Appraises community education as an approach to reforming local educational politics. The bureaucratic system of school governance is unresponsive to the multifaceted educational needs of contemporary communities. As parents regain a meaningful role in determining school practice, the community education process will restore their lost sense of…

Compares the problems faced in public education to those of U.S. industry during the past two decades. Points out that today's educational enterprise requires greater cooperation, communication, and commitment. Calls for the formation of a new partnership among education, business, and community. In place of separate reforms, advocates a new…

Foremost policy watcher at the Center for the Study of Teaching, Linda Darling-Hammond analyzes the effects of state and district policies on teachers in classrooms, favors full partnership for teachers in decision-making, and points out the importance of the knowledge base for the professionalization of teaching. (TE)

Following a review of the literature on parental involvement in school decision making, examines the background of current educational restructuring and parental involvement in school decision making in Western Australia. A case study of attitudes of primary school teachers in Western Australia about parental involvement is reported. (SLD)

The Collaborative School Improvement Program (C-SIP) is a successful school-university partnership that encourages collaborative relationships between Eastern Michigan University and area schools through building-level shared decision making. The article describes C-SIP's six-step process, typical school improvement activities, and implications…

In Kentucky, where school-based decision making is legally mandated for all public schools, appreciable policy and decision-making powers are vested in SBDM school councils. Since 1990, educators have learned some valuable lessons: reform policies need early implementation guidelines; decentralization mandates create control problems for state…

Three models for college and university decision-making about scarce resources are outlined: (1) shared governance, (2) corporate management, and (3) total quality management. Two underlying principles of all the models are, first, that faculty are the heart of the institution and, second, that successful institutions are governed through the…

Examines how schools currently interpret shared decision making (SDM), discussing how one district uses SDM to assess student outcomes, coordinating it with other changes in the district designed to create educational change. The article explains what happens when good theory from business makes bad practice in education, presenting possible…

Involving others in school-based decision making will help regain public support for education. A school improvement planning process is described that emphasizes overall student performance and addresses appropriate involvement of educators and local stakeholders in identifying and articulating the knowledge, skills, and understandings teachers…

Offers reflections from eight people (administrators, teachers, and parents) who all took part in the collaborative transformation of literacy practices in a small K-8 school district. Discusses growth processes, connections across role boundaries, and staff development. Appends a list of recommended readings. (SR)

Reports five teachers' perceptions of how teacher participation in school decision making has affected school and classroom activities. Discusses the consequences in terms of teachers' beliefs about their own competence, the persistence of the culture of teacher isolation, prevailing forms of politesse, professional educators' uncertainty about…

Discusses the use of a Multi-Attribute Consensus Building (MACB) technique to build consensus on a national model of educational outcomes and indicators. Describes the stages of consensus building and the tasks mandated in each stage, including the generation of input, the consensus conference, and the synthesis of consensus. (RJM)

Presents results of a study of school administrators to determine support for the responsibility of social studies teachers to deal with controversial issues. Examines the influence of administrators on teacher decisions. Concludes that expressed support for dealing with controversial issues and critical thinking may appear more substantive than…

Describes the role of the rural community development worker in achieving social change by encouraging participatory decision making. Presents results of a participatory research study in which the author, as a community worker, empowers a village with a failed water supply to seek change where they had previously experienced resistance by…

Although multiage grouping is part of a greater approach to change in education, classroom problems can result when the approach's rationale is not understood. Three precepts of vertical grouping concern heterogeneity of student groups, individualized materials and activities, and a caring learning community. Factors influencing successful…