A.

Contact Summary Sheet 53

Figure 4.1

Contact Summar), Forrn:

Illustration (excerpts)
Contact type;

Visit
Phone

X
W

Site. T i n d a l e
Contact date: 11128-29/79
Toda y's date 12f28/79
(with wbom)
y :
B L T

1, What were the main issues or themes that strUck you in this e-mana?
Interplay between bigbly prescriptive, leacherproor' curriculum that la top-down imposed and the
actual writing of the curriculum by the teachera themseives.
Split between the "watchdogs" (administrators) and the "bouse mastsrs" (dept. chaira & teachers)
vis a vis job foci.
District curdo. coord'r as decision maker re school's acceptance of research ralationship.
2.Summarize the information vou got (nr failed.to get) on each of the target questions vou
had for Ibis cerdee,

Oues-tioa

In form ation

Histary of dev, of innov'n

Conceptualizcd by Curia. Coord'r, Englisb Chairman dz. Assoc. Chairman:

written by teachers in surnmer; revisad by teachers following summer with
field lesting data

Scbool's org'l strneturc

Dernographies

Principal & admin`rs responsible for discipline; dept chaira are educ'l leaders
Racial conflicto in late 60's; 60% black stud. pop.; heavy empbasis on
discipline dr. on keeping out non-district students slipping in from Chicago

Teacher response to innov'n

Rigid, structured, etc. at firs4 now, they say they like WNEEDS
EXPLORAT/ON
Very good; only restriction: teachera not required to cooperare

Researcb access

3.Arivthine else that struck vou as salient inleresting. illnminating or important in this con,tact?
Thorougliness of the innov'n's development and training.
Its embeddedness in the district's curriculum, as planned and executed by the district curriculwn coordin' atm,
The inidal resistance to its bigh prescriptiveness (as reportad by users) as contrastad with their current
acceptance and approval of it (again, as reportad by users).
4.What new (nr remajning) tan auestions do you haya In considering the next conlact, with this gite
How do users really perceive the innov'n? If they do indeed embrace it, wbat accounts for the changa
from early resistance?
Nature and amount of networldng among users of innov'n.
Information en "srubborn" matb teachers whose ideas weren't beard initially who are they?
Situation particulars? Resolution?
Follow-up en English teacher Reilly's "fati from the chairmanship."
Follow a team through a day of rotation, planning, etc.
CONCERN: The consequences of eating school cafetera food two days per week for the next four or
five months...