Describes school board decisionmaking as a cooperative process that involves all local citizens. Recommends that the following six steps should be adapted to local needs: (1) brainstorm with the public; (2) publicize the results; (3) get reactions; (4) make your decisions; (5) make a commitment to the goals; and (6) publicize the goals. (CJH)

The Inter-cultural Network is an electronic communication network connecting faculty and upper elementary through graduate students in the U.S., Mexico, Japan, and Israel. The students address the problem of water shortage, while learning science concepts and transferring learning. A new form of instruction, teleapprenticeships, is suggested. (GDC)

Describes a survey of librarians in the California State University that examined the extent of professional staff participation in decision making. Organizational structures that facilitate participative management are identified, and librarians' perceptions of its degree and effectiveness are discussed. (6 references) (Author/CLB)

Teachers prefer that staff development be continuous, relevant, and integral to their jobs. A systems approach to staff development contains three basic components: planning, implementation, and evaluation. The proposed model emphasizes how interdependence of these components can be achieved through the use of feedback which facilitates system…

Provosts' and faculty perceptions of morale as related to faculty involvement in decision making during a time of financial stress are examined. The results indicate a direct relationship between morale and the severity of the institutional reduction plan implemented. Suggestions for institutional decision making strategies are presented.…

Argues that faculty self-government in higher education is inimical to the public interest, since most of the reforms needed in higher education--higher admission and retention standards, stricter personnel policies, and faculty accountability--adversely affect professional self-interest. Peer review in elementary and secondary education is also…

The past 50 years have witnessed a vast transformation of public education from tens of thousands of relatively independent, "grass roots," citizen-controlled school districts to centrally controlled, massive bureaucracies. Ten recommendations are made which would bring public education back under the control of ordinary citizens. (RM)

An overview is provided of the research conducted in Japan during the past 30 years on the Performance-Maintenance Theory of Leadership. Experimental and field studies are described which suggest that the consequences of leadership in Japan result from interaction of performance-oriented and maintenance-oriented behaviors. (TE)

Bringing together technical and administrative personnel for a problem-solving session preceeds the development of an institutional energy management plan. A "Master Plan Worksheet" model is included along with monitoring guidelines for successful plan implementation. (MLF)

A chief academic officer must know how to initiate a process of change. A strategy for involving diverse groups, especially faculty, takes many forms. An examination of two approaches to academic leadership is presented: the bureaucratic model and the participation model. (Author/MLW)

Interactive research and development can be an effective staff development strategy for experienced teachers. The teacher takes the role of researcher and the university professor acts as a team member in this partnership. Problems and prospects of implementing this program are discussed. (DF)

A survey of 56 Californian academic libraries was conducted to investigate use of selection committees to recruit, screen, and/or select professional personnel. Size of responding libraries, background on selection committees, functions and authority of committees, reasons for use of selection committee, and perceptions about hiring practice are…

Oakland Community College allowed a "Chronicle" reporter to watch the college president selection process. Their experiences are described, and some lessons they learned are offered: the process is imperfect, consultants shape the process heavily, and "chemistry" makes the ultimate difference among the finalists. (MLW)

Examines studies that identified factors promoting teacher motivation and meeting the challenge of academic excellence. (HOD)

Prevailing motivation theories from organizational behavior are outlined. Guidelines from current theories are pushed to the limit when outcome curves are examined in their extremities. Traditional reward systems are shown to have many practical limitations. Altruism as a theory is considered to explain organizationally-oriented rather than…