Purpose: This paper aims to examine and compare the school excellence model (SEM) approach adopted by Singapore and the school-based management (SBM) approach adopted by Hong Kong. It discusses the implications of such a strategy and the challenges that both Singapore and Hong Kong schools face in navigating a new paradigm of managerialism while…

Shared decision making (SDM) as an element of educational reform promises enhanced quality outcomes and appeals to educators who see virtue in the idea of people coming together to plan what is best for themselves and their students. Analyses have shown, however, that school councils implementing SDM rarely tackle operational classroom decisions…

Quality circles (QCs) are small volunteer groups of workers who meet weekly with a trained leader operating to a strict code of conduct. They use techniques of brainstorming, cause and effect classification, pareto analysis, and presentation to consider work-related problems and recommend solutions to management. QCs have been tried in educational…

The total quality movement began as a result of the desire of W. Edwards Deming, an American statistician, to permit the economic system to maintain its edge in a growing global market. The 14 points Deming listed as essential to "total quality management" have recently been adapted to the field of education. The success of the total…

This article examines effects of the 1988 Education Reform Act in the United Kingdom, especially the decline in participative decision making by teachers, increased centralization of control, and the introduction of a national curriculum. The paper also discusses the historical relationship between professional autonomy for teachers and control of…

This paper describes some lessons learned from the first 2 years of Total Quality Management (TQM) implementation at the Coast Guard Academy (New London, Connecticut). Key issues for TQM adoption at the Academy included leadership, training, organization, total involvement, and measurement. It was found that top management must define the…

This article wants to present the National Education Development Programme of the Czech Republic, also known as the White Book, to large international audiences. The vision of Czech education is hereunder discussed within the framework of the development of the Czech educational policy in the 1990's, pointing out the Programme's essential ideas.…