Chapter 7: Collective Efficacy and School Organization: A Multilevel Analysis of Teacher Influence in Schools

This study investigates the effects of collective efficacy on the level of influence that teachers have over important school decisions. The paper begins with a review of the theoretical underpinnings and history of the study of collective efficacy in schools. Next, a rationale for why collective efficacy should be related to school organizational features such as teacher influence is advanced. Using data gathered on 428 teachers in 45 urban elementary schools in the Midwest, the author employs multilevel modeling to demonstrate that the practice of involving teachers in important school decisions varies widely among schools and, that collective efficacy is a significant positive predictor of these differences. The implications of these findings for school improvement and the continued study of collective efficacy are discussed.