Teachers and administrators need opportunities to share perceptions, consider possibilities, and forge solutions. Faculty book groups are a powerful tool to create organic solutions with wide ownership. They are great for spurring true professional development. In this article, the author shares how the teachers at New City School have met…

Although school-based management takes many forms, its essence is school level autonomy plus participatory decision-making. This article discusses implications for budget, staffing, curriculum, and beyond. The key is substituting participation for authority. A sidebar presents research highlights. Includes 26 references. (MLH)

In one Colorado school district, site-based management creates ownership for those responsible for implementing decisions by involving them directly in the decision-making process. This article summarizes the district's mistakes and accomplishments in defining terms and roles, providing support and training, resolving conflict, and managing…

When embarking on school/community-based management, nine Hawaii elementary schools trained their staff in facilitative leadership and received technical assistance from district offices. Schools can involve more parents by reaching a shared understanding about parental involvement, developing appropriate involvement strategies, providing parents…

Lawrence (Kansas) Public Schools has discovered that four components--clear expectations, focus on results, effective support systems, and good modeling--have substantially helped staff keep pace with constant societal and educational changes. The program's success may be attributed to six components: a professional development council,…

Describes Lake Washington (Washington) School District's master plan to balance building-based decision-making and administrative input, encourage collegiality, and respond positively to change. For each building, the district master plan is mirrored by a locally developed master plan. Each teacher is also developing a classroom plan. (MLH)

In 1984, the faculty of an Ohio inner-city high school was charged by district administrators with developing a school improvement plan to involve teachers in decision-making. The result was a faculty senate, complemented by a curriculum council. Yearly plans and five-year goals were also instituted, along with a changing role for the principal.…

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…

Moving toward site-based management, Greece (New York) Central School District administrators and the teachers' organization established a representative steering committee to coordinate and facilitate the decentralization process and develop a master plan. Benefits include increased faculty understanding, improved school climate, and increased…

At a Suburban New Jersey elementary school, the principal learned to let go and provide the means for staff to solve their own problems. Some lessons include learning to listen, establishing patterns of communication, understanding individual styles, promoting open communication, working to build trust, thinking with new perspectives, promoting…

In 1997, former Edmonton (Alberta) school superintendent Michael Strembitsky instituted school-based management in seven schools. Although the district retained policymaking responsibility, schools could decide matters such as class organization, number of teachers, and budgeting for learning resources and equipment. Giving schools control over…

Teacher involvement in decisions may detract from teaching. This article presents three case studies (concerning a teacher-owned program, teacher involvement in selecting a new principal, and an autocratic principal's failed experiment with participation) that examine pitfalls. Sunset clauses, a good centralization/empowerment balance, and an…

State endorsements of site-based management frequently overlook the development of skills necessary for collegial teamwork and strategies for demonstrating administrators' sincere commitment to the process. This article describes symbolic actions that some administrators have taken to develop new skills and build the necessary trust for assuming…

Site-based management tries to transform schools into communities where the appropriate people participate constructively in major decisions affecting them. Effective site councils have a well-designed community structure, enabling leadership, student and adult learning focus, and a schoolwide perspective. Districts should provide long-term…

Bringing a shared onsite management structure to UCLA's laboratory elementary school was possible because the school enjoys relative autonomy. At this newly restructured school, teachers now share ownership of decisions at every operating level. Success depends on advocacy groups, a formal decision-making body, and annual retreats for staff unity.…