RESEARCH
conducive to change than most organizations, there are mechanisms available to work around the organizational design problem.
Training is the greatest way to initiate change in this type of structure, according to Mintzberg (as cited in Morgan, 1997). A more direct form of control can be obtained through encouraging acceptance of key spiraling norms. WVDE had an effective plan in place, with training as a key component as well as setting a vision for change. Training was identified as a sub-characteristic under process, the second ranked characteristic in this study. Throughout the takeover, the WVDE emphasized training and the need to educate the teachers, staff, and even board members in Logan County. Most of the effort centered on re-structuring the organization and on training those in the organization to operate within the guidelines of the law. In addition to organizational structure concerns, there was a noticeable absence of any attitude surveys or intangible information regarding how the county school system moved from one type of culture to another, other than interviews taken during this study. These types of assessments could serve to provide valuable data for future takeover efforts.
Summary This study is one small step towards understanding and bringing proper prospective to the field of public school sustainability after a takeover of the system. While states profess to insist on school improvement, most attempts to date have not yielded the results desired by a nation demanding higher standards. Takeovers that continue to yield short-term success will not offer a solution to solve the problems facing school systems. It is only through a relentless pursuit of sustained success that solutions will be found for the problems facing public education in America. This study hopes to provide a pathway for understanding how sustained success can be achieved for any system.
References
Abercrombie, N., Hill, S., & Turner, B. S. (1984). The penguin dictionary of sociology. New York: Penguin Books.
Anderson, A. B., & Lewis, A. C. (1997, March). Academic bankruptcy. Paper presented at the Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO.
Barker, A. (2002, October). Education West Virginia: School takeovers can lead to change. Charleston Gazette, p. C1.
Bass, B. M. (1990). Handbook of leadership: Theory, research and managerial applications (3rd ed.). New York: Free Press.
Spring 2011 Vol. 8 No. 1 Virginia Educational Leadership 91
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