Schools of tomorrow will be completely different physically and operationally. The author of this article states that we cannot tolerate the current high failure rates in terms of graduation and possession of the competencies needed to function successfully as citizens in a democracy, productively as workers and heuristically as learners. He lists…

Workforce remodeling in England has been presented as a means to empower school staff through a restructuring process which has possibilities to dramatically shift the ways in which they operate. This initiative has also included a number of legislative requirements intended to help embed the more technocratic aspects of the remodeling process.…

This paper addresses the potential of various proposals to reform a broad group of human-service organizations. It challenges two reform strategies that currently receive considerable attention. One strategy promotes collaboration among human-service organizations in an effort to deliver services to clients more efficiently and effectively. A…

This book expands the meaning of today's education for work by offering five multidisciplinary approaches--school-to-work transitions, gender equity, labor education, economic democracy, and vocational education--revealing the complexities of personal, social, and cultural transformation. "Critical Education for Work" (Richard D. Lakes)…

The Ohio Educational Reform Bill, S.B. 140, mandated that each school system adopt a school-choice policy for parents and students of adjoining districts. This paper describes the choice options that were developed by the Steubenville City Schools and Franciscan University. To meet the state requirements, the Steubenville school system first…

This book gives attention to governance structures and the allocation of power in school systems. It argues for radical changes, such as abolishing boards of education, that would give parents, teachers, and the community greater voice in educational policy decisions. For schools to change, not only must a new governance structure replace the old,…

This study sought to determine the effect of four different structured group decision-making techniques in an undergraduate business communication course on the quality of a written assignment and on student reaction to the decision-making technique. The effects of gender, age, and academic intellectual ability were also investigated. The four…

A fundamental challenge facing community college presidents and senior-level staff is to create an environment in which diverse qualities of students and staff make positive contributions to the organization. This requires replacing conceptions of leadership as one person at the top who has power with a vision of democratic leadership which…

Quality work teams that are based on W. Edwards Deming's business-management theories have proliferated at the school and district levels to handle problem solving and decision making. Teams are said to build stronger relationships among those involved in education and, ultimately, to benefit students because more people with broader perspectives…

In recognition of the limitations of isolated decision making, teamwork has emerged as a preferred approach for educating students both with and without disabilities. The Vermont Interdependent Services Team Approach (VISTA) process described in this manual offers ways to think about and implement many of the tenets of collaborative teamwork to…

In the wake of an extensive strategic planning process that refocused institutional values at Northland College, Wisconsin, the administration undertook linking the budget with the newly articulated plan. Incremental budgeting was no longer feasible, and the new budget would have to reflect streamlining and new ways of functioning. Consequently…

Community college leaders are responsible for creating an institutional climate that is supportive, nurturing, collaborative, integrative, empowering, and inclusive. In providing leadership, it is important to remember that collective wisdom can take a college much farther than operating according to one person's ideal. In managing a multifaceted…

In 1988, the Illinois State Legislature passed the Chicago School Reform Act giving local schools significant decision-making authority to restructure management. The Act gives reform-specific powers to a local school council, which is composed of six parents, two community residents, two teachers, and the principal, all elected by their…

School leaders, especially principals, will play a major role in determining how effectively public schools are able to respond to the challenges of the next century. This handbook summarizes, analyzes, and synthesizes literature on educational leadership. It also integrates theory and practice, containing ideas from practitioners. The volume…

The movement toward school-based management (SBM) has promoted the need for self-imposed accountability. This book provides specific examples of strategies that schools have used to successfully implement SBM and to enhance their accountability functions. Chapter 1 provides the rationale for undertaking accountability measures, and the second…