School-based management is only one way to restructure decision making and planning to create a collaborative and collegial ambience. Schools should not forsake the strong possibilities for improvement through applying effective schools research in exchange for pursuing uncertain goals associated with recent teacher empowerment and self-governance…

Sharing decision making with teachers and parents actually increases the principal's influence. Offers 10 steps to translate leadership skills into school restructuring. (MLF)

Describes research conducted among employees of a private psychiatric hospital regarding a job stress and burnout model. Concludes that both participation in decision making and social support have impacts on perceived workplace stress, burnout, satisfaction, and commitment for caregivers and support personnel. Discusses implications of the model…

Changes geared toward enhancing student success occurring in certain Miami, Minneapolis, and New York City schools capture the essence of educational restructuring. A complete overhaul of curriculum and instruction, authority and decision-making practices, staff roles, and accountability systems is necessary--especially in inner-city schools.…

A study of three Nigerian villages produced the following suggestions for improving the problems facing rural community development: democratic participative decision making, care in project selection, government incentives, promotion of adult literacy, and well-trained community workers. (SK)

A study of three schools practicing shared governance indicates that supervision and teacher empowerment are compatible concepts. The keys to success are patience and administrators' philosophical commitment to shared decision-making. Includes three references. (MLH)

Within an individual building, the School Improvement Process (SIP) provides a focus for staff development and an evaluation of results that are linked to student outcomes. SIP emphasizes a building level, bottom-up planning and decision-making process. This article presents a case study of an individual school's use of SIP. (IAH)

Principals desiring to be effective leaders will involve stakeholders in a process defining the school's destination. A preferred vision can be clearly stipulated if stakeholders develop a statement of beliefs, conduct external and internal scanning to determine trends, and identify critical success factors. Includes seven references. (MLH)

Proposes curriculum negotiation as necessary to the professional autonomy of the educator who works with adults. Suggests that the educator of adults, through this negotiation, will be better able to understand the social processes that drive educational transactions, while sustaining educational ethics within these processes. (KO)

Identifies ways in which school principals can promote parental involvement in the educational decisions affecting their children. Underscores the importance of communication between teachers and parents, the development of parents' decision-making skills, acknowledgement of parental involvement, and improvement of parents' understanding of school…

Describes the efforts of the Community College of Allegheny County (Pennsylvania) to completely revise the college curriculum. Focuses on the definition of "curriculum," an outside consultant's review, research on outcomes assessment, curriculum planning models, estimates of the time commitment involved, and human relations and group dynamics.…

Learner-centered literacy programs in the United States have developed a range of participatory practices for instructional and management purposes. Participation can occur on a number of levels; learner participation can serve any of three purposes: efficiency, personal development, or social change. (Editor)

When labor, management, and literacy educators collaborate to develop a learner-centered literacy program, literacy educators must be willing to learn about the work and lives of industrial workers. The Academy at Eastern Michigan University is an alternative to traditional adult basic education that engages adults in collaborative learning.…

The traditional, closed model of program development is being replaced in many places by local problem-solving groups. These community groups involve democratic decision making and require new skills of educators--listening, reflecting, and making inferences about needs. (SK)

To achieve excellence in education, school leaders need to dispel five myths concerning educators' talent and commitment, higher teacher salaries, societal influences on schools, tough educational standards, and the free market or voucher system. The key is visionary leadership based on openness to change and educator empowerment. (MLH)