The creation of "Higher Education Corporations" in the United Kingdom is discussed within the context of what one Polytechnic has done in creating a Decision Support System to address the problems found in resource management, cost control, and competitive bidding. A summarization is included of the actions taken by the Polytechnic in…

This is a description of a pilot project in three North Carolina county schools whose goal is to combine their new career ladder for teachers with the recommendations of the Carnegie Report on restructuring the way schools are organized. This is the first year of a four-year trial to evaluate this model before expanding it to the entire state. The…

School-based management (S/B/M) pilot projects, funded by the Washington State Legislature, were established to develop and strengthen the S/B/M concept to produce meaningful change. Bringing together recent educational research and modern business management theory, S/B/M operates on the assumptions that individual schools are the largest…

This paper first explains that in school site budgeting management, principals, teachers, and community members are involved in allocating school funds appropriated by district offices to individual schools. After briefly commenting on the origins, assumptions, and process of school site budgeting management, the roles of the participants are…

Today's public schools are failing to educate not only disadvantaged students, but average students as well. The public education system in America faces twin dilemmas: In the current changing national economy and labor market, schools are inadequately preparing students to be self-sufficient adults; and the population of disadvantaged youth is…

Monetary incentives are not the only variables that attract and hold good teachers. Long-lasting organizational change can only be achieved by manipulating organizational values such as authority structures, reward systems, technology, and environmental relations. To affect both teachers and students, educational reform must include teachers'…

This Digest advocates alternative educational programs as ways to reduce dropout rates, increase academic and personal satisfaction and achievement, provide real options for struggling students, and generate improvement in all grade levels. The study discusses five concerns in relation to alternative school programs: (1) issues raised regarding…

This paper discusses "moral imagination" or vision by strong-minded task-oriented contemporary educational leaders like New Jersey's Joe Clark. These are principals and superintendents who will challenge traditional assumptions about the nature of the school's relationships with its internal and external publics in favor of their own…

This document answers the questions Kentuckians asked Governor Wallace G. Wilkinson (Kentucky) about his proposals for educational reform. Governor Wilkinson claims that the traditional school structure leaves the educational needs of many children unmet because it is not flexible enough to meet their different learning needs. The Governor…

Drawing on previous research by themselves and others, the authors argue, first, that despite findings that principals spend little time in instructional leadership activities, principals are more deeply engaged in organizational goal attainment than has been believed; and, second, that despite findings that communications between principals and…

The two studies reported in this paper inquired into the factors that influence the activities of principals in Ontario while implementing a special education policy. Data were gathered from interviews with 23 principals and a questionnaire distributed to 114 principals, respectively. Findings tend to favor autonomous, "empowered"…

The professional and career development of teachers is central to many educational reform theories and propositions. Career ladder proposals are examined in detail. Teacher leadership and empowerment are discussed as routes to enhance status of the profession. (JL)

Solutions for educational problems may lie in restructuring schools. A model from West Germany focuses on schools as communities. This diminishes the anonymity of large schools and allows students of different abilities and backgrounds to reach their potential. The headmistress of such a school is interviewed. (VM)

School-site budgeting puts the burden of responsibility directly on the local school and allows for more public involvement; however, it increases responsibilities and demands on time for administrators and teachers. (MLF)

An interview with an experienced, inner-city elementary school principal. Discusses forms of creative-insubordination, a practice by which local administrators disobey district orders for the good of the school. Weighs the advantages and dangers of discretionary decision-making. (KH)