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…

This report by the Kentucky Department of Education states that "the school council shall have the responsibility to set school policy consistent with district board policy which shall provide an environment to enhance the students' achievement and help the school meet the goals established in KRS 158.645 and 158.6451." The report's 18…

This report by the Kentucky Department of Education states that "the school council shall have the responsibility to set school policy consistent with district board policy which shall provide an environment to enhance the students' achievement and help the school meet the goals established in KRS 158.645 and 158.6451." The report's 18…

This study examined the perceptions of Kentucky SBDM council members concerning the productivity and efficacy of the councils. The major variables studied were council member position, council member demographic characteristics, perceived efficacy, and perceived productivity. The research data came from an already completed field survey. This…

Legislation has directed schools to convene school councils that typically address issues related to curriculum, instruction, budget, and governance as one means to improve schooling. However, the expectation for improved schools through this involvement remains a challenge. The study examined issues connected to council operation in two large…

This article shares findings from an exploratory case study about an advanced school leadership development program designed specifically for practicing principals and administrator-trained teachers. The program was designed to help a high-need rural district transform its principalship from school management into learner-center leadership while…

Examines the job attraction to teachers of school-council service in Kentucky. Finds limited teacher attraction to school-council service, but more attraction if principal services as council chair. Draws implications for state policy and job-attraction theory. (Contains 43 references.) (PKP)

Although it is too early to tell whether recent Kentucky and Chicago developments are harbingers of the future, it is possible to evaluate the effectiveness of three types of reform proposals: pseudo-reform, incremental reform, and reform by restructuring. School restructuring is the most challenging approach. Includes 14 references. (MLH)

This article builds and explores the hypothesis that parent and community participation in school governance can have positive impacts on community development by fostering improvements in school performance and school-community relations and by acting as a catalyst for collective action around community-development issues. It does so through case…

Reports findings of two studies--one in Georgia, the other in Kentucky--of principal group-processing skills and training. Finds, for example, that group-processing skills are critical to principals' job success, especially in schools with site-based management, but that the quality and amount of such training in university preparation programs…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA) requires the implementation of school-based decision making in all Kentucky schools by July 1996. The school-based decision making process offers the opportunity for parents, teachers, and principals to use their knowledge and judgment in deciding how to best help children learn in their schools. A…

Charged with overhauling the state's educational system, the Kentucky General Assembly last spring devised a landmark reform scheme that mandates site-based management, abolishes the existing state board of education, and institutes an ambitious system of rewards and sanctions aimed at holding schools accountable for student performance. A sidebar…

Examines extent schools using site-based management approach were engaged in decision making associated with curriculum and instruction, roles teachers were playing, and strategies used to ensure instructional program quality. Analyzes data gathered in extensive interviews with staff, board members, and parents from six school districts.…

A survey of principals, counselors, and academic and vocational teachers was conducted in 69 Kentucky secondary schools before and in 67 schools after school-based decision making (SBDM) was implemented. SBDM's effect on academic/vocational integration and vocational funding was minimal. Except for counselors, the percentage perceiving SBDM as…

Findings from a study to determine the knowledge base among Kentucky superintendents about site-based management (SBM) are presented in this paper. Questionnaires mailed to all of the state's 177 public school superintendents yielded a 73 percent response rate. Findings indicate that while there was considerable interest in SBM, there was…