The implications of decentralization reform on the amount of serious attention and effort that teachers give to teaching and learning activities are explored in this paper. The discussion is informed by the results of two case studies of school districts recognized as exemplary cases of decentralization. The first section describes limitations of…

This book offers a guide to implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) in public and private organizations based on interviews and site visits with 12 award-winning companies. Part 1 provides an overview of TQM, attempts to put the Quality Revolution into perspective, and suggests diagnostic questions to determine whether TQM is appropriate for a…

Issues in systemic educational policy are discussed in this paper, with a focus on improving student achievement. First, the limitations of the current educational policy as a means to improve student achievement are described, and a conceptual framework for systemic educational policy is presented. The advantages and disadvantages of centralized…

This book explores the new roles required of principals of dynamic schools. The first chapter examines the following forces that shape principals' activities: teachers are becoming teacher-leaders; parents are more vocal and action-oriented advocates; student bodies are more diverse; the social and technological contexts of schools are more…

This guidebook is designed to serve as a resource and road map for restructuring schools, focusing on the development of a systematic process to implement and manage change. Chapter 1 defines restructuring as the reform of school-organizational relationships and processes to increase student learning and performance, with a focus on the following…

The human side of school reform and the difficulties of implementing innovation are examined in this book. The book suggests that one of the main reason efforts to reform schools stall is that educators resist change because they feel burdened or conflicted by the process. The book, therefore, focuses on realistic expectations concerning the pace…

This paper examines the organizational context in which student protest is currently enacted and finds a new generation of campus activism organized around multiculturalism. Qualitative methods are used to analyze five case studies of student protest: (1) the Mills College (California) strike of 1990; (2) the Chicano studies movement at the…

This report presents three case studies that are part of a larger study of six organizations which have closed a sheltered workshop or a nonwork, segregated program and replaced them with integrated employment or other integrated, community-based activities for individuals with disabilities. The three organizations reported on are Bonney…

This book examines issues related to the entrepreneurial transformation of universities using a study of five European universities which have been working to become more enterprising and entrepreneurial for eight or more years. The five institutions were: the University of Warwick (England); the University of Twente (the Netherlands); the…

The purpose of this book is to report the findings of one study of the centrality of the academic library and to suggest specific ways in which the library can fulfill its mission. The book aims to improve librarians' understanding of how to help their users succeed and seeks a new metaphor for the academic library that is appropriate for the…

The Synergistic Model of Organizational Career Development is a new model of organizational career development that combines the best of career development practice and organizational development into a unified, coherent model. The model has three levels of organization: philosophical, strategic, and practical. Expanding circles are used to…

A large government agency had been experiencing a variety of changes. The new head of the agency approached communication researchers about doing analyses of the effectiveness of communication in the agency. The researchers conducted two studies: a qualitative one to identify organizational and organizational communication themes, and a…

Findings from a study that examined ways in which principals implement new or revised curricula are presented in this paper, which focuses on how personal constructs influence the curriculum implementation process. Data about principals' implementation styles were obtained from interviews with 10 principals and 10 female teachers, inschool…

Common-sense proposals for restructuring schools neglect two major issues: What content is needed to give direction to structural innovation? and How can the many factors that influence this content be linked? A discussion of the social context of U.S. education demonstrates the ways in which content and linkage problems are complicated. An agenda…

The Chicago School Reform Act mandated that schools develop and implement their own school improvement plans (SIPs) to meet systemwide goals and expected outcomes. This paper examines the implementation of SIP initiatives in 14 Chicago public schools. Data were derived from interviews with principals and advisory committee chairpersons and from…