Proposes use of quality circles (QCs)--groups of employees who meet to learn and apply techniques for solving problems affecting work or workplace--to involve library employees in decision-making process and improve morale and product/service quality. Basic philosophy, establishment of QC, and QC techniques are noted. Twelve references are…

Argues that the quality of work life literature is both appropriate and useful for understanding and improving the effectiveness and quality of school life. Suggests that both quality and effectiveness of learning and school operations can be improved by adopting participative management models and innovations. (CJM)

Suggests that ambiguous situations in university administration can often act to the detriment of democratic functioning, and that, in contrast, structured processes, far from impeding, can actually facilitate the democratic process. Distinguishes between malevolent and benevolent ambiguity. (DMM)

Guidelines for avoiding negative side effects of committee work include reasons for forming or not forming a committee, advantages and disadvantages of committees, and questions to help establish a committee in which members understand their role, task, and relationship to the administrator. (MJL)

Critically examines participative decision making (PDM) in education, reviewing literature of the past 15 years and evaluating the current status of research on the subject; suggests how to appropriately use PDM in schools; and surveys gaps in knowledge. (MCG)

This study examined issues faced during implementation of school-based management (SBM) in New Jersey's special needs or Abbott districts, using a literature review, surveys of K-12 schools, and focus groups with central office administrators. The study examined forms of SBM, team operations, local autonomy versus state power, skills required to…

As a pedagogy, curriculum integration has global and local significance, as the central focus in teaching this way is to enhance students' learning through the vehicle of personal concerns and social issues. These issues and concerns form the basis of a negotiated curriculum of direct relevance to the sociocultural world of young people in diverse…

This manual focuses on how to conceptualize, structure, and facilitate the participation of young people in the community development process. It shows how empowering young people by including them in local initiatives can create feelings of solidarity and respect for the environment, for public institutions, and for the public authorities that…

Early efforts to reform middle-level education were characterized by the adoption of a set of programs, often those espoused by national advocacy groups. Too often such efforts were driven by changes in student population and adopted without broad participation by teachers, parents, and other community members. This paper relates the story of a…

Collective teacher efficacy refers to teacher perceptions that they constitute an effective instructional team, capable of bringing about learning in students. Previous research demonstrates that a school staff with a strong sense of collective efficacy is likely to generate high student achievement. This study of 2,170 teachers in 141 elementary…

Why typical playgrounds are designed the way they are by adults is discussed, including what the ideal outdoor play/learning environment for children is and how the outdoor space should be considered as an extension of the classroom. The paper emphasizes the importance of nature to children, discusses the criteria playground designers should…

This paper calls for a credo for communication ethics to be established. The credo will consist of two parts: a description of ethical communication, its importance, and application guidelines; and a statement of beliefs which expound upon the description. The credo will be established using the intellectual capital of communications educators and…

Major points made by the authors of this special journal edition are briefly reviewed. A shift from a general practice model of school psychology to a corporate model is noted. Differences between teamwork in schools and in industry and medicine are described, and team functioning in schools is equated with committee activity. (Author)

America has moved from participatory democracy to protective democracy, with political elites making the decisions. The result has been a culturally disenfranchised people abandoning the political system which does not want them. Calls for a return to participatory democracy and citizenship education programs which foster it. (CS)

The literature suggests collaborative planning is purely egalitarian, but this article identifies a form called "dialectical collaboration" providing situationally determined variations in the locus of control. One district's experience planning an administrators' inservice program illustrates dialectical collaboration. The authors urge…