

king

is

still

the

im portant
the

for

king

your

and

subjects

if hen you
to

w o rth y o f b e in g

know
the

k in g .

Process
The s e c t i o n
method

or

response

on p r o c e s s was d e s i g n e d t o d e t e r m i n e what

procedure
to

was

excellence.

who s e r v e d on them?

used

to

establish

Were

co m m itte es

the

d is tr ic t's

established

and

Did t h e b o a r d assum e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o r

250

was

an

adm inistrator

given

resp o n sib ility ?

p r o c e s s d e v e lo p e d by ea ch d i s t r i c t
but

th ere

fo llo w ,

were

the

interview

sim ilarities.

researcher

questions

actual

was u n i q u e l y d i f f e r e n t ,

In

w ill

The

the

paragraphs

provide

answ ers

th at

to

the

and an a n a l y s i s o f t h e p r o c e s s e s u s e d

by t h e d i s t r i c t s .
F i v e of t h e
were

given

One

d istrict

com m ittee

six

school d i s t r i c t s

resp o n sib ility
made

for

no

deal

one

d istrict

w ith

Superintendents

and

w ill be

to

ex cellence.

obviously
referred

which

had

no

as

the

to

F o u r d i s t r i c t s s e t up new co m m itte es

used

the

It

c o m m itte es

responding

response

ex cellence.

nonresponse d i s t r i c t .
and

for

had

an

issue

existin g
of

curriculum

providing

for

council

to

excellence.

recommended t h e u s e of co m m ittees i n f o u r

out of fiv e cases.

The s c h o o l b o a r d took t h e i n i t i a t i v e of

e s t a b l i s h i n g an e x c e l l e n c e com m ittee in one d i s t r i c t .
The

co m m itte es

composed

of

com m ittee

waB

members,

sim ilar

by

were

five

segm ents

represented

p arents,

com m ittees

u sed

and

by

of

the

by

comment

c o m m itte es.

about

Most

the

expressed

were
Each

principals,

board

members.

Four

of

the

students.

None

of

the

i n t e r v i e w e e s from t h e s e d i s t r i c t s e x p r e s s e d
favorable

d istricts

community.

teachers,

community

represented

school

use

of

a consensus of

students

disappointm ent

on

th eir

w ith

poor

a t t e n d a n c e and a low l e v e l of p a r t i c i p a t i o n .
Each

of

s u b c o m m itte e s

the

d istricts

or

more t h a n

using

c o m m itte es

one com m ittee

had

eith er

working

on t h e

251

ex cellence
according

issue.
to

elem entary.

Two d i s t r i c t s

grade

levels:

When

s u b c o m m itte e s

had

com m ittees

secondary,
were

m iddle
used,

organized
school

they

and

a lw a y s

r e p o r t e d t o a p r i m a r y com m ittee.
In ea ch o f t h e f i v e s c h o o l s w here co m m ittees were u s e d ,
they

were

became

a

charged

w ith

response

to

a

re sp o n sib ility

excellence.

Bach

com m ittee was u n i q u e l y d i f f e r e n t .
"Vision of E x c e l l e n c e . "
ex cellence re p o rts .

which

u ltim ately

charge

for

each

One s c h o o l a s k e d f o r

A nother re q u e ste d

a

a re v ie w o f t h e

A t h i r d was ask e d t o re v ie w g r a d u a t i o n

standards.

The

fourth

p ro g ra m ."

The f i f t h

was

asked

to

"study

the

K-12

was aske d t o "examine t h e h ig h s c h o o l

cu r ric u lu m and make w h a t e v e r reco m m e n d atio n s were n e c e s s a r y
t o im p rov e i t . "
S cho ol
responding

boards
to

did

not

excellence.

resp o n sib ility

to

adm inistrator.

N either

was

resp o n sib ility

did

su p erin ten d e n ts
Where

resp o n sib ility

assum e

given

nor

responses
solely

to

they

assign
any

were

for
th at
other

made,

c o m m itte es.

It

the
was

g i v e n b y t h e s c h o o l b o a r d , b u t o n ly a f t e r b e i n g recommended
by t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t .

T h i s was t h e p r o c e d u r e in f o u r o u t

of f i v e s c h o o l s r e s p o n d i n g t o e x c e l l e n c e .
Five

out

of

six

su p erin ten d en ts

were

instrum ental

in

o v e r s e e i n g t h e p r o c e s s by which t h e i r s c h o o l s r e s p o n d e d t o
excellence.
response"
which

T h is i n c l u d e d t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t from t h e "no
d istrict.

resulted

in

He
the

coordinated

"no

response

the

en tire

needed"

process

p ostulation.

252

Only one s u p e r i n t e n d e n t was s e e n a s n o t b e i n g i n s t r u m e n t a l
in o v e r s e e i n g t h e p r o c e s s by which h e r s c h o o l r e s p o n d e d t o
the

ex cellence

movement.

She c o n s e n t e d

w ith t h e p r o c e s s

c h o s e n , b u t had allow ed t h e b o a r d p r e s i d e n t and t h e s c h o o l
board to ta k e th e lead in s e le c tin g a p ro c e s s to respond to
excellence.

D e c is io n Making
The s e c t i o n on d e c i s i o n making was d e s i g n e d t o i d e n t i f y
who made t h e

decision

to ex cellence.

re lativ e

to

the

d is tr ic t's

response

Who d e c i d e d t h e c o n t e n t and s c o p e of t h a t

decision?

If

the

decision

maker

d istrict

co u ld

re s p o n d e d

h ave

b ee n

to

the

ex cellence,
board,

a

the

board

com m ittee, a b o a r d a p p o i n t e d com m ittee, t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t ,
another

ad m in istrato r

F irst,

the

researcher

there

had

been

proposal,
S econd,
arch itect

or
the

a

or

needed

researcher
that

to

d istrict

resolution

of

possibly

an

determ ine

wide

adopted

to

sought

response.

adm in istrativ e
w h e th e r

team.
or

not

response:

a

provide fo r

excellence.

to

identify

In terview ees

p ro g ra m ,

the

chief

were

a sk e d

q u e s t i o n s a b o u t who w ro te t h e r e s p o n s e , who recommended i t
t o t h e s c h o o l b o a r d f o r a d o p t i o n , and who t h e y t h o u g h t had
been

the

decision

maker b e h i n d t h e

response.

One of t h e

more s u r p r i s i n g

r e s u l t s o f t h i s s e c t i o n was t h e h i g h d e g r e e

of

respondents

unity

among

in

naming t h e

decision

maker.

Almost w i t h o u t e x c e p t i o n , r e s p o n d e n t s named t h e same p e r s o n
o r p e r s o n s as t h e d e c i s i o n maker.

253

The

school

d istricts,

b o a r d , in

accepted

and

five

out

approved

a n d / o r p r o p o s a l s on e x c e l l e n c e .
w ere m ere ly a c c e p t e d .
and

im plem en ted

of th e six

rep o rts,

case

study

re co m m e n d atio n s

In some i n s t a n c e s , r e p o r t s

In o th e r c a s e s , th e board approved

re c o m m e n d a tio n s.

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t from

t h e "no r e s p o n s e " d i s t r i c t le d t h e b o a r d in a d i s c u s s i o n on
excellence,

but

no

w ritten

report

was

generated.

The

r e s u l t o f t h a t d i s c u s s i o n was t h a t no r e s p o n s e was n e e d e d .
Two i n t e r v i e w
w riter

of

q uestions

reports

or

w h e th e r

the

rep o rts

were w r i t t e n

of

five

the

w riter

the

w riter

was

also

fru stra tio n

c h a ir m a n ,

who

was

the

decision

over th e

also

w ritten

"unmoving"

c o m m itte e 's

decision

determ ine

maker.

school d i s t r i c t s .

by

the
the

i n c l u d e d o n l y what he w anted.
being

the

to

the

F inal
in ea ch

The c h a i r p e r s o n

was i d e n t i f i e d by i n t e r v i e w e e s a s n o t o n l y

but

report

also

and

identify

by t h e co m m ittee c h a i r p e r s o n

expressed

fin al

re c o m m e n d a tio n s

responding

in one d i s t r i c t

were d e s i g n e d t o

work

maker.

tig h t

high

In terview ees

c o n t r o l h eld

school

c h a irm a n

by t h i s

principal.

was

said

to

The
have

In te rv ie w e e s spoke about h is

and

"defensive"

was

w orthless.

and
The

la m e n te d

the

other

four

c h a i r p e r s o n s s e r v e d in t h e r o l e o f r e c o r d e r .

S u bco m m ittees

and

in d iv id u al

the

w ith

suggested

co m m ittee
statem ents

members
for

the

furnished
final

com m ittee

d o c u m e n ts .

The

com m ittee a s a whole r u l e d on t h e i n c l u s i o n o r e x c l u s i o n of
th e sta te m e n ts.
the jo in t e ffo rt

F i n a l d o cu m en ts c o u ld b e s t be d e s c r i b e d as
o f t h e e n t i r e com m ittee.

254

Committees were named as d e c i s i o n m ak ers in f o u r o u t of
five

of

the

co m m ittee
wholly

members

the

work

preconceived
very

responding
in sisted
of

the

ideas.

in flu en tial

schools.
that

In

th eir

c o m m itte es

roles

in

th e

fin al

and

N evertheless,

d e v e lo p e d

and
the

recorder.

topics

for

the

reports

su p erin ten d e n ts

decision

He

making

chose

id en tified

sp ok esm an ."

as

a

r o d ,"

of

played

processes.

com m ittee

com m ittee t o

"ram

were

a s t h e com m ittee
members,

discu ss,

t h e m i n u t e s , and sum m arized t h e c o m m i tt e e 's
fu rth er

instance,

not the re su lt

In one d i s t r i c t , t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t a c t e d
chairperson

ea ch

work.

"leader,"

w ro te
He was

and

"chief

Yet, i n t e r v i e w e e s s a i d t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n maker

was t h e com m ittee a s a whole.
A n o th e r
on

su perintendent

ex cellence,

su ccessfully

g a v e them
persuaded

re co m m e n d atio n s.
interview ees

in sisted

was

stam p .

the

In

the

p recise

assignm ent

th is

A gain,

maker and t h a t t h e
rubber

a

selected

th at

com m ittee

com m ittee
the

com m ittee t o
and

to

then

approve

members

com m ittee

work

and

was t h e

his
other

decision

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t had n o t u s e d them as a
ea ch o f t h e f i v e

com m ittee

chairperson

responding

who

presented

schools, i t
the

final

r e p o r t o r re co m m e n d atio n s t o t h e s c h o o l b o a r d .
Five
proposals,

of
or

the

six

case

re co m m e n d atio n s

the

school board

the

d ecision

for

maker

study
for

approval.
in

four

d istricts

had p r o g r a m s ,

ex cellence

subm itted

to

Committees were named as

d istricts.

A

high

school

p r i n c i p a l , who a l s o s e r v e d as a com m ittee c h a i r p e r s o n , was

255

named as t h e
response”
decision
In

decision

d istrict,
m ak er— he

ea ch

instan ce

maker in

the

one d i s t r i c t .

superintendent

orchestrated
the

the

com m ittee

was

no

In t h e
named

response

ch airp erso n

r e s p o n s e and assum ed r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r

"no

as

the

d e c is io n *
w ro te

the

recommending i t t o

th e school board fo r approval.

In v o lv e m e n t
The

purpose

of

the

section

on

id entify

all

p articip an ts

involved

process

of

form ulating

the

excellence.
of

In terview ees

variou s

involvem ent
or

included

p articip an ts.

The

to

to

in

the

response

to

describe the

role

d istricts'

were a s k e d

was

fo llo w in g

paragraphs

sum m arize t h a t in v o l v e m e n t .
S ch o o l
played

a

boards
very

w ithin

lim ited

the

role

six

in

case

study

responding

to

d istricts
excellence.

They d id n o t i n i t i a t e any of t h e r e s p o n s e s o r lo b b y f o r any
p a r tic u la r response.
involvem ent

was

In te rv ie w e e s said th e b o a rd s ' prim ary
receiving

re com m e nd atio ns.
su p erin ten d en ts
They

received

They

reports
approved

and

a p p r o v in g

co m m itte es

when

recommended t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t of t h e same.
fin al

committee

reports

and

approved

com m ittee re co m m e n d atio n s.
Superintendents
responses.

activ ely

They i n i t i a t e d t h e

case study d i s t r i c t s .
instrum ental

were

in

involved

in

excellence

r e s p o n s e in f i v e o u t of s i x

F iv e o f t h e s i x s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s were

controlling

the

process

of

responding

to

256

excellence.

Interv iew ees

su p erin ten d en ts

in

referred

term s

th e scene le ad e r," th e

of

the

to

the

involvem ent

"o v erseerer,"

"m otivator," th e

of

the

" b e h in d

"in itia to r."

Where

co m m itte es were fo rm e d , s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s were i n v o l v e d w ith
the

co m m ittee.

chairperson

and

co m m ittee.
for the

had

su perintendent

recorder

for

his

A n o th e r assum ed t h e

co m m ittee.

describe th e ir
major

One

In

In

th at

as

d is tr ic t's

both

the

excellence

r o l e of a r e s o u r c e p e r s o n

o n l y one d i s t r i c t

s u p e rin te n d e n t's

involvem ent.

served

did

interview ees

r o l e in t e r m s o f l e s s t h a n

instan ce,

the

allow ed h e r b o a r d p r e s i d e n t and h ig h

su perintendent
school p rin c ip a l

t o p l a y major i n v o l v e m e n t r o l e s .
Two

of

the

case

study

d istricts'

had

assistan t

s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s in t h e s p r i n g o f 1983 when A Nation a t Risk
was r e l e a s e d .
h a v in g

N e i t h e r was c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y i n t e r v i e w e e s as

sig n ifican t

involvem ent

response to excellence.

w ith

In terview ees

th eir

d is tr ic t's

r e f e r r e d t o one as a

r e s o u r c e p e r s o n who g a t h e r e d some f i n a n c i a l i n f o r m a t i o n f o r
the

ex cellence

co m m ittee.

The

other

assistan t

had

no

in v o l v e m e n t with h i s d i s t r i c t ' s e x c e l l e n c e r e s p o n s e .
Interview ees
in v o l v e m e n t
"work

in

horses,"

ex cellence

saw

co m m itte es

ex cellence
u sed

responses.

to

as

h a v in g

responses.
plan,

The "no

design

response"

They
and

sig n ifican t
were

called

w rite

d istrict

the

was t h e

o n ly s c h o o l w i t h o u t a com m ittee.
High s c h o o l p r i n c i p a l s were s i g n i f i c a n t l y i n v o l v e d with
th eir

d is tr ic t's

response

to

excellence.

T h is

is

257

u n d e r s t a n d a b l e s i n c e t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement f o c u s e d m ainly
on t h e

secondary

school lev el.

was

a

com m ittee

ch airp erso n

m aker.

A n o th e r

superintendent
co m m ittees

worked

and

in

the

close

who was t h e

were fo rm e d ,

One h i g h s c h o o l p r i n c i p a l
id entified

co o rdination

school

all

ex cellence
only

the

p rin cip als

high

school

superintendent

and

high

the

d istricts

both

Two

of

elem entary,

instan ces,

p rincipals
c o m m itte es.
school

on

One

com m ittees f o r
In

served

played

the

roles

I n two i n s t a n c e s

c o m m itte e s , t h e y

served

a

prin cip al

and

and

w ithin

five

as

had
its

separate

high

school.

middle

school

th eir

d istrict

much l i k e

the

com m ittee

where e l e m e n t a r y

on

fu n ctioned

of

organized

elem entary

im portant

p rincipals

with

m iddle s c h o o l ,

served

E l e m e n t a r y and

four

school

the

where

school p r in c ip a ls

c o m m itte e s.

ad m in istrato rs.

w ith

com m ittee c h a i r p e r s o n .

on t h e co m m itte es as key r e s o u r c e p e o p l e .
m idd le

decision

wide

respective
and

middle

excellence

any o t h e r

committee

member.
As a g r o u p , t e a c h e r s from t h e c a s e s t u d y d i s t r i c t s d id
not

p articip ate

activ ely

in

the

p u rsu it

of

excellence.

They n e i t h e r s u p p o r t e d n o r opposed any o f t h e r e s p o n s e s t o
exceUence.

Their

representatives

on

ea ch

i n v o lv e m e n t
of

the

included

excellence

teacher

co m m itte es

and

i n f o r m a l d i s c u s s i o n s a t p r i n c i p a l / s t a f f m e e tin g s .
S t u d e n t s s e r v e d on com m ittees in f o u r o u t o f f i v e c a s e
study

d istricts

generally

responding

expressed

to

excellence.

disappointm ent

w ith

In terview ees

student

com m ittee

258

involvem ent.
frequently
students

In terest,
m en tio n ed

had

a

p articip atio n ,

as

being

lim ited

and

low.

attendance

The r e s e a r c h e r

u nd erstanding

of

the

were
fo u n d

c o m m itte e fs

work and had d i f f i c u l t y a n s w e r i n g i n t e r v i e w q u e s t i o n s .
A ll

five

school

d istricts

had a c r o s s - s e c t i o n

w ith

ex cellence

com m itte es

of r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s from t h e community.

The number o f community r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s v a r i e d from s c h o o l
to

school,

depending

larg e ly

upon

the

type

of

com m ittee.

When s t a n d i n g c u r r i c u l u m co m m itte es were u s e d t o p r o d u c e an
excellence

response,

community

representation

was

s m a ll.

When co m m ittees were formed t o s e t g o a l s , r e s o l v e p r o b l e m s ,
or

sell

m illage

issues,

the

m ajority

were community r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s .
community

members

m illa g e cam p aig n.

were

o f co m m ittee

members

One i n t e r v i e w e e s a i d t h e s e

"used"

by

the

In o t h e r c a s e s , t h e

board

to

researcher

sell

a

received

t h e d i s t i n c t i m p r e s s i o n t h a t t h e community r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s 1
p r e s e n c e on t h e co m m ittee was l a r g e l y an a s s u r a n c e t o t h e
com m unity-at-large

that

w ell-rep resen ted .
representatives

th eir

In
fe lt

in terests

all

th eir

cases,

serv ices

were

these
were

b ein g

community

valuable

and

m e a n in g fu l t o t h e outcome of t h e c o m m itte e 's work.

E lans
The
d etails

sectio n
or

excellence.

on

plans

specifics

was

of

In terv iew ees

designed

each
were

d e l e t e d from p r i o r c u r r i c u l u m .

to

schools'

asked

what

identify

the

p ro g ra m

for

was

added

or

What r e s o l u t i o n s , p r o g r a m s .

259

p r o p o s a l s , o r p l a n s were a d o p t e d ?
id en tify

any

ex cellence

plans

d is tr ic t's

ex cellence plan.

d istricts

presented

to

the

school

accepted th e s e

used

as

models

for

th eir

F i v e o u t of t h e s i x c a s e s t u d y

fin al

board.

They were a l s o a s k e d t o

rep o rts,
In

e a ch

program s,
case,

or

the

proposals

school

board

r e p o r t s as re co m m e n d atio n s t o be c o n s i d e r e d

f o r i m p le m e n t a t io n .

Many of t h e reco m m e n d atio n s were n e v e r

im plem en ted.
Curriculum
d istricts

changes

afte r

the

s p r i n g o f 1983.
opinion

th ese

as

a resu lt

of

A N ation
was

a

at

"no

to

at

w hether

ex cellence

response"

studies

to

the

to
1

m ajority

the

cred it

requirem ent

case
Risk

study
in

the

these

changes

movement.

One of

d istrict,
high

added

school

1 1/2

graduation

of

interview ees

ex cellence
of

movement.

science

after

the

denied

to

the

release

of

it

A n o th e r

h ig h

school

A Nation

at

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t claim ed i t was a r e s p o n s e t o t h e

ex cellence
th at

six

A Nation

as

of t h e

Risk * t h e

added

graduation

all

Even th o u g h i t o c c u r r e d a f t e r t h e r e l e a s e of

response

d istrict

R isk.

the

social

req u irem ents.

of

interview ees

d istricts,

cred its

release

in

I n two d i s t r i c t s t h e r e were d i f f e r e n c e s o f

among

occurred

occurred

the

movement,
change

was

but
in

the
no

high

way

school

related

principal

to th e

said

ex cellence

movement.
G r a d u a t i o n r e q u i r e m e n t s were r a i s e d
case study d i s t r i c t s .
of

cred its

for

in f o u r of t h e s ix

T h i s i n c l u d e d b o t h t h e t o t a l number

g raduation

and

the

number

of

required

260

subject

cred its

d istricts

raised

g raduation

and

requirem ent

in

requirem ents
d istrict
d istrict.

th eir

the

the

g raduation

to tal

num ber

other

science

two

and

raised

of

raised
social

from

from 18 c r e d i t s

requirem ent.
cred its

n ee d ed

cred its

for

stu d ies.

20

to

22

for

subject

G raduation

cred its

t o 20 c r e d i t s

Two

in

in th e

one

second

Both o f t h e s e d i s t r i c t s ch ang ed t h e a l i g n m e n t of
and

cred it

raised

the

were

and

elec tiv e

w ithin

required

cred its.

requirem ents

req u ired

cred its

in

Two

social

d istricts

studies.

increased

One d i s t r i c t

from one c r e d i t t o two c r e d i t s

E n g l i s h and f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e .

A n o th e r d i s t r i c t

raised

in
its

math r e q u i r e m e n t from one t o two c r e d i t s .
Two

d istricts

curriculum .

One

chem istry

to

physical

education

schools.
school.

ad d e d

courses

d istrict

added

or

subjects

calcu lu s

th e high school cu rricu lu m .
were

rein stated

P h y sic al education

and

th eir

adv a n ced

Vocal music and

in

the

was r e i n s t a t e d

A r e a d i n g p ro g ra m and a c o n s u l t a n t

t h e m iddle s c h o o l .

to

elem entary

in t h e

m iddle

were added t o

The sec o n d d i s t r i c t added j o u r n a l i s m t o

i t s high school c u rric u lu m .
Two o f

the

five

school

d istricts

ex cellence co n cen trated

th eir

in creased

requirem ents.

im plemented

g raduation

reco m m e n d atio n s

making

responses

which

responses

to

w i t h i n t h e a r e a of
Three

formed

no

d istricts
p articu lar

p a t t e r n , b u t r a t h e r seemed t o meet t h e i n d i v i d u a l n e e d s o f
th e school d i s t r i c t .

261

R iv erv ille,
process
were

the

involving

d istrict

p e o p l e , im plem ented

p eople-oriented.

n ew sletters,

committed

b etter

Their

i n s e r v ic e tim e, a g r e a t e r

S tudents

homerooms a t t h e
new

ex pand ed

increased

p arents

more

and t h e

care

on t e a c h e r

given

more

reco g n itio n ,

s t a f f and a d m i n i s t r a t i o n .
and

The community now h a s a

p ro g ra m

of

were

i n t r a m u r a l p ro g ra m

m iddle s c h o o l .

u tilizatio n

included

b etw e en

e m p h a s is

an e x p a n d e d

child

reco m m e n d atio n s t h a t

T eachers

com m unication b etw e en
gained

a

a d v i c e , " and t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t of a

paren t-v o lu n teer-o rg an izatio n .

and b e t t e r

developing

response

com m unication

s c h o o l , more " p a r e n t i n g

to

and

the

av ailab ility

schoolf a c i l i t i e s .

Their

of

p la n

a d d r e s s e d t h e i r b i g g e s t need . . . in v o l v e m e n t , c o o p e r a t i o n
and communication b e tw e e n p e o p l e .
C o o p e rv ille 's
was

the

o n ly d ocum ented

establishm ent

separate

excellence

of

two

response

to

c o m m itte e s

r e p o r t s . The

to

excellence
review

com m ittees

made

reco m m e n d atio n s b u t n o t h i n g e v e r hap p e n ed with them.
was

no

evidence

of

any

additions,

or

d eletions

responses

to

the

interview ees
p e rc e iv e d , to
already

discussed

school

graduation

interview ees

work

attrib u ted
the

of

a vast

ex cellence

reso lu tio n s,

ever

resulted

eith er
array

movement.

There

changes,
as

d irect

com m ittee.
of

changes,

Yet,
real

They i n c l u d e d

or
the

one c r e d i t of s c i e n c e added t o t h e h ig h
requirem ents.

perceived

as

movement, w i l l be d i s c u s s e d
R esults.

action,
th at

two

a

T hese
resu lt

changes,

of

in t h e fo llo w in g

the

which

excellence

section under

2 62

M illc reek 's

com m ittee

reco m m e n d atio n s
board.

in

the

for:

form

Many were n e v e r

included:

T eachers

provide

students

student

behavior

The s t a f f

extent

th eir

of

parents

a

class

T hese

advise

communicate

remain

in

basics

to

students

p ro b le m s

co m p eten cy .

T eachers

b etw een

of

sk ills

la c k
should

T h e re s h o u l d

u n til

s h o u ld

ab ility

be

and

integrated

of

regarding

the

Teachers

and

be more r e m e d ia l c l a s s e s .

suspected.

and s t u d e n t s

to

dem onstrate
d ifferen tiate

m otivation,

throughout

for
and

can

able

la c k

s h o u ld

p aren ts

are

they
be

and

G uidelines

T h e re s h o u l d be a s t a n d a r d of b a s i c co m peten c e
should

school

re co m m e n d atio n s

ac tiv ities.

when

n um ero us
the

prepared

explained

ex tracu rricu lar

s h o u ld

to

syllabus.

be

s h o u ld

made

objectives

be b e t t e r

should

students.

of

adopted.

s h o u ld

with

excellence

the

B asic

curriculum .

Journalism

s h o u ld

be added t o t h e h ig h s c h o o l c u r r i c u l u m and f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e
s h o u ld

be

s h o u ld

be

sk ills

should

The

offered
added

to

be

N ational

F inally,

at

th ere

th e elem entary

the

counseling

level.

departm ent.

em p hasized

thro u g h o u t

Honor S o c i e t y

should

s h o u l d be

h ig h

two

C om puters

the
be

school

c o m p u te r

h ig h

s c h o o l.

reestab lish ed .
d ip lo m a s:

a

r e g u l a r diplom a and an h o n o r ' s diplom a.
The fo llo w in g
school

board.

communication
reference
and

recom m en dation s

Two

lines

b etw e en t e a c h e r s

t e s t s were

social

p ho n e

stud ies.

d e v e lo p e d

were im plemented by t h e
were

and
for

A dditional

added

parents.

to

im prove

O bjective

English,

math,

science

cleric al

staff

and

a

263

c o m p u ter

were

N ational

to

Honor S o c i e t y

purchased
social

ad d e d

for

the

studies

the
was

counseling

reestab lish ed .

science,

the

The

C om puters

were

math, a g r i c u l t u r a l , E n g l i s h

departm ent.

purchased fo r

departm ent.

Twelve

business

room.

new

c o m p u te rs

and
were

The num ber of s t u d e n t s

e n r o l l i n g i n c o m p u te r e d u c a t i o n s i g n i f i c a n t l y i n c r e a s e d .
M in e ra l

S prings

response to

changes

th ere

other

were

p ro g ra m

and

concentrated
in

graduation

changes

co n su ltan t

as

were

the

the

elem entary

school.

elem entary.

m ajority

A

added

to

its

However,

rem edial

the

reading

m iddle

s c h o o l.

a t t h e m iddle s c h o o l and

Vocal music

N orth

of

re quirem ents.

w ell.

P h y s i c a l e d u c a t i o n was r e i n s t a t e d
at

the

C entral

was

rein stated

in

A ccreditation

was

recommended and a c q u i r e d by t h e m iddle s c h o o l.
Interview ees

from

k n o w le d g a b le a b o u t

one o r

Few p e r s o n a l l y

re a d

reports

them.

about

an cillary

reports

"S chool

B o a rd s

reports

were

necessarily
Nation

at

all

any

such

as

the
for

at

A ll

of

the

above

Indeed, th e r e
case study

"B lueprint

m entioned

for

reports.
heard

aw are

A ction"
A gain,

c o m m itte es,

of
and

these

but

were most f a m i l i a r
clearly

were

rath er

also

E x c e l l e n c e ."

interview ees

t h e i r d i s t r i c t s 1 plan f o r ac tio n

but

were

ex cellence

In terview ees

schools

excellence

reports,

In terv iew ees

discussed

R isk.

study

more of t h e

of the

Planning

read.

case

not

w ith

testified

&

th at

was n o t modeled a f t e r any

reports

nor

any

other

report.

was no e v i d e n c e t o s u g g e s t t h a t any of t h e

d istricts

had modeled t h e i r

response

after

any

264

p articu lar

report.

assessm ent

model.

None
F or

of

the

the

plans

contained

interview ees,

the

an

variou s

e x c e l l e n c e r e p o r t s r e i n f o r c e d t h e need o r u r g e n c y f o r t h e i r
d istrict

to

respond.

tailo red

to

meet e a c h

have

included

electio n ,

The

d is tr ic t's

g etting

raising

responses

people

im p ro v in g

com m unication.

d e v e lo p e d

to

were

meet it*

d ifferen t.

in d iv id u ally

needs.

Those

involved,

w inning

g rad u atio n

d i s c i p l i n e p ro b le m , r e s o l v i n g

were

req uirem ents,

the

Each d i s t r i c t ' s

T herefore,

each

a

may

m i ll a g e

solving

an a d m i n i s t r a t i o n

W h a te v er

needs

a

p ro b le m , o r

need,

plans

were

p ro b le m s and n e e d s

d is tr ic t's

plan

was

uniquely d i f f e r e n t.

R esu lts - Actual
The s e c t i o n
was

a c h ie v e d

resu lt

of

In terv iew ees

qjl

A nticipated

on r e s u l t s

or

what

th e

was d e s i g n e d

t o d e t e r m i n e w hat

expected

be

was

d istricts'

were a s k e d

to

response

to

id entify

achieved

to

achievem ents
d is tr ic t's
paragraphs

identify
they

an y

excellence.

v erified

achievem ents

u nv erified

anticipated

response

to

sum m arize

as

a

They were a l s o
a c h ie v e m e n t
resu lt

ex cellence.
the

a

to

and t h e i n s t r u m e n t s u s e d f o r v e r i f i c a t i o n .
as k e d

as

The

v erified ,

of

or
th eir

f o llo w in g

unverified

and

a n t i c i p a t e d a c h ie v e m e n t s a s r e p o r t e d by i n t e r v i e w e e s .
Only one i n t e r v i e w e e r e p o r t e d what he c a l l e d a v e r i f i e d
a c h ie v e m e n t
ex cellence

as
and

a

resu lt

that

was

of

his

sort

d is tr ic t's
of

a

"by

response
golly"

to

afte r

265

th o u g h t.
had

The s u p e r i n t e n d e n t from P i n e Lake s a i d t h a t t h e r e

b ee n

a

enrollin g

in

g raduation

su b stan tial
study

study

halls

cred its.

study h a lls.

drop

in

the

after

S tudents

an

had

num ber

of

students

in crease

in

required

less

tim e

to

en ro ll

in

T h e r e was no d a t a t o show t h a t t h i s d r o p in

h a l l e n r o l l m e n t s had

raised

academ ic e x c e l l e n c e , b u t

t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t made t h e a s s u m p t i o n t h a t i t would r e s u l t
in a b e t t e r e d u c a t e d s t u d e n t .
other

instrum ents

reported

T h e r e were no t e s t s n o r any
to

have

m easured

b e f o r e and a f t e r an e x c e l l e n c e r e s p o n s e .

a c h ie v e m e n t

No o t h e r v e r i f i e d

a c h i e v e m e n t s were r e p o r t e d .
Interview ees,
defining

achievem ents

responses
were

to

unable

ask e d

w ithout

to

exception,

as

a

ex cellence.
to

define

define

g en eralities

such

b etter

c o m m u n icatio n s .

of

only

v erified

un v erified

broad

resu lt

With
any

had

a

d ifficu lt

th eir

one

public

attrib u ted

a

When

resorted
relatio n s

long

the

kids,

discussion

the

school,

purposes,

classificatio n s:

of

These

a s a c h ie v e m e n t s f o r t h e good of

the

staff

they

community

to
or

list

a c c o m p lis h m e n ts t o what t h e y viewed a s a c h i e v e m e n t s .
a c c o m p lis h m e n ts were s e e n

they

achievem ents.

b etter

They

d istricts'

exception,

achievem ents, th e y
as

tim e

or

the

were

community.

divided

relation s;

staff

For

into

four

relatio n s;

new

a d d i t i o n s ; an d , r e d e f i n e d o r r e i n s t a t e d .
W ith ou t e x c e p t i o n ,
im prove

community

the

case

relatio n s.

study
The

e x c e l l e n c e had r e a c h e d e v e r y home.

d istricts

nationw ide

desired
th ru st

to
for

S ch o o ls s e n s e d a n e e d ,

266

if

not

an

urgency,

to

assure

th eir

co m m un ities t h a t

they

were "m eeting o r e x c e e d i n g " t h e dem ands from t h e e x c e l l e n c e
movement

and

th at

"all

was

w e ll."

a c c o m p li s h e d , i n t e r v i e w e e s saw t h e
as a c h i e v e m e n t s .
with

p arents.

parent

public

They

gave

was

re s u lts of th e ir e ffo rts

ex am p les

org an izatio n s

They t a l k e d

support.

th at

They s p o k e a b o u t im proved c o m m un icatio ns

volunteer

program s.

When

about

or

of

more

n ew sletters,

expanded

gaining

child

care

community p r i d e

and

The p o s i t i v e r e s u l t s t h e y a c h ie v e d in t h e a r e a o f
relatio n s

b etw e en

school

fin an cial

would
and

tran slate

into

h arm o n io u s

relatio n s

community

and,

h o pefully,

positive

support.

One

community s u p p o r t . . .

interview ee

said,

"We

g a in e d

we p a s s e d an a d d i t i o n a l m i lla g e ."

One a c h ie v e m e n t o f t h e e x c e l l e n c e com m ittee was t o g e t
" p e o p le f a c e t o f a c e . "

They were a b l e t o t a l k

p ro b le m s and d i s c u s s p o s s i b l e s o l u t i o n s .

about th e ir

I n t e r v i e w e e s from

e a ch o f t h e c a s e s t u d y d i s t r i c t s s p o k e a b o u t g e t t i n g p e o p le
w orking

to g eth er

and

im p ro v in g

s t a f f and a d m i n i s t r a t i o n .
being l i f t e d .
on

teacher

communication

b etw e en

the

Many s p o k e a b o u t t e a c h e r m orale

One d i s t r i c t t a l k e d a b o u t a g r e a t e r em p h as is
recog n itio n.

Interview ees

from

every

d istrict

saw im p rov em ent in s t a f f r e l a t i o n s as a c h ie v e m e n t r e s u l t i n g
from t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.
In terview ees
calculus,

journalism ,

a c h ie v e m e n t s
g raduation

said

of

the

the
media

addition
and

were

courses

such

as

reading

were

all

Increases

in

r e m e d ia l

ex cellence

requirem ents

of

also

response.
deemed

an

a c h ie v e m e n t .

267

Many

interview ees

spending

money

com puters.

there

tests,

and

these

as

renewed

teaching

school

departm ent
teach ers

Each

interview ees
movement,

One

required

a

c h a n g e s were

ad d e d

goals.

was

textbooks,

movement.

reference

te rm

on

A ll

excellence

school,

said

of

unverified

supplies

attrib u ted
d e v e lo p e d

ch a irm e n

t o d e v e lo p

these

in terest

achievem ents

of

and

to

the

objective

in

the

short

changes

in

and

was

h ig h
long

seen

the

by

excellence

i t was assumed t h a t each of t h e s e c h a n g e s was an

a c h ie v e m e n t which c o n t r i b u t e d t o a b e t t e r e d u c a t e d c h i l d .
Interview ees

iden tified

redefined

or

reinstated

p r o g r a m s a s an a c h ie v e m e n t o f t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.
reinstatem ent

of

the

N ational

Honor

a c h ie v e m e n t

in

one

d istrict.

P hysical

redefined

from

same d i s t r i c t .
in

several

em p h a s is
and

"fu n

and games" t o

Society

was

education

h e a lth fu l living

The
an
was

in t h e

E n ric h m e n t and r e m e d ia l c o u r s e s were added

d istricts.

on good

physical

One

a

renewed

E n ric h m e n t

classes

in music

were

rein stated

in

d istrict.

of t h e s e

changes

discip lin e.

education

Interview ees

saw ea ch

d istrict

placed

as

one

an a c h ie v e m e n t

r e s u l t i n g from t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.
The
relativ e

o n ly
to

statem ent

anticipated

interview ees
achievem ents

repeatedly
was

the

made

a s s u m p tio n

t h a t s t u d e n t s would r e c e i v e a b e t t e r e d u c a t i o n as a r e s u l t
of

ea ch

increases
enrichm ent

excellence
in

response.

g rad uation

classes

alon g

They

requirem ents,
with

anticipated
course

im proved

th at

offerings,

com m unity/staff

268

relatio n s

and

happier te a c h e rs

would

ea ch

in

its

own way

make f o r a b e t t e r e d u c a t i o n f o r ea ch c h i l d .
F in ally ,

it

was

in terestin g

to

note

f i v e high school p r i n c i p a l s d e s c rib e d
* responses
results

in

very

.

Well,

a c c o m p lis h e d
principal.
th at

and

any

resu lts

th ere
we

A n o th e r

we r e a l l y

a re n 't

sim ilar

did

d id n 't

I

and

requirem ents?"

a

lo t

people

"what

mean,

after

A fourth

w e re n 't

out

sm a ll

in

A th ird
I

things

said,

in

w e re n 't

one

my mind i s

m easu re

increase
there

of

any

in v o lv e d sa id

how do

said

out

re s u lts of th e ir

of

stands

an

four

" T h e re

do a n y t h i n g . "

resu lts.

before

get

said,

the

term s.
were

th at

"T h e re

a c h ie v e d

g rad uation
any

results

o t h e r t h a n "we formed two co m m ittees t o s t u d y e x c e l l e n c e . "
W ith ou t

exception,

ex cellence
d etail.

p rincipals

c o m m itte es
The

were

exam in in g

researcher

a little

th eir

perceived

threatened

program s

th eir

in

comments

by

great
to

be

f i r s t , an o f f h a n d e d s w ipe a t t h e e x c e l l e n c e c o m m itte es an d,
s e c o n d l y , a s e l f p ro c la im e d s t a t e m e n t t h a t t h e r e r e a l l y was
no need f o r major c h a n g e s s i n c e t h e i r s c h o o l s were a l r e a d y
being

w ell

p rincipals
many,
w ith

if
or

managed
fou nd

not

some

all,

w ithout

and

the

the

way

adm inistered.
to

assure

changes

would

excellence

Each

the
have

com m ittee.

of

these

researcher
been

th at

in itiated

What t h e y

d id

a g r e e upon was t h a t t h e i n v o l v e m e n t p r o c e s s was one o f t h e
more s i g n i f i c a n t
to excellence.

achievem ents

in

th eir

d is tr ic t's

response

269

S y n o p s i s and Con c l u s i o n s
The

nationw ide

th ru st

for

excellence

had

received

an

i n i t i a l p u s h i n t o t h e media s p o t l i g h t w ith t h e r e l e a s e o f &
Nation a t Risk

in t h e

spring

o f 1983.

S t a t e and n a t i o n a l

media c o v e r a g e had b r o u g h t t h e e x c e l l e n c e i s s u e i n t o e v e r y
home in e v e r y d i s t r i c t .
the

ex cellence

B n t i r e com m unities were a w a re o f

movement.

E v ery

ed u cational

organization

and p u b l i c a t i o n was " s e l l i n g " e x c e l l e n c e .
Superintendents

were k e e n l y aw are t h a t a l l e y e s

e v e n t u a l l y b e on them f o r a r e s p o n s e .
to

assure

Thus,

th eir

public

and

su p erin ten d en ts

staffs

were

the

expected

to

respond.

It

They s e n s e d a need
th at

"all

prim ary

d i s t r i c t re sp o n se s to e x c elle n ce.

would

was

w ell."

in itiato rs

of

They knew t h e y would be

was t h e i r

job.

They

responded

b e f o r e a g ro u n d s w e l l o f l o c a l c i t i z e n s co uld o r g a n i z e and
demand

changes.

They

members s u g g e s t e d
media.
they

proposed

t h e same.

responses

before

They were ah e ad o f t h e news

They b r o u g h t t h e i s s u e t o t h e s c h o o l b o a r d .
were p e r c e i v e d

com m unities

as

by t h e i r

b e i n g on

staff

top

boards, teaching
of

the

T h u s,

s t a f f s , and

excellence

movement.

They were s e e n l e a d i n g t h e way.
The
E ducation,
the

interm ediate
an c illary

news media

perception
addressed.

all

th at

school

d istricts,

organizations,
contributed

the issue

However, t h e

of

to

excellence
the

to

rep o rts

of
and

su p e rin te n d e n t's

excellence

m o t iv a tio n

D e p a rtm e n t

needed

in itiate

to

be

responses

came from n e e d s t o s o l v e im m ediate p ro b le m s and c o n c e r n s .

270

A ll

su p erin ten d en ts

used

the

excellence

response

to

win

some d e g r e e o f p u b l i c s u p p o r t .

Some u s e d i t t o win s u p p o r t

for

others

additional

tough

and

m i ll a g e ,

sen sitiv e

problem s.

from which t o p r o c l a i m
doing.

w hile

used

it

Some u s e d

to

it

what a good job t h e y

as

resolve
a podium

were a l r e a d y

Some u s e d i t t o look good a t e v a l u a t i o n tim e .

used

it

t o look

they

sensed

good on re su m e s .

they

would

be

they

Some

Some r e s p o n d e d b e c a u s e

expected

thought

to

it

respond.

would

be

Some

responded

because

good

for

students.

I t was c o n c lu d e d t h a t s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s were v e r y

op p ortunistic.
" It's

my

job,"

said

one

su p erin ten d en t.

They

were

m o t iv a te d t o do t h e i r j o b s in o r d e r t o keep t h e i r j o b s and
r e s p o n d i n g t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement was sim p ly d o in g t h e
jo b .

I t may h a v e b ee n p u t t i n g o u t " b r u s h f i r e s " o r k e e p in g

"brush

fires"

from

startin g .

E ither

way,

the

nationw ide

c a l l f o r e x c e l l e n c e had p r o d u c e d a "how do you m easu re up"
ch allenge

at

need

answer

to

the

local
that

level.

S uperintendents

ch allenge

with

an

a s s u r a n c e t o s t a f f , b o a r d and community.
th at

th is

assurance,

the

perception

that

"all

fe lt
is

the
well"

I t was c o n c lu d e d
"all

was

w ell,"

was v e r y i m p o r t a n t t o s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s .
The

use

addressing
composed
p arents,

of

com m ittees

the

excellence

of

teachers,

students,

and

was

the

issue.

preferred
The

ad m in istrato rs,
community

process

c o m m itte es
board

members.

for
were

members,
They

were

g e n e r a l l y recommended i n t o e x i s t e n c e by t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t

271

and e s t a b l i s h e d
findings

to

by t h e s c h o o l b o a r d .

the

im plem ented

school

th o se

su p erin ten d en t.
recommending
schools

and

proposals

overseeing
to

portrayed

a

the

im ages
feelin g

the

which
.
of

.

very

processes
They

"by

im ages
the

board

by

the

activ e

by

in

which t h e i r

d e v i s e d and t h e n

p ro jected
.

school

recommended

excellence.

processes

p articip ativ e

and

S u p e r i n t e n d e n t s were

responded

m o n ito red

board

They r e p o r t e d t h e i r

dem ocratic

and

processes

th at

of

people,

for

the

people."

The e x i s t e n c e o f t h e p r o c e s s a lw a y s was in harmony w ith t h e
m anagerial p r e f e r e n c e s of th e s u p e r in te n d e n t.
It

was c o n c lu d e d

p articip an ts

as

th a t process

perception

su p erin ten d en t.

In

th is

the

researcher

th rille d

w ith

prin cip als

and

the
one

"all

instance,

those in d iv id u als serving
did

of

was a s i m p o r t a n t t o t h e
is

well"

was

p articip an ts

an

interview ee

work

of

student

the

were t h e

o n ly

High

be

R a r e ly

who was l e s s

co m m itte e .

the

would

on e x c e l l e n c e c o m m itte e s .

find

to

than

school

p articip an ts

to

q u estio n th e value

o f t h e c o m m i tt e e 's work.

T h is l e d t o a

f u r t h e r conclusion

t h a t t h e p r o c e s s o f i n v o l v e m e n t was more

i m p o r t a n t t o p a r t i c i p a n t s t h a n a c t u a l outcome.
even

more

apparent
the

all

actu al

interview ees
outcom es

of

had
the

difficulty

recallin g

any

work.

was c o n c lu d e d t h a t t h e p r o c e s s g a v e p a r t i c i p a n t s

it

of

when

T h i s became

c o m m itte e 's

t h e i l l u s i o n t h a t m e a n i n g f u l t h i n g s were h a p p e n in g when t h e
r e a l i t y was t h a t v e r y few m e a n i n g f u l c h a n g e s were e v e r made
as a r e s u l t of e x c e l l e n c e r e s p o n s e s .

272

School

boards

accepted

re co m m e n d atio n s

and/or

fin al

were

reports

ch airp erso n s

who

recommending

it

approved

proposals

on

g enerally

also

to

and

the

v ario u s

reports,

excellence.

These

w ritten

assumed

the

school board

by

co m m ittee

resp o n sib ility

for

approval.

of

Where

c o m m itte es were fo rm ed , p a r t i c i p a n t s named t h e com m ittee as
the

decision

p o ssib ility

m aker.
of

a

No

one

wanted

to

behind-the-scenes

consider

decision

the

maker.

Committee members saw t h e i r r o l e as b e i n g u n t a i n t e d by t h e
chairperson or su p erin ten d e n t.
S uperintendents
po tential
They

p ro b le m

were

saw
th at

n either

the

ex cellence

n ee d ed

to

uncom fortable

nor

managed.

th reaten ed

the

w ith

movement.

To manage i t , t h e y were i n s t r u m e n t a l in ch o o s in g

processes

which
making

labeled

arb itra ry

Yet,

they

p ro jected
im ages.
decision

sig n ifican tly

d istricts1

response

com m ittees

into

to

existence,

th ru st

of

dem ocratic
They
m akers

colored

they

by

agreem ent

ce n tral

contrary,

a

movement.

decision

the

carefully

as

ex cellence

the

To

be

movement

the

and

sk illfu lly

were

excellence

p articip ativ e
av o id e d

b e in g

with p r e c o n c e i v e d

ideas.

the

excellence.
appointed

outcome
They

of

th eir

recommended

in d iv id u al

com m ittee

members, s e l e c t e d t o p i c s of d i s c u s s i o n and c o n t r o l l e d
reco m m e n d atio n s were a d o p t e d by t h e s c h o o l b o a r d .
co n c lu d e d

that

com m itte es

existed

in

as d e c i s i o n

which
I t was

m akers only

b e c a u s e t h a t was t h e p r e f e r e n c e of t h e s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s .

2 73

S cho o l b o a r d s p l a y e d l i m i t e d r o l e s in r e c e i v i n g
and

a p p r o v in g -

im pelling
w aited
to

the

for

re c o m m e n d a tio n s.
adm in istration

su p erin ten d en ts

excellence.

They

into

to

had

not

k n o w led g e

T heir

ex cellence

was

lim ited

su p erinten dent,

news

media,

provided

only

th at

and p r e v e n t e d
response.

the

assum ed

responding

major

excellence

offered

by

personal

superficial

assertiv e
th eir

they

reco m m end ation s

and

th at

fo u n d

in

inform ation

a

not

Instead,

the

various

them from b e i n g

They

action.

read

of

to

were

t a k e t h e le a d

rep o rts.

G enerally,

They

reports

on
the

reading.

understanding

in t h e

excellence

su p erin ten d en ts

were

k n o w le d g e a b le a b o u t a l l a s p e c t s o f t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement
an d,

th erefo re,

school board s
were

let

them

played

uninterested

lead.

It

in sig n ifican t

in

was

roles

c o n c lu d e d

th at

not because they

ex cellence,

but

because

draw n

principals,

they

were

uninform ed.
A conclusion
h ig h

school

movement.

was

p rin cip als,
They

c o m m itte es

fe lt

were

exam in in g

th at

th reatened

very

every

by

the

uncom fortable
aspect

of

sp ecific ally
excellence
with

th eir

larg e

p ro g ra m .

P ro p o s e d c h a n g e s o r even t h e d i s c u s s i o n o f p r o p o s e d c h a n g e s
were se e n a s n e g a t i v e r e f l e c t i o n s .
ra th e r

am using t o

co m m ittees
labeled

which

the

listen
had

to

been

c o m m itte e 's

work

The r e s e a r c h e r fou nd i t

principals
nipping
as

at

strik e
th eir

w orthless

and

back a t t h e
heels.
said

They
it

all

would h ave b ee n done with o r w i t h o u t t h e com m ittee.
The
ex cellence

p articip ativ e
responses

processes

necessitated

chosen
the

to

in v o lv e m e n t

produce
of many

274

p articip an ts.

O th e r

p articip an ts

s t u d e n t s , and community members.

included

teach ersr

As a g r o u p , t e a c h e r s were

c o m p l e t e l y q u i e t a b o u t t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement.
involved
the

o n ly

to

excellence

com m ittees

served

on

ex tent

of

having

c o m m itte e s .

was

p articip atio n ,

the

a

The

disappointm ent

and

attendance.

co m m itte es

representatives

use

of

because

helped

students

of

Community

and

They were

low

on
on

in terest,

representatives

set

goals,

resolve

p ro b le m s , and s e l l m i ll a g e i s s u e s .
E xcellence re sp o n se s
reports

or

an cillary

responses

were

d istrict.
involved,

an

p articu lar

w inning

the

a

uniquely

meet

the

may

hav e

been

electio n ,

or adding

plans

or

were

ea ch

d ifferen t.

it

needs

raising

each
people

graduation

new c l a s s e s ,

resolving

com m unication.

d e v e lo p e d

to

p ro b l e m s

d is tr ic t's

school

of

getting

im p ro v in g

Each d i s t r i c t ' s

T herefore,

in d iv id u al

to

p ro b le m ,

need,

Instead,

m i ll a g e

rein statin g

need.

different.
was

needs

adm inistrativ e

W hatever

reports.

tailo red

Those

re quirem ents,

were n o t modeled a f t e r e x c e l l e n c e

resolve

and

p la n

for

was c o n c lu d e d

th at

n e e d s were
excellence

t h a t ex cellence

r e s p o n s e s had s u p e r f i c i a l r e s e m b l a n c e t o reco m m e n d atio n s of
ex cellence re p o rts .
With
there

one

were

excellence

exception
no

of

v erified

responses.

lo w ered

achievem ents
However,

a c c o m p lis h m e n ts were a t t r i b u t e d
as

unverified

study

achievem ents.

hall
as
lo n g

a

enrollm ent,
result

of

lists

of

t o t h e e x c e l l e n c e movement
There

were

b ro a d

275

g eneralizations

about

com m unication.
community

b etter

G aining

r e l a t i o n s were

h a rm o n io u s

relatio n s

hopefully,

public

re la tio n s

community

support

a c h ie v e m e n t s

b etw e en

p o sitiv e

and

th at

school

fin ancial

and

b etter

im proved

co uld

and

lead

community

to
and,

support.

These

a c c o m p lis h m e n ts were s e e n a s a c h i e v e m e n t s f o r t h e good of
children,

school,

graduation

staff,

and

re quirem ents,

classes

along

with

happier

teach ers

course

im proved

would

community.

increases

offerings,

com m unity/staff

ea ch

in

its

own

in

enrichm ent
relatio n s

way

and

make f o r

a

b e t t e r educated ch ild .

Recom m endations, f o r F u t u r e R e s e a r c h
The p u r p o s e
school

of t h i s

d istricts

research

re s p o n d e d

or

was t o d e s c r i b e

failed

to

how s ix

re s p o n d

to

the

excellence

movement o f 1983. Only one of t h e s i x d i s t r i c t s

failed

make

to

a

took

the

in itiativ e

th at

the

d istrict

response.
to
was

However, t h e

superintendent

g i v e a s s u r a n c e s and
"m eeting

or

the

exceeding"

perception
the

various

examine

school

demands f o r e x c e l l e n c e .
F uture

exp loratory

d istricts

which

excellence
d istricts
demands
was i t

failed

movement.
were a l r e a d y

for
the

research
to
Were

superintendent

If

responses

assurances

"m eeting

excellence.

those perceptions?

make

co uld

to

given

the
that

or

exceeding"

the

these

assurances

were

who took

the in itia tiv e

1983
these

v arious
given,
to give

In d i s t r i c t s where t h e s e a s s u r a n c e s and

27 6

p e r c e p t i o n s were n o t g i v e n , d id t h e s c h o o l b o a r d , community
o r p e r h a p s some o t h e r g r o u p e v e r come f o r w a r d t o q u e s t i o n
why t h e i r d i s t r i c t was n o t r e s p o n d i n g ?
As

a

fu rth er

exp lo rato ry
school

extension

study

d istricts

co u ld

of

be

where t h e

the

d one

above

study,

ex clusiv ely

school

board

w ith

p o i n t do es

lo st

cred ib ility

a school board

or

for

those

o r community d id

come f o r w a r d and demand a r e s p o n s e t o e x c e l l e n c e .
superintendent

an

lead ersh ip ?

community t a k e

Had t h e
At

what

m atters

into

t h e i r own h a n d s and demand chang e?
F u t u r e r e s e a r c h c o u ld b e d o n e with a q u a n t i t a t i v e s t u d y
u s i n g a l a r g e r sam ple o f s c h o o l d i s t r i c t s .
d istricts
th eir

made

a

response

responses?

What

to

How many s c h o o l

excellence?

processes

were

Who

in itiated

used

to

make t h e

could

examine how

response?
F in ally , fu tu r e ex p lo rato ry
larg e

suburban

re s p o n d e d

to

or

the

even

research

in n er-city

excellence

school

d istricts

movement of 1983.

Did l a r g e

c e n t r a l o f f i c e s t a f f s c h a n g e t h e outcome o f r e s p o n s e s ?
the

superintendent

still

the

in itiato r?

What

Was

processes

were u s e d f o r r e s p o n d i n g ?

P ersonal R eflections
Having
researcher
caused
personal

been

a

was

not

superintendent
surprised

su p erin ten d en ts
reflection,

the

to

for

th irteen

with

the

in itiate
life

of

years,

m o tiv a tio n

responses.
a

superintendent

the
th at
From
is

277

somewhat l i k e s i t t i n g
coming

in

from

on a keg o f d y n a m ite

all

d irectio n s.

The

w ith l i t

most

fuses

m eaningful

o b j e c t i v e can become s ta m p in g o u t f u s e s b e f o r e t h e y g e t t o
you.

A ll six

su p erin ten d en ts

saw t h e e x c e l l e n c e

movement

a s a p o t e n t i a l p ro b le m t h a t need ed t o b e d e f u s e d .

The way

to defuse i t

was t o

your

was

school

G enerally/

th at

a p p o i n t a com m ittee and p ro c la im t h a t

m eetin g o r
was

enough

exceeding
to

give

various
staff/

demands.

board,

and

community t h e a s s u r a n c e t h a t " a l l was w ell."
S u p e r i n t e n d e n t s f e l t t h e need f o r t h a t a s s u r a n c e in t h e
same way t h a t c o a c h e s f e e l t h e n eed t o win games*
coaches

keep

m eeting

or

th eir

jobs.

exceeding

Claiming

th at

your

demands f o r e x c e l l e n c e

s a y "I'm a w in n e r."

Winning

school

was

was a way t o

T hose a s s u m p t i o n s were a c c e p t e d s i n c e

no one was k n o w le d g e a b le enough t o c h a l l e n g e them.
Numerous

changes

were i n s t i t u t e d

1983 e x c e l l e n c e movement.
any p r e s c r i b e d
came

from

too

task

u n d e r s t o o d and im plem en ted .
was

w id e ly

accepted

a

resu lt

of

the

R a r e ly d i d t h e s e c h a n g e s fo llo w

re co m m e n d atio n s.
many

as

Too many re com m e nd ation s

forces

to

be

easily

read,

The demand f o r new math (1963)

because

the

demand

was

singular

and

c l e a r — t e a c h new math.
In t h e o p i n i o n of t h e
dem ands f o r

r e s e a r c h e r , i f f u t u r e nationw ide

c h a n g e a r e t o be s u c c e s s f u l , t h e y

need t o be

n a r ro w in s c o p e , e a s i l y r e a d , and c o m p re h en d ed .

L e t ' s keep

i t s im p le .

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