The most significant finding of various commission reports is stakeholders' lack of involvement in the decisions affecting them. School board's major function is to develop processes that ensure stakeholder participation in developing and implementing a shared vision for education. Board should ensure that all competent administrators and teachers…

The key to our future students' success is educators' ability to transcend their immediate ego-protected environments and openly seek, accept, incorporate, and publicly acknowledge expertise and opinions of others. Principals advocating benefits of collaborative decision making must show tolerance and encourage a wide variety of management,…

Current plans to use National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results to compare and rank states may lead to a perception of NAEP as a national achievement test representing a national curriculum. NAEP procedures should be reformulated to enhance curriculum coherence, instruction, and participation by local and state educators. (TJH)

This study of the composition and operation of both "top down" and "participative" school management teams in 18 Israeli elementary schools considers (1) how management teams are organized, solve problems, and make decisions; and (2) how the operation of the management team influences school effectiveness. No relationship…

Contrasts the faculty-led administration of the Waldorf Schools founded by R. Steiner with the administration by local school councils established in the Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools through the School Reform Act. In Chicago, morale and status of teachers can be improved by increasing their administrative partnership. (SLD)

At the American Association of School Administrators' 124th annual meeting in February 1992, participating superintendents pursued improving public schooling design to achieve the results that communities are increasingly demanding. After detailing obstacles to success, speakers laid out workable solutions involving total quality management,…

Principals and central-office administrators often spend little time interacting or discussing curriculum, instruction, and staff development. Leadership consciousness must be formed through links between schools and the central office. In a restructured setting, central-office leaders support the principal, provide technical assistance and…

The circular nonhierarchical organization of the Hishkoonikun local education authority in Kashechewan, Ontario (Canada), makes students the central focus of educational decision making, provides equality and improves accountability and responsibility among various educational stakeholders, and reflects Native cultural values and traditions. (SV)

Examines the evolving role of parents in school decision making. Discusses the history of the parent-school relationship during the 20th century, categories of parent involvement, class and gender biases within the power structure, influence of principal's leadership style, needs for parent and educator reeducation, and development of true…

The process for establishing a climate and a framework that promote school-based reform is complex. Describes the steps a typical but fictitious district takes to build support for change. (MLF)

Discusses the importance of community in critical thinking, presenting objectivist and nonobjectivist views of the conduct and teaching of critical thinking. An essential insight for education resulting from the nonobjectivist conception is the development of a commitment to the ethical values of community, democracy, freedom, and equality. (SM)

The article explores the consequences of new systems of shared decision making and governance for the assessment of principals, presenting case studies of two Chicago-area school districts that made substantial progress expanding teachers' professional roles in school- and district-level governance. (SM)

After delineating wider context of Coalition of Essential Schools restructuring in Illinois, paper explores principal's changing role in four schools immersed in restructuring process. Factors inhibiting role changes in shared governance system were lack of stability, support, trust, and commitment. Factors promoting change were new conceptions of…

Reviews the issues of tenure, faculty status, promotion, and compensation for Wayne State University (Michigan) librarians since 1968 and outlines areas in which disagreement among librarians may have contributed to a denial of full faculty status and privileges. (six references/notes) (EA)

"International Programming Issues for Extension Education" (Rosson, Sanders) describes a survey of extension personnel identifying global competition and agriculture as a key issue. "Expanding Our Horizons Internationally" (Richardson, Woods) discusses North Carolina Extension's staff development on global issues. In…