Importance of Effective Organization in a School

Organizational Structure for Learning as a Possible Root Cause

The principal at Langston K-8 school is looking to change certain school practices. The problem is that she inherited a school system that was interfering with those changes. There were a lot of activities going in different directions such as:

• Constant interruptions with the teaching day, including students being pulled from the classroom for a variety of reasons. 
• Different instructional time for ELA, Math, Social Studies, and Science from teacher to teacher and grade to grade. 
• Complaints for teachers in the higher grades about students entering their grade level unprepared. 
• Conflicts between professional development and the needs of the teachers.
• Assessment information is being collected but never discussed.
• Lack of enrichment or support programs.

There were multiple problems created from issues within the organizational structure. 

Organizational structure is the framework around which a group is organized. There are many parts to a school’s organization from communication, to finance, to personnel, to transportation, etc. For the purposes of RCA for results, organizational structure for learning refers to the way a school is designed to impact student learning and achievement. 

Here are some basic-level structures you can find in a school.

1. Most schools are organized into classrooms.
2. Days are structured into periods by subject.
3. Elementary grade-level teachers are organized by homeroom.
4. Departmental teachers in middle and high school are organized by subject.
5. Students are grouped by grades and/or performance results. 

The best structures for any school will depend upon the leaders, the environment/setting, and the professional development of the teachers. 

Consider your organizational structure and its impact on your results when reviewing your data. If results are a problem at your school, are there any barriers from your system that stop it from being fixed?

Effective organization of time for students and teachers is another important element of the school system. Do students have enough instructional and non-instructional time to support learning and growth? Do teachers have enough time to engage in professional learning, collaboration, and planning to support their students? 

Time can be your friend or your enemy depending on how it is organized in a school. It can create limitations for implementing meaningful changes that will impact results. 

The principal at Langston needed courage and strength to overcome the significant challenges within a broken system. We began working together to identify issues that could be fixed quickly, and which issues may take longer to correct. 

To assist in her problem-solving efforts, I met with the administrative team first. We identified areas that the administration could change and areas that would empower teachers to make changes. We found out that the biggest challenge that we need to address it about the master schedule issues.

Finding blocks for priority subjects was challenging for teachers at Langston. Part of this occurred due to scheduling issues. The specialist schedule for Art, Music and PE, and the pullout schedule were not structured in a way that was conducive to the homeroom classroom. It took a lot of work to find blocks of time for learning. 

Many homeroom teachers tried to fix it by scheduling recess at the end of the day or right before lunch. I questioned this practice as the purpose of recess was to give the students a break. Having a recess before or after another recess will not serve that purpose.

Homeroom teachers complained about the schedule and how hard it was to schedule blocks of time for Reading, Writing, Math, Social Studies, and Science. They felt powerless to do anything different given their current situation. This prompted the administrative team to work with a team of teachers to redesign the schedule, mid-year.

They did not want to wait until next year to fix this problem. They drafted a new schedule that allowed for core subject blocks by grade level with no pullouts or special classes. They blocked time for priority instructional areas, with a no pull outs rule except for emergencies, and approved by the administrative team. 

The block scheduling also allowed for a common planning time. Teachers could meet and plan during that time. They could review assessments, data, etc. Not only did it solve an instructional time issue in the homeroom class, but also solved the planning issue and time for data discussions. 

It took 2 years to fix all parts of the systems. The school did build in quick wins along the way so that the staff could celebrate and see progress. Once the systems issues accommodated a focus on students and learning, everything started to improve. 

If you are interested in more information or would like assistance with your organizational structure root causes, request a FREE consultation call with me. Fill in the Contact Form: https://debradurma.com/contact-us Type in "Request a FREE Consultation" in the "Additional Questions or Information Needed" box. You will receive a follow-up email with the next step to schedule a phone call to discuss your needs and questions.