The policy-making and administrative roles of trustees and presidents are distinguished. The level of policy at which trustees should operate is dependent on the college's size and complexity and whether it is public or private. Trustee responsibilities of soliciting funds and selecting a president are acts of implementation in pursuit of a…

Strengths of the committee system and its value for colleges and universities are discussed. College committees provide more people with the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process. Leadership is provided to a committee by a chairperson who acts as a facilitator. The value of a committee depends on the scope of its mission, the…

Addressed to teachers, administrators, and researchers, this study discusses the philosophy behind collaborative school-based curriculum development and the results of an attempt to implement this type of curriculum development. This multi-disciplinary approach offers a way to combine the advantages of both centralized and localized decision…

The philosophy upon which this monograph is based is the belief that one of the responsibilities of the schools is to prepare all youth to become active and well-informed participants in a democratic society. Alternatives and options are recommended for improving the school curriculum, governance, teacher effectiveness, testing, discipline, and…

This report examines the role of participative decision-making in education by reviewing significant research on the involvement of teachers in educational policy-making. The discussion attempts to put participative decision-making (PDM) in perspective by highlighting empirical research on how well PDM works and by identifying some of the…

Drawing on documents and interviews with school staff, this report describes Oaklea Middle School, serving grades five through eight in the Junction City (Oregon) School District. An overview of the school's startup and philosophy stresses the priority assigned to students' educational, physical, social, and emotional needs. The author next…

In 1971, a management consulting firm undertook a case study of the Columbia University libraries to improve library performance by reviewing and strengthening the organization and recasting staff composition and deployment patterns. To implement the study's recommendations, an administrative structure was proposed which would emphasize functional…

This report presents a theoretical model and a practical guide for a survey feedback-problem solving-collective decision intervention in educational systems. The intervention focuses on work roles and relationships; job function, authority, and communication patterns; and on reviewing group progress and problems. One objective of the strategy is…

For the brightest students the most significant reasons why they won't teach relate to frustrating working conditions, bureaucratic requirements, the lack of professional control, and few opportunities for intellectual growth, as well as these students' intolerance for diversity in the workplace and their perception of teaching as a "boring…

The founder of the Roeper School (Michigan) discusses the role of the administrator in the context of gifed education. Emphasis on the Roeper School program, its nonhierarchical philosophy, and the administrative changes (board composition, teacher evaluation, relationship with parents) which positioned the administrator as facilitator of group…

Advocates school and district administrator solicitation of teacher participation in decision making to combat teacher burnout and teacher shortages. (JC)

Effective family problem solving was studied in 97 families of elementary-school-aged children with definite- and indefinite-solution tasks. Incentive and task independence were manipulated. It was found that definitions of effective problem solving based on directly observed measures of group interaction were more valid than definitions based on…

To stimulate development in Nicaragua it was necessary for the Sandinistas to raise the education level of its populace. This was accomplished through a national literacy crusade which decreased the illiteracy rate by 37.1 per cent. The crusade showed the importance of incorporating popular organizations into the process of change. (VM)

Shoreham-Wading (New York) River School Distict's long-term goal is to build awareness of human rights into teachers' and students' daily activities. Staff workshops and planned human rights activities help school community members explore preconceived beliefs and attitudes and develop personal power, group support, and critical awareness. An…

Describes the background, goals, methods, and results of a needs assessment study at the New York Public Library. This structured, phased self-examination was designed to form a consensus about the institution's long term needs and priorities. (CLB)