After describing the nature, promise, and reality of school-based management, this document discusses delegation of authority to the school site and distribution of authority among site participants as critical issues in the implementation of school-based management and reviews the importance and benefits of shared decision making. Eight major…

The impact of school-based management (SBM) on student performance is examined in this digest. The first part describes school-based management and its potential for improving student performance. A review of research concludes that, overall, school-based management has not contributed to consistent or stable improvements in student performance.…

Two models of educational reform that address the dilemma in schools caused by the confluence of two current reform movements--school restructuring and the regular education initiative are presented in this paper. The models offer a more complex framework that considers teachers' values, the role of external support for teacher development, school…

This paper discusses the recent implementation in England of school improvement reforms based on school choice and in particular on a system of school-based management whereby total financial control is vested in individual schools. The first section briefly describes the financial structure of the English educational system, followed by an…

Data collected during the 1989-90 school year reveal that middle schools in Guam exist in name only, with one notable exception. F. B. Leon Guerrero Middle School has implemented an interdisciplinary team model boasting many of the salient features of true middle schools. Leon Guerrero teachers rated the extent their school provided for students'…

The Instructional Design Environment (IDE), a computer assisted instruction tool for instructional design, has been incorporated into the curriculum and instructional development in mathematics instruction in the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP). (STEP is a 12-month program leading to an M.A. in education which emphasizes content focus…

The media production department of Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) began quality circle meetings in January 1981 after studying the process of quality circles and obtaining the understanding and support of the college administration. A quality circle is a small group of people doing similar work who voluntarily meet on a regular basis to…

Teacher participation in a research project was examined to determine the effectiveness of an individualized mathematics program involving drill and practice in computation processes. The first data set was gathered from a laboratory school (experimental group) where the teachers were accustomed to trying out new programs, and a private school…

Educational improvement can occur if school decisionmaking is shifted from centralized, "top down" administration to individual school control cooperatively directed by the principal, the staff, and parents. Site-based management allows the school a high degree of autonomy by placing the responsibility and authority for decisions at the school…

The third of three volumes, this report summarizes the findings of, first, a review and analysis of published literature on performance appraisal in general and particularly on the use of appraisals in public education systems, and, second, a series of field-site investigations of performance appraisal systems in action. The field site studies of…

This paper reviews selected literature pertaining to quality circles (defined as a small group of people who meet voluntarily, on a regular basis, to learn and apply techniques for identifying, analyzing, and solving work-related problems), in particular that literature focusing on communication-related variables. It examines 52 studies from the…

In 1982, a committee was formed to review, evaluate, and adjust the liberal arts core curriculum of Hilbert College in New York State. After completing its initial review, the committee concluded that, while there was a general appreciation within the college community for the current liberal arts core, a sufficient integration of the various…

A school board meeting serves several purposes. It is important that school boards be successful and effective governing bodies. This means becoming more efficient in conducting routine business; improving their ability to reach constructive decisions and to solve problems; making their meetings a source of good will among members, students, and…

The Staff Development for School Improvement Program (SDSI) at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) and Wayne State University (WSU) is an exceptional undertaking, designed to promote school improvement through the cooperative actions of EMU and WSU, and public schools. In the program, a university faculty member (facilitator) is assigned to work…

Site-based decisionmaking programs offer important opportunities for school systems; however, the risks involved are significant and the decision to embrace the concept at the local level is a highly complex one. With site-based decisionmaking programs, teachers are directly involved in making decisions that affect the whole school, not merely…