An interpretive study of building principals exploring the conversion of large, comprehensive high schools to small schools

The purpose of this study was to observe, describe, track, and analyze the issues that are addressed by the building principals and the changes in leadership practices and organizational structure that occurred during the process of converting to small high schools. The data collected provided evidence of cultural differences between styles of leadership among the principals of the former large, comprehensive high schools and the difficulties they experienced in working with the district's existing organizational structure. The primary question of the study was, what role do the principals play in facilitating or hindering the process of developing new small high schools? This includes the consideration of where they fit into the hierarchy of the school district organizational structure and how they had to negotiate that structure.;The design of the study was that of a qualitative case study exploring the culture roles of the principals in an urban school district struggling with the need to create a new learning environment for its students. The study was conducted from three very important aspects at various stages of the process. The researcher functioned as an outside observer attending scheduled meetings, as a participant/observer working daily on one of the campuses, and as a consultant to the principals. In this final role the researcher was embedded on high school campuses in the district.;The data were analyzed through Bolman and Deal's (1997) leadership frameworks of the structural, human resource, political, and symbolic and Morgan's (1997) organizations as psychic prisons. The results indicate the principals' role became little more than to serve as middle-managers to facilitate the school board mandate of converting to small schools. The evidence leads to the conclusion that though the district espoused and, in fact, demanded the change; the principals were locked in an educational structure that slowed and negated the mandated conversion.