The purpose of the study was to investigate the level of practice, challenges, and prospects of SBM in Ethiopian schools. A holistic multiple-case study was utilized. In addition to document review, the researcher collected data via semi-structured interviews with maximum diversity sampling from eight participants. Thematic analysis was employed…

Policymakers and researchers often talk about "autonomous schools" as if there's a single, agreed-upon definition of what that means. In reality, there's no standard design for autonomous school policies, and school autonomy can mean a lot of different things. The policies that states have enacted vary widely in terms of their goals, the…

Policymakers and researchers often talk about "autonomous schools" as if there's a single, agreed-upon definition of what that means. In reality, there's no standard design for autonomous school policies, and school autonomy can mean a lot of different things. The policies that states have enacted vary widely in terms of their goals, the…

This guidebook provides school councils and district School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) Coordinators with a list of tools and checklists when reviewing and revising school council bylaws and policies. The samples noted in this guidebook are just that, samples; they are not to be considered exemplars or the only way to organize a policy. A school…

The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore the role a School Community Council (SCC) played in encouraging community involvement in a kindergarten to grade 12 school. Via 35 interviews, thematic data reflected that the SCC's influence was limited. As analyzed through social capital theory, SCC members shared thin levels of trust,…

The leader in education is engaged in work that is difficult, complicated, and at times risky. It calls for purposeful and often daring activity. It is an undertaking that is coherent in intent and thrilling in execution. This is the experience of leaders at all levels who have achieved success in the transformation of schools. Drawing widely on…

School-based management (SBM) has become a very popular movement over the past decade. The World Bank Education Team's SBM work program emerged out of a need to define the concept more clearly, review the evidence, support impact assessments in various countries, and provide some initial feedback to teams preparing education projects. During the…

Districts can encourage school improvement through policy statements that promote local autonomy and ownership. (MLF)

Site-based management cannot work without the school board's active involvement and determined support. Suggestions are offered from School District 12, Adams County, Colorado, which has been moving away from a centralized administrative system to shared decision-making. (MLF)

In this book, eight contributors examine issues related to the likely effects of the decentralization of school governance on educational practice. Two major themes emerge in the book. The first (chapters 1 through 4) is that governance reforms in education may have little to do with what actually happens in schools, but have much to do with…

School-based planning for instructional improvement has been a major national education reform focus for over 2 decades. However, many efforts proposed to put schools in charge of their own instructional operations delivered only increased discretion rather than real autonomy over internal operations, such as budgeting. In 1997, New York City…

Site-based school management opens the possibility of problems in districtwide risk management and liability prevention programs. Describes a program to transfer prevention law and risk management strategies to individual school sites. Cautions that only duly authorized agents of local school boards can commit boards to contractual obligations.…

In communities as diverse as those in Montgomery County, Maryland, and the state of Kentucky, school staffs have shown reluctance to opt into shared decision-making programs. Teachers have often declined, and, in Montgomery County, the principals' bargaining unit went on record in opposition to a proposed policy of participatory decision making.…

School restructuring means forging a collaborative relationship between the central office and local schools. Outlines the differences between a traditional and a restructured central office. (MLF)

Educational reform offers the possibility of effecting change in both educational policy and practice that can result in increased personal empowerment for teachers. However, changes brought about by school reform will result in increased levels of perceived stress for practitioners. Consequently, planners need to consider the role and value of…