A national literacy effort built on participatory principles will require study of existing learner-centered theory and practice, resource development, research and development, training and networking, and careful planning. Literacy educators and learners must support each other to create a constituency for the participatory alternative. (Editor)

Proposes that cultural and role variables within organizations will predict the extent to which individuals hold a collective or individualistic approach to organizational life. Finds that effects of participation and allocation on organizational participants is moderated by the culture of the organization and the roles individuals play within the…

The current educational reform movement differs from past efforts primarily because of the greatly expanded role of teachers and their organizations in school management and improvement. This broader context of teaching is reflected in such innovations as participatory decision-making and school improvement teams with teachers as equal partners.…

Control of the budget function is at the heart of SBM. Only by accepting site-based budgeting can a district restore a sense of influence to those nearest the school and its students. Allowing individual schools to control the budgeting process should enhance staff responsiveness while returning decision-making power to the building level. (21…

Describes study that examined therapeutic alliance from the perspective of the involved client using phenomenological analysis. Three types of perceived alliance were identified: nurturant, insight-oriented, and collaborative. Findings suggest that some crucial features of the perceived working relationship are not accounted for in current…

School environments supporting inclusion require collaborative planning and program development. Inclusion is possible if the full community of parents, education personnel at all levels, policymakers, and community agencies join to make it a reality. Discusses observable benchmarks to be used to measure a school's progress in building these…

A General Motors-Toyota auto assembly plant demonstrates how hierarchy and standardization can improve productivity and motivate workers. The production system is strongly committed to the social context of work and focused on standards designed by workers themselves, giving continuous improvement a specific foundation. (SK)

School renovation projects, such as those undertaken by two Boston elementary schools, allow principals opportunity to influence quality and usefulness of renovated space as well as values expressed by school environment. Despite tight budgetary constraints, architects designed a series of vivid graphic images throughout Patrick O'Hearn School to…

A 10-step model of techniques for developing effective teams encompasses credibility, ventilation of issues, orientation, group process, group goals, facilitation, intragroup procedures, intergroup processes, different roles for trainers, and setting groups free to function on their own. (JOW)

Interviews with teachers at six high schools that have instituted structures for shared decision making reveal the conflicts, the confusion about the locus of final decision authority, and the need for training teachers in this unfamiliar area. (19 references) (MLF)

The legality of employment involvement programs--participation of workers in workplace decision making--has not been established. Three National Labor Relations Board decisions illustrate the complex legal, policy, and economic issues relayed to faculty unions. (SK)

Data on 48 Japanese manufacturing plants suggest that participative decision making has not led to workplace democracy. Although workers are allowed to present ideas and suggestions, they do not have authority to make decisions, particularly in strategic, organizationwide situations. (SK)

Reviews the literature and analyses of the joint problem-solving strategies that have emerged during the 1980s and are used by management and labor to improve company performance, employee welfare, and labor-management relations. Includes a 58-item bibliography and 32 additional references. (JOW)

A hidden participant/observer working in a Japanese auto plant in the United States discovered worker resistance to Japanese management practices in the form of sabotage, protest, agitation, and confrontation. Results questioned assumptions that participatory techniques increase worker control and decentralized authority increases worker autonomy.…

Summarizes study investigating collaborative curriculum development in Alberta, Canada, elementary schools. Focus is "snapshot" capturing extent, rather than quality, of collaboration, based on stratified random sample of elementary school principals. School staffs are moving toward more collaborative curriculum-development mode but are…