The City School is a K-8 magnet school in Lowell, Massachusetts. Student, teacher, and parent participation in the school's curriculum and governance have resulted in a strong sense of ownership and an effective and exciting educational environment. (GC)

This document is a chapter in "The Principles and Practice of Educational Management," which aims to provide a systematic and analytical introduction to the study of educational management. The structure of the book reflects the main substantive areas of educational leadership and management, and most of the major themes are covered in the…

Theoretically, schools that practice school-based management (SBM) should be more effective. However, researchers do not agree whether the effects of SBM are negative or positive. This paper discusses how the practice of a self-management framework (in which key actors practice self-management cycles at the school, group, and teacher levels) could…

This book examines caring from three perspectives. It opens with a discussion of Nel Noddings's caring tenets--caring is collaborative, situational, reciprocal, and committed--that are seen as necessary for an ethic of caring. A critique of an ethic of caring from the viewpoints of caring with leadership, caring as a "female ethic,"…

A descriptive study was conducted that examined urban school counseling professionals' perception of school restructuring activities such as school-based management, community-school partnerships, and school-based family counseling. Professional school counselors (N=102) working in urban schools were surveyed. Several implications can be drawn…

This learning module/handbook explains the rationale behind school-based budgeting (SBB)--the transfer of authority and responsibility for allocating a portion of school operating funds from the central school district to individual schools--and suggests practical implementation strategies. According to part I, SBB comes in many forms. Each school…

This report examines the balance that exists between school-based management mandates and the superintendent's ultimate responsibility for student performance in Texas. It claims that the literature on school-based management stipulates that states must transfer authority, responsibility, and accountability from the central office to the school…

This paper examines the current state of parental involvement in site-based management (SBM) councils. It defines SBM as a formal alteration of the governance structure and as a form of decentralization that identifies the school as the primary unit of improvement. To assess SBM councils, surveys were mailed to 600 principals representing urban,…

This paper examines whether the delegating of whole-school decision making reaches to, involves, and empowers the middle-management level. It looks for evidence of alternative models of management for decision making and identifies commonalities between the perceptions and the practices of headteachers and middle managers. The research for the…

This paper analyzes the nature of site-based decision making in Canadian schools. Its purpose is to refine theory on how site-based decision-making (SBDM) processes develop between the principal and the various stakeholders and to offer recommendations regarding how practitioners might proceed to enhance the collaborative decision-making process.…

Public schools across the country are aiming to improve student performance by engaging in comprehensive school reform (CSR). This guide was created to help school districts make CSR an integral part of their strategies for improving student achievement. Five components for CSR are described: (1) Strategizing, whereby the district supports CSR by…

This report describes the implementation of School-Based Decision-Making (SBDM) Councils. The research drew on a stratified random sample of high schools, middle and junior high schools, and elementary schools geographically distributed throughout the eight service regions of Kentucky. The paper also details the types of decisions being made by…

In 1996 the Chancellor introduced Performance Driven Budgeting (PDB) to the New York City schools. PDB is a form of decentralized budgetary decision making intended to provide local educators with increased control and flexibility over the use of resources. The plan established a framework of goals and principles, outlined a phased-in…

This report reviews the second-year implementation of the New York City public school system's Performance Driven Budget (PDB) initiative. The Galaxy budgeting system that is part of the PDB initiative generates a school's budget from its table of organization, and then derives district and Central budgets by aggregating all school budgets. After…

Since 1991, charter schools of widely varying types and structure have spread to 1600 schools nationwide. A federal study suggests charter schools, compared with other public schools, are smaller, have a similar racial composition, and serve on average slightly fewer students with disabilities, an equal percentage with limited English proficiency,…