Reviews relevant literature on systemic change and community participation. Explores leadership styles of principals in four community-minded middle schools. Administrators should be aware of their individual leadership styles and their effects on others' behavior. Principals wishing to foster empowerment in schools should move toward a…

Examines the issue of community involvement in reformulating educational systems. Historical perspectives on community involvement in schools are reviewed; the roles of community members in educational settings and in educational systems design settings are discussed; and experiences from fieldwork observing community participation are related.…

Analyzes data emerging from a study that examined membership criteria for school teams. Six midwestern urban schools were followed for six months during the process of selecting and initiating parental and community involvement on advisory councils. Participation and attendance rates among minority participants were lower than for nonminority…

Examines participation of minority representatives on local school-change teams in Kentucky and their feelings about the experience. Their reasons for dropping out indicate that minority parents do not feel accepted by the decision-making group (often because of perceptions of racism and classism) and lack the confidence to participate fully in…

Offers guidelines for selecting community members for systemic restructuring efforts in public schools. Definitions of community and of systemic restructuring, or educational systems design, are presented; the importance of selection efforts is discussed; a community selection model is described and explained; and further research is suggested.…

Community participation has become an important aspect of almost any change efforts in public schools in recent years. The movement has waxed and waned through the decades since the Common School, but is enjoying renewed interest with the emphasis placed on involving stakeholders in systemic change efforts. Typically, community participation has…