Recently, the traditional school structure has been harshly scrutinized for several key defects, including bureaucratic rules and regulations, professional isolation of teaching staff, evaluation systems irrelevant to instructional improvement, low teacher participation in decision making, and noncooperation between teachers and administrators.…

This paper describes Hilltop Junior High School's initial experience with interdisciplinary teaming, an arrangement whereby teachers from different disciplines systematically plan curricular experiences for a common group of students. The innovation began with the appointment of a new principal who advocated teaming as the basic unit of middle…

This book is an introduction and guide to school-based management, a decentralized form of organization in which decisions that have traditionally been made by a superintendent or school board are made by the local school. Chapter 1 provides an overview of decision-making in public school systems starting with a brief history of the trend toward…

The AMSCO culture survey instrument was developed to obtain specific information about the changing employee values resulting from the implementation of the new quality programs at AMSCO, Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The culture dimensions measured in the survey included job evaluation/job satisfaction, work efficiency, training and development,…

This document examines the relationship between the principle of representative government and information in light of dramatic changes in technology. The information age has increased the volume of information and the velocity of its transmission, while linking citizens directly to the site of decisions and facilitating direct citizen…

This report summarizes a two-volume study focusing on state administration of selected federal education programs and federal and state interactions surrounding programs for special pupils. Federal programs and civil rights provisions examined include four titles of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Education for All Handicapped…

Problems that threaten the future careers of faculty and the quality of education at colleges and universities are reviewed, based on a literature review. It is suggested that new federalism, decreased revenue, declining enrollments, increased state and federal regulations, and public demand for accountability have threatened the ability of higher…

The paper briefly discusses 12 critical issues that significantly affect program success in reducing severe self-injurious behavior (SIB) in group homes. The paper emphasizes the necessity of: (1) a process approach to the development and monitoring of treatment; (2) demythologizing the self-injurious client; (3) discussing and clarifying legal…

Guidelines and case studies of model programs are intended as resource materials to aid 22 organizations funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to encourage meaningful youth participation in policy decisions which affect youth, primarily in the juvenile justice, educational, and social systems. The first of three major…

In 1981-82, the Washington State Education Agency and the Teacher Corps project at Western Washington University (Bellingham) conducted a series of five drive-in conferences to promote collaborative efforts in staff development. The main feature of the Teacher Corps project was a teacher-designed inservice program, while the Washington State…

Beginning with an illustrative exercise in audience participation, this keynote address contends that effective staff development requires shared commitment, a shared language for describing and analyzing the problems of teaching and learning, and awareness that big ideas are realized through small tactics. These general precepts are clarified…

The first of two questions investigated in this paper concerns the relationships among three measures of teachers' expectations: that their students can succeed, that they can be successful as teachers, and that they can influence what happens in their classrooms and schools. The second question involves relationships between these three types of…

Proceedings of a conference in Maryland on the faculty role in college governance are presented. A survey was conducted in 1982 to discover how faculty members at Maryland colleges and universities contribute to decision-making on their individual campuses. Following the survey, the statewide conference was held to discuss the results. The survey…

In the course of carrying out the technical tasks of the school, teachers encounter common problems that do not impose on those in managerial roles. School organizations are typically structured in such a way as to prevent the information sharing and processing necessary to confront these problems. A collective decision-making structure for…

Chapter 5 of a volume on school leadership, this chapter reviews the literature to define and explain management teams and to describe several successful management team arrangements. The author begins by noting that team management has recently enjoyed a resurgence as a response to collective negotiations, but beyond this function can have value…