Examines trends toward more central regulation of schools and greater decentralization of authority to schools, teachers, and parents. Examines policy changes in those areas in Great Britain and the United States. (SK)

School-site management alone cannot guarantee administrative decentralization or nonbureaucratic management of teachers. A collegial, professional work environment can only be created by adhering to a participatory managerial philosophy that respects teachers as professionals and decision-makers and considers the specific relationships arising…

Describes the perspectives, roles, and activities of school district staff in planning for educational outcomes, focusing on central office administrators, principals, and teachers. The planning projects carried out in a large urban school district with 38,500 students have produced higher student achievement and a better school climate. Includes…

Describes a retiring superintendent's efforts to dismantle factory-style schooling and empower teachers. The Santa Fe (New Mexico) Schools' teacher/principal management teams have already instituted interdisciplinary teaching and ungraded, multi-age elementary classes. The latest project involved empowering teachers to select the next…

Following a review of the literature on parental involvement in school decision making, examines the background of current educational restructuring and parental involvement in school decision making in Western Australia. A case study of attitudes of primary school teachers in Western Australia about parental involvement is reported. (SLD)

Describes a teacher empowerment project implemented in one middle school from the perspectives of individuals who were expected to lead teachers into leadership: an administrator, a middle school specialist, and an evaluator. Their different perspectives emphasized the personal nature of the project and the importance of enhancing communication.…

Survey forms were sent to 6,000 school board members who subscribe to "The American School Board Journal" in an attempt to discover what reform efforts are being utilized and which ones are working best in schools. A total of 1,347 readers (22.5%) responded. Curricular and instructional reforms were cited by 91% of the respondents, and 70% said…

In Kentucky, where school-based decision making is legally mandated for all public schools, appreciable policy and decision-making powers are vested in SBDM school councils. Since 1990, educators have learned some valuable lessons: reform policies need early implementation guidelines; decentralization mandates create control problems for state…

Some recent writers cast doubts on planning and development planning and use chaos theory to justify their skepticism. This article questions the application of chaos theory to school planning. Alternatively, control theory clarifies important differences between short- and long-term planning and facilitates self-managing schools' use of…

Value orientations that influence opinions on educational policy issues were examined among Dutch leaders of educationally influential organizations. Their attitudes reflected Dutch society's segmentation along, but cooperation across, religious and ideological dividing lines, as well as optimism about educational reform through state…

Explores management of expenditures for public education in welfare state. Faced with fiscal overload, Scottish government is seeking to curb expenditure by engaging the compliance of both professional educators and parents under the guise of school self-management. The government's case rests on a (democratic) rhetoric of choice and ownership but…

Outlines the 14 points of Deming's business philosophy of Total Quality Management in terms of rural education, including adoption of a common mission, movement from mass inspection (standardized testing) to individualized assessment, constant system improvement, training for those involved in the process, improved communication, employee rewards…

Examines the use of rational planning techniques in five English elementary schools. Discusses the decision-making processes used to determine the employment and remuneration of teachers. Finds that the decree of control over decision making was related closely to the extent to which decisions would contribute to solutions of other school…

Examines how schools currently interpret shared decision making (SDM), discussing how one district uses SDM to assess student outcomes, coordinating it with other changes in the district designed to create educational change. The article explains what happens when good theory from business makes bad practice in education, presenting possible…

Unless school counselors are perceived to be a vital part of the educational process, external support for guidance services will be withdrawn and funding will be dramatically reduced. School restructuring and School Site Management are discussed as opportunities for counselors to redefine and clarify their roles; marketing strategies are…