Effective administrative decisions result from the continuous and systematic appraisal of past decisions and of current conditions. Forty observations that may guide secondary school administrators in assessing and improving the effectiveness of their own decision-making processes are presented in this publication. Each observation is accompanied…

School-based decision-making helps create a professional environment for principals and teachers and improves the quality of decisions. This publication provides 11 examples of school and statewide initiatives aimed at school improvement through the use of shared decision-making. The projects detailed are under way in the states of Alaska,…

This technical guide is a training tool to help members of Head Start governing bodies, policy groups, agency directors, and Head Start and Early Head Start directors understand their responsibilities in a Head Start environment that emphasizes shared decision-making. The guide offers a framework for clarifying expectations and provides concrete,…

This document was developed by the Kansas State Board of Education to help local school districts establish school-site councils and assist in their operation. The Kansas legislature requires all school districts to participate in the Quality Performance Accreditation System (QPA). As part of that legislative requirement, each school in every…

Current reform efforts, focusing on teacher empowerment, are based on the belief that lasting school improvement will occur when teachers become more involved in professional decision-making at the school site. Presented in this document are four conceptually distinct models of teacher involvement in schoolwide decision-making, identified on the…

This booklet reviews decision-making, an important part of administrative processes, from the perspective of school teachers and other educators. The two most commonly used processes are the rational decision-making process (identify the problem, evaluate the problem, collect information, identify alternative solutions, select and implement…

This guide describes how to include employees and school customers in decision making. It stresses the belief that inclusion results in better decisions than those made by individuals or by a specific group. The volume is directed to two audiences: practitioners and citizens who are responsible for making decisions related to a school's human…

This book presents interactive problem-solving situations based on the principles of Total Quality Management. Following the introductory chapter, the second chapter describes the two stages of the problem-solving process: (1) analysis of the problem and its causes, and (2) identification of a solution. Each stage is comprised of three…

Four tenets should guide curricular decisions for young gifted children, aged three-six: (1) young gifted children have special learning needs; (2) curriculum should be drawn from their special interests and needs; (3) curriculum should emphasize exploration and play; and (4) children should be engaged in the curricular decision-making process.…

Highlights the importance of participatory management as a prerequisite for high quality day-care program functioning. Suggests that teachers and directors often have very different perceptions of what is going on in a center. Successful management requires patience, persistence, and a genuine willingness to consider differing points of view as…

The Kentucky legislature has mandated that a school-based decision-making (SBDM) format of operation be adopted statewide. At the school level, the governance for SBDM becomes the responsibility of a local six-person school council. The plan establishes a reward and sanction program for schools. Offers guidelines for school principals. (eight…

The effectiveness, behavior, and role of the consultant as policy advisor is examined in light of three operating assumptions: (1) that educational organiztions are subject to politicization; (2) that the consultant's primary role is to assist in nonroutine, potentially controversial policy decisions; and (3) that the consultant must therefore…

This manual is aimed at therapists working in education settings who may have limited experience in real-life consultation situations. The first chapter discusses educational consultation as a process, including contracting, planning, and evaluation/termination. The second chapter presents strategies for collaborative decision making. Chapter 3…

This guide provides philosophical and theological underpinning for authority and its exercise inside of Catholic schools. It examines authority from a cultural perspective and accords primary consideration to the principles of democracy, Scripture, and church teaching while reflecting upon what these imply for Catholic educational leaders. Chapter…

This document for school-council members in Kentucky provides guidelines for school-based decision making (SBDM). In 1990, the Kentucky State legislature passed the Education Reform Act (KERA), which mandated SBDM in Kentucky schools and recommended the formation of school councils composed of the principal, three teachers, and two parents. The…