Compares the restructuring of educational governance using school-based management/shared decision making (SBM/SDM) to restructuring of Soviet government under the "perestroika" program. Reviews the other six articles in the theme issue. (FMW)

Discussion of burnout among library personnel includes a susceptibility profile, indicators of burnout, and administrative contributors. Techniques by which administrators can reduce stress are suggested, including participative management; improved communications; staff development; informal staff gatherings; staff meetings; flexible work…

Examines whether New Jersey school board members follow the prescriptions of reformers and refer constituents with complaints to professional administrators, or act as elected representatives and respond to parents' and community groups' requests for help in dealing with teachers and administrators. Discusses factors influencing board members'…

Suggests that school-based review (SBR), which links evaluation to school improvement, could make accreditation a more developmental process. Identifies six characteristic aspects of SBR in Europe and North America. Outlines the GRIDS project in England and Wales, which engages schools in problem solving as part of internal school development. (SV)

An analysis is provided of whether good teaching of worthwhile content to all students is better promoted by standard-setting initiatives or through leaving teachers alone. Alternative courses of action are reviewed that might make external standard-setting activities matters of persuasion, not issues of compliance. (SLD)

Three levels of autonomy--strategic, administrative, and operational--fit together in a school system. Management strategies that foster teacher autonomy include professional development activities, mentorship, dual career ladder, and project management. (MLF)

Reports the results of a study of two library systems' differing approaches to staff involvement in library planning. The systems' attempts to prepare staff members, keep them informed, and encourage staff participation are described, and the resulting benefits are contrasted. Suggestions for successful staff involvement are offered. (34…

An 18-month qualitative study documented the implementation of a shared-leadership environment in an elementary school. Data from faculty and the leadership team indicated positive perceptions concerning collaboration and the development of an atmosphere of open communication, although respondents expressed disappointment with the level of…

Decentralizing the budget process not only empowers teachers to make decisions about instructional goals and fiscal planning but also involves other stakeholders, including parents, students, administrators, and business people. This article describes a three-phase system that enables secondary teachers to address issues relevant to their…

Discusses the implementation of Total Quality Leadership (TQL) at Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) in Wisconsin. Identifies 12 quality components of FVTC's everyday operations and management. Highlights improvements in placement rates, student retention, employee satisfaction, accountability, and costs attributable to TQL. Underscores the…

Examined the reported nature and consequences of teachers' joint work on the implementation of school priorities, educational innovation, and curriculum policy in three exemplary Canadian elementary schools. Found that instrumental use of knowledge and support for teacher decision making tended to be limited to information exchange, joint…

A healthy work environment for the business-office team requires a balance among the components of organizational leadership, collective continuous improvement, and individual caring. (MLF)

Examines 20 systematic SBM studies for insights about authority delegation, fiscal inputs, objectives, and student outcomes. SBM's effects on achievement were mixed. Nine studies gave no results; three asserted positive results but gave no achievement data; one asserted negative results but gave no achievement data; two with achievement data…

State and federal governments have appropriated increasingly greater portions of decision-making policy from local school boards. This chapter discusses the politics and governance of local school districts, summarizing three major theoretical perspectives (decision-output, competition-participation, and dissatisfaction theories) and relevant…

Investigated the power strategies used to resolve conflict by two groups of black South African children. Showed that the use of power strategies was highly influenced by the children's sociometric status: popular children chose more bilateral strategies, while rejected children favored unilateral power strategies. Gender is an important predictor…