School-site management embodies the concept that decisions should be made at the lowest possible level in organizations and intends that no decision be made without the input of those affected by them. The concept also suggests the empowerment of individual units of the system, particularly, the teachers. Centralization versus decentralization is…

Clarifies the need for the building principal's increased responsibility in budget planning as school administration becomes more decentralized. Discusses traditional and program planning budgeting systems and the need for a staff needs assessment and staff participation in promoting the budget. Includes 14 references. (MLH)

American charter schools feature a dual reform strategy that combines state-initiated reform with local flexibility. In Britain, as in the U.S., charter school reform has been accompanied by centralized curriculum and student-assessment policies and decentralized implementation strategizing. Policymakers and practitioners must collaborate to…

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory study assessed school reform in Chicago, using case studies, school and central office audits, expert review of reform indicators. Shows partial success in achieving reform goals through site-based management. Local school improvement plans have not been integrated into a set of goals or visions;…

Describes a Kansas public school district's efforts to develop a synergistic curriculum plan combining the most positive elements of a standardized curriculum with those of a school-based curriculum. Encouraging staff commitment demands mutuality of expectations, dependence, trust, respect, communication, and vision. (MLH)

University of Southern California researchers found that schools using school-based management most effectively organized themselves to restructure curriculum and instruction. Stakeholders had genuine authority over budget, personnel, and curriculum and used this authority to introduce changes affecting teaching and learning. Effective SBM schools…

Aims to apply structural, human resource, political, and cultural perspectives to review and analyze the case of Hong Kong in implementing school-based management. Hopes this analysis can provide a useful illustration of applying multi-perspectives to support development of school-based management and draw useful implications for school reforms in…

Describes a Dade County (Florida) Schools pilot program to decentralize the district's schools and adopt teaching professionalization as a primary goal. Using various committees and task forces, the district formulated goals, developed a shared decision-making model, addressed management/labor issues, and provided team training opportunities. (MLH)

Presents results of a retrospective investigation into a Vancouver (Canada) school district's adoption of school-based management, using Fullan's triphasic model of change (adoption, implementation, and incorporation) as a framework. During the change process, Fullan's overall factors were apparent, and the environment was unobstructed by…

Bureaucratic inefficiency aside, Chicago public schools are failing dismally in their basic educational mission. A new school reform plan promises to turn systemwide failure into success by weakening the central bureaucracy's power and turning the ignition key over to 541 school-based councils. A sidebar claims that courts could determine the real…

School support centers have been established to facilitate the Queensland (Australia) State Education Department's restructuring efforts. Although these centers are supposed to assist schools as they define their own needs, they must also ensure that schools accomplish system imperatives and centrally determined priorities. Interviews with one…

An overview of school-based management (SBM) and the issues involved are provided in this document. Information is offered on the following topics: the advantages and liabilities of SBM; its effect on the roles of the school board, superintendent, and district office; decision-making processes; elements of SBM implementation; examples of three…

Based on extensive policy and procedure reviews and on interviews with district administrators and staff development personnel in four school districts, this article identifies some promising procedures for managing school-based improvements within a district. This process, with specific administrative assignments, is discussed in detail. Includes…

Views school reorganization as best achieved through school-based management, featuring transformational leaders, school effectiveness teams, school strategic plans, school-site budgeting, and school performance reports. Describes a Dallas County (Texas) district's efforts to create a mission, review organizational structure, and adopt strategic…

Argues for a school-centered renewal process making schools the target of improvement efforts and the site of professional inquiry and reflective practice to determine educational change. Examines the creation and use of knowledge, the nature of schools as organizations, and the lessons learned from experience. Includes 18 references. (MLH)