Summer End 4

Hi, please and thank you

Writeclear and grammatically correct sentences and logical paragraphs. Use appropriate headings and subheadings throughout the papers. Charts and diagrams are always useful in illustrating complex relationships. Use a standard 12-point font, double-spaced, with numbered pages.

Provide references to original sources (e.g., books, book chapters, and journal articles) for any statement that refers to ideas, perspectives, or research findings of another person. Provide a list of works cited at the end of your response. Format the paper and citations according to APA 7.

Your response should be between 4500 and 5000 words (approximately 20 pages); do not exceed 5000 words. The word count does not include figures or the list of works cited.

·

When initially referencing an article, provide the reader with a summary of the salient aspects of the article

· Help the reader see how the idea in an article applies to that specific situation

· Avoid using a description of a situation, then a catch-phrase, then a citation

· E.g., “The new ELA curriculum was pulled out of the garbage can (March et al., 1972)” 😒

· Very few phrases are quote-worthy; examples include:

· Text where the exact wording is being analyzed

· E.g., a curriculum policy

· Text that contains a precise definition

· E.g., the garbage can model

· Text where the phrasing itself lends particular power or meaning; e.g., Dr. King’s “I had a Dream” speech

So take the time to synthesize and paraphrase. While paraphrasing may seem like a tedious exercise it enhances your understanding of a concept and enables you to connect it more naturally to other ideas that you’ve learned. I suggest reading whatever passage you want to include, turning way, then writing out a summary of what you remember, using language consistent with the rest of the paper.

· Most of you provided a very thorough description of the organization you were focusing on, oftentimes more information than was needed to make your argument

· For the comps, provide just enough info and context to enable you to apply the relevant ideas — no need to give a multi-page description as an introduction

· The comps serve two purposes: (1) to assess your ability to explain and apply the concepts from your courses and (2) to assess your writing and argumentation skill

· The Civic Leadership and Org Dynamics question provides plenty of grist for demonstrating your writing and your thinking; remember that it is not about an equity plan per se, but a discussion of the conditions and supports and challenges that can underpin a plan

We (meaning I 🤔) struggled with some of the graphs in the Cohen, March, and Olsen (1972) article, A garbage can model of organizational choice. I subsequently annotated the graphs and want to draw your attention to them both to potentially apply in your comps and as useful explanatory diagrams for understanding why school systems behave as they do. I uploaded them to Canvas and attached them to this email. Props to those of you who already used these graphs or info from them in your final papers!

·

The purpose of the paper is to assess your understanding of the major concepts discussed in the program and to evaluate your ability to write clearly, cogently, and critically.

This question asks you to write a consultant report for a school district, drawing on your expertise in Civic Leadership and Organizational Dynamics.

When writing your response, draw appropriately from the scholarly literature discussed in the course. You need not incorporate every article you read, though you do need to demonstrate facility with the knowledge base in the field. You need not research additional material, but you may include perspectives from courses beyond the Civic Leadership and Organizational Dynamics courses.

Write clear and grammatically correct sentences and logical paragraphs. Use appropriate headings and subheadings throughout the papers. Charts and diagrams are always useful in illustrating complex relationships. Use a standard 12-point font, double-spaced, with numbered pages.
Provide references to original sources (e.g., books, book chapters, and journal articles) for any statement that refers to ideas, perspectives, or research findings of another person. Provide a list of works cited at the end of your response. Format the paper and citations according to APA 7.
Your response should be between 4500 and 5000 words (approximately 20 pages); do not exceed 5000 words. The word count does not include figures or the list of works cited.

Educational organizations are embedded in larger systems and subject to the rules, norms, and values of civic society. In order to effectively exercise one’s professional and civic responsibilities, it is important to thoroughly and critically understand the influences on school systems and how school systems interact with their broader environment.

During these past two years we have witnessed the reengagement of a broad segment of society with issues of equity and social justice, in particular regarding race, racism, and anti-racism. This movement has inspired/compelled businesses, government agencies, and school systems to examine their racist/anti-racist relationships with employees and with those whom they serve.

During class we read the editorial Dear Corporate White America by Omar Johnson (2020). Subsequent to our discussion, you all collaborated on a comparable statement addressed to school district leaders, included below.

Imagine that you are a consultant to a school board: the board of the district where you work or a fictitious district. Since you may not have a thorough understanding of all elements of the district, you can speculate on the details, as long as the speculation is reasonable.

The school board recently received a copy of “Dear District Leaders…” and has hired you to help them understand the societal and organizational conditions that will support and circumscribe their equity efforts. They are not asking you for a plan, but for an understanding of the characteristics of the district and the surrounding community that will influence the development of a plan.

Approach this situation from two different perspectives: (1) through the lens of civic leadership and (2) through the lens of organizational dynamics. These two perspectives roughly correspond to, but should not be restricted to, the two courses from which this question is derived. The best papers will weave together ideas from both of these courses into a coherent narrative regarding the school district and its environment.

To get you started:

· Select a range of resources to assist you in describing the district and its ecosystem

· Review the literature that we have studied

· Your notes, the reading memos you developed, and the reading guides will be particularly useful here

· You should not use every article that we read, but be judicious, based on what helps the reader best understand the district and its context

· You can draw on other resources and your experience as well, but there is no requirement to seek out additional resources

· Describe the structure and function of the district and its context from a range of theoretical perspectives, across the various traditions we have studied

· When discussing a theory, provide some context, briefly summarizing the relevant aspects of the work from which it is drawn

· Tell the reader what the theory helps us see and what its limitations are

· It is not your task to review the literature on equity and social justice

· It is not your task to develop a specific plan for the district; this paper sets the stage for the planning work

· This is your opportunity to demonstrate your deep understanding of organizations and civic society!

There are many approaches you can take to organizing this paper; in all cases, three salient features should be included. First, develop theses, drawn from the literature, that explain the role of institutional forces in enabling and constraining the district (diagrams might be helpful here). Second, describe some of the organizational and cultural dynamics at play when issues of racial equity intersect with the district’s core functions. Third, discuss the relationships that the district has and the relationships it should develop with other organizations and constituencies; focus on how these relationships are initiated and how they can and have been sustained or diminished.

Letter

Dear District Leaders…

July 15, 2022

Wake up!

There is much talk about equity, diversity, inclusivity, and belongingness in schools. We acknowledge and honor your own anti-racism declaration and the guidance it provided to schools, teachers, and students. Our aim in this letter is to communicate our desire to turn words into action.

Recent times have shown that the world is changing. As those who occupy positions that can make a difference, we are responsible for keeping up with this changing world and meeting the needs of our students — all of our students. To that end, it is in the district’s and the community’s benefit to consider several key truths that will empower all stakeholders in the educational equation of success.

Your leaders, teachers, and staff should reflect the student body. We get it: funding dictates staffing and you can only hire people who apply to work in the district. But administrators, teachers, and school staff need to be more representative of your schools’ population — don’t make excuses for not being able to find and retain and promote candidates who are people of color. Race matters in personnel decisions — there is no such thing as color blindness: when you don’t acknowledge my race, you don’t truly see me.

Presence matters. Influential presence matters more. Having a seat at the table is a start, but true inclusion is much more. How are you empowering and listening to the least powerful among your staff and among the community? You can ceremoniously hire for “diversity,” but are you championing those voices? Don’t symbolically give us positions without a voice; truly empower us to push back against the constraining forces of the system.

Being culturally competent is more than just celebrating Black History month, forming an African–American culture club, and providing token representation on committees. Spend time in marginalized communities where you are the minority and immerse yourself in the culture. As Debra Jacobs says, “Change happens at the speed of trust.” Meaningful community relationships and consistent involvement must be prioritized.

Stop running away from the data! End tracking, recognizing the racial disparities in advanced and remedial classes. End zero tolerance policies, acknowledging the racism inherent in this approach. And stop sending Black kids with disciplinary problems to Black staff.

More violence is committed against kids of color from marginalized communities in schools than anywhere else. Say it louder for the people in the back! Students from traumatized communities experience trauma in school too. And emotional violence is real.

It is imperative to recognize the lack of privilege and basic rights of our marginalized groups. Acknowledge your privilege, unpack it, and become an ally.

Consider. Are you:

· Really listening to and ceding power to multiple voices of color in the district? There are many dimensions of cultural difference — we are not a monolith, nor do we have one voice.

· Incorporating a multitude of perspectives when making important decisions: curriculum selection, data reviews, program implementation, hiring?

· Actively nurturing Black professionals to become leaders within the district or just checking the box to hire Black teachers and staff?

· Dedicating significant money and resources to implementing and sustaining equitable programming, recruiting, hiring, and professional development? Build a sustainable system, not one just for show.

· Identifying strong examples of anti-racist leadership?

· Standing behind the equity leaders that you have hired to take on issues related to race, and not just symbolically? Avoid pushing these leaders to a glass cliff: enhance our potential, don’t feel threatened by it.

· Engaging all staff, beyond just equity leaders, to understand and combat racism?

· Seeking to understand specific needs, not just guessing? Be responsive to your community — stop viewing what’s done in other districts as acceptable for your district, especially when your students don’t necessarily look like the students in those districts.

· Leaning into the discomfort of these conversations? Are you willing to be uncomfortable?

If you are to deliver on the civil rights of every child, we urge you to do the following:

1. Continue to use students as the north star for our anti-racist work. Their voices, their experiences, and their safety are paramount in every decision that is made. They should always have a seat at the table and their representation in decisions that affect their daily lives must be respected.

2. Actively show students of color that they can be educators, understanding that they are the real and overlooked teacher pipeline. Offer Incentives for students of color to attend teacher preparation programs. Forgive student loans. Allow for flexibility in credentialing. Partner with universities. Advocate in Harrisburg and Washington. Be proactive and creative in your recruitment of staff of color. You are thinkers, I’m sure you can come up with motivators.

3.
Professional Development. Teachers and the school district must move from rhetoric and comfortable professional development to action. All teachers, especially white staff, should have regular opportunities to reflect, develop and move forward on their journeys toward understanding. Give all teachers the opportunity to lead professional development. You are exploiting your current teachers of color rather than exploring how diverse voices can lead anti-racist conversations.

4. Children of color deserve to go to schools that look like the Comcast building. Local businesses that operate in Philadelphia must contribute enough to ensure a high quality education for all their employees and all their customers. This includes large universities, such as Penn, that pay $0 in taxes — they must support all schools in the city, not a select few.

5. Protect children from violence in our streets. This includes students of color who travel to school amidst gun violence and excessive drug use. Partner with law enforcement, the city, and community organizations in a visible, present, and collaborative way. This should be a top priority.

6. Sufficient funds, quality materials, and qualified teachers must be allocated equitably across all schools and neighborhoods. Practices that have promoted inequities across our system, such as limited course access and availability of enrichments, must be abolished. No longer shall the furthest behind receive the least engaging and least enjoyable learning experiences. Continue reforming the special admissions process so that the demographics of our city are represented fairly. Stop opportunity hoarding!

This is hard work and too important; we can’t let anything stand in the way. Stay the course on the work you have begun.

It’s time to level up. Be the change!

The Garbage Can Model

Influences on Decision Making

July 2022

From: Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., and Olsen, J. P. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1), 1-25.

There are three sets of graphs on the following pages, drawn from the article by March and colleagues (1974).
The first graph of each set describes how one aspect of decision making is impacted by two different variables.
The decision-making aspects, with their associated variables are:
Access Structure
Organizational Slack  Heterogeneity of Technology and Values
Decision Structure
Administrative Power  Average Degree of Problem Interrelation
Energy Distribution
Strength of Exit Opportunities for Important People  Strength of Exit Opportunities for Unimportant People
The second graph of each set locates types of schools in different regions of the graph, based on how they behave in regard to the respective variables
The school types are defined according to:
Large or Small • Rich or Poor • Good Times or Bad Times

When analyzing these graphs, imagine holding the value of one of the axes constant. As you move away from that axis, the value of the other axis is changing, and you encounter different approaches to decision making.
For example, pick a point in Figure 1 halfway along the X axis (Organizational Slack)
Gradually move perpendicular to the X axis toward the top of the graph. As you do so, the value on the Y axis (Heterogeneity of Technology and Values) will increase
Initially, with low heterogeneity and a medium amount of slack, there will be unsegmented access to decisions, meaning everyone has the opportunity to participate in addressing every problem
Eventually, as heterogeneity increases, you will cross into the specialized access space, where experts will be asked to address problems in their specific areas
Finally, when heterogeneity is really high, you will cross into the hierarchical access space, which is where executive leaders make all the decisions and only the most important problems get addressed at all

These graphs provide insight into way decisions are typically made in certain types of schools or districts
When considering a specific school or district:
Find the number that best represents the school or district and locate it on the graph
Note where it is situated in relation to each of the axes
Note where it falls in relation to other schools or districts
More or less hierarchical, more or less specialized, more or less unsegmented
For example, on the graph regarding access structures (slide 6):
A large, rich school during bad times has high Heterogeneity of Technology and Values and a moderate amount of Organizational Slack
Therefore, most decisions will be made through a hierarchy and some, though not all, problems will be addressed
A small, rich school during good times will be less Heterogeneous and have significantly more Slack than a large, rich school during bad times
Therefore, most decisions will be unsegmented, involving everyone, and most problems will be addressed

Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., and Olsen, J. P. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice (p. 12). Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1), 1-25.
Amount of available excess resources, time, and energy
Range of technologies used and degree of diversity of values
Everyone has the opportunity to participate in addressing every problem
Access Structures
indicate which people, problems, and solutions are involved in decisions
Based on the relative advantages of delegation and specialization
Experts in specific areas are involved in the decisions
More diverse values and tech at this end of the scale
More slack at this end of the scale
Only the most important problems get addressed; only leaders are involved in the decisions

Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., and Olsen, J. P. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice (p. 15). Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1), 1-25.

Only the most important problems get addressed; only leaders are involved in the decisions
Experts in specific areas are involved in the decisions
Everyone has the opportunity to participate in addressing every problem

Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., and Olsen, J. P. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice (p. 13). Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1), 1-25.
The extent to which leaders are given substantial authority
Leaders make the decisions
More power is concentrated in admin. at this end of the scale
Problems are more connected to one another at this end of the scale
The extent to which problems are connected to and dependent on one another
Experts in specific areas make the decisions
Everyone has the opportunity to participate in decision making
Decision Structures
reflect the systems through which decisions are made

Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., and Olsen, J. P. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice (p. 15). Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1), 1-25.
Leaders make the decisions
Experts in specific areas make the decisions
Everyone has the opportunity to participate in decision making

Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., and Olsen, J. P. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice (p. 13). Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1), 1-25.
External demands on the attention of executive leadership
More external distractions at this end of the scale
Leaders spend less time on decisions; others spend more time
Energy Distribution
reflects the alternative opportunities decision makers have for investing their time
External demands on the attention of the average worker
More external distractions at this end of the scale
Leaders spend more time on decisions; others spend less time
Leaders and others spend equal time on decisions

Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., and Olsen, J. P. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice (p. 16). Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1), 1-25.

Leaders spend less time on decisions; others spend more time
Leaders spend more time on decisions; others spend less time
Leaders and others spend equal time on decisions

Bonus
Compare the dimensions on all three of these graphs to determine the typical decision process at your school or district
Note where there are conflicting
For example, the district may have high Heterogeneity of Technology and Values, but low Administrative Power
The first graph indicates that the school would have hierarchical access, but the second graph says that decisions would be made in a specialized decision structure
How to reconcile this?