Background Information
Baker High School serves a diverse community, and consists of about 50% Caucasian, 20% African American, 20% Hispanic, and 10% of students from other ethnicities including Asian and Pacific Islander. Over the past five years, Baker has improved its overall performance in terms of measurable outcomes such as test scores and retention rates. The school covers grades 9 through 12. There are about 1100 students enrolled on average every school year, and a total of 95 full-time teachers working at Baker High.
Problem Situation
Last year, the Principal who had served the school for over ten years retired. The Principal was well liked for her performance and democratic leadership style; albeit occasionally criticized for resisting change. The incoming Principal ended up being almost the opposite in terms of disposition, leadership style, and educational philosophy. The new Principal, called Skinner for purposes of maintaining anonymity, introduced a series of relatively radical changes to both organizational culture and pedagogy. Several of the younger teachers embraced and celebrated these changes, while a large cohort of tenured teachers resisted these changes. The proposed changes included introducing new technologies into many classrooms that previously had no technological component including English courses, building five bilingual courses into the curriculum with a ten-year plan of having the state’s first fully bilingual study program, changing the type and frequency of staff meetings, and mandating more parent-teacher meetings. Moreover, the new principal hired an additional school counselor. Principal Skinner also introduced new human resources strategies for teachers, including a formal system of performance reviews written by students and coworkers. Just six months into Skinner’s leadership, five teachers filed an official complaint with the district school board and the educational commissioner. The complaint was filed prior to any formal confrontation with Principal Skinner.
