This paper discusses the concept of school-based management (SBM), often also called whole school reform. The paper is in four sections: (1) A description and discussion of what is meant by school-based management; (2) a review of the literature about its implementation; (3) a review of its effects on students; and (4) some general conclusions.…

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory study assessed school reform in Chicago, using case studies, school and central office audits, expert review of reform indicators. Shows partial success in achieving reform goals through site-based management. Local school improvement plans have not been integrated into a set of goals or visions;…

Describes a Dade County (Florida) Schools pilot program to decentralize the district's schools and adopt teaching professionalization as a primary goal. Using various committees and task forces, the district formulated goals, developed a shared decision-making model, addressed management/labor issues, and provided team training opportunities. (MLH)

Recently, a group of 26 elementary, middle, and high school principals met to evaluate the Prince William County (Virginia) Public Schools' school-based management system after its first year of operation. Principals made generally positive comments about budgetary changes; staff and community involvement; the evaluation process; and the role…

The 1988 Chicago reforms require the school system to raise its student achievement levels to national norms in five years, reallocate resources away from the administration and toward schools, and establish local school councils as the basis for school-based management. So far, this reform implementation has not significantly affected student…

The Mary Reynolds Babcock Project (MRBP) is a school improvement effort implemented at the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools during the 1990-91 school year. A total of 24 elementary school teachers, called visiting teachers, visited designated lab sites within the system for 2 weeks each to observe exemplary instructional programs and be…

For a school to be educationally successful, it must be a community of professionals working together toward a vision of teaching and learning. A school must develop a vision, determine decision-making processes, assess effectiveness of strategies, establish and clarify major goals, obtain control over resources, and avoid distraction. The League…

This paper briefly describes the Accelerated Schools Project, presents ideas concerning an appropriate evaluation model, and conveys some early results achieved across the nation. The Accelerated Schools model attempts to restructure schools with high concentrations of students in at-risk situations so that they enter the mainstream by the end of…

The provision for schools to waive local education authority control and become self-governing was the most radical element of Britain's 1988 Education Reform Act. A survey of five opted-out primary schools shows that larger schools succeed better at self-governance because of economies of scale; clustering smaller schools into groups with single…

This handbook explains site-based management (SBM) in schools to help those who wish to decentralize their operation so that the campus-level staff have flexibility in making decisions that affect the students at their location. The text is divided into four major sections, each devoted to a particular area of concern under the SBM concept.…

Summarizes a survey of 239 New Zealand elementary school educators. New Zealand's experience shows that national policymaking, which largely excludes school staff, still substantially influences everyday school operations. When site-based management occurs in a vacuum, devoid of interest, support, initiatives, and well-grounded information, school…

Summarizes the historical background, planning, and implementation of a School-Based Management/Shared Decision Making (SBM/SDM) program in Dade County (Florida). Highlights interim evaluation findings and recommendations. (FMW)

The School Development Program, conceived during the 1960s, is a collaborative process designed to enhance school climate through shared decision-making and guided problem-solving approaches. Basic components are the school management and planning team, the mental health team, and the parents' program. This evaluation of Cleveland (Ohio) Public…

After 10 years' experience, the Salem County Vocational Technical Schools (New Jersey) have had positive results from developing objectives annually and clarifying long range goals. The Salem County Board of Education's philosophy is to operate the district as a business would, defining its function as human service and its product as the people…

Since 1989, the Chicago Public Schools have been undergoing a major restructuring that has shifted responsibility for running schools from the central board and administrative staff to local school councils comprised of lay people. The reform legislation aimed to raise achievement, attendance, and graduation rates to national norms. On these three…