Teachers' perceptions of site-based management, curriculum, student performance, and faculty collaboration in an urban Tennessee high school

This dissertation examined teachers' perceptions of site-based management and its impact on curriculum, student performance, and faculty collaboration in a Knoxville, TN, high school. The goal was to use the portrait drawn by teachers to determine the influence of site-based management on those school variables in shaping school reform, school improvement, and overall school success. Data from 4 questionnaires were analyzed with SPSS. Four highest and distinctive means were produced. The highest mean of value 3.90 (maximum score: 5.0) was associated with the perception that it was very important they teach to improve student performance. The second highest mean of 3.87 was associated with the perception that teachers believed the curriculum to be an important vehicle in restructuring and implementing effective instructional goals to promote effective and efficient instruction in the classroom. The next highest mean of value 3.77 was associated with the perception that teaching should be geared toward improving student skills and facilitating the acquisition of new knowledge. The last mean, 2.93, was associated with teachers' beliefs that parents, administrators, teachers, and the community are integral components of site-based management. Site-based management brought resources to the school by uniting teachers and stakeholders to improve the school environment. This study further clarifies the misconceptions and doubts concerning implementing site-based management. The findings suggest that aggressive measures such as curriculum alignment, standardized tests that determine school success, and documentation of collaboration can improve schools and diminish negative perceptions toward site-based management.