Analyzed data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten to determine the extent to which school-based management was reported as having been implemented differently by public and private elementary school principals. Findings based on 866 principals show that public school principals have implemented school-based management to a…

This paper presents findings of an interim evaluation of a site-based management (SBM) project involving three elementary schools in Toledo City Schools (Ohio). A survey of all teachers in the three schools elicited 52 responses, a 98 percent response rate. Teachers reported that relative progress had been made in the areas of collaboration,…

Recounts a principal's experiences at a British Columbia elementary school with control over its own budget. Decentralized administration did not prevent mistakes. At first, administrators and teachers made more errors in judgment than an experienced school business officer would have made. This district's success may be attributed to the…

The Mary Reynolds Babcock Project (MRBP) is a school improvement effort implemented at the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools during the 1990-91 school year. A total of 24 elementary school teachers, called visiting teachers, visited designated lab sites within the system for 2 weeks each to observe exemplary instructional programs and be…

This report describes the first year of implementation of the 5-year Accelerated Schools Project (ASP) at Blanche Pope Elementary School in rural Oahu (Hawaii). ASP trains school staff and community members to transform governance, curriculum, and instruction in schools serving predominantly at-risk and minority, low-achieving students. In…

Findings of a case study that examined restructuring and organizational change in a California school district over a 12-year period are presented in this paper. The research draws upon the conceptual framework of "adaptive realignment," a process in which an organization continually responds to external and internal changes as they occur. Data…

The Chicago experience in school governance restructuring is examined in this newsletter. The introduction distinguishes between school-based management and shared decision-making and provides an overview of Chicago's restructured school governance. Next, findings of a study that examined school governance in 12 diverse Chicago elementary schools…

The adoption of a school-based management/shared decision-making administrative process (SBM/SDM) was recommended for the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) school district in June 1990. Findings of a study that determined the attitudes of three non-Chapter 1 elementary school communities in Philadelphia toward the adoption of SBM/SDM are presented in…

This paper presents findings of a case study that examined Australian primary teachers' perceptions of school-based curriculum development (SBCD). The study was conducted at Blackpool Primary School, a Catholic school in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Data were derived from participant observation, a teacher questionnaire, interviews with all…

Van Duyn Elementary School (Syracuse, New York) implemented a site-based project to develop student character. The neighborhood is a racially mixed, stable, private home community with 58 percent of students eligible for free or reduced price lunches. The school's objectives as part of a shared decision making, pilot school process were to have…

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…

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is giving 82 public schools around the state a chance to show what they can do to improve student achievement through reduced state regulation and increased flexibility. The project referred to as the Partnership Schools Initiative teams local school campuses with regional education services and the TEA for a 3-5…

The thought of shared leadership offers teachers a vision of more control of central issues of concern, opportunities for significant decision making, and the development of a more democratic environment. This paper presents an account of the success and frustrations encountered by an elementary school throughout an 18-month period of school-based…

Jilin is a rural province in northeastern China, known for its forests and forest products such as ginseng. In the past, Jilin's schools focused on preparing students for higher education and offered little of relevance to most rural students. In addition, the schools were understaffed and were managed by a remote, centralized bureaucracy. In…

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,…