Styles of Management at Ramona Community School
Kristi Mansolf
Library 204-12
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LIBR 204-12_Mansolf_Analytical Essay 1_Spring 2005
Abstract
Ramona Community School is an alternative public school that is governed by the
Ramona Unified School District. The Ramona Unified School District also has 10
traditional schools under its jurisdiction. In order to keep Ramona Community School
running smoothly, a management structure that encompasses 3 distinct layers has
emerged. The first layer is between the administrators at the Ramona Unified School
District and Ramona Community School principal. The second layer is between the
principal, teachers, and staff. The third layer is between the principal/teachers, and
students. In each layer, a different style of management is utilized. This paper explores
the effectiveness of the management styles relative to the District, the School, and the
public.
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LIBR 204-12_Mansolf_Analytical Essay 1_Spring 2005
Styles of Management at Ramona Community School
The Ramona Unified School District consists of 10 public schools and an
administrative office. This paper focuses on 1 school within the School District, Ramona
Community School, and the management structure that exists between the administrators at the
School District and the School principal; the principal, the teachers and the staff; the principal
and the students; and the teachers and the students.
Ramona Community School is a public alternative school offering 2 instructional
programs. One program is a kindergarten through eighth grade, Montessori program. The
concepts, as set out by Maria Montessori, are central to the idea that children, given appropriate
educational stimuli will direct their own learning. The teacher in this environment is a facilitator
who helps direct the students and gives lessons to small groups of students. Ideally the students
work at their own pace. Manipulatives are used almost exclusively in the first 4 years of
education (including kindergarten) and repetition is encouraged. Fourth through eighth grade
classrooms continue to follow the basic Montessori approach, but elements of a traditional
classroom, such as whole group lessons and worksheets become more common. A home study
program is also offered at Ramona Community School for kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Children go to school 2 days a week and meet with their teacher individually once a week to
go over assignments.
Ramona Community School is an asset to the School District. But it is also a challenge
in coordination and cooperation between the School District administrators, the School principal,
the staff, teachers, their students and the public. The management structure and management
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LIBR 204-12_Mansolf_Analytical Essay 1_Spring 2005
styles vary between all parties involved.
The principal at Ramona Community School is faced with many challenges. She
must follow the guidelines set out by the State of California as well as the policies and
procedures of the Ramona Unified School District. The principal has to take into consideration
the 2 different groups of teachers, the 2 instructional programs and the needs of the students
when making decisions regarding all aspects of the School.
Three layers of management structure are identified below. Various management styles
within these management structures will be identified and explored.
1.
The management structure of the Ramona Unified School District, or
the interaction between the Ramona Unified School District and Ramona
Community School.
2.
The administrative structure of Ramona Community School, or the interaction
between the principal and the teachers and staff.
3.
The classroom management structure, or the interaction between the
teachers/principal and the students.
The management structure between the Ramona Unified School District and Ramona
Community School is bureaucratic. According to Perrow (1985), Weber demonstrated that
bureaucracy eliminated “favoritism, arbitrary authority, discrimination, payola and kickbacks.”
A bureaucratic style of management offers specific rules, specific knowledge of responsibility
and authority, and clear lines of communication. Policies and procedures are made by the
Ramona Unified School District that are to be complied with uniformly by all schools within the
School District. The benefit of this is that everyone knows the expectations and administering
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LIBR 204-12_Mansolf_Analytical Essay 1_Spring 2005
disciplinary measures is uniform and fair. Recognition of merit and benefits are also
administered in a uniform and fair manner. All new policies, procedures and mandates handed
down by the State and Federal government are absorbed into this large, cooperative
system.
The principal uses participatory and Total Quality Management styles when interacting
with the teachers and staff. Alire (2004) describes participatory management theory as the
manager engaging his or her subordinates into the management process. The subordinates share
how they feel in terms of their work with the manager. By doing so, they feel they have a more
active role in making determinations regarding their work, and cooperation is improved. Total
Quality Management (Lynch, 2004) principles also are applied when the principal is working
with the staff and teachers. Quality is perpetually a goal. A negative incentive is that parents do
have the option of pulling their children out of Ramona Community School and sending them to
another school if they are not satisfied with their child’s experience at the school. However,
most of the teachers strive to excel in their work of teaching students lessons in the classroom
and important qualities like respecting the other students. The importance of people is always
first and foremost in any consideration. As the importance of grades are de-emphasized in the
Montessori classroom, performance reviews are also de-emphasized and treated as something
else mandated by the District. Committees and teams are frequently formed to address issues as
they arise. Training and further education is encouraged by the District and the principal.
The classroom management structure has a directive approach. The directive method
defined by Evans, Ward and Rugaas (2000) contends that certain people (in this case, the
students) need the security of knowing their limits and knowledge of what is expected of them in
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LIBR 204-12_Mansolf_Analytical Essay 1_Spring 2005
completing their work. Although the formalistic approach is sometimes utilized in
communications between the teacher/principal and the students, the process of 2 way
communication is really more directive in that the children may respond, but the
principal/teachers direct the train of thought. This is also true of interactions between the parents
of the students and the principal/teachers.
I feel that each of the management techniques discussed is effective in the context in
which they are used. The bureaucratic method used by the School District, although I personally
do not like regimentation for myself or for my children, is effective in interactions with the
principal and governing Ramona Community School. So many different and conflicting
personalities and ideas of how to accomplish things have to be regulated. Because public
schools are public, there is a process in place for parents, students and teachers to be heard. The
negative aspect of this mode of management is that the parameters of those hearing the issue and
making a decision are often narrow, therefore the person being heard may not be dealt fairly in a
humanistic sense, but according to the mandates set forth by the School District.
I feel the management style of the principal at Ramona Community School is effective.
She is very approachable and seems to give careful consideration to all sides of the issue. She
respects people and they respect her. The negative side of this is that our poor library has had
such growing pains. The principal doesn’t encourage library usage by all of the classrooms.
Some of the teachers need encouragement to find the time to send their students to the library.
The principal yields to them on this issue. I am working with her on creating a bigger vision for
our library.
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LIBR 204-12_Mansolf_Analytical Essay 1_Spring 05
Again, although I do not agree with regimentation of children, I do see that in a group
situation with children, the directive approach of management works well. The teachers create a
model for parent volunteers to follow. It also works well with the children when they are
interacting with other children. The children also learn to not be “bossy” to one another, but firm
and direct. All of the classrooms at Ramona Community School have more than one grade level
(except the kindergarten classes.) Children teach other children lessons and help them get their
work done. They look out for one another. There is a sense of trust and cooperation between the
students. The directive approach works well in a Montessori classroom because the students
have more freedom than in a traditional school. They need to be self-directed and make good
work choices. They need to sometimes help other children make the right choices, as well.
The approach I find most agreeable is the common sense and humanistic approach put
forth by Alire. The combination of her 18 guiding principles are worthy of aspiration.
Conclusion
Schools are governed by rigid State and Federal requirements. By definition, a school
system is a bureaucracy. Such a structure is so large, the more impartial bureaucratic
management approach is expected. An alternative school within a bureaucratic type of
structure will retain certain bureaucratic characteristics . Though alternative schools seem to
be structured more loosely than traditional schools, children are “managed” with a directive
management approach. Within the framework at Ramona Community School, through the
interactions between the school site administrator (the principal), the teachers (who love their
jobs) are made to feel as though they are equals, doing a different job, equally if not more
important that the principal, through participatory and Total Quality Management techniques.
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References
Alire, Camila A. (2004). Two Intriguing Practices to Library Management Theory:
Common Sense and Humanistic Applications. Library Administration & Management.
18, no. 1, 39-41.
Evans, G. Edward, Ward, Patricia Layzell, & Rugaas, Bendik. (2000). Management Basic
for Information Professionals. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.
Lynch, Beverly P. (2004). Theory and Practice. Library Administration & Management,
18, no. 1, 30-34.
Perrow, C. (1985). The Short and Glorious History of Organization Theory. Retrieved
February 7, 2005, from San Jose State University, King Library Web site:
http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.cfm?doc_id=796