Collaborators sparked by creative ideas and obsessed by a common task may not realize they're part of a "hot group"--a term coined by business professors Harold J. Leavitt and Jean Lipman-Blumen. Spawned by group decision making and employee empowerment, hot groups can flourish in education settings. They're typically small, short lived,…

Since 1974, the Scottish education system has legally recognized that all children are educable. Since all children are of equal worth, their individual needs are given equal priority. Structural inequalities are being addressed by early intervention and mentoring schemes and links with higher education. Schools are inclusive in their curricular…

Discusses "partnerships" in child protection as they relate to the families of children subject to these services. Suggests that parents are ignored or deliberately excluded from the process, leading to "learned helplessness." Claims that good intentions of professionals are necessary but insufficient for partnership, which can…

Describes the everyday micropolitical facilitative strategies and personal characteristics of exemplary principals who have influenced and enhanced teachers' sense of empowerment. Data were drawn from a qualitative study that interviewed 275 teachers in 11 schools affiliated with C.D. Glickman's League of Professional Schools in Georgia.…

Suggests the capacity for synergistic planning should be fostered in the staffing and work of all educational decision-making bodies. In this model, all people in the organization examine the whole situation before action is taken on incremental parts. Defines synergistic planning; discusses issues surrounding data, integration, technology, and…

Describes six research-based traits of school culture that affect student achievement: shared vision, traditions, collaboration, shared decision-making, innovation, and communication. Draws practical implications for teachers and administrators. (Contains 17 references.) (PKP)

School-based management is only one way to restructure decision making and planning to create a collaborative and collegial ambience. Schools should not forsake the strong possibilities for improvement through applying effective schools research in exchange for pursuing uncertain goals associated with recent teacher empowerment and self-governance…

Sharing decision making with teachers and parents actually increases the principal's influence. Offers 10 steps to translate leadership skills into school restructuring. (MLF)

Describes research conducted among employees of a private psychiatric hospital regarding a job stress and burnout model. Concludes that both participation in decision making and social support have impacts on perceived workplace stress, burnout, satisfaction, and commitment for caregivers and support personnel. Discusses implications of the model…

Changes geared toward enhancing student success occurring in certain Miami, Minneapolis, and New York City schools capture the essence of educational restructuring. A complete overhaul of curriculum and instruction, authority and decision-making practices, staff roles, and accountability systems is necessary--especially in inner-city schools.…

A study of three Nigerian villages produced the following suggestions for improving the problems facing rural community development: democratic participative decision making, care in project selection, government incentives, promotion of adult literacy, and well-trained community workers. (SK)

A study of three schools practicing shared governance indicates that supervision and teacher empowerment are compatible concepts. The keys to success are patience and administrators' philosophical commitment to shared decision-making. Includes three references. (MLH)

Within an individual building, the School Improvement Process (SIP) provides a focus for staff development and an evaluation of results that are linked to student outcomes. SIP emphasizes a building level, bottom-up planning and decision-making process. This article presents a case study of an individual school's use of SIP. (IAH)

Principals desiring to be effective leaders will involve stakeholders in a process defining the school's destination. A preferred vision can be clearly stipulated if stakeholders develop a statement of beliefs, conduct external and internal scanning to determine trends, and identify critical success factors. Includes seven references. (MLH)

Proposes curriculum negotiation as necessary to the professional autonomy of the educator who works with adults. Suggests that the educator of adults, through this negotiation, will be better able to understand the social processes that drive educational transactions, while sustaining educational ethics within these processes. (KO)