Scott C. Bauer

The Dimensionality of Decision Participation in Educational Organizations: The Value of a Multi-Domain Evaluative Approach

While the literature on education reform has called for increased teacher participation in decision making, little is known about the decision participation construct itself Previous research in this area may be categorized according to the approach taken with respect to the conceptualization and operationalization of participation in decision making. We argue that an approach which views the construct as both evaluation-based and multi-dimensional in nature has advantages over three other common approaches taken in such studies. A sample of 842 elementary and 689 secondary teachers is used to (a) show the utility of a multi-domain evaluative approach to examine participation in decision making and (b) empirically identify four decision domains.

Parenting Practices, Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status and Academic Achievement in Adolescents.

This study was concerned with the relationship between parenting practices and academic achievement of high school students. A sample of 873 Asian Americans, 1449 Hispanics, 1176 African Americans and 8292 European Americans was selected from the first follow-up (1990) and second follow-up (1992) of the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS). Analysis of variance (ANOVA), hierarchical and stepwise multiple regressions were employed to determine the extent to which parenting practice predicts academic achievement. The results of the study showed that European Americans are more authoritative than other ethnic groups, but the relationship between having an authoritative parenting style and student academic achievement is supported only for the majority group. Implications for practices and suggestions for future research are offered.

Improving the Academic Performance of Hispanic Youth: A Community Education Model

Abstract This paper examines the creation of the Oakwood Family Education Center, a community-based education center created using the principles of liberation theology as the change strategy to attempt to improve the educational achievement of Hispanic students through community involvement and empowerment. Results from interviews with 16 parents show that lay leadership was activated at the center and that parents believe their children have benefitted academically by having the opportunity to get assistance with homework in a nurturing, community-based environment. Results suggest that Hispanic parents are willing to become active participants in educational improvements, provided that appropriate opportunities are created.

Preparing Instructional Leaders A Model

Purpose: This article proposes a model that provides one means of making instructional leadership the central focus of leadership preparation. It draws from conceptualizations of teaching and learning as well as organizational and leadership theory to advocate for greater coherence in education leadership programs. Conceptual Argument: We begin the development of this new education leadership preparation model from a traditional foundation of management tools enhanced with organizational and leadership theory. The model moves into more innovative territory by drawing from interviews with four eminent scholars in education (Edwin Bridges, Larry Cuban, Elliot Eisner, and Lee Shulman) and their publications. We suggest a reconceptualization of leadership preparation applying major concepts such as pedagogical content knowledge, educational connoisseurship and educational criticism, and an understanding of leadership contexts. We employ problem-based learning as the primary pedagogy for aspiring instructional leaders. The result is a model that leadership preparation programs might employ, test, and refine in an effort to prepare emerging novices ready to lead instruction in their schools. Implications: Using this model to guide leadership preparation requires substantial reimagining of how preparation programs work. Content will shift toward greater understanding of a range of pre-K–12 subject matter and pedagogy and new roles for education leadership faculty. Segmented instruction as it is commonly practiced is likely to be inadequate to achieve full development of instructional leadership. Consideration of this model ought to lead to fundamental discussions about the nature, purpose, and delivery of education leadership preparation.

Modeling site‐based decision making: School practices in the age of accountability

Purpose – The primary purpose is to present empirical measures of variables relating to practices engaged in by site‐based teams, and then to use these variables to test a model predicting significant outcomes of site‐based decision making. The practice variables of site‐based management (SBM) teams are essential in promoting research within a distributed leadership framework.Design/methodology/approach – A path model is computed to test the relationships between factors relating to the support received by site‐based teams; site team communication and decision‐making practice, and perceived outcomes of SBM. Measures are based on survey data collected from 367 team members in 50 schools from fifteen school districts in a northeastern state in the US.Findings – Results show that different factors relating to the support provided to site‐based teams and practices employed by these teams emerge as statistically significant predictors of various outcomes. Results suggest that the resources provided to support ...

Religiousness as a predictor of alcohol use in high school students.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between religiousness and alcohol use of adolescents. A sample of high school seniors was drawn based on the second follow-up National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). Multiple regression was employed using a hierarchical strategy to determine the impact of religiousness on alcohol use when accounting for other factors that have been shown to affect alcohol use. The results provide support for examining religiousness variables as predictors of alcohol use patterns for adolescents. Also, inconsistent patterns between Asian-American, Hispanic, African-American, and Caucasian students were detected. Implications of the study and suggestions for future research are offered.

Change in University-Based Programs of Educational Leadership How Responsive Have Programs Been?

Much of the literature criticizing university-based school leadership preparation programs concludes that programs are, at best, reluctant to change, a conclusion often based more on anecdotal stories than a more systematic inquiry. This article provides evidence on the extent of change in programs since passage of the Standards for Advanced Programs in Educational Leadership in 2002. Chairs at National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education–accredited schools were surveyed to determine the nature and extent of adoption of design elements associated with effective programs. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to demonstrate that there has been wide-ranging change in university programs, and that the extent of this change does not depend on type of university or membership in University Council for Educational Administration.

Katrina at 10 and Counting

The New Orleans public schools (NOPS) have been viewed as a test site for today’s national school reform agenda (Merrow, 2013). There persists a consistent beforeand-after-Katrina narrative that situates public schools as the problem in need of fixing and decentralization as the sole tool for the job. And yet, a very familiar dichotomy of have-and have-not schools has re-emerged ten years after that upheaval, one that mirrors the city’s deeply divided racial and cultural history.