Advantages &

Difficulties of
Shared Policy
Making

BENITA HINLO
Discussant
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SHARED DECISION MAKING

•Shared decision making is a process that provides an

opportunity for members of a school community to
collaborate in solving problems, defining a course of action,
and shaping direction for the individual school.

The purpose of shared decision making is to enhance student

achievement through both improvement of the instructional
program and delivery of support services. Shared decision
making is based on the premise that employees, students,
and the community make better decisions when people
functioning closest to implementation of the potential
decision participate in making the decision. Shared decision
making provides opportunities for schools to explore ways to
restructure delivery of instruction and services to better meet
the needs of students.
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As school staff and administrators make decisions using the schools shared decision-making process
their efforts should reflect:
•collaboration with other schools, district administration, the community, and colleagues as
necessary
•application of effective research and "fact finding" effort preceding the decision making
•coordination of decision making with the district vision for school improvement
•development of a communication plan to promote staff understanding and acceptance of the
decision
•coordination with the approved curriculum, Board policy, existing contracts or agreements, state
statutes,
In and school
such, each federalhas
laws
developed and documented a process for shared decision making that
legitimately engages administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, and students, where appropriate
in:
1.planning, gathering and analyzing data

2.proposing, implementing, and evaluating solutions to problems

3.making decisions for the best interests of the students, school, and the district 7
 Collaborating Through Shared
Decision-Making (BY MIDDLEWEB · PUBLISHED 11/12/2018)

The days of the solitary school leader disappeared decades ago. But
leaders still struggle with how to involve others in decision-making and
how to build a viable and successful shared decision-making model.

Professional collaboration is critical to the success of any school. The

evidence indicates that decisions are better, have greater support, and
are more likely to be implemented if they are the result of intentional
collaboration with teachers, staff, and parents.

In every school you can find examples of involvement in decision-

making. Sometimes it is systematic, intentional and deals with vital
curricular and instructional issues. Other times it’s simply a way for the
principal to ask about managerial concerns.

There is no formula or perfect method for shared decision-making;

however, it is most successful when the involvement is authentic, timely
and a routine part of the school’s operations.
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Examples of Teacher Involvement in
Decision-making:
1. Professional Learning Committee
2. School Improvement Committee
3. Principal’s Advisory Committee
4. Scheduling Work Group
5. Budget Review Committee

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* Benefits and Challenges
A. ►Higher-quality decisions because more perspectives are considered
► Increased job satisfaction and morale

►Heightened sense of empowerment

► Greater ownership of school goals and priorities when participants

have a stake in the decision

► Improved student achievement because of greater coordination of

work among teachers

B. ► Expanded participation may require more time to make decisions

► Group dynamics may stifle ideas, leading to “groupthink”

► Polarization can occur around specific points of view

► People feeling left out or that some have greater access and opportunity to influence decisions 10
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ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF GROUP WORK IN THE
CLASSROOM
The use of group work in the classroom is one of the most widely
researched and implemented teaching approaches in the world. Numerous
research studies have shown the benefits of collaborative learning on
academic performance, communication skills, and confidence.
However, our understanding of how group work facilitates learning and
why group work is only effective in certain situations is still limited. And like
with all teaching strategies, the disadvantages need to be taken into
consideration.
Amongst educators, there is a growing debate surrounding the efficacy
of group work due to the potential for laziness, unequal workload, conflict
between students, and a loss of focus on the task at hand. So, it
necessitates to take a look at the pros and cons of implementing group work
into the classroom to determine how effective it really is. 12
✓ 5 ADVANTAGES OF GROUP WORK

“
1. New perspective
2. Personal satisfaction
3. Teamwork skills
4. Enhances learning
5. Learn to overcome conflict

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5 DISADVANTAGES OF GROUP WORK

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1. Presence of Conflict
2. Unequal Participation
3. Avoiding the Task
4. Time Consuming
5. Individual needs are
dominated by the needs of the
group
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 * Potential pitfalls
Principals must be careful when selecting how a policy/decision will be determined. If
not, he or she may find number of obstacles and unintended consequences.
Engaging with faculty and staff in shared decision making is not a simple process
and it is one that can take on a life of its own. This does not mean principals should
avoid shared decision-making. Rather, when engaging in with teachers and staff,
several considerations should be taken into consideration. Effective principals
recognize that shared decisions can take time, but some decisions must be made
sooner than others. Thus, identifying when a decision must be made is important to
the degree a decision can be shared. A second potential pitfall to shared decision-
making the principals should consider is related to the organizational and cultural
context of the school. Prior to engaging in shared decision-making, a principal must
have an awareness of teachers’ values, commitments, areas of expertise and
desired outcomes.

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Finally, veteran principals recognize that
democracy is tricky, messy, problematic,

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and can lead to several unexpected
outcomes. A shared decision-making
process may not be appropriate if a principal
feels that a certain policy/decision is
important and cannot be modified or altered.
It is okay for principals to make key
decisions on their own or with some
consultation. Every decision does not need
to be democratic or fully participatory. A
principal is the leader of the school and has
the obligation for ensuring the school is on
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the proper course.
Thank you for listening!
Keep safe everyone!

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