The following highlights are from a study published in 1998 that used structural equation modeling to quantitatively analyze data from 269 schools in Chicago to see if there was evidence that sytematic efforts to engage local community members in democratic, more direct control of their schools were having an effect.
"These results provide our first broad-based evidence supporting the logic of the Chicago school reform -- enhanced democratic participation can be an effective lever for systemic organizational change."
"...although school background factors, such as racial composition or the percentage of low-income students, had some impact, they were not powerful predictors of strong democratic practices or systemic organizational change."
"Small schools (with fewer than 350 students) were more likely to have a coherent approach to school improvement. Although [small] school size does not have a direct effect on the nature of local school politics, it does appear to facilitate systemic organizational change."
"These results indicate that, even in schools with a disadvantaged starting point, positive organizational efforts created vital links to new classroom practices."
"To be clear, strong democratic politics is an important resource for school change. The actual impact on instruction, however, depends more directly on the development of a systemic restructuring that includes such key features as strategic planning, professional community, and strong school-community ties. Absent such organizational developments, strong democratic practice does not by itself stimulate greater instructional innovation."
"Prior to reform, authentic classroom practices were more liekly to be found in higher-achieving schools. After the reform, however, school-improvement efforts were more equitably distributed."
"A systematic change initiative also creates an environment in which more fundamental changes in teaching practice can take deep root...Innovative practices take time and require substantial support to be implemented properly."
The above references were drawn from pp. 195-211 in:
Bryk, A. S., Sebring, P. B., Kerbow, D., Rollow, S., & Easton, J. Q. (1998). Charting Chicago school reform: Democratic localism as a lever for change. Boulder: Westview.
as cited in pp. 125-137 of:
Yin, R. K. (2004). The case study anthology. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
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