The Anglo-Saxon countries have implemented Management by Objectives (MBO) complemented with school-based management (SBM) fairly rapidly. Although these countries are considered something of a benchmark of stability, research on principals reveals that they experience high levels of stress and that this is associated with poorer job performance.…

Site-based management may be key to producing more effective middle schools. Recent survey showed SBM reforms not just individual schools, but whole school system. System of site-managed schools requires parental choice as ultimate accountability mechanism. Governance usually becomes the responsibility of school-based councils. SBM demands that…

The two studies reported in this paper inquired into the factors that influence the activities of principals in Ontario while implementing a special education policy. Data were gathered from interviews with 23 principals and a questionnaire distributed to 114 principals, respectively. Findings tend to favor autonomous, "empowered"…

A district coordinator of gifted education in a site-based managed school system relates the learning experiences which helped define her role as an administrator and an advocate of gifted education. Her role has involved collaborating, serving as a resource, sharing program ownership, and encouraging program differentiation across the district.…

The purpose of this Bulletin is to clarify the intent of shared decision making (SDM) and explore its benefits, drawbacks, and implementation. It looks at how the principal's role changes in SDM, stresses the need for training, examines conditions that affect successful implementation of SDM, and offers ideas on how schools can concentrate on…

A significant body of research from business and industry has generally confirmed the contribution of participative decision-making to improved organizational effectiveness and employee morale. Following a literature review, this paper explores the implementation of shared decision-making in the Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Public Schools. The…

Articulation for Career Education (ACE) is a project designed by the Department of Career Education to continue and expand the Articulated School-Based Management Plan (ASBMP) begun in 1981. A total sum of $57,966 in Education Consolidation Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter II funds were granted for the first year of this proposed 24 month project of…

This study examines the effects of principal leadership styles on the development of the working styles of seven local school councils in Memphis (Tennessee) during their first 15 months of operation. The successful implementation of a school-based decision making (SBDM) management model depends upon the ability of the local school council to…

If school-based management means shift in decision-making authority, all school operations and organizational roles will be affected. Progress may be impeded by participants' traditional mind sets about power, winning and losing, problem solving, model programs, and everyday reality. These and other implementation problems may be resolved using…

Although site-based management is very popular, it is not always well understood or implemented. Seeking a middle ground between leadership theory and practice, this practical guidebook provides a systemwide approach to site-based management as a school improvement strategy; integrates a student-oriented, strategic-planning process; identifies 9…

A formative evaluation was conducted of two elementary schools that have been engaged in the School/Community-Based Management (SCBM) process in Hawaii. The evaluation process was aligned with the SCBM philosophy, which promotes shared decision making, shared responsibility, and collaboration. Stakeholders contributed to the evaluation, which…

This paper reviews research on principals' and teachers' roles in site-based decision making (SBDM). Research examining teacher participation in SBDM is reviewed, finding that higher quality teaching behaviors and higher student academic attainment resulted from teacher participation. The review focuses on steps in implementing SBDM, means for…

Four school boards in Ontario, Canada, were selected for intensive case studies to examine the models, policies, procedures, and practices used to stimulate, support, coordinate, and assess the effectiveness of curriculum changes within their jurisdictions. The data collection consisted of (1) documents such as organizational charts,…

The initial conceptualization and subsequent development of the Effective Schools Pilot Project in the Kansas City (Missouri) Public Schools is described in this paper. Five K-6 schools and one school containing a kindergarten and grades 5 and 6 were the locus for the project that involved school-site teams working in collaboration with both…

While the initial phases of instructional program development are heavily dependent on knowledge sources outside the classroom, knowledge developed in the classroom by the individual teacher is usually vital to program implementation. Interviews with teachers, principals, and district administrators connected with four urban elementary schools…