Findings from a study that examined the school-level factors related to the success of early efforts to restructure schools through school-based management are presented in this paper. Specifically, the study examined the antecedent factors expected to affect the probability of a school moving forward toward more extensive decentralization. An…

To address the effectiveness, the process, and the results of decisionmaking groups that include both administrators and teachers, and to discern the difference between the effective and less effective decisionmaking groups, 107 test groups, each composed of one Florida elementary school principal and two teachers from the same school, were…

Educational restructuring, an emerging concept without a single definition or a definitive model, supports the notion of multiple alternatives. Typical school improvement and excellence initiatives do not, by themselves, constitute restructuring. Restructuring means that schools should be organized according to children's learning needs. To…

General interest in decentralized decision-making in education is increasing in both Canada and the United States. This paper attempts a preliminary study of school-based management, which shifts some budgetary decision-making authority from the central office to individual schools. Although many academic specialties have explored decentralization…

Research on school-based management approaches to educational reform, including effective schools research, is presented. Included are an introductory section on school-based improvement and its link to effective schools, by Anne T. Henderson; descriptive summaries of 53 references; a list of organizations to contact for further information; and a…

Chapter 5 of a revised volume on school leadership, this chapter presents the case for school-based management, stressing the principal's central role. In site management, the school is the primary decision-making unit. Decisions concerning expenditures, curricula, and personnel are made by school site staff, with help from parents, students, and…

Recent educational literature has stressed the benefits of site-based management and parental involvement in school programs. To capitalize on these benefits, site-based planning teams designed to involve perents, teachers, administrators, students, and community members were developed by the Institute for the Development of Educational Activities…

This study tests a model which demonstrates how school management and organization influence student intergroup attitudes and behavior. Variables were delineated from relevant literature, and data were gathered from 192 schools. The results supported the reasoning of the model and indicated how school environments can induce desired social…

Describes Lake Washington (Washington) School District's master plan to balance building-based decision-making and administrative input, encourage collegiality, and respond positively to change. For each building, the district master plan is mirrored by a locally developed master plan. Each teacher is also developing a classroom plan. (MLH)

Teachers in an Alexandria, VA high school formed the School Improvement Project to have a greater voice in the running of the school. They were surprised by the work the process demanded and by faculty members and administrators wedded to the old top-down structure. (Author/LHW)

Declining enrollments and other factors are changing the role of the consultant, but consultation in schools will continue because of shifts in teacher preparation, increasing community and governmental demands, and other forces. Consultants must provide consultation designed for specific school sites that is long-term and focused on single…

Effective education depends on cooperative efforts at all levels of schooling and a bold insistence on progressive organizational power structures. (JW)

One of the most visible and widespread of the current educational reforms is the attempt to decentralize authority to schools and to involve teachers and others in shared decision making. Often occurring together as site-based shared decision making (SBDM), this reform is turning out to be more difficult to implement than once thought. Few noted…

In 1990, the Leon County Public Schools (FL) implemented a voluntary school-based, decision-making (SBDM) council. This paper presents findings of an evaluation of the SBDM system in the school district conducted after 5 years of activity. Data were obtained from interviews with 61 principals and 34 site-council chairs and from a survey of 206 out…

This digest in Spanish discusses a contemporary rationale for decentralizing fiscal decisions through school-based budgeting (SBB). It comments on procedural, legal, and equity considerations; reviews several studies of SBB implementation in urban districts; and identifies emerging policy and research directions. The rationale behind SBB includes…