Self-directed teams, in which the people who do the work are responsible for managing it, are changing the practices and structures of many organizations. Self-managing teams are based on trust and empowerment, on treating workers as responsible adults. (SK)

When group activities in business classes become dysfunctional, the conflict can be used as a teaching tool to explore the resolution of real workplace problems. Faculty should be skilled in facilitating group participation. (SK)

Describes one Florida principal's pursuit of school-based management and shared decision making for the wrong reason--to escape from central office domination. Although chosen as the lesser of two evils, the new committee structure has worked well for Myrtle Grove School. Since giving up veto power to gain staff trust and commitment, teacher…

Meaningful and lasting school improvement can only occur in an appropriate climate and must be characterized by commitment, solid research about collaborative working styles and outcome-based education, and stable leadership. Leaders in the school improvement process should be constantly prepared to deal with the unexpected. Includes three…

A state-sponsored pilot program is allowing the faculty at two North Carolina schools to experiment with school reform. Lead teachers serve as instructional leaders and coordinate teachers' efforts to develop class schedules, plan and organize inservice training, and analyze test scores. (MLF)

This article critiques reform proposals made by the Commissioner's Task Force on the Teaching Profession (NY) and concludes that successful school reform requires consideration of the conditions of teaching and learning in the context of individual school cultures. (IAH)

Addresses diversions that prevent professionals in geriatrics from achieving an interdisciplinary focus. Describes a heuristic paradigm that communicates to the client and caregiver the importance of what they are doing. Discusses the importance of extending the teachings of traditional educational gerontology and of empowering clients to fuller…

Participatory approaches to assessment evolve from reflection on current practice and raise broad questions about literacy teaching and learning that have implications for program development. A collaborative action research project involving literacy program staff and university faculty uncovers the conflicting ideologies surrounding literacy…

Data from 1,805 academic departments in 303 colleges and universities were used to examine the effect of work organization on wage variation within departments. Private control, larger size, and working alone were associated with more dispersed wages; greater social contact, participative governance, and demographic homogeneity were associated…

Contends that replacing administrators by teacher committees will not solve management problems and will give teacher unions too much power in the management of schools. (Author/TE)

Argues that school boards were introduced and retained during the 19 foundational years of state education in New South Wales, Australia, not as token partners or mere money-raisers, but as integral parts of the school system. The successes of local participation in frontier conditions were sufficient to justify the board's encouragement of local…

Today's administrator must realize that being a leader, not a manager, is the norm for successful organizations. Leadership at all organizational levels is imperative to achieving organizational objectives. Managers exercise leadership by establishing a vision, accepting responsibility, taking initiative, and empowering others. Empowerment is the…

Examined the relationship between individual interactional style, individual problem-solving behavior, and family problem-solving effectiveness in 431 intact rural families with 2 children, 1 of whom was in seventh grade. Results indicated that a hostile interactional style directly predicted destructive problem-solving behavior, whereas a warm…

Investigates the consequences of a contemporary natural experiment forced upon a lawyer who suffered a massive stroke and severe aphasia, losing almost completely the ability to speak meaningful language. With the help of therapists, he learned to speak three words. The author investigates how such coconstruction is accomplished. (41 references)…

Contends that, in the culture of professional egalitarianism that often prevails in schools, teachers are likely to accord power only to expert principals. Asserts that this can lead to weak coordination and control of a school's instructional program. Reports on results of a study of 17 elementary schools that support this viewpoint. (CFR)