Action Plan Assignment
Mountain Top School District is located in one of the New England states and serves
eight communities over two states. The district operates two elementary schools with preschool
through eighth-grade students and one comprehensive high school. There are approximately 250
total employees that span many different departments. The final governance of the school district
is made by seven elected school board members who serve three-year terms. No requirements,
other than residency, prohibit anyone from running for one of the school board seats.
Problem Summary
The Mountain Top School District is located in the Northeast region of the United States
and has three schools that serve five rural communities. Like many other rural communities,
there has been a trend of decreasing enrollments, which has substantial budget implications for a
society with high levels of low socio-economic status. Three years ago, there was a district
initiative to move middle school students to high school, and was met with community backlash.
The Covid pandemic halted the process; however, the transition initiative has recently resurfaced
and was met with similar resistance. The following sections serve as an action plan for the
district to consider while problem-solving through the transition initiative.
Structural Lens
The structural lens guides organizations to develop missions and visions to achieve their
goals (Ahmed, 2019). Bolman and Deal (2021) state that the structural frame also helps
organizations to establish a hierarchy of job functions and accountability. The Mountain Top
School District approached the proposed transition initiative while operating primarily through
the structural lens. Most of the work on the transition focused on the goals of a long-term impact
study and cross-referencing it with current education law and local policy. Decision-making for
most initiatives in the district follows a shared leadership model. This model can allow school
Action Plan Assignment
districts to implement change quickly and indicates a highly effective team (Bolman & Deal,
2021).
Action Plan for Improvement
While the district did well considering the transition initiative's structural frame, an
opportunity arose to strengthen its approach. Historically, the chain of command in the Mountain
Top School District has been informal and needs to be fully established. The chain of command
is essential for organizations and their constituents because it helps create clear accountability
and decision-making matrixes (Reenock et al., 2021). When the initiative was rolled out to
community members, many upset people did not know the process or steps necessary to share
their feelings.
It is highly recommended that the school district establishes a transparent chain of
command so those not involved in decision-making understand whom they can communicate
with. Roles and responsibilities must be established to develop an effective chain of command
(Bolman & Deal, 2021). Once the roles and responsibilities are articulated and the chain of
command is formally established, it is recommended that the district create an organizational
chart. The chart will help to communicate the structure to employees and community members to
ensure that everyone understands the system and knows to whom to voice concerns.
Systems Lens
The Mountain Top School District has developed a long-term strategic plan to serve as a
roadmap for the district to achieve its shared mission and vision. In systems theory, educational
systems are viewed as open systems, meaning that they constantly interact with their
environment and adapt to change in that environment (Sridharan, 2022). Procedures in place
allow the district to receive feedback from both the sub- and supersystems. While the district has
Action Plan Assignment
a system to receive feedback, there are issues related to appropriately analyzing the data and
analysis of the overall environment.
Action Plan for Improvement
The Mountain Top School District needs to allocate the appropriate resources necessary
to effectively evaluate the economic and cultural sectors of the school community. One strategy
the school district should do regularly is an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats (SWOT). Schooley (2023) describes an approach where leadership members come
together to brainstorm and chart the internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) and the external
factors (opportunities and threats). After charting the analysis, problem-solving can begin by
developing plans to address internal and external environmental factors.
Another recommendation became apparent when the teachers union opposed the
transition initiative because of inadequate preparation of teachers who have yet to teach in a
middle/high school model. Research shows that when teachers and leaders are adequately trained
to implement new instructional practices, there is a positive correlation to increase student
achievement (Mizell, 2010). To ensure the school district achieves the intended outputs for their
organization, they must provide adequate professional development to affect the throughputs that
influence teaching and learning positively. If the Mountain Top School District can explain a
professional development plan to teachers and community members, they will likely satisfy any
doubts about teachers being sufficiently prepared.
Cultural Lens
Millaci and Kuhn (n.d.) state that system theorists overlook the human factor while
planning organizational change, and the school district primarily operates through the systems
and structural lens. Bolman and Deal (2021) state that leaders must understand the organization’s
Action Plan Assignment
tales, rituals, and ceremonies while considering and developing change initiatives. A central
oversight of the transition initiative involved needing more attention to the cultural lens during
the process. Stakeholders were unwilling to let go of some of the traditions for middle school
students in their K-8 setting, and the administrative team did not consider these. Additionally,
there was no consensus from within the district because no clear roles and job descriptions were
developed for staff affected by the transition.
Action Plan for Improvement
As the Mountain Top School District continues to consider the transition initiative,
considerations must be made to the existing traditions for students in their current setting.
Students and families want to keep eighth-grade graduation, winter carnival dances, and other
traditions. The school district must begin by evaluating and defining the current cultural
traditions stakeholders value. After an inventory is developed, the district needs to work with the
stakeholders to develop ways to carry out the transitions if the transition happens.
In order to build consensus within the organization for the transition, the district needs to
develop clear roles and job descriptions for those staff who will be moved. Job descriptions are
the “blueprint of the position and outline the essential duties and responsibilities of a job” (Gan
& Kleiner, 2005, p.48). In future considerations of the transition initiative, the school district will
need to develop a list of staff needed to move to the high school and work with the various
unions to ensure the job descriptions for these positions are within the agreed-upon terms of the
collective bargaining agreement.
Political Lens
The Mountain Top School District fits the traditional political mold of an educational
organization and has various power distributions, with absolute power reserved for the elected
Action Plan Assignment
school board. School districts with a positive outlook on the political structure can more
effectively achieve their desired outcomes (Bolman & Deal, 2021). Furthermore, Bolman and
Deal suggest that when organizations can understand the political impact on decision-making,
they are more likely to make informed decisions that include the interests and perspectives of
key stakeholders. During the transition initiative, the school district did not leverage the various
coalitions and alliances that could have helped the initiative succeed.
Action Plan for Improvement
Research shows that families need to be included more in the decision-making process in
schools in order to have a positive experience (Mapp & Kuttner, 2013). The Parent-Teacher
Organization (PTO) at both elementary schools is up and coming, as evidenced by the increased
attendance of parents. The school district will need to work with the PTO in future change
initiatives to engage more families and allow them to become more informed about the
organizational goals. Additionally, the school district must include various student organizations
that can provide student perspective so that students’ voice is included in the process.
Action Plan Summary
In future considerations for transitioning middle school students to high school, the
Mountain Top School District needs to:
Establish a proper chain of command with a visual matrix
Establish and communicate the roles and responsibilities of those positions in the
chain of command
Conduct a SWOT analysis to factor in the environmental influences that affect
problem-solving
Action Plan Assignment
Ensure quality professional development is made available to prepare staff for
planned change initiatives
Identify the tales, rituals, traditions, and ceremonies that stakeholders value and
ensure they are considered while planning change initiatives
Develop clear roles and job descriptions for those affected by change initiatives
Include key coalitions (i.e., PTO and student organizations) in decision-making
References
Action Plan Assignment
Ahmed, E. I. (2019). School change management: A multi-frame analysis. Journal of Education
in Black Sea Region, 4(2), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.31578/jebs.v4i2.169
Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations (7th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Mapp, K. L. & Kuttner, P. J. (2013). Partners in education: A dual capacity-building framework
for family-school partnerships. American Institute for Research. https://www2.ed.gov/
documents/family-community/partners-education.pdf
Milacci, F. & Kuhne, G. (n.d.) Understanding organizations as organisms [Video]. Liberty
University. https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/
2167581/uiconf_id/39959791/entry_id/0_0qxkx77n/embed/dynamic
Mizell, H. (2010). Why professional development matters. Learning Forward.
https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/professional-development-
matters.pdf
Reenock, C., Konisky, D. M., & Uttermark, M. J. (2021). Chain of command vs. who’s in
command: Structure, politics, and regulatory enforcement. Policy Studies Journal, 50(4),
797-821. https://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12425
Schooley, S. (2023, February 21). SWOT analysis: What it is and when to use it. Business News
Daily. https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4245-swot-analysis.html
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