¶ … David Woods Elementary School takes into account the issues presented by the case study of James Clark. Action should be taken on multiple levels, including the structural, systemic, cultural, and power and influence dimensions. Because the problems facing the organization prove complex, many different approaches will work better than focusing on one of the images of organization as presented in Morgan (2006). Moreover, the development of an action plan for an organization resembles the intervention opportunities for communities as outlined in the CDC (n.d.) publication on addressing issues and problems related to at-risk youth. The problems addressed in the case study are structural, systemic, cultural, and power-oriented. From each of these perspectives, key leaders in the organization, the community, and all stakeholders can take action that resolve the problems and prevent related problems in the future. To structurally address the problem, it is important to first assess the organizational structure of the public school system. As part of the assessment, the role of teachers will be taken into account as part of the change process. It can be extremely difficult to change organizational structures without possessing the vested power of a leader, which is why

The structure of the school is bureaucratic and hierarchical. As Morgan (2006) points out, organizations like these are "made to operate as precisely as possible through patterns of authority," (p. 21). The patterns of authority in the David Woods Elementary School originate outside of the immediate and daily patterns of organizational structure. For example, teachers and even principles lack the official authority to dismantle and alter organizational structures. The structural actions to address the problem would require allies in politics and educational lobbying groups.
To systemically address the problem brought to light by the case study of James, leaders in education need to take into account the roles of various players in the educational process. Even members of the community who are not officially part of the organization would be considered as part of the system in which public education operates. As Richards-Gustafson (n.d.) notes, focusing on groups and building trust among stakeholders helps to create healthy organizational systems that prevent future problems. Role clarity and effective clarification of goals and missions also helps to ensure that all stakeholders in the system are on the same page philosophically. Therefore, the actions that can be taken to systemically address the problem include town hall meetings and collaborations with community groups, educational support services, and non-profit agencies that can help children like James and their families. Helping at-risk youth means examining the underlying community issues such as poverty from a systemic social perspective.

A cultural approach to addressing…