Contrasts the bureaucratic image of schools with four other possible images based on characteristics of social action in sects, legislatures, hospitals, and under anarchic conditions. Aims at developing a greater variety of ways to think about how schools can be organized. Various educational problems and means to resolve them are considered…

A principal describes the conditions in his school that provide intellectual stimulation and promote discussions among staff, students, and himself. (JM)

It is clear that the development and refinement of a theory is a continuing exercise that both shapes and is shaped by parallel developments in methodology, and data collection and analysis. (Author)

The report most frequently heard in successful schools is that rules are carefully and openly developed, clearly announced, firmly enforced, and consistently applicable to everyone. (Author)

This article provides an historical overview of organizational theory and research relevant to participation in decision making. Applications of this theory and research in schools are discussed. Two examples of organization development interventions which foster participation in school decision making are described. Implications of recent…

Evidence suggests that a middle school organizational design has some administrative advantages over the traditional junior high school program because of the more unified social and academic atmosphere. (LH)

Although works on specific restructuring initiatives are prevalent, few focus on meaning and organizational implications inherent in American restructuring efforts. Motivated by scarcity of conceptual literature, this article aims to provide researchers and practitioners with a framework for thinking about restructuring process in educational…

An individual's participation in school can be analyzed on four levels--the individual, the team, interteam coordination, and management of the school's interaction with the environment. These levels represent different intensities of participation and degrees of complexity in an individual's commitment. This paper explores each level and…

Discusses research in three Australian secondary schools planning to implement school-based decision-making and planning procedures as part of a "corporate-managerialist" restructuring program. Results showed that secondary schools are open social systems comprised of complex relationship patterns. A unitary view of secondary schools is…

Identifies 10 educational restructuring components: setting a clear school mission; reorganizing the school to fit the mission, realigning curriculum, instruction, and assessment; enhancing the teaching profession; building collaborative relationships; initiating school-centered decision making; increasing parent and community involvement;…

A 1989 Carnegie Corporation report called for major reforms in early adolescent education and sharply criticized the middle school concept. To compound the social displacement problem, middle schools are often created to satisfy budgetary requirements and shifting enrollment trends, not to meet children's needs. Moving fifth graders is ill…

Three very powerful drivers of curriculum policy are converging to shape what is taught in American schools: the increasing power of testing and standardized accountability models to determine curriculum, the pressure for cultural literacy, and the educational restructuring movement, which could subordinate curriculum to school organization…

Genuine school reform demands the redistribution of staff, space, and time within individual schools. Parallel block scheduling lets each teacher work with smaller groups of students daily. Sample scheduling and reading placements are provided. Includes 10 references. (MLH)

To implement curriculum changes successfully, five guidelines should be followed: changes should be research-based; successful innovation requires organizational changes; innovations must be feasible for the average teacher; implementation efforts must be organic, not bureaucratic; and a definite curriculum plan is essential. Guidelines for…