This paper revisits the literature on the nature of school organizations and presents a view of secondary schools as complex social systems, as opposed to bureaucratic-rational structures. Research was conducted into three Western Australia secondary schools planning to implement school-based decision making and planning procedures. The…

Lincoln Accelerated School has participated in Missouri's Accelerated Schools Project since 1990. Grounded on a school-based management model, it seeks to modify the educational experiences of at-risk elementary students by enriching the curricular offerings and instructional strategies provided them. The school underwent a major stressor when the…

This book provides useful guidelines for implementing collaborative decision making in the public educational system. The prologue presents the historical background of educational reform in the United States and offers a rationale for radical school reform at the individual school level. The nine chapters that follow are divided into three parts.…

In the context of the growing challenges to public education that have materialized in California over the past decade, this first of two volumes is presented as a resource document for legislators and others interested in education reform. Volume 1 looks at emerging education issues for the 1995-96 legislative session and summarizes the state's…

How an elementary school (pseudonym, Sunny Days Elementary School) initiated school restructuring using the School Restructuring Process Model developed by Charles Reigeluth was studied, using formative evaluation to see how the actual experiences of the school might refine and improve the model. The model follows a three-phase process from…

Although San Diego City Schools is entering its fourth year of restructuring efforts, many schools are still reluctant to assume the autonomy offered to them. If school restructuring is stalling, it is because district offices have not yet restructured, research on what is known about implementing changes has been ignored, and no clear methodology…

This agenda for educational improvement in Oakland (California) outlines community expectations of the school system and gives specific examples of what those expectations mean in practice. More than 800 individuals from neighborhood groups, churches, parent organizations, school district staff, and business and professional associations testified…

In 1987, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2020, the School Improvement and Professional Development Program. Designed to encourage innovation and professional development in a select number of Oregon schools, this act was intended to upgrade educational quality and create models for other state schools. Rather than evaluating program…

This study was conducted in Dade County, Florida, school district that has been involved in the restructuring movement since 1987. In the mid-1980's the district piloted a school-based-management program, aimed, in part at increasing teachers' decisional participation. The sample was chosen from 14 elementary and 2 senior high pilot schools and 14…

Designed to serve as a resource for school districts, this manual focuses on new applications of the information technologies that are available for use in education. The first of four chapters presents a statement of the values, philosophy, mission, and goals of the Minnesota State Board of Education. An outline of learner goals and objectives is…

New York's "New Compact for Learning" in public elementary middle, and secondary schools is described in this booklet. Educational principles and strategic objectives are described, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the state, students, parents, teachers, support staff, principals, school district administrators, community,…

The effect of institutions on school effectiveness is explored in this book, which argues that school reforms in the United States are destined to fail because of the failure to address the root of the problem, which is found in the institutions of direct democratic control by which schools have traditionally been governed. Methodology involved…

Outcomes of the local school-based management (LSBM) plan, implemented by the District of Columbia public schools in 1989, are presented in this report. The 17 participating sites included 2 senior, 3 junior, 1 extended elementary, 9 elementary, and 2 special education schools. Data gathered from structured interviews with 12 of the participating…

The implementation of educational reform in Chicago is discussed. Reform was initiated in Chicago to improve education for all children. A new governance structure is being created for the schools, based on the premise that schools should be under the firm direction of parents and that authority should be vested in the school community, rather…

This report concludes that the house plan should be the centerpiece of a systematic restructuring of New York City neighborhood high schools to reduce the dropout rate and improve academic achievement. The house plan is based on the subdivision of one or more grades into smaller schools within schools. Long-term monitoring of New York City dropout…