The Dynamics of Stability and Change in Public Schools

Despite substantial efforts to stimulate innovation in the public schools, little long-term change has been noted by observers. No firm data have been obtained to describe the innovative behavior of school systems longitudinally. The extensive literature has reinforced a permutational view of educational change as dependent on the given situation's particular mix of a seemingly infinite number of discrete factors. Using the system dynamics approach, the author of this report constructed a mathematical model representing a dynamic theory of educational innovation and used the model to examine the impact of alternative policies on the effectiveness of innovation efforts. The resulting Public School Change Model aggregated many of the factors identified in the literature into a relatively small number of variables, including conflict, the level of innovation, external funding, linkage, the educational norms of administrators, teachers, and the community, and, most importantly, leadership effectiveness. The development of the model was guided by the metatheoretical proposition that the behavior of systems over time is determined by the interplay among relevant positive and negative feedback structures, three of which affect this model. This report describes the model, the theory behind it, and the nature and results of simulations testing it. (PGD)