[Ous-lp-rp13] CORRECTION: EDAD 6020 Response to Question #2

[Amanda Luttrell]

 Jessica,

*I understand what you have experienced with the loosely coupled and
inconsistencies  between the buildings. Our previous principal was retiring
and our structure resembled this to some extent. It was nice to have a new
principal come in two years ago to bring back our professional structure.  *My
school system is least like the authoritarian structure as well. I am happy
about that for several reasons. I heard about the teacher that passed away
this past school year and that was so terrible. I think this shows that
sometimes situational domains kick in due to the fact the district leaders
chose to cancel classes on the day of her funeral services.   I think that
your district did the appropriate thing by setting aside organization goals
in order to meet the needs of stakeholders, which could arguably describe
the antithesis of an authoritarian structure.

On Fri, Jun 15, 2018 at 8:33 AM, Jessica Orr <jessica.orr at ccsd.us> wrote:

>
> *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
>



-- 
*Amanda Luttrell*
*Zahn's Corner Middle School*
*Sixth Grade Language Arts*
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