Administrator Relationship IDENTIFIERS *Organizational Culture

Findings of a study that explored the impact of school district context on school effectiveness are presented in this paper, with attention to the processes through which district impact occurs. The case study examined a large school district in the Pacific Northwest with an expressed commitment to student performance. Methodology involved 100 hours of interviews with key district administrators, teachers, and support staff; a survey of 99 staff members at 6 schools; and document analysis. Specifically, the study compared evidence of school performance with the stated goals of key participants. Preliminary findings suggest that district context influenced the cultural correlates of school effectiveness.-District context was experienced through "nesting cultures " and principals ' mediating styles. Principals who acted as weak buffers between teachers and the school district context devoted a substantial amount of energy to affective staff issues, which may in turn hamper school effectiveness. In schools headed by principals with more effective mediating styles, building norms emphasized programmatic concerns. Most participants understood the stated district priorities of student learning and community relations. Longitudinal data on district student performance was incomplete, which appears to contradict the district's expressed focus on learning. Five tables are included. (LMI) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document