This book contains vital information on the historical, philosophical, and legal foundations for shared governance, and it makes the link between fundamentals of law and policy as related to professional practice in student affairs. Practical insights and suggestions for student affairs are offered for practitioners at all levels to ensure…

An often overlooked but simple antecedent modification is student choice. Student choice can be incorporated with a variety of individuals and across a multitude of activities (Texas Statewide Leadership for Autism, 2013). Choice can be as simple as letting a student choose the assignment they want to complete first (Cosden et al., 1995; Kern…

Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines key action steps to engage students in the school climate improvement process. Key action steps are provided for the following strategies: (1) Participate in planning for school climate improvements; (2) Engage stakeholders in…

Discover how education innovations can produce astonishing results in student success both in and out of school. The educators featured in this book were motivated by the conviction that even the best status quo education was not serving current student needs. They responded with radical changes that tap into recent ideas about educational…

For the use of teachers and administrators involved in designing and maintaining structures that promote teacher and student engagement, two case studies using pseudonyms were prepared for classroom discussion. The first case, "Hillside High School," describes the process of reforming a traditional school. The second, "City Park Secondary School,"…

Considers what rights children should have in their education. Argues that international tribunals should consider whether children have the right to participate in decisions about the type of education they receive and what rights they have under international law if they disagree with their parents' choices. Describes the convention and urges…

An on-going experiment in the classroom use of the Japanese quality circle concept of consensus and group management has been conducted for the past 2 years at the Ogontz Campus of Pennsylvania State University. Quality circles composed of the teacher and eight student volunteers meet weekly for 45 minutes, with each member informing three other…

People working together on community projects benefit both themselves and the community. Quality Circles (Theory Z) is an example of this principle at work in industry. Employees who are involved in the decision-making process turn out a lower-cost, higher-quality product. This concept could prove valuable in small schools if students were…

In a previous book entitled "Zapp! The Lightening of Empowerment", a new system for motivating employees and improving productivity in a corporate setting was presented. This book adapts that empowerment guide to the classroom with workable, hands-on suggestions to help educators motivate their students and themselves. Empowerment in…

Research has documented that individuals feel a greater sense of responsibility and commitment to an organization when they are active members in organizational decision making. To investigate the level of student involvement in doctoral level counseling psychology programs, student involvement surveys were completed in the spring of 1983, by 28…

Describes the criteria a high school music teacher used to select music for a new non-traditional class titled "Pop Band." Lists criteria that each song must have: playability, special feature, popular appeal, variety, artist's qualification, and appropriateness. Students took an active role in the decision-making process. (GG)

Total quality management is a business-oriented theory being applied to education as total quality learning (TQL). TQL lets students take responsibility for their learning; believes that everyone can learn; and makes students, teachers, parents, and administrators colleagues in learning. The paper describes one teacher's experiences with TQL. (SM)

This paper describes present learning environments for students with mild disabilities, especially instructional practices that thwart student motivation for learning. The Foxfire experiential approach to learning is then outlined, through discussion of 11 core practices that promote student involvement in instructional decision making and the…

Discusses Plenary Review, a policy decision process utilized in a series of experimental seminars. Emphasizes the use of students as decision makers to assess the social, economic, moral, political, and institutional consequences of implementation efforts in a public policy area. Recommends decision forcing and praises the multidimensional…

This manual is designed as a resource for involving learners in literacy programs. Although the report is written at a high reading level, highlights for each section that are written in clear language are found at the beginning of the manual. Section 1 introduces the topic of learner involvement; it also describes the benefits of learner…