Case study of multilevel self-management in three Hong Kong primary schools. Finds that the practices of multilevel self-management are associated with enhanced school performance at multilevels. Further, teachers' self-management practices largely determine the success of the school's self-management and demonstrates significant influence on the…

In the United Kingdom, school development planning has been warmly embraced by practitioners and policymakers. This paper describes results of a 32-month research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, which studied the effects of development planning in nine primary schools. Implications are discussed, methodological issues…

Reviews 77 empirical and case studies of school-based management (SBM) implementations reported between 1985 and 1995 to determine typical obstacles and promising ameliorative strategies. There is no firm evidence of SBM's effects on students. Administrative-control SBM would probably produce the least amount of school change. Community-control…

Britain's new inspection system requires that schools be assessed for efficiency and value for money. Drawing on a content analysis of 66 secondary school inspection reports, this paper considers implementation problems and whether schools have adopted the rational approach to resource management. Few schools had successfully adopted all elements…

A year-long, intensive case study of a Los Angeles school involved in school-based management (SBM) showed that four commitments drove successful reform: a learning imperative, strong sense of community, staff and parent leadership, and a capacity-building imperative. SBM facilitated individuals' actions without influencing decision-making…

Examines educational decentralization efforts in developed and developing countries. Explores which conditions produce best results and roles and relationships of the school/community and region/center. Summarizes typical reasons for school-based management's failure, highlighting schools' need to build capacity, maintain decentralization, and…

Addresses conceptualization and measurement of school effectiveness from an organizational perspective and discusses how school-based management (SBM) and strategic management are related to school effectiveness. Discusses development of an SBM mechanism for pursuing long-term school effectiveness and educational equity. Reports on a training…

Examines 22 case studies of schools in four North American school districts to assess process and outcomes of school-based-management reforms, guided by a theoretical model. Schools exhibited positive changes in two areas: decision-making processes and school culture. Strategic and operational reforms, individual behavior, and school quality were…

Syntheses of research findings from major studies of school-based management (SBM) generate eight elements of schooling associated with successful SBM: An active vision, meaningful decision-making authority, distribution of power, development and use of knowledge and skills, collecting and communicating information, rewards for progress, shared…

Major problems facing Korean education are education aimed only at preparation for college-entrance examinations, poor public financial support, heavy costs for parents, a centralized educational-administration system, and program uniformity. Reform strategies include school-based management, a new student-record system, and a curriculum stressing…

To understand which factors predict effective school leadership teams, researchers analyzed survey data from 71 elementary and 71 secondary schools with 1 year of training. The strongest predictor of ability to focus on teaching and learning was use of collected school data to identify needs and guide decisions. (Contains 77 references.) (MLH)

Analyzes data about (Hong Kong) parents' and school personnel's perceptions on parental participation in varied school activities. Most school staff demonstrated unwelcome attitudes toward parent involvement; parents disliked being school managers. Both groups favored separate school-management responsibilities. A school-based management strategy…

Recent educational developments in Southeast Asia provide strong evidence to support the assertion that education reform is the major means of buttressing a society's economic, political, and cultural development. Nearly all these countries have expanded compulsory education, boosted education quality and equality, and implemented…

Analyzes the relationship between educational development and Malaysia's sociopolitical and economic context. Under the Vision 2020 rubric, liberalized educational policies are leading to a more democratic, privatized, and decentralized educational system. Curricular revisions stressing basic skills, moral values, and individual development are…