This study introduces a critical issue in the practicality of training programs, not only in Saudi Arabia, but also in other developing countries where billions of dollars are spent on training human resources without evaluation of these programs on workplace practice and organization development. This study investigates barriers encountered in…

To assure accountability to educational policy developed by elected and appointed leaders, agencies and organizations must adopt high quality evaluation designs tailored to meet three basic tenets: (1) different processes for policy formation and demonstration of accountability; (2) clear accountability expectations built into policies; (3)…

Virtually all British secondary (high) schools and many primary (elementary) schools feature what is called a senior management team (SMT), typically consisting of the headteacher (principal), one or more deputy heads (vice principals), and other teachers. To explore how SMTs are working, a survey questionnaire was mailed to 150 headteachers in…

This ERIC Digest discusses the issue of the school district management audit--a comprehensive examination of an organization in order to assess efficient use of resources and program effectiveness. Several aspects of the management audit issue are covered in question-and-answer format: (1) What is a management audit? (2) What areas are covered by…

The third of a five-volume series, this volume consists of two empirical studies of organization development (OD) in school systems. Part 1 reports on information gathered from over 300 OD consultants in the United States and Canada regarding job title, work base, sex, geographical region, type of training, and nature and extent of OD work in…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the efforts of one Dade County, Florida, high school to use site-based management/shared decision making (SBM/SDM) over a 7-year period. The study examined participants' beliefs about the distribution of authority, the nature of work, and conceptions of learning and compared those beliefs with…

Assesses the range of variation among the predominant types of professional development programs for principals in the 1980s. Highlights divergent trends in organizational processes and program content that characterize these programs, and identifies their varying potential for reaching competing policy goals. (JB)

The Collaborative School Improvement Process (C-SIP) is a six-step process based on participative decision making and staff development. The identification of participants' perceptions of the program and reasons for variation is the purpose of this study. Data collection is based on a survey of teachers and administrators in 29 participating…

Major school-improvement efforts, despite planning, will constantly encounter a variety of problems (Louis and Miles, 1990). This paper identifies impediments to school reform that were widespread within both elementary and secondary schools with large populations of socioeconomically disadvantaged children. The paper identifies broad, overarching…

This monograph highlights important findings and guidelines that have emerged from over a decade of research at the University of Oregon's Center for Educational Policy and Management (CEPM) concerning the continued professional development of school personnel. After a brief introduction, the booklet is divided into three sections. The first,…

This report describes and assesses seven school-based planning projects to raise student achievement levels in the New York City Public Schools. Based on the principles of organizational development, the projects are: 1) the Renewal Program, a planning partnership between several high schools and the Economic Development Council, a nonprofit…

Since its establishment in 1996, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) has actively conducted and disseminated research to help build effective, cost- efficient adult education and literacy programs for adults who have low literacy and math skills, limited English skills, and/or no high school diploma. Funded as…

The Teaching Firm project examined the process and role of informal learning in seven high-performance work organizations in the manufacturing industry. The working concept of a teaching firm was defined as "an environment in which teaching and learning are institutionally and culturally embedded in the organization and are perceived to be…