Research seeking to evaluate the effectiveness of SBM has been complicated by the complex policies and practices that have been implemented with great variation. Given this difficulty, this book presents findings of a study that sought to understand the ways in which school-based management (SBM) actually operates in a school recognized for its…

In Victoria, Australia, every government school in the state is a self-managing school. The Victorian system of school-based management is called "Schools of the Future." This paper presents findings of a study that sought opinions of the school community toward various aspects of the Schools of the Future program and its outcomes. A…

Education in European countries has been characterized by a tendency toward decentralization and deregulation. The Dutch Ministry of Education commissioned the University of Twente to perform a comparative study of actual and future shifts in tasks, responsibilities, and authority in education in several European countries. This book presents…

Educators must combine a deeper analysis and understanding of the key concepts of change with a commitment and set of ideas for action. The articles in this book provide critical analysis and empirical and theoretical observations about successful school change. The articles explore the theories, leadership, and implementation strategies in…

A number of changes have been initiated in Washington State public schools in recent years. Policymakers and the public assume that principals have the capacity to lead the implementation of many reforms and regulations while carrying out a variety of responsibilities. This paper presents findings of a survey of Washington State principals to…

Dramatic changes in the work environment of education have resulted in role ambiguity and role overload for school principals. This paper explores the role of the principal of self-managing schools, especially as the role relates to educational leadership over the next decade. Several themes in the educational reforms likely to emerge and grow…

The Tasmania Department of Education and the Arts commissioned policy research in February 1992 to identify forms of accountability preferred by stakeholders. This paper describes the policy-research project that sought to clarify the accountability processes and the criteria for collecting data and improving the quality of learning, teaching, and…

Many school districts and schools find that they have an incomplete understanding of site-based management (SBM). This guidebook provides a systemwide approach to site-based management, using SBM as a strategy for school improvement and increased student success rather than for managing the status quo. It identifies nine essential perspectives and…

Outcomes of Project A+, a school-based improvement (SBI) partnership developed between International Business Machines (IBM) and the Austin Independent School District, are described in this document. SBI is a vehicle for restructuring schools to meet the goal that all students will function successfully at or beyond their appropriate grade…

The eight papers collected here bring to bear a complex set of perspectives on a common problem: how to make education more effective now and in the future. The papers speak to the need to understand education as an individual-driven, learner-centered activity. Following Ronald J. Anson's introduction called "Personalizing Systemic Reform," the…

Schools across the nation are experimenting with new forms of decision-making intended to facilitate the restructuring process. To discover whether two of these new forms--school governance groups and formal affiliation with a restructuring movement--affect traditional patterns of influence and authority, the Indiana Education Policy Center School…

This paper examines the ways in which private- and public-sector location affects organizational structure and functions, and the implications for school reform. It identifies the differences that are often overlooked when policymakers utilize market-based organizational reform models to address public school problems. Two fundamental questions…

The Scarborough (Ontario, Canada) Board of Education's Curriculum Review, Development, and Implementation (CRDI) model employs school improvement teams known as Curriculum Management Teams to design and coordinate school Curriculum Management Plans. Focused interviews were conducted in 1988-89 with all of the secondary schools in Scarborough to…

The New Zealand education structures were reorganized on a national scale in the late 1980s. In 18 months, a 100-year-old education system was radically restructured to create new administrative structures, new career paths, and new professional expectations for personnel. This paper summarizes these structural changes, reviews research reports…

The success of educational restructuring depends on the quality of leadership exhibited by school administrators. A method to help administrators develop an achievable educational vision is presented in this paper, which focuses on developing strategies for actualizing an organizational vision statement. After a vision is designed, collaboration…