A comparative case study on school management practices in two schools in the United States and Turkey

Abstract

This study aimed at comparing administrative processes in two schools, one in the United States and one in Turkey, in light of the two distinct administrative paradigms: the Anglo‐Saxon and Napoleonic traditions. The study showed that in the Turkish school, which is thought to be an example of the Napoleonic administrative tradition, school management practices were found to be relatively less effective mainly due to the centralized system, lack of communication among the staff, limited in‐service training options for the school staff and limited school budgets. On the other hand, the management practices in the American school, which is thought to be a typical example of the Anglo‐Saxon administrative tradition, were found to be more effective compared to the Turkish school mainly because of the school's embedded decentralized structure, participatory understanding among the school staff, effective communication strategies of the principal and various options of in‐service training offered to the school staff.

Keywords:

• Comparative study
• Administrative processes
• Schools
• School management
• Anglo‐Saxon tradition
• Napoleonic tradition