Implementing shared decision making in school-based management requires fundamental changes in traditional behavior. Initiation of restructuring systemic authority and decision-making arrangements requires changing deeply held beliefs and developing new roles and relationships. A recent survey of educational practitioners identified eight major…

Findings of a survey conducted in 1989 to identify the difficulties facing educational practitioners when initiating shared decision making in school-based management are presented in this educational policy bulletin. The first of a two-issue report examined five of the eight major barriers to changing traditional behavior: fear of taking risks,…

On November 9, 1989, Governor William P. Clements, Jr., established a Task Force on Public Education and charged it to develop a blueprint for restructuring public education in Texas. The state public education system is under taxpayer pressure to improve performance and under court order to correct funding inequities. This report describes the…

Proceedings of a 1988 statewide symposium on school restructuring in Nebraska are presented in this document. Part 1 contains the opening remarks made concerning Nebraska education and the status of school restructuring. Part 2 presents the addresses of three nationally recognized experts on national school restructuring perspectives. A panel of…

The Southeastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE) provides information on re-designing curriculum and instruction in schools, re-defining roles and responsibilities of school staffs, and promoting changes to address the needs of the Southeast's growing and diverse student population. SERVE offers a series of publications entitled "Hot…

An overview of school-based management (SBM) and the issues involved are provided in this document. Information is offered on the following topics: the advantages and liabilities of SBM; its effect on the roles of the school board, superintendent, and district office; decision-making processes; elements of SBM implementation; examples of three…

The first year of school reform in Chicago was devoted to preparation for governance and the election of local school councils to serve in each school. The second year of school reform was devoted to continued preparation for governance and attempts to restructure classroom instruction. The importance of restructuring education to match how…

Following a "dear colleagues" letter from John R. McKernan, Jr., Governor of Maine and 1991-92 chairman of the Education Commission of the States, a strategy is outlined that will help educational reformers to approach restructuring from varying perspectives and improve its chances for success. Several fundamental principles underlie…

A study examined the influence of differences in school district organization on internal school organizational processes that are central to reform strategies, such as teacher cooperation and instructional leadership. Data were obtained from interviews conducted with the principals of 98 Tennessee elementary schools that participated in the…

Findings of a study that identified time management strategies used by schools involved in restructuring to address the problem of time are presented in this paper, which is based on the assertion that school faculties need time to restructure while implementing new programs. Methodology involved a survey of 31 schools and 14 school districts that…

This paper presents an overview and description of "significant" education legislation passed during the 1993 Utah Legislative Session. Specific attention is given to legislation that affects the governance and structure of education in the state. The centerpiece of the Governor's educational agenda and the definitive action of the 1993…

Total Quality Management (TQM) has become popular in many educational settings in recent years. TQM was initiated at Shiloh High School in the Gwinnett County (Georgia) Public Schools as a part of a strategic plan that guarantees individual student success. Shiloh Principal J. Patrick Mahon recognized TQM's usefulness in carrying out a strategic…

This booklet documents the 1990 colloquium for Massachusetts superintendents, Leading the Way. The colloquium program is one of several initiatives of the School-Based Improvement Project (SBIP), which is a partnership between the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and the Office of Community Education of the Massachusetts…

The challenge of changing belief systems to engender educational change is explored in this bulletin, which asserts that the current American educational system inadequately prepares students for productive participation in a rapidly changing information-oriented society. Change in the United States culture implies that alterations in education…

Findings from a study that examined the attitudes of California school district superintendents toward school restructuring are presented in this paper. Interviews were conducted with a total of 30 superintendents and senior staff members in 22 California school districts to explore their orientations toward school restructuring in general and…