Operations and Support Systems: Organizational Structures and Management

The Broad Prize Framework for School District Excellence

Organizational Structure and Management Requirements

The district has a system in place to provide safe and orderly environments for all staff and students.
The district's organizational culture is characterized by positive, collegial working relationships.
The organizational structure of the district is designed to support student achievement and district goals.

Best Practice Documents: Organizational Structures and Management

Building Mission-Driven Organizational Structures – Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Miami-Dade County Public Schools strives to create an organizational structure that will encourage the highest levels of performance and allow the district to achieve its goals as defined in the mission statement. Central office units define their responsibilities in terms of the district’s mission and goals. One school organizational chart reflects a flat structure, which contrasts with the more layered organizational chart of the other school, both of which may be appropriate for different schools in different settings.

1 – District Organization Chart and Department Descriptions Overview of district organization and central office responsibilities.
What to Notice This document shows the structure of Miami-Dade’s central office. Note that all major departments report directly to the superintendent. Also, the district has separate functions devoted to accountability and system-wide performance and knowledge management. Each department’s role is described in the context of how it contributes to the district’s pursuit of the goals in the mission statement. The responsibilities of most central office units are defined in terms of service to schools.	Questions to Ask How are responsibilities divided between school operations (which oversees the schools), curriculum & instruction, and professional development? How closely do these departments work in order to ensure effective teaching and learning? How does the School Improvement Zone function? What happens when a school is assigned to the School Improvement Zone? How can a school “graduate” from the School Improvement Zone? What is the rationale for having human resources report to the chief of staff?
> Download Document (pdf)

2 – Greynolds Park Elementary and Norland Middle School Organization Charts
What to Notice These organization charts provide examples of two models of school organization. At Greynolds Park, all functions report directly to the principal, and assistant principals (APs) do not have specific department or operational responsibilities. Norland Middle School, on the other hand, takes a more layered approach in which APs have formal responsibility for different components of the school’s programs and operations.	Questions to Ask What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of a flat org chart like Greynolds Park’s or a layered org chart like Norland’s? Is one more or less appropriate for an elementary or a secondary school? Are the organizational structures of individual schools determined by district staff, school staff or some combination? Is there any advantage to having different organizational structure models within the same district? To what degree does Greynolds Park provide for informal job differentiation for its APs? Does the org chart reflect actual decision-making in the school?
> Download Document (pdf)

Opening New Schools – New York City Department of Education

A critical piece of New York City’s reform plan consists of opening new schools—including many charter schools—to replace failing schools, especially those in which the performance of poor, minority students has been stagnant for decades.

1 – New Schools Initiative Presentation This presentation outlines the district’s strategy to open new schools as one component of the Children First plan to improve student achievement.
What to Notice The first two pages of this presentation focus on how the New Schools Initiative ties directly to the district’s strategic plan to improve student achievement, called Children First. Notice that the specific goal is to open small secondary schools and that the schools are meant to target “underserved” students. Later, on pages 14 through 18, the presentation compares the enrollment of the new schools to the enrollment of the existing schools, looking for evidence that certain underserved populations are well-represented in the new schools (including ethnic minorities, ELL students, and special ed students). Pages four through six focus on one critical objective of the new schools: improving graduation rates. In the existing schools, graduation rates languished below 50 percent, and the new schools show graduation rates that range from 58 percent to 96 percent. Pages seven through 12 focus on New York City’s process for opening new schools. Notice that the district ramped up its efforts in the first three years, building up to 2004 when they opened 70 new schools. Also notice on page 10 the variety of community partners that the district is working with to open new schools.	Questions to Ask Why did the district decide to focus on opening new schools for secondary students? Is there a similar plan to open new elementary schools? In addition to graduation rates, how does the district measure the success of new schools? What kinds of data does the district collect from new schools, and how is that data analyzed and distributed? What happens to a new school that fails to hit minimum performance targets? What kind of organization did the district need in order to open 70 new schools in one year? Who did they hire to lead the effort, and what kind of background did he/she have? How many employees are in the department? How do they support the development of new schools, both charters and non-charters? Are parents free to choose which school their child attends? How many options does a typical parent have? And how does the district help parents make good choices?
> Download Document (ppt)

Organizing the District Around Teaching and Learning – Long Beach Unified School District

Long Beach Unified School District is organized with clear lines of authority and accountability. The instructional unit oversees all schools, and other district departments are designated as support services.

1 – Org Chart - District Shows organization of district and schools.
What to Notice The Long Beach Unified School District org chart provides clear lines of authority and accountability for all employees. Instruction is prioritized as one of two major branches directly stemming from the superintendent, with other district departments falling under the umbrella of support services.	Questions to Ask In the instructional unit, how many schools does a district administrator oversee? Does the structure allow for active management of schools without micromanagement? What proportion of the district’s budget is spent at the central offices and other non-school locations? What is the ratio of school-site employees to central-office employees? Has the district achieved the right balance? Where are charter schools located, and to whom do they report? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this organization for charter schools?
> Download Document (pdf)

2 – Org Chart – High School Describes the organization and certificated staffing of Cabrillo High School.
What to Notice The Cabrillo High School org chart reflects the complex organization of a large high school. Notice that Cabrillo has two principals, one of whom focuses on instructional issues and the other of whom focuses on plant management and discipline. Notice also how many certificated support staff are employed by the school, including nurses, psychologists, counselors, assistant principals and coordinators.	Questions to Ask Why does Cabrillo have two principals? What is the history? How long has this structure been in place, and how is it working? What are the potential advantages or disadvantages of having co-principals? Who is held accountable for improving student achievement and meeting other school goals? How much discretion does the school have to hire certificated staff? Can the school adjust the mix of support services (like nursing and counseling), as necessary? Or are these services meted out by district staffing formulas?
> Download Document (doc)