The concept of power, fundamental to understanding human interactions and institutions, remains puzzling, elusive, theoretically complex, and largely unexamined by practitioners. A school restructuring agenda that purportedly changes power relationships in schools is being proposed and tested throughout the country. Basic questions are being asked about top-down power, and terms such as "power sharing,""empowerment," and "site-based management" embody hopes and expectations for improving school performance. These discussions rarely consider the underlying assumptions affecting power relationships among the practitioner/actors involved in decision-making. Attempting to reconsider the dominant sociological theories explaining power in schools, this paper argues that facilitative power, an alternative to traditional (authoritarian) interpretations of power in organizations, more accurately describes how power is exercised in school settings. Facilitative, interactive power has become increasingly common in settings where no single individual or role commands decision-making control without dependence on expert knowledge and cooperation among colleagues. Facilitative power enlarges decision-making and encourages nonstandardized approaches to problem-solving. Specific examples include the individualized educational program process in special education and current clinical supervision practices. These demonstrate the limitations of traditional power concepts and the usefulness of facilitation for capturing the essential nature of interactions among principals and both professional and nonprofessional staff. (57 references) (MLH)