If fundamental change in education is to be lasting and effective, it must be a systemic transformation that pervades all aspects of the organization. The New American Schools Development Corporation (NASDC) mission requires rapid, comprehensive change. The Community Learning Centers program described in this document features systemic change with…

Over time, a policy can be modified and its implementation may take a form different than originally intended by policymakers. This paper presents findings of a case study that examined the implementation of a comprehensive education plan for improving secondary education using systems technology in Malawi. Data were gathered through document…

This report presents findings from a study of school-based instructional decision making (SBIDM) and the regional staff development centers for SBIDM in Maryland. Data were collected through interviews, focus groups, and a group process adapted from storyboarding. Informants included school-improvement teams, principals, other faculty in seven…

Principles of developing a comprehensive planning model for a college are considered, and experiences in using the strategic planning model at Cardinal Stritch College (Wisconsin) are addressed. Important components of the planning process are articulating a mission, determining parameters and objectives while completing internal and external…

New managerial techniques such as total quality management and similar worker participation programs are an important albeit controversial component of the recent changes in the workplace brought about by increasing globalization of the economy. In addition, organized labor is faced with a changing and increasingly diverse population of new…

Fifty small businesses and organizations within an 800-mile radius of southern Illinois were surveyed to determine what businesses consider the most important characteristics of a team player; 94 percent responded. These characteristics were incorporated into a course during which teams of students were to complete a project that involved each…

The Tennessee education system has slowly introduced school-based management (SBM) or site based decision making (SBDM). This paper presents findings of a study that investigated Tennessee educators' perceptions of responsibility for teacher hiring. Data were obtained from a survey of 197 teachers, 22 principals, 13 district administrators, and 22…

The successful implementation of site-based management (SBM) requires time and changes in the role expectations among all members of the school community. Because needs and achievement levels differ among schools, there is no one best way to implement SBM. Schools are better off developing their own self-starting, working models. This paper…

Research seeking to evaluate the effectiveness of SBM has been complicated by the complex policies and practices that have been implemented with great variation. Given this difficulty, this book presents findings of a study that sought to understand the ways in which school-based management (SBM) actually operates in a school recognized for its…

Employee Involvement Schemes (EIS) are modeled after Western European worker participation models. These are grounded in collaborative labor relations and encourage employees to participate in work place decision-making. If employees, as the term is defined in the National Labor Relations Act, take part in EIS decision-making processes, they may…

This case study examined the role of parents as decision-makers in the founding of an elementary (K-1) charter school serving 44 children and their families in a California metropolitan area. The study focused on the working relationship between the parents and the founding director, and the effects of this relationship on the organization's…

Students in Israel who wish to enter institutes of higher education are required to hold a matriculation certificate. Matriculation exams are therefore high-stake and stressful. In 1993 the Minister of Education appointed a committee to consider reforming the matriculation policy. This paper describes the political and societal aspects of the…

Many recent educational reform efforts are based on the active involvement of administrators, educators, parents, and community members, all stakeholders in decision making. This paper presents findings of a study that investigated communication strategies used by shared decision-making teams in a small suburban school district in New York State…

Effective school restructuring requires teacher motivation and action to transform knowledge about change into reality. This paper defines and describes what is meant by "professional learning community"; describes what happens when a school staff studies, works, plans, and takes action collectively on behalf of increased learning for…

Many school districts and schools find that they have an incomplete understanding of site-based management (SBM). This guidebook provides a systemwide approach to site-based management, using SBM as a strategy for school improvement and increased student success rather than for managing the status quo. It identifies nine essential perspectives and…