After 1987, Gorbachev's initiatives provoked strong educator discord over the extent of desirable national education policy change and the rewriting of the nation's history. Classroom teachers and low-level administrators pushed for greater decision-making authority at lower levels. By 1989, these differences had settled into a pattern of ongoing,…

This article describes efforts in Colorado to develop collaborative relationships among educators to better meet needs of students with disabilities. The article stresses the importance of developing common understanding, developing a full array of services within the delivery system, and addressing school scheduling issues. (JDD)

To implement shared governance, 24 Georgia schools joined with the University of Georgia's Program for School Improvement (PSI) to form the League of Professional Schools. This article explains how staff at participating schools overcame the complexities of the new system by communicating openly and breaking issues down into small parts. (MLH)

Defines school-based management as a form of school district organization based on internal growth and development, rather than outside expertise. Roving leadership, an exciting alternative to top-down management, is issue-oriented and shifts responsibility according to key individuals' specific talents, skills, and abilities. Benefits are…

Technology cannot resolve instructional problems unless teachers are involved in the technology decision-making process. To be truly empowered, educators must perform curriculum, student, and community needs analyses; determine curricular objectives; develop district and school plans; provide cooperative teacher training prior to initiation; and…

Overattachment to particular innovations or overreliance on a charismatic leader can restrict consideration of alternatives and produce short-term gains or superficial solutions. To encourage lasting school improvement, principals should build collaborative cultures instead of imposing their own visions or change agendas. A sidebar illustrates a…

Examines the current national policy situation regarding quality assurance in the United Kingdom, as revealed through the work of the Audit Commission and the local education authorities' early responses to that work. Describes current quality assurance practices in Barset as perceived by various authority respondents, comparing it to Dorset's…

A study analyzed teachers' perceptions about shared decision making for school improvement, surveying teachers in School Improvement Councils regarding their attitudes about decision making and values inherent in their attitudes. Teachers felt satisfied that they shared the decision-making power. Parents and citizens actively participated in…

The Empowered School District Project is a three-year endeavor to facilitate the creation of empowered schools in nine school districts across the country. Discusses six themes that emerged in the change process: (1) framing; (2) process and content; (3) trust; (4) risk taking; (5) communication; and (6) critical mass and critical incident. (18…

Management drive in both higher education and industry is to offer participation to employees but use such participation to increase management control through identifying weak links in a deliberately stressed work situation. Attacks on faculty unions or senates are all part of management's offensive against any control by labor, and also on…

Describes the Pittsburgh Public Schools' efforts to institutionalize a shared decision-making model in secondary schools to provide more supportive educational and professional environments. The article examines the Schenly High School Teacher Center staff development program, noting that organizational development takes time and effort by the…

Restructuring demands an organizational and cultural break with the past. Because goals are ambiguous and new roles are required, decision makers must relinquish sequential, goal-driven planning for sustained dialogue, inquiry, and risk taking. Principals enhance the process by educating parents and the community and by establishing a…

Comparison of Literacy Volunteers of America's participatory model of small group instruction with a Connecticut affiliate showed the national program emphasizes students' role in shaping the learning environment. The local program, based on Dewey's concept of growth as enhancement of experience through critical intelligence, focuses on…

Examines a moderately sized Washington school district's efforts to move beyond strategic planning as a segregated activity toward thinking strategically about long-term plans to govern both tactical operations and the district's future. Top management grew to recognize the legitimacy of multiple external and internal constituent claims. (25…

Describes the impact of an open, participatory, consensus-based planning process with faculty and staff at Parkland College in Illinois. Indicates that the planning process has been enthusiastically endorsed by both faculty and staff and has resulted in an increase in the number of full-time teaching positions and a decrease in the number of…