Since 1987, 12 California school districts and their teachers' unions have experimented with a new form of labor accord called an Educational Policy Trust Agreement. The project helps teachers, as represented by their unions, and school management to reach agreements on issues that are not included within the scope of traditional collective…

This report presents specific recommendations for the continuing improvement of the elementary education provided by Dade County Public Schools (DCPS), Florida. Following a list of the 31 major recommendations and an introduction, the recommendations are discussed in greater detail. This discussion is organized around these themes: (1) setting and…

This book is an introduction and guide to school-based management, a decentralized form of organization in which decisions that have traditionally been made by a superintendent or school board are made by the local school. Chapter 1 provides an overview of decision-making in public school systems starting with a brief history of the trend toward…

According to recent research findings, school principals are the motivating agents in schools where effective learning takes place. Recognizing the importance of school principals, Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) conference participants viewed a role delineation for principals and a restructuring of school organization as necessary to…

The 1985 education reform legislation in Illinois is assessed in this report. Following a summary and list of major findings and recommendations, the evaluation is divided into three main sections. The first section presents an overview of the legislation, identifies general themes, examines the reform's fiscal impact, compares the extent of…

Designed to provide specific, practical help for educators in starting or improving school public relations programs, this guide tells how to make each school building the focal point in informing the public about programs and activities, building confidence in what schools are doing, developing an awareness of the importance of education, and…

A wide variety of low cost, innovative, and successful school improvement activities have been initiated at both state and local levels in the past few years. This document highlights many of the state-level activities by presenting the results of a 50-state survey conducted in May and June 1982. Two tables provide a brief overview, followed by…

Analyzes the concept of local control against a background of rising state control. Focuses on school funding, equity, the excellence movement, and diversity and proposes a statewide educational voucher system. Concludes that the traditional conception of local control must be updated, but that school-level control is essential to improving…

Defines the principal's role as educational leader. Shows how the status of principals and the bureaucracy of public schools in Canada limit the principal's role. Explains the Canadian school budgeting process and its disadvantages. Suggests that school-based management can overcome educational centralization. (SB)

To better meet the needs of a technologically changing workplace and large, diverse and mobile population, the West Virginia State Plan for the Administration of Vocational and Technical Education requires local education associations to utilize program advisory committees as a key source of input for program review and curriculum update.…

This paper is for policymakers, advocates, and analysts who understand that the issues surrounding the introduction of more market-based mechanisms into education are complex and who accept the view that evidence is useful in sorting out the issues. It uses the market framework of demand, supply, and market pricing to organize the extensive but…

This publication offers school counselors and school staff a 5-phase planning model for implementing national standards for school counseling programs. The process involves the examination of current school counseling programs; identification of student needs; and selection of activities, strategies, and services to ensure that students achieve…

The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 mandates radical changes in curriculum, finances, and governance for all Kentucky schools and requires that all schools implement school-based decision making (SBDM). SBDM involves a cooperative problem solving approach to operational decisions. New York's Johnson City school district developed an…

This paper describes conditions and processes involved in implementing school-based decision making (SBDM), examining an outcomes-driven developmental model (ODDM) and describing the training components within Springfield, Missouri's and Kentucky's strategic plans. The Springfield Board of Education approved a plan to guide a schoolwide community…

Focuses on behaviors and activities of three high school principals as they respond to district's decision to implement a shared decision-making model designed to give teachers and parents a larger voice. Describes these administrators' varying responses, along with varied ways democratic leadership was multilaterally defined in each school by…