Education policy: integrated governance as a reform strategy in schools.

AuthorWong, K.
PositionAbstract

Abstract

In the transition of governance arrangements in the Chicago Public Schools, several concerns arose regarding the new system=s effectiveness in addressing complex challenges facing the schools. This study examines how the new system of integrated governance improves the conditions for teaching and learning. Furthermore, this study identifies several challenges that the new leadership needs to address. Finally, we discuss the new leadership's constraints and the policy implications of their direction and action.

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What is Integrated Governance?

Decentralization is no longer the dominant reform strategy in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The Chicago School Reform Amendatory Act, which took effect in July 1995, reverses the trend toward decentralization of authority over school operations and redesigns the governance arrangement so that power and authority are now integrated. Integrated governance reduces competing authorities and coordinates activities in support of system-wide policy goals. Integrated governance in Chicago is characterized by:

* Mayoral appointment of board members and selection of top administrators;

* Elimination of competing sources of authority, such as the School Board Nominating Commission and the School Finance Authority;

* Powers granted to the Board of Trustees to hold Local School Councils (LSC) accountable to system-wide standards;

* Creation of the position of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) that oversees the top administrative team, including the Chief Education Officer.

With integrated governance fewer policy actors compete for decision making authority. The 1995 law suspended the power of the School Finance Authority, eliminated the School Board Nominating Commission, and diminished the ability of the Local School Councils to operate independently of board policy. Further, integrated governance is designed to facilitate policy coherence and improve organizational collaboration among major actors. As a result of the 1995 reform, the board, top administration, and city hall are closely linked by appointment decisions emanating from the mayor's office. Finally, integrated governance relies on an administration that enjoys strong managerial authority. The 1995 law expanded the financial powers of the board and enhanced the powers of the CEO to manage the system.

Several questions arise concerning this redesigned system of governance. Is integrated governance more effective in addressing the complex challenges facing the Chicago public schools? Specifically, how does the redesigned system of governance address issues of teaching and learning, failing schools, and finance and management? To be sure, these questions cannot be fully addressed by reviewing a mere twelve month record. However, policies developed during the first year are critical because they define the vision and priorities of the new administration.

What does the new board's first year performance tell us about school improvement? Our study found that the integrated system tends to improve the conditions for teaching and learning in four ways:

* Mayoral control facilitates policy coordination and reduces institutional fragmentation.

* Integrated governance improves the financial and management functions of the entire system.

* Integrated governance allows for a sharper focus on schools with the greatest academic needs.

* The school system is able to broaden its political base of support.

The importance of these accomplishments notwithstanding, our study also identifies several challenges that the new leadership needs to address.

* The need to institutionalize key leadership qualities that contribute to administrative success in the long run.

* The need to address competing demands on resources and, at the same time, maintain a focus on improving the lowest performing schools.

* The need to improve linkages between the central office and the schools in ways that would meet system-wide standards and goals.

* The need to monitor the quality of educational services provided by outside consultants and attend to problems of curriculum and instruction system-wide.

* The need to maintain entry and professional standards for principals system-wide.

* The need to improve the quality of the teaching force.

* The need to insure continued political and financial support for the schools from the state.

In the following analysis, we specify how the governing institutions have been redesigned, how the change facilitates particular kinds of management and educational initiatives, and the consequences of these actions. The first section outlines the data collection strategies used to analyze the institutional redesign of the Chicago system and the changes in the 1995 Amendatory Act that facilitated this institutional redesign. In the second section, we analyze the four ways this redesign enables the board to improve the conditions affecting teaching and learning. We conclude with a discussion of the constraints faced by the new administration and the policy implications of the direction and action the board has taken.

How the Research is Conducted

To examine how governance redesign facilitates the administration of the schools, this study adopts a comprehensive institutional perspective. (1) This perspective considers how broader institutional arrangements (top-level political, policy, and administrative institutions) influence resource allocation, supportive services of the central office, leadership selection, and professional development. Particular attention is paid to how system-wide institutions create the conditions that affect teaching and learning in the classroom.

Between July 1995, when the new board and administration took over, and June 1996, a team of researchers from the University of Chicago Department of Education and the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies examined the redesigned governance system in Chicago. Three research strategies were used to collect information: (1) the administration of two survey questionnaires to key stakeholders; (2) an analysis of the media coverage of educational issues; and (3) Interviews with school administrators and principals. First, a framework was developed that takes into consideration the performance of various key institutional actors, the duties they perform, and the obstacles inherent in their governance tasks. (2) Accordingly, we designed a survey questionnaire that was used to rate actor performance. The governance actors included in the survey are: the governor of Illinois, the Democratic and Republican lawmakers of the Illinois General Assembly, the mayor of Chicago, the Chicago Board of Education (and the Chicago Reform Board of Trustees), the Chicago Public Schools central administration, and the Chicago Teachers Union.

About one hundred members of the policy community from Chicago and Illinois were asked to rate the seven governance actors on their performance of approximately seventy duties and responsibilities for two time periods- May 1993 through June 1995 and July 1995 through January 1996. (3) The first t1ine period served as a useful benchmark to assess governance changes following the July 1995 restructuring. The questionnaire remained virtually identical for both time periods, thereby enhancing the possibilities for before-and-after comparison. The questionnaire has one section for each institutional actor that contained a list of duties and responsibilities pertinent to that actor. Respondents were asked to rate the actor's performance on each duty/task using a four point rating scale: 1=failing, 2=poor, 3=satisfactory, 4=very good. In addition, the respondent was asked to rate the general difficulty of the duty: 1=not difficult, 2=routine difficulty, 3=quite difficult, 4=extreme difficulty. This type of survey provides useful information on perceived performance of institutional actors and is not meant to be used as a sole measure of the actual operation of the system.

Second, articles related to education in two major Chicago newspapers, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune, were tracked between August 1, 1995 and May 31, 1996. Based on the content of the news reports, we classified about 400 articles into a matrix of eighteen actors and eight issues. We pay particular attention to eight actors that include: the mayor, the governor, the Chicago School Reform Board of Trustees and the Chicago Public Schools central administration, the Chicago Teachers Union, the Local School Councils, advocacy groups, the business community, and the media (editorials).

Major educational issues covered in the two newspapers were grouped into eight categories. "Finance and budget" included articles on the school budget, intergovernmental revenue, per-pupil expenditures, funding mechanisms, purchasing, and spending. "Teacher issues" included union activities, the teachers contract, and work-rules affecting teachers. Under "governance" we included activities of the Local School Councils, the Chicago School Reform Board of Trustees, and the Illinois State Board of Education as well as issues regarding the school code, waivers, legislation on charter schools, and other political issues. The "teaching and learning" category covered classroom issues, professional development for educators, educational innovations (such as small schools or alternative schools), and curriculum and instructional issues. A distinction was drawn between "management" and "facilities." Articles were classified under facilities when they focused on construction, repair, rehabilitation, warehouses, and maintenance, whereas management included the terms, procedures, and conduct of business, professional ethics, school audits, and contracting Out to private vendors. The "assessment" category included references to the Illinois Goals Assessment Program (IGAP) and other school-wide assessments. "Social" issues included (non-LSC) parental involvement...

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