The belief in citizen participation, along with the values of liberty and equality, have shaped the U.S. character and are reflected in the nation's institutions and behavior. This participation is manifested by electoral participation, citizen action, citizen involvement, obligatory participation, volunteer service, and mutual self-help. To take…

This handbook is designed to help instructors and advisory committees interact effectively in the Partners in Program Excellence (PIPE) system. It describes a way to keep a local advisory committee involved throughout the life of the training program. The handbook takes the instructor and the advisory committee through the 10 activities into which…

This account of the education system in the Netherlands provides information on the administration and management of the system. The account is limited to a summary of the types of schools existing under current educational legislation. A general outline is also given of legislation and funding, the duration and nature of courses, and arrangements…

Chapter 6 of a revised volume on school leadership, this chapter defines and explains management teams and describes several successful examples of team management. Superintendents have come to rely on their management team's expertise to resolve increasingly complex policy, administrative, and instructional issues. Although team management has…

The study investigated the effectiveness of the Partner Project, a participation strategy on the participation of learning disabled high school students and their parents during the annual individualized education program (IEP) conference. Eleven students and their parents received the IEP participation strategy training which focused on…

In response to legislative mandate and pressure from its accrediting agency, Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC) began to develop a system to measure the effectiveness of its instructional programs. The system was designed to improve curricula, be managed by faculty, be inexpensive and uncomplicated, and focus on qualitative rather than…

Instructional leadership is long-term dedication to instructional excellence that includes both instructional and school management issues. Recent research suggests that effective principals can make a significant difference in their schools' instructional programs through a combination of personal traits, particularly a strong belief in their…

This paper describes networking evaluation, an alternative to traditional evaluation, in which students work cooperatively in small groups to solve specific problems and are evaluated collectively by their teacher. Steps in the networking evaluation model are: (1) explaining the networking concept to students and preparing them for the evaluation;…

Reactions to college and university retrenchment (a significant decline in financial resources that results in a reduction in permanent staff and/or elimination of existing programs) and political influences are considered. Responses to retrenchment may include the following: protective reactions by individual faculty members and reduced…

Study of three urban high schools revealed the following: (1) themes dominating principals' attitudes toward teacher involvement in decision making; (2) the influence of teachers on decision making; and (3) the paradox in principals' relations with faculty. Implications for faculty relations and school improvement are discussed. (BJV)

Argues for a reexamination of goals and methods of traditional parent involvement which has revolved around the welfare of children rather than emphasizing the benefits for parents themselves. Calls for a reconceptualization of parent involvement based on: (1) being sensitive to family needs, (2) offering real support for families, and (3)…

The image of school as a knowledge work organization provides guidance for improvement efforts which use suggestions from new management literature. A systemic reform should be based on the following: (1) professionalization of teaching; (2) integration of theory, research, and practice; and (3) transformational leadership. (Author/PS)

Since changing political, economic, and social forces determine the success of educationally innovative policies, there are limitations to the idea that formal education is a field built upon scientific and technical knowledge with teachers as its expert professionals. Various strategies for improving the autonomy and control of classroom…

Discusses management by objectives (MBO) as a sound organizational process that has great potential as an administrative tool in education systems. Provides definitions, stresses the participative nature of the process, cites successful examples of MBO in schools, and describes six conditions for the successful implementation of MBO. (JHZ)

The benefits of an institution's planning ahead for possible financial exigencies are examined and the procedures on several campuses are outlined in the context of the American Association of University Professors' guidelines on faculty involvement in policy formation. (MSE)