Who's In Charge? Teachers' Views on Control over School Policy and Classroom Practices. Research Report.

Teachers' views on their control of school policy and classroom practices are analyzed on the basis of data from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) of 1990-91. The SASS, a nationally representative survey of more than 53,000 teachers, reflects teachers' opinions of school conditions. Overall, teachers (61 percent) did not believe that they had much influence over the determination of discipline policy. Only 37 percent believed they had much influence over establishing curriculum; and only 33 percent believed they had influence over determining the content of inservice programs. Only 29 percent believed they were influential in policy-setting decisions on grouping students. Private school teachers were more likely to feel that they had some control in these areas, but even they did not think they had much control. Most teachers did believe that they had considerable control over classroom matters. Teachers in big-city schools were less likely to feel that they had any control over policy, but they had similar perceptions about classroom control. (Contains 4 references.) (SLD)