Discusses effective management techniques and stresses the importance of practicing positive employee relations. Suggestions for management effectiveness include trusting employees, maintaining flexibility, being accessible to employees, having a written problem-solving policy, and giving employees equal opportunity for advancement. (BH)

Describes adapting an organizational technique used by cartoon animators to camp planning. A story board is a bulletin board on which are posted tasks on file cards. Columns for "to do,""doing," and "done" make it easy to track progress, add and save information, involve other staff members, set priorities, organize…

Experience shows that teamwork produces powerful results. Working in a team environment, however, presents its own set of challenges. This handbook provides U.S. Department of Education managers and employees with guidance to develop high-performing teams. Based on input from agency employees throughout the country, the handbook was designed to…

This book provides useful guidelines for implementing collaborative decision making in the public educational system. The prologue presents the historical background of educational reform in the United States and offers a rationale for radical school reform at the individual school level. The nine chapters that follow are divided into three parts.…

This packet contains materials, process guidelines, discussion questions, and suggestions that serve as a guide for a 3-hour training session on the topic of organizational culture for groups of from 7 to 21 (or more) adults. During the training session, participants simulate organizational behaviors following three different sets of cultural…

Intended as a guide for educators in shared decision-making, this report summarizes the structures, procedures, and activities of local action teams in 49 schools involved in the National Institute of Education's Research and Development Utilization (RDU) program. Local action teams in the RDU program consisted of formal groups of teachers and…

Practices to maintain and enhance board-member relationships are described in this handbook. Following the preface, chapter 1 presents a historical overview to describe the problems involved in defining the proper roles for school boards and superintendents. Chapter 2 identifies current board/administrator roles and what they should be for the…

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…

The increased demand on educational administrators to share power with parents, community groups, teachers, and school staff emphasizes the need for more participative decision-making and for improved communications with school groups and the outside public. Participative decision-making through groups or councils requires clear, unambiguous…

This document applies theories of participatory management to a proposal for a model that uses a team approach to staffing university library reference centers. In particular, the Ward Edwards Library at Central Missouri State University is examined in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of its current approach. Special attention is given to…

A survey of 100 principals known for their successful programs for obtaining community support brought many effective techniques to light. These methods fall into four categories: written and oral communications, community involvement in decision making, use of school volunteers, and encouragement of parent-faculty organizations. (PGD)

One of the organizational characteristics used in the Minnesota School Effectiveness Program is a positive school climate, which includes collaborative planning and collegial relationships. This module begins by identifying four types of collegial practices that characterize successful schools: (1) frequent, continuous, and increasingly precise…

Empowerment is based on the viewpoint that power shared is power multiplied. It contributes to increased school effectiveness by providing people with the opportunity and necessary resources to understand and change their world. The interactive processes by which people empower each other and benefit from them are discussed in this report.…

This volume provides information and recommendations about public relations to assist school administrators in developing effective communication. The document contains 15 chapters. "The Scope of Public Relations," chapter 1, specifies characteristics of and individuals responsible for an effective program. Chapter 2, "Personal Public Relations,"…