Structural Theory and Chain of Command in Schools

Chain of Command and Formal Authority

In every school system, the primary individual who interacts with students is the teacher. Teachers can monitor student behavior such as withdrawal from peers, failure to complete assignments, or signs of possible trouble at home. If teachers suspect that students are being abused or engaged in illicit activity, they have a responsibility to report it to the relevant authorities. Automatic notices are also sent to parents if students miss more than a specific number of days without an excuse or if student grades drop below a certain threshold.

The formal authority within a school organization is embodied in the principal, although even the principal must abide by state laws regarding student attendance and academic progress.

Teachers also carry a certain amount of collegial influence on one another — that is, they wish to uphold classroom standards similar to those of their fellow professionals, and lax or rigorous expectations can affect peers. Even more consequential are performance reviews, particularly for teachers who are not yet tenured and who wish to continue working at the school and have their contracts renewed. Regardless of tenure, however, teachers remain subject to pressure to prepare students for high-stakes tests and to meet specific performance objectives mandated by law.

Span of Control and Accountability

The controls of administrative authority extend to students, requiring them to attend school for a specified number of days and meet defined performance standards. Teachers — even tenured ones — may be formally observed. As Sawchuk (2015) notes, "Traditionally, teacher evaluation systems relied heavily on classroom observations conducted by principals or other school administrators… Samples of students' work, teachers' records and lesson plans, and other relevant factors were also often taken into account."

All teachers are accountable to the principal and to the heads of their respective departments, who are themselves also teachers. There is further accountability to parents, who may request additional conferences or support for their child if they are dissatisfied with academic progress. Both teachers and administrators are accountable to state agencies for maintaining academic standards.

Schools are accountable at the local, district, and state levels. Additionally, outside law enforcement may become involved if students are found to be breaking the law on school grounds, particularly for non-statutory offenses such as drug use.

Departmentalization and Decision-Making

Broadly speaking, schools may be divided into administrative and educational components. The educational component includes teachers and resource room assistants. The administrative component encompasses principals, guidance counselors, and other staff who provide oversight and support services.

Although teachers make day-to-day decisions about lesson planning, they remain accountable to state curriculum standards. Even principals must ensure that their schools meet specific state requirements for student education. Decision-making authority is thus distributed across levels — from the individual classroom to district and state offices — but is ultimately constrained by centralized mandates.