This book is about education system reform in Central and Eastern Europe, with emphasis on decentralization and management. In the past, local authorities served as implementation arms of the central ministry, while finance and decision-making were controlled by the central government, leaving local communities with little influence. New education…

In this book, eight contributors examine issues related to the likely effects of the decentralization of school governance on educational practice. Two major themes emerge in the book. The first (chapters 1 through 4) is that governance reforms in education may have little to do with what actually happens in schools, but have much to do with…

Incorporating school-site management into the nation's educational systems will demand wholesale changes involving the very structure and organization of schools. Aimed at practitioners desiring to implement school-based management (SBM), this book is organized into chapters designed to enhance the sequential phases of application. Chapter 1…

This paper examines the effects of site-based budgeting in education. It describes and presents a school-based budgetary decision-making model that was designed originally to shift the balance of power from the central office to the building level. The model has been refined and successfully utilized in one school district for 20 years, and its…

Site-based management (SBM) is an increasingly popular approach to school restructuring. SBM aims to transfer authority from state agencies and school districts to committees based at schools. To garner a consensus supporting reform, these committees are to be representative of educational and community members. SBM plans are characterized by: (1)…

School/site-based management requires shifting the initiative in public schools from legislators, school boards, superintendents, central administrative offices, and unions, to individual schools. The purpose of school/site-based management is to increase student achievement and success by making those closest to the delivery of educational…

The first part of this text on school development provides a detailed historical review of school reform in Europe and North America. The middle part of the book gives an overview of the theoretical basis for educational improvement, and the book concludes with an analysis of educational change strategies. The chapters are: (1) "The New…

The real-life drama 25 years ago when Apollo 13 was rescued through a collaborative team of colleagues provides a model for changes in many public schools. In Texas, the state code specifies that site-based decision making address planning, budgeting, curriculum staffing patterns, staff development, and school organization. (MLF)

The Goals 2000 Act focuses on local decisions to improve education. The challenge for school business administrators will be to meet the changes in the way schools and districts operate in the areas of linking social services, budgeting, and purchasing. Lists the eight goals of the act, along with the objectives for measuring achievement of each…

In 1989, Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools began an experiment with the radical decentralization of power and authority. This book tells the story of what happened in Chicago's elementary schools in the first four years of this reform. Implicit in the reform was the theory that expanded local democratic participation would stimulate organizational…

This study examined the feasibility and advisability of using telecommunications in the Chicago Public School (CPS) system to support school reform that has been mandated by recent legislation. Survey research yielded information on the current status of staff development and Local School Council (LSC) training, and provided the basis for…

After reviewing definitions of school climate with emphasis on the four dimensions of school climate described by Tagiuri (1968), this document examines factors within Tagiuri's school culture and social system dimensions as manifested in the climate of average elementary and secondary schools and as they affect low achievers. Variables examined…

Reports on the effect of external political pressure on the distribution of influence in school districts. Focuses specifically on the influence exercised by school-level administrators and teachers on school-level policy. Expounds on a theory of local variation across institutional organizations using the High School and Beyond study. (CFR)

Suggestions for the organization of school-based management (SBM) implementation are presented in this guidebook for administrators. Five chapters cover the following topics: pros and cons of SBM; barriers to implementation; board of education relations; leadership roles; implementation mechanisms, such as goal-setting, budgeting, and personnel…