The hostilities that many home school parents hold are deeper than the present circumstances and relations with schools suggest. Nevertheless, involvement of home school parents in public school and educational decision making can occur at all levels of administration. Adaptations for the state, district, and school level are suggested. (BJV)

Lists skills identified by the Leadership Development Task Force as being critical skills for a leader. Discussion focuses on information managing skills, including problem solving, decision making, setting goals and objectives; project management; and people managing skills, including interpersonal communications, conflict management, motivation,…

The Dade County, Florida, school system selected 32 schools to participate in a pilot program for shared decision making. Evaluators found similar problems and solutions in a variety of school settings and classified them into 9 categories. (MLF)

This study investigated teacher involvement in decision making in the Victoria (Australia) government school system. Data analysis found teacher involvement to be associated with gender, seniority and organizational responsibility, age and teaching experience, affiliation with the teachers' association, the influence of the principal, professional…

Explain's Duke University Library's change from a hierarchical management structure to one of self-managing teams developed within a total quality management (TQM) framework. Emphasizes the personal views and experiences of a manager responsible for implementing and guiding the process of change. (JKP)

Traces changes in governance at Canadore College (CC) in Ontario, focusing on the Associates Model of Governance which provides a felxible, top-down hierarchical organization that allows CC to adjust to the needs of its constituents. Reports that CC reduced its budget by $6 million while increasing enrollment by 25%. (MAB)

Principals want to be part of the decision-making process regarding business operational procedures. Principals want responsibility accompanied by the necessary authority along with having budgeting and other operational information readily available, technical assistance, evidence of equity, and immediate feedback. (MLF)

Information from quantum mechanics, chaos theory, fractal geometry, and the new biology can help educators rethink school-improvement approaches. Chaos and order exist simultaneously. Adaptability, the central operating principle of successful organizations, stems from five human energy fields: efficacy, flexibility, craftsmanship, consciousness,…

Describes the development of a long-term plan for the transformation of literacy practices in a small K-8 school district. Discusses the superintendent's role in facilitating the change process. Appends a sample project action plan presented to the board of education and three sample school board presentations. (SR)

Describes alternatives to bureaucratic centralism in the administration of national education systems. Discusses forms of decentralization based on political rationales (liberalism, federalism, populist localism, participatory democracy) and those concerned with quality or efficiency (pedagogic professionalism, management by objectives,…

Describes the objectives of teacher leadership, discussing related initiatives and literature. Suggests that leadership is an organizational phenomenon that can be understood only in the context of the structural, social, political, and cultural dimensions of school organizations. Presents an overview of this special issue, describing the authors…

One fiscally poor elementary school created a place for quality work by staff and maintained the standards for many years through various ongoing teacher development activities. An essential factor in developing the school culture was believing that teachers must be honored, supported, and trusted before they could honor the students. (SM)

The skill levels of school business administrators can be divided into technical, human relations, and conceptual. Field-based research revealed that the more the districts rely on shared decision making, the higher the esteem and trust the other administrators had for the business administrator. (MLF)

Strategies for recruiting and retaining summer camp staff include promoting meaningful relationships among staff, communicating to staff the importance of their job, providing opportunities for challenge and growth, encouraging staff to have fun, making camp an affordable employment option, and giving staff a voice in camp operations and…

Many schools are trying to reconnect elements of schooling that have grown apart since one-room schoolhouse days. This article explores alternatives to tracking and specialized curricula, including instructional alignment, criterion-referenced tests, schoolwide instructional strategies (cooperative learning and computer-assisted instruction),…