School-Based Management/Shared Decision Making is a city-wide program supported by New York City Schools in collaboration with Bank Street College, based on the belief that students, parents, school staff, and communities have unique needs, and that these needs can best be addressed by these persons. Participating schools formed teams of administrators, teachers, other staff, parents, and, in some cases, students, to be decision-making bodies or teams in their schools. A research team was formed to capture the complexity of the venture in 13 schools. This document describes the operation of the decision-making teams and their dynamics and provides recommendations to enhance the process. Problems of drawing all decision-making team members into equal partnership in school-based management are documented, noting the tendency for principals and union representatives to fall back on their traditional authorities. Parents also faced problems working with school staff, particularly from school personnel who are unwilling to allow parents to have a say in curriculum development and areas of student learning. A major recommendation is that all decision-making team members should have access to information necessary for full participation. Another is that each decision-making team should include an appropriately trained and neutral evaluator to facilitate development and functioning. (SLD)