Title: Support for Reading in Middle and High Schools: Institutional and Organizational Influences.
Abstract: To understand the capacity of middle and high schools to support reading, a study examined two questions: (1) How do middle/high schools organize and allocate resources to support reading? and (2) How do middle/high schools respond to resource and structural challenges created by the multiple institutional actors that comprise the school system? Combining an organizational and institutional view of schools, the study examined how eight high-performing California middle and high schools organized resources to support the improvement of reading. In particular, it is concerned with how the state's prior and current language arts curriculum policies shape and support the development and implementation of reading programs. Interviews were conducted with principals, teachers, and a central office administrator in each district. Classroom observations were made, and documents were. collected. Findings suggest middle/high schools have adopted a limited number of strategies aimed at improving the literacy skills of their students. Because of organizational and resource constraints (including limited funding, scheduling limitations, curriculum requirements, few teachers with reading expertise, and a lack of appropriate materials) the most commonly adopted practices included reading or writing across the curriculum and sustained silent reading. These schools, however, were able to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers and attract a diverse student population, which also contributed to the students' reading development and academic achievement. Most important was how these schools distributed their resources within the school. They made sure students of all ability levels received high quality instruction that accommodated differences in students' abilities, and they provided support programs that gave opportunities for additional instruction. (Contains 40 notes, 8 tables of data, and 25 references.) (NKA) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) te) O U Support for Reading in Middle and High Schools: Institutional and Organizational Influences Gail L. Sunderman, Marian Amoa, & Tiffany Meyers Johns Hopkins University September 1999 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Prepared for presentation at the American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, April 24-18, 2000. This research was supported by a grant from the California Department of Education to the American Institutes for Research and Johns Hopkins University. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the California Department of Education or the American Institutes for Research. Marisa Castellano, Gina Hewes, Nettie Legters, Judi Paver, Laura Rachuba, and Sam Stringfield provided research assistance. 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE Support for Reading in Middle and High Schools: Institutional and Organizational Influences Gail L. Sunderman, Marian Amoa, & Tiffany Meyers Johns Hopkins University Middle and high schools are confronted with balancing the often-competing demands of meeting the academic needs of their students while responding to organizational constraints and policy demands. On the one hand, they are asked to improve the academic achievement of the students they serve. Increasingly, this has included the improvement of reading, an area traditionally considered the responsibility of elementary schools. On the other hand, resource constraints and the uncertain policy environment in which schools operate may limit their capacity to develop broad-based reading programs. The organization of secondary schools as well as teachers trained as subject matter specialists are challenges schools confront as they respond to the reading deficiencies of their students. To understand the capacity of middle and high schools to support reading, this study examines two questions: (1) How do middle and high schools organize and allocate resources to support reading? (2) How do middle and high schools respond to resource and structural challenges created by the multiple institutional actors that comprise the school system? To answer these questions, this paper examines how eight high performing California middle and high schools organized resources to support the improvement of reading. Analytical Perspective This study combines an organizational and institutional view of schools. From an organizational perspective, the allocation of resources has important implications for teaching and learning (Bidwell & Kasarda, 1980; Barr & Dreeben, 1983; Burns &
Publication Year: 1999
Publication Date: 1999-09-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 1
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