The Best Laid Plans: An Examination of School Plan Quality and Implementation in a School Improvement Initiative

Autor/inn/en	Strunk, Katharine O.; Marsh, Julie A.; Bush-Mecenas, Susan C.; Duque, Matthew R.
Titel	The Best Laid Plans: An Examination of School Plan Quality and Implementation in a School Improvement Initiative
Quelle	In: Educational Administration Quarterly, 52 (2016) 2, S.259-309 (51 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0013-161X
DOI	10.1177/0013161X15616864
Schlagwörter	Educational Improvement; Educational Planning; Mixed Methods Research; School Districts; Educational Change; Program Implementation; Strategic Planning; Case Studies; Interviews; Qualitative Research; Public Schools; School Choice; Elementary Secondary Education; Least Squares Statistics; California + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Teaching improvement; Unterrichtsentwicklung; Bildungsplanung; School district; Schulbezirk; Bildungsreform; Strategy; Planning; Strategie; Planung; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Qualitative Forschung; Public school; Öffentliche Schule; Choice of school; Schulwahl; Kalifornien
Abstract	Purpose: A common strategy used in school improvement efforts is a mandated process of formal planning, yet little is known about the quality of plans or the relationship between plan quality and implementation. This mixed-methods article investigates plan quality, factors associated with plan quality, and the relationship between plan quality and implementation, drawing on the first 3 years of a Los Angeles Unified School District school improvement initiative that relied on formal school planning. Research Design: Our research team rated all 206 school plans submitted to the district in the first 3 years of the initiative and drew on surveys of applicant teams and principals implementing the plans. We use these data in descriptive analyses to explore relationships between plan quality and various inputs and outcomes. We also utilized school- and system-level qualitative data to contextualize and explain our findings. Findings: We find that, although average plan quality was relatively low throughout the reform, quality increased during the first phase of the initiative but decreased in the second phase. The two critical elements of the reform intended to drive plan quality, competition and technical support, were negatively or not associated with higher quality plans. However, we find positive relationships between plan quality and reported implementation outcomes in the first phase of the reform, but not in the second. Conclusions: We explore possible explanations for these patterns using qualitative case study and interview data. In the conclusion of the article, we discuss the implications for future school improvement initiatives and research. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01