Date

2002

Document Type

Capstone Project

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Department

Social, Behavioral & Global Studies

Abstract

This research was based on comparing a private high school and a public high school in terms of organizational differences and continuous improvement. The continuous improvement concept is a theory and method used in business for improving an organization and was applied to these schools. There have been previous studies conducted that have shown there are fundamental organizational differences between public and private school. Studies have also shown that using the theory of continuous improvement in an organizational setting may increase efficiency and effectiveness. There were two research questions in this study: (1) Are there differences in organizational characteristics between the two schools and (2) Are there differences in the way that each school uses continuous improvement? The location quotient for SAT scores at each school was calculated compared to that of California and the Nation. The location quotient is a statistical formula used in Demography to compare local ratios (of a population) to regional ratios (of a population). Each school's mean SAT scores for the year 2000 were also compared. The private high school had a higher location quotient than California and the Nation. The private school had a higher mean SAT score in both verbal and math as compared to the public school, the State of California, and the Nation. A questionnaire was distributed to each principal and an interview was also conducted with each principal. The results found that there is considerable organizational and continuous improvement similarity between the private and public school. Any organizational differences are due to the nature of each school, one being public and one being private; they have separate goals.

Comments

Capstone Project (B.A.) Social and Behavioral Sciences Institute

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