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A revolutionary organizational reform is sweeping urban school systems across the country and raising student performance dramatically. Here is the story behind this revolution in education.
In his previous book, Making Schools Work, William G. Ouchi reported on school decentralization, aided by a grant from the National Science Foundation. He found that when principals were given autonomy over their schools, the performance of those schools improved measurably. Picking up where that book left off, The Secret of TSLexplains what it is that autonomous principals do to improve their schools. Drawing on the author’s study of 442 schools in eight urban school districts, The Secret of TSLdemonstrates that there is a direct correlation between how much control a principal has over his or her budget and how much that school’s student performance rises. School organization reform alone produces a more potent improvement in student performance than any other single factor.
When principals control their budgets, they tailor their expenses to fit their schools, and they invariably hire more teachers. With fewer students to teach, teachers are able to develop a stronger and more personal relationship with their students. TSL, or Total Student Load--that is, the number of papers a teacher must grade and the number of students he or she must get to know each term—declines, and student performance, as measured by federally mandated tests, improves, often substantially. TSL is the key to improved student performance.
The school districts that Ouchi studied for this book include Boston, New York, Chicago, St. Paul, Houston, San Francisco, Oakland, and Seattle. The Secret of TSL analyzes school performance in each of these cities and shows why the districts that wholeheartedly embraced organizational reform have outperformed those that took more tentative steps.
This is a book that every school board member, every principal, and every parent leader must read.
William G. Ouchi is the Sanford and Betty Sigoloff Distinguished Professor in Corporate Renewal at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and the cofounder of the UCLA School Management Program. Professor Ouchi is the author of four books and many scholarly articles. His book Theory Z: How American Business Can Meet the Japanese Challenge was a national bestseller. His study of urban public school management, Making Schools Work, earned wide praise.
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Praise for William G. Ouchi’s Making Schools Work
“William Ouchi’s new book contains a hopeful message for American schools based on commonsense principles. . . . Bad management, Ouchi shows, is bad for kids as well as the adults who work in schools.”
—Diane Ravitch, author of Left Back
“[An] insightful and important piece of work that holds out real hope for urban school reform at the system level.”
—Chester E. Finn, Jr., in The Education Gadfly
“Making Schools Work is the most important book on education in a half century. Bill Ouchi is a meticulous researcher, a brilliant thinker and a superb writer. We simply must listen to and take his advice.”
—Tom Peters, coauthor of In Search of Excellence
“Combining scholarly rigor and his own real-world experience, Bill Ouchi applies the insightful analysis which he has previously brought to bear on enterprises and communities to the study of our public schools. He is absolutely correct in his conclusion that the most critical dimension of public school success is empowered, capable principals.”
—Henry Cisneros, former mayor of San Antonio and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
“Our education system needs to be shaken apart. No one can lead this effort like Bill Ouchi. His ability to think ‘outside the box’ is phenomenal.”
—Richard Riordan, former mayor, city of Los Angeles, 1993–2001
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