It is recommended that institutions think carefully about their use of committees, examining the need, type, functions, size, membership, technical and clerical assistance, chairperson, powers, meetings, intercommittee relationships, minutes and reports, followup action, costs, and method for dissolution. A checklist of committee formation…

Participation by library users in the decision-making process strengthened the University of Missouri's decision to develop an online catalog. Alternatives to the card catalog were demonstrated to faculty, staff, and students and their opinions on the alternatives solicited. Six references and a list of anticipated questions and comments are…

Reports a dangerous gap between information school districts give teachers and information teachers want or need. Provides suggestions for better upward and downward communications between teachers and administrators. (AH)

The Japanese theory of participatory management is seen as thriving on American campuses under the rubrics of shared governance and collegiality. Participatory management, quality control circles, lifetime employment, superordinate goals, and interdependent leadership are discussed. More commerce between academic administrators and corporate…

Interviews and observations at the Children's Center, a Bronx (New York) psychiatric hospital, yielded data about the effects on individual power of network relations at the individual and work-unit levels. Regression analysis indicates individuals' participation in work units that are integrated into organization-wide networks enhances individual…

Democratic leadership is not always desirable and should be employed only in certain situations. A 1977 study of 315 teachers suggests that when teachers perceive the subject matter under consideration to be important to them, participatory decision making is significantly related to favorable job attitudes. (Author/JM)

Identifies four variables that influence decision making: presidential power, the president's relationship with college employees, external conditions, and the nature of the decision itself. Provides examples of extreme conditions with regard to these variables and suggests participative management in dealing with the decisions facing most college…

Although professional-school models differ markedly, they generally share visions of how the school-university partnership can improve teacher education and schooling; commitment to shared decision making and funding; and new roles for university and school faculty. George Mason University's experience demonstrates that concentrating efforts…

A Nebraska high school implemented interdisciplinary teaming several years ago as a direct result of its strategic planning effort. It eventually rejected the intensified block schedule, which manipulated time without changing teacher roles, and adopted a flexible block schedule. Departments were replaced by interdisciplinary teams of teachers and…

Examines changes in the way many universities conduct presidential searches, outlines the American Association of University Professors' position on presidential searches and the rationale behind it, and discusses secrecy issues. Describes the University of Washington's recent experience and the results of a survey concerning practices on 100…

Each Oregon school is required to have a council responsible for developing a staff development plan, improving the instructional program, and coordinating school-reform efforts. During the Eugene district's implementation phase, central-office administrators played a key role in providing organizational development training and in allocating…

A camp maintenance survey was completed by maintenance personnel from 99 camps. Results highlighted several important considerations: ensuring sufficient maintenance funds for aging infrastructure, including camp/property personnel in decision making, publicizing completed maintenance projects, examining long-term needs of the land, and adopting…

Examines the practices in a large public high school where constitutional language and democratic citizenship education--judicious discipline--are introduced into the decision-making processes of the classroom. Data analysis suggests that a considerable number of students felt they possessed a high level of respect and responsibility as a result.…

Provides a definition for restoration ecology that is suitable for extensive terrestrial applications and presents a decision framework to help organize different phases of the decision process. Encourages a wider spectrum of participants and decisions than have been traditionally employed for restoration planning. (AIM)

The evolution of Project Adventure's Full Value Contract from its original No Discount format is described. Although wording varies among groups, all versions ask the group to create safe and respectful behavioral norms under which it will operate, to commit to those norms, and to accept a shared responsibility for their maintenance. (TD)