Marcus Foster and the Oakland Public Schools: Leadership in an Urban Bureaucracy

Critics of public organizations have charged them with rigidity, insensitivity to public needs, inefficiency, and other faults. Marcus Foster and the Oakland Public Schools examines an urban political executive's efforts to meet these demands. Foster's three-part program of community participation, decentralization, and budgeting was successful, but the unbridgeable gap between theory and application burdened efforts to reform budgeting. Jesse J. McCorry shows how the common notion that organizational change is thwarted by bureaucratic recalcitrance and inertia is oversimplified.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 180 pages
Publication date: 25 March 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

Critics of public organizations have leveled a range of charges against them, including rigidity, insensitivity to public needs, inefficiency, and various other shortcomings. While these criticisms may not be novel, the surge of urban political activism during the 1960s infused a sense of urgency into demands for organizational change. Marcus Foster and the Oakland Public Schools takes a closer look at the efforts of an urban political executive to address these demands.

In his quest to reform the education bureaucracy, Marcus Foster, former superintendent of schools in Oakland, California, introduced a comprehensive program aimed at revitalizing the system. This program consisted of three key components: community participation, decentralization, and budgeting. Each of these components was designed to address specific criticisms of bureaucracies and received strong support from students of organizations.

One of the most successful changes implemented by Foster was his ability to secure the necessary resources to initiate community involvement and establish its procedures. This success was particularly evident when he was able to control the requisite resources, enabling him to drive community engagement and shape its direction. However, Foster's success was more limited in cases where change required existing bureaucratic units to relinquish some of their resources. The unbridgeable gap between theory and application proved to be a significant obstacle to reforming budgeting.

Jesse J. McCorry's book sheds light on the common perception that bureaucratic recalcitrance and inertia hinder organizational change. By broadening analytic perspectives, McCorry reveals that certain bureaucratic reforms, along with their intended objectives, may exceed the capabilities of even the most effective leadership. This title is part of UC Press' Voices Revived program, which commemorates the University of California Press' commitment to seek out and nurture the brightest minds and provide them with a platform to express their ideas, reach a wider audience, and have a meaningful impact. Drawing from a rich backlist dating back to 1893, Voices Revived showcases the timeless wisdom and insights of past thinkers, ensuring that their ideas continue to resonate and shape our understanding of the world.

Weight: 272g
Dimension: 234 x 156 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520304932