District-level support for site-based renewal: A case study of secondary school reform

Previous studies of secondary school reform have not given as much attentio n to the role of the district as is warranted by its potential influence on change processes. This study examined the role of district-level factors i n enabling eight secondary schools to restructure their positions of added responsibility. After two years there was significant change on five of six indicators of organizational health. The district-level factors that contr ibuted to the change were the actions of a citral steering committee (consi sting of administrators, union representatives, and support staff), an emer ging image of professionalism in the teacher union, district history, indiv idual personalities, and a shared sense that the district was unique in its region. The findings differed from the results of previous research in tha t leadership was more broadly distributed, a combined industrial-profession al conception of teacher unionism contributed to innovation, and a strong a nd continuous central presence was required to support a decentralized chan ge model.