Description
Paul Light’s (2006) essay, “The Tides of Reform,” reviews the current landscape of administrative reorganization and argues that it is dominated by four major competing ideas: scientific management, the war on waste, the watchful eye, and liberation management.
” In July 2005, when Bennet took control of the district’s hundred and fifty schools, he still knew little about life inside public-school classrooms. He knew less about children like Norberto. Nevertheless, he moved quickly to impose on his seventy-three thousand charges the toughest graduation requirements in the state, aiming to prepare the majority for college.” (Light, 2006, para.1)
In this case study, you will apply these ideas to a major citywide school reform effort in Denver, Colorado. To prepare, read “ExpectationsLinks to an external site.” by Katherine Boo.
How does this activity help you?
Paul Light’s writing describes four specific types of reform that can be seen across the public sector. This activity helps us understand how to differentiate between these types of reform by illustrating each form in a real-world example.
Instructions
Prepare a case study using Paul Light’s “The Tides of Reform” to analyze the actions of Superintendent Michael Bennet. Consider the following and incorporate them into your analysis:
Do the actions of Bennet fit Light’s central thesis?
How does this example illustrate each of Light’s four ideas: scientific management, war on waste, watchful eye, and liberation management?
Your case study should be in APA format, no less than 4-5 pages, not including your title and reference pages. You can download this case study template Download case study template for your reference.
