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Internal and external factors influencing change in an urban high school: A case study
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to document change at an urban high school in order to analyze the impact the different variables of the school culture have on the process of change. It is, essentially, a process of effecting change at the school's unique personality level (its atmosphere, climate, culture, ethos) which provides the conditions for addressing problems at a deeper level. The study is based on the theoretical assumptions of effecting change through a process of responding to teacher and student needs to improve morale and responding to school needs to improve public perception. The process of change is reconstructed through in-depth interviews with representatives from within and from outside the school, i.e., partners in education, who were participants and observers: they represented teachers, administrators, support staff, parents, and the university partner. The data was analyzed using as a framework Fullan's three phases of the change process: (1) initiation, (2) implementation, and (3) continuation in order to determine the influences the different variables have on the process. In accordance with the literature in educational leadership, the educational leader can play a central role by creating an environment of change and empowering teachers and other members of the school community. This study corroborated those findings in the sense that the headmaster was a central person in the change process and he enabled people to promote change through power-sharing and empowerment.
Subject Area
Secondary education|Educational administration|Education
Recommended Citation
Carcerano, Lorraine Julia Mary, "Internal and external factors influencing change in an urban high school: A case study" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9233036.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9233036