[Ous-lp-rp13] EDAD 6020, Answer to Question # 2

[Jessica Orr]

*The structure of any organization will certainly evolve over time,
continually changing to meet the needs of the organization and, hopefully,
its stakeholders; however, at any given time, the organization will likely
closely resemble at least one of the defined organizational structures.
While the schools within the Chillicothe City School District may seem
loosely coupled as some inconsistencies do exist between the buildings,
some impending changes in the upcoming school year will shift the district
to most closely resemble a professional structure. To begin, teachers have
a great deal of autonomy within their individual classrooms; for instance,
teachers are able to choose particular content, implement certain teaching
methods, and construct their own assessments, in most cases, as teachers
are heralded as content experts. In contrast to freedoms given to teachers
within their classrooms, there are also numerous guidelines to which
teachers must adhere, enforcing the code of conduct, following a prescribed
schedule, and addressing state-mandated content standards, to name a few.
In previous years, each of the four elementary schools, the middle school,
and the high school have been loosely coupled, free to implement their own
programs, self-reliant in many cases, and displaying a pride in and
identifying with individual buildings rather than the entire district.
However, as organizations evolve, during the upcoming school year, our
elementaries are consolidating, and our middle and high schools are
aligning their bell schedules to promote a sense of interconnectedness and
uniformity. In short, the upcoming school year will certainly represent a
shift in structure that hopefully will build community and collaboration
among all aspects of the district, clearly displaying a professional
structure. *
As the Chillicothe City School District continues to evolve, one might
argue that the structure of the district least closely resembles the
authoritarian structure. While the superintendent and acting superintendent
each have a stake in decisions made throughout all levels of the district,
they tend to delegate local decisions to principals and teachers and allow
for various members of the organization to provide feedback when
district-level decisions must be made. An authoritarian structure centers
on a sole superior who has total control over the entire organization.
Contrastingly, the school district has inherent checks and balances that go
against the authoritarian structure. For instance, the superintendent is
balanced by the board of education, and, closely related to the political
perceptual lens, the voting constituents within the district can balance
the board of education. Ultimately, the power within a school district
exists within a hierarchy, but that hierarchy allows for control to be
spread out among numerous stakeholders throughout the district. A final
aspect of the authoritarian structure is that professional consideration is
often ignored throughout the day-to-day operations. On the contrary, within
the school district, the superintendent and the board of education often
work closely with the stakeholders in order to foster and maintain positive
relationships. Case in point: after the death of a teacher this past school
year, the district leaders chose to cancel classes on the day of her
funeral services. Not only did this decision allow the opportunity for
teachers and students to attend the services in order to grieve and pay
respects, professional development--focused on grief management--was also
provided to help staff members personally cope with the loss and to help
them appropriately interact with students who may also be grieving. The
district leadership set aside organization goals in order to meet the needs
of stakeholders, which could arguably describe the antithesis of an
authoritarian structure.

-- 
Thank you,

*Jessica Orr*
English Teacher
Department Coordinator
Chillicothe High School
Phone: (740) 702-2287, ext. 16231

"You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you
have something to say."
       --F. Scott Fitzgerald
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