ERIC Number: ED028526
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1969-Feb-8
Pages: 8
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
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State Power and Local Decision-Making in Education.
Colton, David L.
Based upon a case study of over 20 demonstration centers created by the Illinois department of education during the period 1963-65, a conceptual scheme was developed for the analysis of State control in education. The case study defined 10 State policies, examined State implementation efforts, and identified instances of State action affecting local decisions. Devices utilized by the State to influence local decisions included guidelines, contracts, consultants, training programs, conferences, and reports. A survey of over 60 local personnel, the State staff, and State records indicated widespread compliance with State policy. Content analysis of interviewee responses confirmed that State control can be viewed in terms of the French-Raven influence model according to five types of power: Reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, and expert. Seven conditions were identified as related to the use of State power resources in control relationships: (1) Developmental factors within the overall program, (2) the substantive character of the decision, (3) personality factors, (4) availability of power resources, (5) time and space constraints, (6) the suitability of various types of power to individual schools, and (7) feedback about the effects of previous applications of power. (JK)
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Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Amer. Educ. Res. Assn. (Los Angeles, Calif., Feb. 8, 1969).