Four critical first steps to establish trust among school boards, schools, and the public are: (1) building a community-wide consensus about the essential purposes of schools; (2) agreeing on how to provide choices for minority viewpoints; (3) selecting key education leaders; and (4) providing these leaders with the freedom they need to do the…

Describes a partnership between the School District of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. The Taking Stock/Making Change collaborative action research project supported schools as they moved toward school-based management and shared decision making. Though participating schools had some problems,…

According to Peter Drucker, the school's monopolistic position as producer and distributor of knowledge will be challenged by postcapitalist society. Knowledge is fast becoming the sole production factor, sidelining both capital and labor. This article addresses current concerns about school self-management, arguing that decentralization offers an…

Forward in the Fifth is an organization created to improve the quality of education in Kentucky's Fifth Congressional District, which had the lowest percentage of high school graduates in America. The organization has employed innovative ways to involve the whole community, resulting in widespread cooperation, as well as increased graduation rates…

Overviews the role of school councils in each of the 12 Canadian provinces as part of a trend toward site-based management that empowers local communities with decision making and encourages significant input from those responsible for implementing decisions. Suggests that school councils allow parents decision-making power in the policy areas of…

Examines the potential for site-based management and shared decision making to impact the curriculum, particularly in science and mathematics teaching and learning. Information comes from studies in two school districts that had experimented with both strategies over the years. In both districts, the strategies significantly impacted curriculum…

Discusses educational reform, and argues that little had been accomplished in the past decade because of general complacency. Discusses lack of incentive to change. Proposes 10 essential elements of a reformed education system that parallel the "American 2000" strategy. Argues that the current political climate is ready for change. (JB)

Presents a listing of ERIC documents and journal articles on public school choice as an area of education reform. Includes reports, policy arguments, and surveys of state laws and initiatives and national trends. Provides information for obtaining the listed documents. (DK)

After previous reform attempts failed, the radical restructuring of the Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools in 1988 has brought empowered principals, councils for shared power, and increased minority involvement in school governance. However, many participants cite various problems. Never the less, the reform effort has brought the Chicago community…

Explores implications for instructional leadership and supervision in a community with school-based management (SBM), focusing on Chicago public schools. SBM provides structure for developing a school community. Three views of schools as communities include school communities and social capital; schools as communities of reflective practitioners;…

Explores Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy, its industrial achievements, and its promise for education. Key elements of TQM include establishing a strong sense of school vision, promoting personal mastery learning for all organization members, focusing strategy on customer-driven values, developing outrageous goals, working effectively…

Examination of school-improvement efforts at small-town New England high school shows limits of effective leadership, site-based management, and curricular innovations as improvement agents. Efforts are doomed without community consensus about reform goals and best ways to measure progress. Communities must synthesize information about academic,…

Reviews the emerging second wave of research generated by many different countries and relates findings about good school characteristics to broader managerial issues concerned with the actual implementation of effective schools research. School improvement programs should be school-based and "whole school"-oriented and dependent on outside…

Parents, community members, and school staff are involved in planning and staff development for systemic change in Columbus (Ohio) public schools. The model is site-based, data-driven, and school-specific. The article reviews effective schools features and program features, noting the success of the collaborative effort. (SM)

The Indian Children's Parliament (Rajastan, India) emerged from the Social Work and Research Centre (later known as the Barefoot College), which provides academic and vocational classes at night for rural working children. These children contribute to family incomes, but previously their opinions were not acknowledged. Students elect 17 Parliament…