THE INSTITUTIONAL SOURCES OF EDUCATIONAL-REFORM - THE CASE OF SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT

This study describes an aspect of school-based management that previou sly has been ignored. Drawing on concepts from an institutional theory of organizations, this study describes the actors who shaped and prom oted school-based management in the national arena, their interests, a nd the network that linked them. Three categories of actors are identi fied: policy actors, teachers union actors, and academic actors. The m ost prominent actors were often organizations rather than individuals. The actors shared two overarching goals: to improve the effectiveness of public schools and enhance the professional status of teachers. Th e actors were linked by an informal network; that is, they were loosel y organized. These and other findings suggest that school-based manage ment was at least partially the product of the institutional environme nt in which schools and school districts operated.