Who Are These People?

The Situation

Richard is a beginning teacher in a large, suburban school district of 90,000 students. Having been raised in a less populated area, he is somewhat overwhelmed by the size and complexity of the school district. It has taken him months to discover that when people referred to "the board" some meant the local school board made up of citizens; others meant the professional board (superintendent and staff); and still others meant the state department of education. He finds frequent references to "the state," which on some days, he discovers, means the state legislature, while on other occasions it means the state department of education. All very confusing! Further complicating things are frequent references to "the central office," those ubiquitous people who seem to be everywhere when they want something done and nowhere when a beginning teacher needs help. Today, Richard found a notice in his mailbox about a "citizen's advisory committee" meeting this evening at the school. Who are all these people and what do they do? How do they help shape education policy in the school district?

Thought Questions

1. How would your philosophy of education be positively and negatively affected by teaching in a large school district like Richard's?
2. As you prepare to interview for a teaching position, what questions do you have for the interviewer about school district organization and management? What is really important for you to know?
3. How would you feel about teaching in a school district as large and potentially as confusing as Richard's? List pros and cons.
4. Contact your state department of education and ask for information on the location, size, and organization of public school districts in the area in which you are interested in teaching. What specific information causes you to select some school districts over others?
5. As a beginning teacher, what will you do to discover how your district is organized, who the important "players" and "stakeholders" are, and how these competing groups shape policy for the school district?