Abstract
Purpose. The purposes of this study were to (1) identify the decisions made in low-SES and high-SES high-performing schools that teachers and principals perceived to lead to higher levels of student achievement, (2) describe the processes used to make these decisions, (3) identify the school-based decisions that have the greatest impact on student achievement, and (4) determine other factors related to school-based decision making that teachers and principals perceive to lead to higher levels of student achievement. Methodology. A descriptive ex post facto study was conducted. Sixteen teachers and eight principals in eight high-performing elementary schools in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties were interviewed. Qualitative data derived from verbatim transcripts of the twenty-four interviews and analyses of frequency tables were used to generate the findings of the study. Findings. Teachers and principals perceived that decisions that most directly affect students in the classroom are those that contribute to higher levels of student achievement. Teachers reported greater influence in decisions that they perceived to lead to higher levels of student achievement. Shared decision making was the process most frequently used to make these decisions. School culture, clarity of principal and teacher roles in decision making, and temporary organizational structures in the school were perceived as additional factors that contribute to higher levels of student achievement. Conclusion. The congruence of teacher and principal roles about decisions perceived to lead to higher levels of student achievement, selected elements of school culture, and flexible organizational structures were the critical antecedents of school-based decisions that were perceived to contribute to higher levels of student achievement. Recommendations. Future research studies should assess (1) what decisions teachers and principals perceive will lead to higher levels of student achievement in low-performing schools and (2) how school culture, principal and teacher decision-making roles, and the school's organizational structures contribute to higher levels of student achievement.