Principal and Teacher Influence on School Curriculum and Instruction Policy in the Context of Multiple Accountabilities

Little research has been conducted to uncover factors that potentially affect public school principal and teacher influence on curriculum and instruction policy. Employing data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics for the 1999-2000 School and Staffing Survey, the study investigates this question using survey responses of a national sample of 9,190 principals and 42,086 teachers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The study employs structural equation modeling to examine principal and teacher influence on curriculum and instruction policy within their schools and in relation to the influence of state departments of education, local school boards, district staffs, school councils, parents, district context, region, and gender. Two models are examined: the first based on principals' perception of teacher influence on school policy, and the second on teachers' perceptions of their own influence on school policy. The findings suggest that as state influence increases, principal and teacher influence decreases, and as district staff, school site council, and parent association influence increases, principal and teacher influence increases. The findings also suggest that principals may not be granting as much decision-making authority to teachers in their buildings as principals believe