Democratic participation in education suggests that communities will be served best when decision-making is decentralized and when people--teachers, parents, and students alike--are encouraged to participate directly in making decisions that affect them. In contrast, the notion of administrative leadership implies hierarchical elevation of chief executive to an extraordinary level of power, centralizing decision-making and control of resources in the hands of a few. It is argued in this essay that the possibility of democratic governance can be resurrected by illustrating that bureaucratic rationality, in the form of administrative hierarchy, is fundamentally mistaken and involves a language of political control through which political and moral claims are presented in the guise of technical necessity. Eighty-five references conclude the essay. Three readings on this topic complete the monograph: (1) "Democracy and Educational Administration" (J. Dewey); (2) "The Case for Decentralization" (P. Goodman); and (3) "Bureaucracy and Democracy" (D. F. Thompson). An annotated bibliography and information about the author are included. (WTH)