Underlines the importance of principals' role as democratic leader, introduces a school-improvement theory, and shows how principals can apply it. The theory's basic building-blocks are school structure and restructuring; school culture and leadership; higher order thinking, critical thinking, or problem solving; economic competitiveness; and…

This article suggests that, because a hostile environment is associated with the development of mental and behavioral disorders, a restructuring of the schools to incorporate ongoing nurturing and academic training of younger students by older students would develop important psychological skills and thereby prevent mental and behavioral…

Advises would-be reformers to envision what reformed schools should look like before advocating their pet changes. Most reformers fail to connect their proposals with their goals. As the 10 "equal opportunity" reform fantasies show, rhetoric alone is useless. Basic condition preventing significant school change is public resistance.…

Explores community service learning as a way of revitalizing schools while integrating students into life in their communities. Service learning needs to be more than a single activity so that students see it in more than school terms. Several examples of student service projects are given. (SLD)

Based on an educational consultant's experience with a Pacific Telesis Foundation school restructuring program, this article shows the importance of time and culture. Restructuring means formally rearranging time usage to allow schools to create and sustain an interactive culture and supporting infrastructure for improving student learning. To…

Ideas of the philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre are developed for application to education. The school implied by MacIntyre's philosophy emphasizes content, substance, virtue, the learning environment, and the learning process. In a pluralist society, a school of choice, rather than a common school, is preferable. (SLD)

Asserts that high turnover in educational administrative personnel, especially principals, necessitates that attention and resources be allocated to administrative staff development. Recommends peer coaching as a way for principals to help each other, and presents a model for implementing a staff-development program. (VWC)

A case study of district-level factors that enabled eight Ontario secondary schools to assume added administrative responsibilities found that after two years, district-level factors contributing to change were the actions of a steering committee, emerging professionalism in the teacher union, district history, individual personalities, and a…

The articles in the December 1997 "Educational Administration Quarterly" about replacing the American comprehensive high school lacked historical perspective. Despite contributors' efforts to dissociate them from such schools, certain "innovative" restructuring measures (community building, team teaching, and block scheduling) have historically…

The complexity of principals' work may be characterized according to three dilemmas: accountability, autonomy, and efficiency. Narrative vignettes of 74 Australian principals revealed that principals were fair and inclusive. When faced with restructuring dilemmas, however, they favored strong over shared leadership, efficiency over collaboration,…

According to Annenburg Institute consultants, all education community members need the responsibility and authority to take appropriate leadership roles. Effective schools develop a shared vision, determine clear priorities, promote continuous professional learning, link schools to community assets, provide strong accountability, and reorganize…

Education, like other public services, is now characterized by a range of structural realignments, new purchaser-provider relationships, and new management/political coalitions. The school-effectiveness movement exemplifies the new managerialism in education, part of an ideological and technological process to industrialize school productivity.…

To bring students up to internationally benchmarked standards, high schools must abandon the ineffective general curriculum and focus resources on a narrower, academic curriculum. Professional and vocational education should be provided in postsecondary settings after students receive certificates of initial mastery. A 12-point school redesign…

Suggests a few ways in which civic entrepreneurs can foster charter schools. Civic entrepreneurs, who need not be extremely wealthy, can help meet four critical needs of charter schools: (1) start-up capital, (2) technical assistance, (3) safeguarding freedom, and (4) fostering accountability. (SLD)

Leadership plays an important role in middle-school community members' collaborative efforts. Principals, by valuing and recognizing contributions of each teacher, staff member, student, and parent, give high visibility to the collaborative process. Principals also bolster collaboration by providing necessary support systems and helping…