Abstract
Purpose and problem. The purpose was to identify the perceptions of principals of smaller high school learning communities regarding the degree of school autonomy realized in five key areas of small school reform: (1) staffing, (2) budgeting, (3) curriculum and assessment, (4) governance and policies, and (5) school calendar. High schools in the U.S.A. are "factories," designed approximately one hundred years ago to serve a selected population of students. For the past thirty years, small schools have been used as a reform strategy and have established a research record of success. The difference school size can make has been established "with a clarity and at a level of confidence that are rare in the annals of educational research." In its quest to support high school reform through implementation of the small school model, the U.S. Department of Education created the Smaller Learning Communities program. Researcher Kathleen Cotton writes: "Autonomy gets first mention because those who study small-school restructuring agree that it is vital. New small learning communities must be able to create a vision and bring it into being, and the experts insist that this will not happen without broad decision-making authority." Methodology. The research methodology used was descriptive research with a qualitative approach. Data were gathered by semistructured telephone interviews. The purposive sample of thirty-three California high schools represented twenty-two districts from twelve counties. Data were grouped into the Lower-API Response Group or the Higher-API Response Group, according to school Academic Performance Index. Findings. In the areas of staffing, budgeting, and governance and policies, a majority of principals in both response groups perceived a satisfactory level of autonomy. In the area of curriculum and assessment, a majority of principals in the Higher-API Response Group perceived satisfaction, and a majority of principals in the Lower-API Response Group perceived dissatisfaction. In the area of school calendar, both response groups perceived a dissatisfactory level of autonomy. Conclusions. Whether they were satisfied or not with the degree of autonomy received, participants faced similar issues regarding autonomy. Autonomy is very difficult to implement in the comprehensive high school that follows traditional processes and protocols.