Schools as Organizational Models: Implications for Examining School Effectiveness

Abstract

In the present study, 4 recurrent models of organizations found in the management and organizational psychology literatures were used to describe schools. Each model is distinguished by its emphases on specific organizational processes, which in turn imply what constitutes desired output and usually serves as a basis for determining organizational effectiveness. Survey responses relating to school processes and outputs were obtained from fifth-grade students (N = 9,431) and school staff (N = 3,291) in 117 elementary schools. To derive school-aggregated progress in student achievement, I obtained school archival data on student performance on standardized achievement tests for the current time period and 1 year earlier. The open systems and human relations models provided the best-fit statistics and explained the most variance in achievement progress, followed by the rational goal model. Model-to-data fit statistics were similar when percentages of students enrolled in the free and reduced-price meals system were considered. Research implications regarding what constitutes effective schools, in addition to practical implications regarding how school staff might organize and manage their schools, are discussed.

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