Three challenges must be met if certain reform endeavors are to succeed and professional efficacy for teaching is to be accomplished: the involvement of teachers in policy decision making, the definition of the knowledge base, and the unification of educational interest groups. (IAH)

This article describes the involvement of school personnel in the development of Individual Education Plans (IEPs), explains a proposed IEP-based inservice education model, and addresses potential pitfalls and benefits of this approach to inservice teacher education. (IAH)

Takes a critical look at who has the legitimate right to engage in supervision and for what valued social purpose, contending that those who are closest to the work are best qualified to form judgments about its quality and worth. Proposes an "educative" model of collaborative supervision to encourage self-awareness and self-determination among…

A survey of 195 elementary school principals in Alberta (Canada) examined the extent of staff collaboration in 18 curriculum development tasks. Collaboration was greater in schools with female principals regardless of principal's age, experience, or number of years in present principalship. (KS)

A study with 206 federal government employees reveals that degree of voluntary participation in quality circles is positively related to following quality circle guidelines and that following such guidelines is positively related to economic gain. Implications of voluntary and nonvoluntary participation on cost-benefit outcomes is discussed. (SLD)

Highlights the importance of management in a community college's success. Suggests that adaptive institutions, which identify challenges and create programs through cooperation with their staff and faculty, have a mechanism for continuous quality improvement. Describes Montgomery College's (Maryland) transition from a bureaucratic management…

Offers insights into the features of a learning organization. Delineates a context for leadership without elaborate structures, chains of command, or approving and authorizing. Underscores the importance of personal networks in boundaryless organizations. Suggests that each part of the organization continually learns about the interrelatedness of…

Recounts difficulties experienced by an Ohio principal who chaired his district's contentious boundary-realignment process. The community was divided over dispersal of heavily concentrated low-income students to other schools within the district. In hindsight, this principal would have had someone take minutes, selected a more diverse committee,…

Examines high schools with and without shared decision making in terms of interests, ideology, information, and the institution. Finds that institutions strongly influenced teachers' willingness to innovate and that they tended to ignore external information sources that would mediate that influence. Principals had more latitude to be reform…

Asserts that student-role redefinition is a critical linchpin between adult educational reform behavior and student success. Failure to acknowledge the need for students to redefine themselves is a flaw in promoting understanding of reform and effective change initiatives. Students need to be deeply involved in the change process. (SLD)

Reviews focus groups as a way of determining community opinions and explains how to use them. Designing a focus group series, conducting the group, and reporting the results are described, and examples are given of focus groups in educational change. (SLD)

Academic libraries, pursuing excellence in their products and services, are a natural entity for total quality management (TQM). Basic TQM principles include making decisions based on objective data, respecting people and their ideas, empowering all library staff, focusing on the process, and doing the job correctly the first time, all to benefit…

Argues that, with shrinking budgets, academic libraries must obtain optimal performance from their human resources, requiring a larger investment in staff training and development. Discusses how strategic planning and changes in organizational structure to include greater staff participation in decision making can improve staff effectiveness. (16…

Examines how participation in decision making affects acceptance of planned change. Hypothesizes that participation influences tactical decisions whereas direction affects strategic decisions. Reports that 222 Israeli managers, completing a battery of psychological ability tests, were given the choice to change test type. Concludes that decision…

This paper describes present learning environments for students with mild disabilities, especially instructional practices that thwart student motivation for learning. The Foxfire experiential approach to learning is then outlined, through discussion of 11 core practices that promote student involvement in instructional decision making and the…