Site-based decision-making in the realm of middle school reform

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the current level of implementation of site-based decision making (SBDM) in middle schools in a large Southwestern urban school district. These middle schools were in the process of establishing elements of the middle school concept as defined by the district. Implementation of site-based decision making had brought the responsibilities of daily decision making and problem solving as well as the challenge of making decisions about middle school philosophy much closer to the classroom. Implementation of SBDM in these middle schools had also brought an increase in the amount of teacher involvement in the deliberations that affected their lives in school. The primary purpose of SBDM may not be to improve student achievement but to improve the quality of life for the various staff who are responsible for improving student achievement. The instrument employed in this study measured the degrees to which teachers and staff perceived their actual and desired levels of participation in SBDM. It is necessary to measure growth and progress of SBDM for administrators to create a focus for future planning. The survey information indicated key areas of importance to school staff and served as a determinant of the climate in the district's exemplary middle schools. Administrators must delegate leadership roles and trust pedagogical expertise to teachers. The change in paradigms to transformational leadership allows for this empowerment of teachers and the possibility for SBDM to emerge. SBDM gives the decision-making community a sense of ownership of the innovation. Leadership practices potentially contribute to the outcomes to which schools aspire for students. Teachers' actual and desired levels of participation in SBDM differed substantially on almost every item in each subscale of the survey instrument. Desire for more participation was indicated in the areas of curriculum, instruction, goal setting, standards, staff development, and staffing. Less interest in participation was exhibited in budget management, evaluation, and making decisions about staff development. Respondents did not consider their sites to be strong examples of the district's middle school concept.