Examines a failed effort at university-community collaboration among three community-based organizations and the University of South Florida. Explores the dynamics of the interaction, analyzing the roles played by the competing goals and conflicting decision-making procedures of each party. Offers guidelines for universities seeking to establish…

Adults participating in a Los Angeles "school family" network will be engaged for the next several years in the Annenberg Challenge--a national reform initiative aimed at improving student performance. Participation offers opportunities to develop a coherent K-12 education plan, access extra resources, and pursue collaborative…

Examined implementation of state-mandated site-based management (SBM) in Texas high schools. Teacher and principal surveys indicated that state-level reform policies were subject to interpretation at the school level. Urban schools had high levels of SBM program structure but low teacher perceptions of decision making responsibility. Case studies…

Describes the development of alternative assessments being used successfully at two North Carolina elementary schools, noting the active participation of teachers in their development. From commonalities among the assessments, a seven-step, practice-based model was adapted and evaluated. The model highlights faculty buy-in, leadership, staff…

Describes the history of community schools, which link schools, families, and communities via family-support initiatives and school-linked services. Discusses family involvement in schools; partnerships for improvement that emphasize families without creating dependency; and new citizenship (building communities and promoting competence), which…

This article on speech-language therapy argues that new emphases on the client's life participation, involvement in clinical decision making, and cultural sensitivity should be seen as additions rather than alternatives to therapeutic impairment-oriented approaches. It proposes that the client's progression toward life goals be the standard used…

Simply carving up a large comprehensive high school into several smaller schools does not guarantee improvement. In this article, the authors find that key lessons garnered from numerous small-school conversions can guide school leaders through the cultural changes that must accompany the structural ones if small schools are to fulfill their…

During the past decade or so, popular rhetoric has shifted away from site-based management and participatory governance as the centerpiece of school reform strategies as accountability and standards-based reform have become the reform mantra of policy makers at all levels of government. Critics of accountability-based reforms have suggested that…

A literature review was carried out to establish what evidence exists about disabled children's participation in decision-making, both regarding their own lives and about the shape of service delivery. There is evidence that disabled children hold and can express views, given the right environment. However, participation of disabled children needs…

Many years ago when the author assumed the role of assistant principal for school climate, discipline, and attendance, he inherited many school policies and guidelines that were outdated, unfair, and without merit in the current school climate. Because the school conduct code had not been revised since the school opened in 1960, many of the…

Current research indicates that new teachers want to be involved in school-level decision-making. Upon entering the profession, many novice teachers are surprised and disillusioned to find they have considerably less involvement and influence than expected. Based on strategies that have been developed, revised, and refined over a number of years…

Most schools and districts have created an artificial distinction between working and learning. They operate in a way that suggests teachers work (teach) 180 or so days a year and learn (attend programs) on four or five days each year set aside for professional development. The author states that school leaders must end this distinction between…

Leader educators know that demands on leaders of organizations are increasing, requiring different strategies of leading, for example, working in diverse and global environments, using shared decision-making, and developing effective work teams. To educate future leaders in a postmodern era, instructors must attempt nontraditional teaching methods…

The Phillips Neighborhood Healthy Housing Collaborative learned valuable lessons through its work on two community-based participatory research projects in which it established a principled model of shared power and identifiable, mutual community-university benefits. A community impact statement (CIS) has evolved from this work. Like an…

Many recent school-reform efforts have called for increasing decision-making power at the local school level. This report examines state differences in the amount of control that public school teachers believe they have over establishing curriculum; selecting textbooks and other instructional materials; and selecting topics, content, and skills to…