Some principals are threatened by school-based management. School systems adopting school-based management should have a training program for principals and limit initial involvement to those principals who are attracted to increased autonomy and control over their schools' budgets. (MLF)

Fear frequently underlies confusion about shared decision making. Participative decision makers do agree on three basics: focus on improving school effectiveness by involving teachers and parents; need for school teams or councils charged with decision-making authority over certain issues; and a process to improve overall decision-making quality…

A pilot program in school-based management in Prince William County, Virginia, gave principals at five schools their share of the school system's budget to allocate. (MLF)

Describes what is happening with school-based management in the public school systems of Dade and Sarasota Counties, Florida; and Savannah Chatham County, Georgia. (MLF)

Principals must become new-age leaders dedicated to achieving a learning renaissance in the nation's schools. Like Sisyphus, principals often find themselves in the ultimate organization box, facing endless uphill struggles. Two exemplary Los Angeles practitioners have transformed their work places into egalitarian learning networks. A new…

Although schools are increasingly adopting site-based management (SBM), little uniformity exists among districts. SBM is suffering from growing pains and "shop-floor realities." Principals and teachers are managing schools through trial-and-error. Many principals are paranoid about their changing roles, and teachers are struggling with budgeting…

Tupelo (Mississippi) Superintendent Mike Walters eschewed his former "happy bureaucrat" role for a facilitative role allowing teachers to reinvent curriculum and instruction. Inspired by Deming's continuous-improvement precept and aided by a $3.5 million grant from the area's Fortune-500 business community, this superintendent finds…