This guidebook is designed to help school leaders think systemically as they examine school improvement issues and make decisions about change. The guidance offered is based on what has been learned from systems theory, research on school improvement, and conversations with a broad array of school leaders. Because schools are complex systems of…

A concise description of a study directed at exploring the question of whether systems analysis could be applied to educational problems. (HB)

This field guide provides a look into education in relation to a concept that has already been established in science, business and therapy. This book will encourage and educate readers about systemic thinking through examples and ideas pertinent to education and its reform. Following a Foreword (Michael Fullan) and Introduction (Blane Despres),…

Discussed is the concept of "organizational development," which is a process of planned change that is organizationwide and iterative in its examination of problems, design of strategies, and evaluation of outcomes. (Author/SB)

This article has attempted to: (1) describe several dimensions of organization-environment fit; (2) describe some concepts which can be used in diagnosing the degree to which a school system's organization matches the demands and needs of its environment; (3) present some implications of such a diagnosis for OD [organizational development]…

Discusses the concept of "organizational development," which is a process of planned change that is organizationwide and iterative in its examination of problems, design of strategies, and evaluation of outcomes, but considers two components that previous OD interventions omitted: parents and students. (Author/SB)

Discusses the concept of "organizational development" (OD) and its relationship to educational change and reviews the five articles in this issue of the journal in the preceding pages 135-238. (SB)

The main thesis of this paper is that innovative changes in both urban metapolicy and in urban education are needed to meet present and future urban problems. Metapolicy deals with policies on policymaking, including the characteristics of the policymaking system and basic policy frameworks and postures. Unless urban metapolicy is improved, no…

Most administrators agree that school improvement and change are needed. Disagreement among administrators arises over how the improvements should be made. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a powerful tool in bringing about change and should be considered as an effective alternative in improvement efforts. The TQM approach is designed to address…

When school psychologists adopt an organization development perspective they are acting on a cluster of related concepts: (1) that because schools are social organizations, school effectiveness depends on the school's organizational culture; (2) that attempts to institute educational reforms only work when the reforms and the school culture mesh;…

This paper focuses on new ways of viewing the educational system by affecting change via small, initial adjustments. A number of fundamental ideas are presented that could be implemented by states, either individually or collectively, to change current educational systems into Information Age systems. Taking the cue from Chaos Theory, which states…

This manual, based on two years of research in Great Britain, is intended to assist those who are involved in the education of adults. In particular, it is intended to persuade adult educators to examine the relationships between policies and practice and thereby enhance the effectiveness of educational provision. The first section of the manual…