Collaborative ventures between families and schools can result in children being successful both academically and in life (Henderson & Berla, 1994; Jackson & Davis, 2000; Mapp, 1997). The most successful predictor of student achievement is an encouraging home environment, high expectations from parents, and parental involvement (Epstein, 2001;…

Decentralized regulation has become increasingly important in many areas; examples range from school vouchers to workplace safety committees to alternative dispute resolution procedures replacing courts. Consistent with this trend, in 1993 California permitted construction unions and employers to "carve out" their own workers'…

Current discourse in educare acknowledges the partnership between parents and practitioners. But is the partnership a reality, and exactly what does the term mean to those who use it? The increased interest in the relationship between home and school is one of the most positive educational developments of the past decade. Today, at all levels of…

Leader educators know that demands on leaders of organizations are increasing, requiring different strategies of leading, for example, working in diverse and global environments, using shared decision-making, and developing effective work teams. To educate future leaders in a postmodern era, instructors must attempt nontraditional teaching methods…

The Phillips Neighborhood Healthy Housing Collaborative learned valuable lessons through its work on two community-based participatory research projects in which it established a principled model of shared power and identifiable, mutual community-university benefits. A community impact statement (CIS) has evolved from this work. Like an…

This study assessed the role of inservice programs in bringing more developmentally appropriate practices to the early childhood classroom. Training was intended to accentuate the teachers' role in effecting educational change. Through classroom observations and teacher feedback, the researcher and participating teachers developed a 3-year…

This book was designed to help school, parent, and community leaders acquire the skills necessary for the successful restructuring of middle-level schools. Chapter 1 defines middle-level education and describes the forces that shaped and continue to shape middle-level education, the evolution of middle-level schools, and current middle-level…

From 1987 to 1995, the Accelerated Schools Project moved from a two-school pilot project to a national movement of over 700 schools in 35 states. This paper examines how the Accelerated Schools Centers have helped the expansion of the accelerated schools movement by recruiting and supporting schools in their regions, and how their institutional…

Effective schools exhibit unique structures and continuous change. Moral imperatives inspire people to sustain the commitment critical to building effective schools. Over 450 interviews with practitioners, parents, board members, politicians, academics, union leaders, consultants, and others are joined with background literature and research to…

This report responds to a request for information on School Based Management (SBM) from Senators Edward M. Kennedy and David Durenberger. It answers the following questions: (1) Under SBM, did administrators and teachers change their schools' instructional programs and budgets and, if so, how? (2) What were key similarities and differences in…

This paper summarizes a Master's project designed for principals who are interested in pursuing instructional leadership in their schools. The first part provides the principal with an overall understanding of, and rationale for, the role of the principal as instructional leader. The second part, written in the format of a handbook, describes the…

In 1992, the SouthEastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE) began a 3-year research-and-development effort to support four schools and two school districts in the southeastern United States in their implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) processes. This document describes the experiences and perceptions of the participating…

A study of 24 elementary, middle, and high schools conducted by the Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools (CORS) found that simply adding school-based support services to bureaucratically organized schools is unlikely to prove effective, and does not necessarily produce better student achievement. However, the research linked schools…

This paper discusses the importance of teachers moving out of managerial roles into leadership roles. As this transformation occurs, real educational change and the empowerment of teacher leaders will take place. Managerial style teachers traditionally have clear expectations and set standards for their students. Activities, outcomes, and…

Hawaii's School/Community-Based Management Initiative (SCBM), which was enacted into law in 1989, is part of a national trend toward decentralizing decision making and increasing school autonomy that arose during the 1980s. A voluntary program, SCBM offers schools flexibility, autonomy, and a small amount of resources in exchange for…