Abstract
The kind of partnership envisioned by the ES program designers was described by one subsequent observer as requiring “the creation of a trust and confidence … built on perceptions of mutuality, equal risk for equal gain, respect and caring” (Gideonse, 1979, p. 438). In some respects, the federal-local relationship reached its highest point of satisfaction for both partners in June 1972, when planning grants were awarded to the “winning” rural school districts, and the planning year, the initiation stage, was about to begin.
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Notes
This compilation of federal expectations for the planning year was first presented in Herriott and Rosenblum (1976) and further expanded in Herriott (1979).
These descriptions draw heavily from the site case studies prepared by the OSRs and from Corwin (1977), and are referenced where appropriate within the text.
The components included under each facet add up to more than 146 because 80% of the 146 project components affected more than one facet.
Breadth of participation was assessed as follows, based on data derived from interviews with OSRs: • A high degree of participation was assumed if information was gathered from groups both within the school system and the wider community. • A moderate degree of participation was assumed if information was gathered from several groups within the school system, including teachers as well as administrators. • A low degree of participation was assumed if information was gathered primarily from the administrative leadership of the school system.
Degree of broad-based influence on the formal project plan was assessed as follows, based on data derived from responses of professionals on a survey administered in the fall of 1973: • A high degree of broad influence on the formal project plan is assumed if at least four of the five groups were viewed by at least 50% of the professional staff to have had at least “some influence” in the planning process. (See Table 6.) • A moderate degree of broad influence on the formal project plan is assumed if only three of the five groups were viewed by at least 50% of the professional staff to have had at least “some influence” in the planning process. • A low degree of broad influence on the formal project plan is assumed if only one or two of the five groups were viewed by at least 50% of the professional staff to have had at least “some influence” in the planning process.
In order to ascertain the extent to which each formal project plan reflected widely acknowledged local problems, we elicited the questionnaire responses of two groups (all professional staff of the school system, and a random sample of community residents) about local problems. We then compared their statements of major local problems with the goals stated in the formal project plan for that school district. Based on the judgment of members of the research staff, we grouped the districts as follows: • A high degree of congruence was assumed if the formal project plan directly addressed major problems reported by the professional educators. • A moderate degree of congruence was assumed if the plan indirectly addressed major problems reported by professional educators and community residents. • A low degree of congruence was assumed if the plan did not address major problems reported by professional educators and community residents.
Data were derived from local school-district staff response on the fall 1973 questionnaire. We grouped the districts according to the following criteria: • A high degree of independence was assumed if less than 30% of the district professional staff reported that ES/Washington had “a great of influence” on the formal project plan. • A moderate degree of independence was assumed if between 30% and 60% of the district staff reported that ES/Washington had “a great deal of influence” on the plan. • A low degree of independence was assumed if more than 60% of the district professional staff reported that ES/Washington had “a great deal of influence” on the plan.
This factor was assessed on the basis of questionnaire responses in the fall of 1973. • A high degree of acceptance was assumed if more than 80% of teachers were reported to view their district’s participation in ES as “a good idea.” • A moderate degree of acceptance was assumed if between 55% and 80% of the teachers were reported to view their district’s participation as “a good idea.” • A low degree of acceptance was assumed if less than 55% of the teachers were reported to view their participation in ES as “a good idea.”
Each district was ranked independently by three members of the project research staff. Consensus was then reached by rating the districts in three categories—high, medium, and low—for each factor. It is important to note that our approach makes a series of “simplifying assumptions.” We recognize that other plausible assumptions could be made which might lead to a different classification of the 10 districts in terms of their overall effectiveness of initiation.
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© 1981 Plenum Press, New York
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Rosenblum, S., Louis, K.S. (1981). The Beginning of Change. In: Stability and Change. Environment, Development, and Public Policy. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3234-3_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3234-3_5
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