This book is about the threats to education quality in the developing world that cannot be explained by lack of resources. It reviews the observed phenomenon of service delivery failures in public education: cases where programs and policies increase the inputs to education but do not produce effective services where it counts--in schools and…

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…

The general aim of this book is to provide a focussed discussion on decentralization and school-based management. In part 1, chapter 1, some problems, anticipations, and a recommendation concerning decentralization are presented. In part 2, chapters 2 through 6 review literature about the structural view of organizations, rationality and…

This book was designed to help readers assess their knowledge of school-based management (SBM) and to help school districts determine the extent to which they are engaged in SBM. Chapter 1 is comprised of samples of four exams that were derived from graduate courses on school-based management. The correct answers follow each exam. Chapter 2…

Aimed at both practicing administrators and university education professors, this book discriminates among certain "E-words" ("effective,""efficient,""excellent," and "empowerment") in the educational reform lexicon. According to the introductory chapter, levels of effectiveness, efficiency, and…

This study is the third in a series of national studies of high school principals dating back to the early 1960s. The major purpose of this study was to analyze and describe high school leaders and their schools in 1987. Chapter 1 discusses characteristics and opinions of school leaders. Chapter 2 is devoted to the tasks and problems of school…

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…

The American public schools need a total revamping of structure, philosophy, pedagogy, and professionalism. This book is part of a series that explains why significant changes are needed and how changes can be made given the present constitutional authority. Part 1 introduces the causes and effects of the malfunctioning of the typical school…

This book describes changes that must be made in central-office administration to facilitate the movement to site-based management. It is intended for educational administrators in central administration or for those who are planning to work as superintendents, business managers, or supervisors of curriculum and instruction. The book covers all…

The federal government is devoting millions of dollars to charter and voucher programs that currently require parents to abandon regular public schools. The goal of the authors of The School Choice Hoax is to expose the misleading hyperbole that has been driving the school choice movement and to show how charter schools can become more effective…

School-based management refers to a form of educational administration in which the school becomes the primary unit for decision-making. The book is structured into five parts. In part 1, international developments in school-based decision-making and management are documented and analyzed. Described are developments in Australia, Canada, France,…

Incorporating school-site management into the nation's educational systems will demand wholesale changes involving the very structure and organization of schools. Aimed at practitioners desiring to implement school-based management (SBM), this book is organized into chapters designed to enhance the sequential phases of application. Chapter 1…

Many urban schools are undergoing restructuring due to the problems they face and their resistance to traditional solutions. This volume deals with the various ways in which eight case-study schools in Chicago implemented strategies that called for whole-school change and system reform. The book is comprised of 10 chapters: (1)…

Improving the efficiency of schools is a growing concern of educational planners and managers in Asian countries in recent years. The seminar on Improving School Efficiency was convened in December 1998 to address this concern. Seminar topics in this book cover challenges to educational reform, including the introduction of school-based…

In practice, most education systems have both centralized and decentralized elements. Planners involved in a decentralizing reform must identify which components of the system are more appropriately managed at the central level and which at the local level. This book is intended to inform education policymakers, planners, and practitioners about…