Suggestions are made for returning federal aid programs to their original goal of improving access to education, including expansion of some programs, simplification and increased flexibility in the system, and improved information dissemination. The roles of trustees and presidents in forming and carrying out institutional policy are discussed.…

Many higher education leaders are adopting measures that may contribute to better governance, but unless they also look at how the phenomenon of culture shapes the way their board members behave as a group, they will miss the forest for the trees. The best trustees and presidents grasp the paradox of assembling a number of highly competent…

This report describes a study of the effects of environmental complexity on managers of semipublic organizations, in particular, school principals. Although some previous empirical studies do estimate relationships between principals' management activities and individual elements of schools' immediate organizational contexts, researchers have yet…

It is suggested that the most important difference between public and private colleges, from the president's perspective, is the nature of the board of trustees. Private boards are seen as more cohesive, proceeding with more civility, and better advocates for their institutions, attributable to differences in membership, legal constraints, size,…

This case involves overturning a 35-year-old program of weighted grading that defined a school's identity. Examination of the practice revealed a curriculum that was discriminatory toward students and teachers with deep-seated values and beliefs among an elite group of core teachers perpetuating that discrimination. Further examination revealed…

This paper examines school management and decision-making practices in four small rural New Zealand secondary schools. During the late 1980s, national legislation was enacted that established local school governance by elected boards of trustees. A national teachers' union felt that teachers and their unions had been marginalized from…

This report summarizes the evaluation of a rural school district in Pennsylvania and offers recommendations reflecting the district's goals for school improvement and construction. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to identify curricular needs of the district and individual schools; review and assess district facilities with respect…

The management principles set forth in this handbook encourage broad public and employee involvement. The first of three sections, "Management in Education," looks at the current state of the art, the potential benefits of sound management, and what school boards can do to encourage development of a true management process for their districts. The…

Because research on job characteristics as predictors of turnover is of debatable relevance to the study of school board turnover, the research reported here examines the impact of variables capable of capturing the political context. In a survey including data from 263 board members from 83 school districts in New York State, the dependent…

Participatory management (PM) is discussed in this step-by-step guide that shows how PM can be made to work effectively on a daily basis in academe. Suggestions are offered for helping higher education administrators consult efficiently with representatives of campus groups--faculty, other administrators, advisory board members, policy council…

Strategic planning techniques for administrators, with a focus on process managers, are presented in this guidebook. The three major tasks of the strategic planning process include the assessment of the current organizational situation, goal setting, and the development of strategies to accomplish this. Strategic planning differs from long-range…

This handbook for school board presidents and members offers information on policy, procedures, law, leadership, and communication relevant to board meetings; each chapter features page margins for notes and a "backup materials" section for practical use. Chapter 1, "The Role of the Board President," focuses on balance of power, presidential…

To aid school administrators, this guidebook presents information on planning, implementing, and evaluating a school management team approach. The first section reviews the definition and philosophy of the management team, discusses propositions about and characteristics of management teams, and describes the application of team decision-making to…

The materials in this manual are designed to help workshop leaders prepare for and present a workshop for school board members on relations between school boards and administrators. Four elements basic to the establishment of effective relationships are reviewed: clarification of the roles and goals of the board and the administrators; effective…

This paper identifies and attempts to clarify the major roles of a Catholic school principal, with references to many Christian heroes and heroines as examples. Those roles include teacher, teacher of teachers, financier, one who deals with boards of education and parent organizations, one who works with church authorities and religious orders,…