cess. The imposition of the authority from one level on the next can lead to the disillusionment of creative individuals who are deprived of the opportunities to realize their full potential. The premature departure of students before their graduation and quality teachers reflect individual dissatisfaction with the school system and its delivery of education.
My perceptions about the inadequate management of schools are echoed by the class readings and other literature. In his book, Goodlad cited many research studies that attributed poor academic performance to "incompetent administrators" and "poorly prepared teachers," among other factors (6). However, as Senge et al. pointed out, these problems are merely external symptoms of the entrenched school structure that has been used to run schools for over a century (43).
According to Senge et al., the hierarchical school structure and the imposition of control lay at the heart of the teacher-centered practices that undermine students' desire to learn and the teachers' ability to teach. Senge et al. (2000) stated that standardized tests offer the ultimate example of the oppressiveness of the hierarchy. Because of the heavy emphasis on test scores, school administrators place pressure on teachers to help students to achieve high scores. These expectations about test scores have been imposed on school administrators by school superintendents and the politicians above them. Due to the uniformity of these standardized assessments, it is evident that they are often divorced from the learning needs of interests of students. At the same time, teachers who are forced to help students to achieve high scores tend to teach to the test, rather than utilize other types of instructional practices (44).
York-Barr and Duke also highlighted the loss of teacher e
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