This paper addresses the need to create relationships and supports that offer people with substantial disabilities the assistance they require to increase effective control of their lives ("power sharing"). The paper is based on experience and research in North American and British services to people with intellectual disabilities, autism, and…

Path analysis was used to test the relationships between the resources provided to site councils in site-based management (such as administrative support for site-based management), council communication and decision making practices, and perceived outcomes in terms of effectiveness and stakeholder satisfaction. Data were collected form 12 schools…

This paper explores the dynamics of managing collective problem solving and decision making, and the application of tools and strategies to deal with the emergent complexity of systems in which educators work. Schools and educational programs are complex adaptive systems that respond to changes in internal and external environments. Functioning…

This study sought to determine whether Chicago Public School teachers are more involved in shared decision making since the Chicago School Reform 1988. A review of literature on shared decision making yielded inconclusive results. While some studies concluded that shared decision making is imperative, other studies suggested that school climate,…

Citizen engagement is important for preserving a prosperous democracy and keeping elected officials accountable to their constituents. New issues affecting rural citizens are causing communities to reframe and ask new planning questions. Two approaches to citizen engagement are asset mapping, in which communities focus on their strengths and…

AIM (Assessment, Instruction, Mastery), a performance-based assessment developed in Oregon, was piloted in 25 volunteer-based programs in Pennsylvania. During the program year ending in June 1999, 190 tutors and program staff from 20 agencies attended training workshops on using the AIM system; 13 programs receiving training reported 136 tutors…

This study examines the preliminary results of a 5-year national study on creating communities of learners, provides findings from teachers and principals at 20 schools, analyzes characteristics of high- and low-readiness schools, and discusses the interaction of leadership, vision, values, and the conditions required for professional learning…

This paper analyzes changes in decision-making in France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom and tries to identify trends in these countries' reforms. In general, the reforms initiated by these five countries redesigned the loci of decision-making between the government levels, modified the modes of decision at these levels, and…

This report marks a midpoint in the Annenberg $500 million challenge to improve public schools. It comes at a time when evidence from the Annenberg Challenge's first projects has started to accumulate--and to suggest that the program is indeed having a beneficial impact on students, schools, and communities. This report also furnishes early…

This report presents findings and conclusions gleaned from a review of 42 cases of indigenous development in Latin America. Findings indicate that the lack of a legal framework for indigenous rights presents a basic obstacle to indigenous self-development; the most common aspect of successful indigenous development was involvement of indigenous…

This paper reports on a pilot study that emerged from two separate doctoral studies on teacher curriculum decision making and school-based management. The pilot study investigated the interface of curriculum making and educational partnership, noting conceptual and contextual links between the thinking and practice of teacher curriculum decision…

Building partnerships among teachers is essential to enhance student learning. The Richardson-Rivers Collaboration Model emphasizes the importance of relationship building and describes procedures for successful classroom collaboration among teachers. The model combines theoretical constructs based on the Johari window and Jung's personality…

This report documents findings from site visits and other data collected by the Schools of the 21st Century (S21C)-Detroit Annenberg Challenge External Evaluation Team during the 2000-01 school year regarding Detroit's Leadership Schools efforts. The S21C approach emphasized improving student-teacher relationships, enhancing school-community…

This paper describes how one faculty member worked toward becoming a more democratic teacher educator. The instructor proved that by re-examining one's teaching practice and working with students to create a more democratic higher education classroom, this can be achieved. The goal was to scaffold student learning by constructing a democratic…

Since the late 1800s, factors that stimulated growth of outing clubs at colleges and universities included the desire to get outdoors and explore and the clubs' ability to provide outdoor training, access, and equipment. Outing clubs were initially formed by students. The outing clubs at Williams College, Dartmouth, and Allegheny College were all…