This paper considers conceptual alternatives for the development of information systems for management and planning in schools. Four problem areas which have been encountered in the introduction and implementation of such systems are identified, including lack of information, lack of understanding, lack of tools for the redress of problems, and lack of both positive and negative motivations. The interrelationship of these areas with broader problems of change, such as organizational equilibrium, organizational anxiety, and dynamics of adjustment and adaptation, is discussed. Some of the realities with which educational managers must deal are explored. The difference between administrative assessments and management evaluations is highlighted in this context. Five alternative management and planning systems are described: (1) optimization systems; (2) sub-optimization systems; (3) experimental systems; (4) negotiation systems; (and (5); dialectic systems. The possibilities for integrating such systems are evaluated, with an emphasis on the distinction between assessment and evaluation criteria. The need for credibility and confidence on the organitional environment is also emphasized. Finally, a framework for role analysis is organizational/managerial settings is developed. Identified are a number of common strategies and behaviors through which roles become the adaptive mechanisms of organizations. Means by which role analyses may be employed in management evaluations are outlined. (GC)