Identifies nine necessary ingredients for replacing tracking with heterogeneous grouping alternatives: a belief that all students can learn, an orientation to institutional change, high expectations for all students, a partnership of leaders and teachers, committed parents, a hospitable policy context, a multiyear plan, purposeful professional…

In 1992 and 1993, the Boston Public Schools and Boston Teachers' Union contracts established school-based management as a schoolwide policy. Now Boston's school-site councils are focusing on varied educational improvement issues, including educational missions, effective teaching strategies, genuine parent involvement, a student-centered…

Specific problems (involving power, implementation, mission, time management, expertise, cultural constraints, avoidance, and motivation) are keeping school-based decision making from improving teaching and learning. Educators must begin with a clear mission, set explicit goals for the decision-making process, alter governance structures to…