Describes problems in faculty evaluation and performance appraisal and presents assumptions and features of newer alternative faculty evaluation systems. A strategy for developing systems which is based on organizational change theory is discussed. This system involves use of committees and structured phases for faculty input. (MBR)

Education reform has wrongly focused on teacher motivation and rewards, when the organizational system itself is at fault. Research shows that effective school management hinges on increased individual discretion and decision-making opportunities for teachers and less controlling behavior by administrators. Ten characteristics of effective…

Proposes a faculty retreat as an opportunity to approach decision-making through consensus-building strategies. Identifies four decision-making stages and outlines techniques to be used at each stage. (JM)

Describes a study of: (1) Illinois community college faculty's impact on institutional decisions regarding personnel status, academic operations, administrator selection, financial planning and policy, and professional duties; (2) the impact of collective bargaining on faculty's decision-making role; and (3) the relationship between contextual…

Advocates using unassigned, student-generated topics for writing assignments. (EL)

The simultaneous presence of faculty growth and a sense of faculty community can help a good school really shine. This article explores ways in which a school environment supporting these two factors can be developed and maintained, using the private Sidwell Friends Lower School in Washington, D.C., as an example. (PGD)

A holistic organizational structure that encourages faculty involvement in pursuit of excellence is critical to the future of higher education. At the same time, the mainstreaming of continuing professional education, while vital to institutional growth, must address the development of academic integrity in that field. (SK)

Theory Z is a form of management which stresses consensual, participative decision making through quality circles. Replacement of the hierarchical school district organization by self-direction and trust within the educational community can lead to commitment, loyalty, and motivation. Cooperation in equal partnership ends the adversarial…

Presents three aims of effective home-school-community relations programs: involving parents and other citizens in making decisions related to the school's program, fostering ongoing multidirectional communication, and using community resources to enrich the school's total educational program. (HOD)

Through early cooperation and participation of the architect with the educational facility planner and various school staff and community members, it is possible to design and construct schools that will meet the needs of the educational program. Responsibilities of the team members are listed. (Author/MLF)

Social theories have long proclaimed the advent of the postindustrial era. In this era, a new paradigm will emerge which will utilize negotiation as the major problem-solving strategy; planning which emphasizes process rather than goal; and change strategies emphasizing the client, group dynamics, and knowledge from the behavioral sciences.…

This interview with Dianne Roberts, director of the Minimbah Aboriginal Preschool in Armidale, New South Wales (Australia), explores research issues, leadership styles, and how decision making and responsibilities are handled at Minimbah. Incoming researchers must show how research will benefit the community under study, how they will work in…

First Things First is a comprehensive intervention to transform low-performing public schools with high percentages of non-White and at-risk students. It encompasses major changes in school structure, instruction, and accountability and governance. The program model, which is grounded both in research and the best practices of schools serving…

This study examined teachers' classroom material buying behaviors and trends. Data came from Quality Education Data's National Education Database, which includes U.S. K-12 public, private, and Catholic schools and districts. Researchers surveyed K-8 teachers randomly selected from QED's National Education Database. Results show that teachers spend…

A fundamental ideal of our democratic republic is that every person has some way through which she/he can participate in decisions which directly affect her/him. To some extent, most teachers are able to recognize this ideal in their private lives. It seems logical that this realization would also carry over and prevail in an individual's working…