Advancing toward Shared Decision Making

• Published in: Principal Leadership Vol. 7; no. 6; pp. 45 - 48
• Main Authors: Muller, Lisa, Thorn, Judi
• Format: Magazine Article Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reston National Association of Secondary School Principals 01.02.2007
• Edition: Middle Level ed.
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Administrative Organization; Administrative support; Advanced Courses; Changes; Citizenship; Class Size; College Applicants; Cooperative Planning; Course Selection (Students); Decision Making; Enrollment; Extracurricular Activities; Family Involvement; Feedback; Grading; High Schools; Instructional Leadership; Job Satisfaction; Leadership Styles; Oklahoma; Organizational behavior; Participative Decision Making; Principals; Secondary School Teachers; Seminars; Students; Substitute teachers; Success; Teacher Administrator Relationship; Teacher Morale; Teaching Methods; Teamwork; Tutoring; Oklahoma
• ISSN: 1529-8957

In May 2004, a group of 25 teachers at Jenks High School in Oklahoma received an invitation to the Summer 2004 Advance. Although many organizations hold retreats for their employees, the administrators wanted to send a different message: we're not retreating; we're advancing! Like many states, Oklahoma suffered a school budget crisis during the 2002-2003 school year, which resulted in cuts in custodial services, supplies, substitute teachers, and travel for students and staff members. Some administrative and teaching positions were also eliminated, which led to larger class sizes. By summer 2004, teacher morale needed attention. Keeping in mind that principals' leadership styles (transformational or transactional) and decision-making strategies (participative versus autocratic) affect teacher job satisfaction, the administrative team designed a series of activities to give teachers the opportunity to offer feedback, share their ideas, and propose solutions for the challenges facing the school. This article describes these activities. Through shared decision making, the Jenks administrators trust that they and their teachers will always be better able to see and seize opportunities to solve problems while they are manageable.