This book provides useful guidelines for implementing collaborative decision making in the public educational system. The prologue presents the historical background of educational reform in the United States and offers a rationale for radical school reform at the individual school level. The nine chapters that follow are divided into three parts.…

School improvement cannot be negotiated. In many educational circles, negotiation carries a negative connotation that creates a perception of adversaries, causing trust levels between participants to decline. Decisions made in an atmosphere of adversarial relationships between teacher unions and school boards are not always the productive…

The position of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA) on issues of shared decision making and administration in the public schools is examined in this report. Methodology involved telephone interviews with one AFT and one NEA representative on the following issues: decision making and forms of control;…

This study was conducted in Dade County, Florida, school district that has been involved in the restructuring movement since 1987. In the mid-1980's the district piloted a school-based-management program, aimed, in part at increasing teachers' decisional participation. The sample was chosen from 14 elementary and 2 senior high pilot schools and 14…

This evaluation summarizes an analysis of site observations of training sessions for the core planning teams of Project Creating a New Approach to Learning (CANAL), part of a court-mandated desegregation plan to reduce inequities in predominantly Black and Hispanic American schools in Chicago (Illinois). CANAL's goal is to train the core planning…

This evaluation analyzes participation of Local School Council (LSC) members in the special training activities of Project Creating a New Approach to Learning (CANAL), part of a court-mandated desegregation plan in Chicago (Illinois). CANAL's goal was to organize and train core planning teams (CPTs), including community members, to engage in…

Leadership roles performed by teachers after implementation of a school-based management (SBM) plan in Florida are described in this report. Telephone interviews with principals of each of the 33 participating schools were conducted to identify the leaders of the participating school bodies, or "cadres." Findings indicate that 75 percent…

Outcomes of the local school-based management (LSBM) plan, implemented by the District of Columbia public schools in 1989, are presented in this report. The 17 participating sites included 2 senior, 3 junior, 1 extended elementary, 9 elementary, and 2 special education schools. Data gathered from structured interviews with 12 of the participating…

Evidence suggests that the changes which have taken place in the educational background of the work force may have important implications for how organizations should be managed and for their effectiveness. More formal education may cause people to have different expectations and preferences with respect to work. This may lead to more upward job…

The development of a 6-year strategic plan at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing is described. Major features of the plan include the organization of a planning task force with both faculty and administrative representation, a modified Delphi survey of faculty opinions about future directions for the school…

The use of an electronic feedback system, the Anonymous Audience Response System (AARS), in educational decision making is described, and the results of use studies in North Carolina are discussed. The AARS insures anonymity of an individual participant's responses, and at the same time, provides immediate feedback of the group's collective…

People resist change out of force of habit, out of fear, and out of hopelessness. Contemporary educators must find ways to overcome each and all of these barriers. A definite plan is needed in advance of any major program change. A good plan should always include: (1) a time schedule that capitalizes on events outside the school, using them as…

Profound changes taking place in communities and in universities are bringing researchers and community members new opportunities for joint research endeavors and new problems that must be resolved. In such partnerships, questions about shared decision making--about the ethics of collaboration--arise at every stage: Who decides which problems are…

This report looks at the specific steps the National Education Association (NEA) members feel must be taken to ensure that there will be an excellent teacher for every student in every classroom in America. The beginning of the NEA in 1857 and some of the milestones it has achieved are described. A profile of today's teachers is given. The NEA…

A study examined the Canadian-American Plant Closing Demonstration Project (CAPCDP) to assess the influence of the labor-management approach on factors critical to project success and to identify practices that enabled the labor-management committees set up under the project to work better. CAPCDPs in Idaho, Michigan, New Jersey, and Vermont were…