Overviews the 20-year history of the English Composition Board at the University of Michigan, an independent unit directed by a policy board until it was effectively ended by being placed under the English Department in 1997. Describes its early cooperative and later collaborative approach to management style. Argues efforts to institutionalize…

Too often citizenship education in schools is sterile and removed from real issues--it is designed to teach about democracy, not practice it. Classroom practices are less important than school culture and classroom climate. Students need to see and experience democracy in their schools; teacher education programs, educational systems, and high…

Notes that school-aged children need to make their own decisions and that allowing students to plan their own activities in child care centers works best. Suggests the following learning centers be included for school-aged children: discovery table, book center, dramatic play area, photography and floral centers, blocks and art. Also notes…

Discusses a study that examines department chairs' beliefs about the role of faculty in departmental governance and the characteristics of an ideal governance structure. Concludes that faculty's key role is helping clarify the administrators' responsibilities, and that faculty members should be rewarded for their participation and empowered to…

Individual educational plans (IEPs) are considered to be more effective when designed and implemented by a multidisciplinary team. This paper deals with the IEP as a collaborative tool for the education of pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). Ten pupils with PMLD and the people working around them (e.g. teacher, speech…

As the participation of children and young people in policy decision-making has spread in the UK, participation work is facing hard questions on its translation from principle to effective practice. The participation literature has been largely self-referential in its consideration of policy influence. This paper considers the potential usefulness…

The public has developed a powerful voice over the past two decades, calling for involvement in school decision making and creating the conditions for schools to pay attention to engaging the public in more meaningful ways. Lessons for all schools can be learned from charter school efforts to engage their public effectively. This article presents…

The construct of enabling school structure is empirically analyzed in this qualitative study of high schools. First, the theoretical underpinning of enabling school structure is developed. Then, six high schools, which were determined to have enabling structures in a large quantitative study of Ohio schools, were analyzed in depth using…

Interdisciplinary teaming in middle schools has increased dramatically over the past few decades (McEwin, Dickinson & Jensen, 2003); nevertheless, students have rarely been consulted as important sources of insight into this practice (Dickinson & Erb, 1997) of two or more teachers sharing the responsibility for instruction, curriculum, and…

This article describes the work of the school principal in building a vibrant learning community for staff and students. The descriptions emerged from a series of investigations into teaching, learning, and leading practices within schools that have high capacity for effective teaching and learning. These investigations demonstrated that the…

Upon leaving school, young people are expected to play an active part as citizens in a democratic society. Are schools providing them with the tools to do this? Citizenship is taught in schools, but to what extent is it practised? Many safety issues concerning student behaviour and student conflict confront school authorities. In what ways are…

For over a decade, University of Florida researchers worked with middle schools in a large urban and suburban south Florida district, as they developed and then worked to sustain inclusive reform. One middle school, Socrates, was notably successful, having built its inclusion model on a foundation of previous reform and a school culture…

This study explored the question of how teacher collaboration programs impact the sense of trust and respect between cooperating professionals. Ten elementary school teachers constituting five collaborating dyads volunteered to participate in a three-phase clinical supervision cycle, including a pre-observation goal-setting conference, classroom…

This manual, developed by the Families in Action Project, is intended to provide parents and other family members of children with emotional disorders some practical ideas and tools with which they can become effective partners with professionals in the policy-making process. The first section, "Understanding the Board Process," describes…

In Texas, public library advisory boards are a recent innovation that have developed as a result of the Council-Manager form of government. This handbook is a response to that development as a compilation of information on the most efficient roles and functions of advisory boards. An advisory board is appointed by the governing body of which the…