Although the role of the school library media specialist is frequently undervalued, the media specialist can become a leader in restructuring a school through strategic planning methods. The book shows library media specialists how to help direct the planning team that is developing the vision of the school's future. The overall strategic planning…

School-based management refers to a form of educational administration in which the school becomes the primary unit for decision-making. The book is structured into five parts. In part 1, international developments in school-based decision-making and management are documented and analyzed. Described are developments in Australia, Canada, France,…

The role of Chicago foundations in school reform from 1987 to 1990 is examined in this paper, with a focus on the paradoxical relationship between the city's philanthropic community and the Chicago Reform Act of 1988. Data were derived from three surveys conducted since 1987 on the levels and targets of educational grantmaking by Chicago…

The education system, like most organizational structures, needs fundamental changes to keep pace with the social and economic conditions of an increasingly complex global society. Taking an aerial view, this paper describes the topography of systemic change to provide multiple stakeholders a better vantage point for communicating and making…

This paper describes the recurring behavior patterns exhibited by first-year schools in the Louisiana Accelerated Schools Network during the evaluation process conducted during the years 1992 and 1993. These patterns are viewed through the lens of one of the three guiding principles of the accelerated schools process--empowerment coupled with…

This document contains selected proceedings from an Education Finance Workshop. The workshop addressed various perspectives about the appropriateness and cost of some currently popular reform approaches. Two introductory papers are: (1) "Our Task: Building the Links," by Ron Henderson; and (2) "Is Public Education Necessary to a Democratic…

The goal of this report is to formulate a true alternative to the current form of governance for public education. Based on studies of governance in other large decentralized service organizations and of local educational reform efforts, the report concludes that there is a real alternative. The alternative allows the schools to be operated by a…

State legislative policies for educational restructuring are examined in this handbook, with a focus on restructuring from the perspective of state elected officials. Following an executive summary and introduction, the second and third parts explain the need for restructuring and features of the restructuring movement. Problems and obstacles are…

Cycles of educational reform initiatives and their effects on practice are reviewed in this paper, which focuses on the relationship between state and federal policy and local practices. The first part discusses the first generation of reform that began with the passage of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Such reforms were…

In light of the 10th anniversary of "A Nation at Risk," this report attempts to answer some of the questions about the southern states' educational accomplishments of the past decade. After the introduction, three sections address the following questions: (1) What is different today? (2) Why are we disappointed? and (3) What are we…

Testimony about the role of federal leadership in facilitating district-level reform efforts is presented in this report. Data were derived from a literature review and consultation with school reform experts. Further data were collected from visits to four districts--Johnson City, New York; Moss Point, Mississippi; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and…

Testimony on the role of federal leadership in facilitating district-level reform efforts is offered in this report, which focuses on four districts with many years of participation in systemwide educational reform. Five key components of systemwide reform are identified: standards for all students; curricula tied to those goals; high-quality…

In 1988, two metropolitan and four country schools (two of which were remote) in Australia received federal grants to implement technology education. This paper presents the outcomes of the six schools' attempts to implement curriculum innovations associated with technology education and interprets those outcomes in the context of a school-based…

This policy brief clarifies the definition of charter schools and explores their place in school restructuring and reform by describing existing charter schools in Minnesota and California, examining legislative and contract guidelines, and discussing the future possibilities of charter schools. Charter schools are sponsor-created and…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the role principals play as schools institute democratic governance structures. During 2.5 years, data were collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis at six schools engaged in a shared decision-making (SDM) project. Findings suggest that for principals to foster SDM in…