Schmieg, P A (1990) The politics of school board-community interaction: A case study of a high school construction project. EdD thesis, Temple University, USA.
Abstract
Purpose of the study. The purpose of the study was to examine and analyze the politics of school-community interaction with respect to a high school construction project. The study reported on the events surrounding a particular school board's decision to renovate its high school building, and how these events related to a particular theory of incumbent school board member defeat: the dissatisfaction theory. Emphasis was placed on how the public was involved in the decision to renovate and the political after-effects of this decision. Procedures. The case study approach was the method of inquiry selected for this study. The dissatisfaction theory of democratic participation in school governance provided a theoretical framework for this study. The researcher was the primary instrument for gathering and analyzing all data. Data analysis. The data collected were reported using three methods: (1) A chronological compilation of the historic record, (2) A summary of each interview conducted, (3) A topical analysis of the events guided by the research questions. Major recommendations. Major recommendations included: (1) School boards should be aware of, and study on a regular basis, demographic trends in their school district which may reveal a changing posture in the community for education and educational decision-making. (2) School Boards should design policies for dealing with public input and participation in decision-making so that it happens in a fair and consistent manner. (3) If public input does not happen voluntarily, the district should solicit the participation of key communicators. Information and involvement create interest, and interest leads to support. (4) School Boards should be aware of this credibility questions raised in the minds of the public when they see a split board vote. (5) School board members should be sensitive to the types of issues which are more likely to cause an emotional reaction in their school district community. (6) School board members and school officials should be aware of the dissatisfaction theory of local school governance and its effects on the politics of school-community interaction. (7) The manner in which school officials deal with the increasing public outcry for more participation in the decision-making process may well have an effect on their own political future.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Powell, J R |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | case study; education; governance; interview; participation; politics |
| Index terms: | school district, interaction, politics, decision-making process, governance, case study, educational building construction, school building, decision-making, data analysis, interview |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, business, educational management, data analysis and analytics, political science, decision analysis, construction type, behavioral psychology, building construction |
| Topics: | Construction Technology, Governance, Research Practice, Design Practice, Risk Management, Education |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here