Chapter Overview

Fundamentals of School AdministrationEDU 547 - Spring 2014 SemesterThursday, February 20, 2014Chapter Seven Presentation: “External Environments of Schools”Presented by: Anyha Lord-JerrisProfessor: Dr. Lauren Larsen

ChapterOverview • Environmental influences that affect school structure and processes • Difference between task and institutional environments • Examining task environment theories • Administering Information and Resource Environments • Examining the Institutional Perspective • Reviewing three mechanisms that promote institutional conformity • Administering Institutional Environments • Policy making and changing environments for education • Conclusion

External Influences on School Structure, Processes, and Policy Political & Legal Patterns Demographic Characteristics Parents Taxpayers Unions Societal Conditions Cultural Values School District Colleges & Universities Regulatory Agencies Educational Associations Accrediting Agencies Legislatures Economic & Market Forces Information Technologies

Difference between Task and Institutional Environments

Examining Task Environment Theories Examples of Task Environment Theories: • Information Perspective The external environment is a source of information about expected goals, and levels of performance that decision makers use in maintaining or changing the internal structure. • Resource Dependence Perspective The environment is viewed as a place to gain scarce resources for the task and technical processes of the organization.

Examining Task Environment Theories Continued Concerns of the Information Perspective • Environmental uncertainty which exists when decision makers in an organization are not able to make accurate predictions because existing conditions in the external environment prevent then from having adequate information (Milliken, 1987, McCase and Dutton, 1993) How do you cope with environmental uncertainty? • Creating special units or programs so that schools can adapt to produce environmental fit.

Examining Task Environment Theories Continued • Resource-Dependence Perspective Four General Types of Environmental Resources

Resource-Dependence Perspective Environmental resources are conceptualized on a continuum of scarcity to munificence • School districts in wealthy environments • More likely to offer a wide-ranging curricular and extracurricular programs • School districts in impoverished environments • More likely to have a basic academic curriculum and limited extracurricular programs if any

Providing Resources and Power Over Schools • Dependence – is defined both by the extent of need for a resource and its availability (i.e., scarcity/munificence) in the environment. • Supplying organizations have two general means of control: • Deciding whether schools get the resources they need. • Determining whether the schools can use the resources the way they want (Frossman, 1999)

Administering Information and Resource Environments • Attempts to reduce environmental uncertainty and dependence can be grouped into: • Internal Coping Strategies • Interorganizational Coping Strategies Both strategies are used to increase certainty and gain additional resources.

Administering Information and Resource Environments – Internal Coping Strategies

Administering Information and Resource Environments – Interorganizational Coping Strategies

Institutional Perspective • According to Rowan and Miskel (1999), the goal of institutional theory is to explain how socially organized environments arise and how they influence social action. • A basic premise of institutional theory is that organizational structures and processes mirror the norms, values, and ideologies institutionalized in society.

Three Mechanisms that Promote Institutional Conformity

Administering Institutional Environments (Providing Buffers)

Institutional Environments Boundary-Spanning Activities • Categorical Conformity – categorizing the structure such as elementary or secondary, grade level, and ability level. • Structural Conformity – for example special-education programs. Schools frequently use structural conformity as a way to adapt to the environment. • Procedural Conformity – carrying activities in specified ways for example hiring of teachers, assigning students to classes, and scheduling events.

Conclusion It is evident that the external environment has an impact on schools which can be both a positive or a negative impact. The role of administrators is to incorporate varying theories and strategies to be able to plan, forecast, and create buffers that can lessen the negative impact of external pressures. When external factors are positive administrators must be able to foresee and recognize these factors by using the theories and strategies discussed which may be beneficial for their school district.

Chapter Overview