Examines implications for teamwork and school management, based on findings from a two-year study of senior management teams in British secondary schools. Discusses valuable lessons about teamwork's strains and gains, using a dual theoretical perspective encompassing both power and culture. Shows how the conflict between hierarchy and equal…

A case study assessing a psychogeriatric service in the United Kingdom is evaluated. The methodology, combining naturalistic and scientific approaches, was found to be useful in extending access to decision making and improving information, but it was expensive to support, requiring high commitment and willingness to compromise from all…

Discusses a case study connected with research into the introduction of school development plans commissioned by Warwickshire (England) Local Education Authority. Illustrates the time, energies, and tensions experienced by key actors involved in fusing the centrality of pupils' learning with the business of post-Education Reform Act management.…

Summarizes views of 222 British elementary school principals in 2 neighboring local education authorities about 4 aspects of science coordinators' work (curriculum development, resources, assisting other teacher, and responsibilities for teaching decisions). Headteachers believe that coordinators should not influence their colleagues' teaching…

Outlines findings from study funded by the National College for School Leadership that explored effective leadership in a group of secondary schools in challenging circumstances. Highlights the key characteristics and features of leadership approaches adopted, and argues that the heads in the study operated a shared or distributed model of…

There is a taken-for-granted acceptance that sports stars have responsibilities as "role models", yet the concept of a "role model" is unclear. The present study addressed the choice of "role models" amongst elite young British rugby league players, and the reasons for their choices. During the summer of 2002 under-13…

Summarising the arguments of "How Not to Be A Hypocrite: School Choice for the Morally Perplexed Parent" (Routledge Falmer 2003), the article discusses three questions. The first is whether parents who disapprove of elite private schools to such an extent that they would vote to ban them are acting hypocritically or inconsistently with…

There is a growing demand for admissions tutors in UK universities to use more rigorous and systematic decision-making methods in recruitment processes. A key barrier to achieving this goal is the lack of a coherent and definitive body of knowledge upon which such methods can be built. The yardstick used for the majority of applicants is A2-level…

The Department for Education and Skills (Replace by the Department for Children, Schools and Families as of June 28, 2007) commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to conduct an evaluation of the Youth Opportunity Fund and Youth Capital Fund (YOF/YCF). This summary presents the main findings from the interim report of…

This article first investigates historical trends in both the practice and the understanding of consultation, considering the often contrasting perspectives of architects and designers, compared to teachers and educationalists. Differing assumptions held by these two broad groups of professionals can lead to conflicting aims and objectives for…

The creation of "Higher Education Corporations" in the United Kingdom is discussed within the context of what one Polytechnic has done in creating a Decision Support System to address the problems found in resource management, cost control, and competitive bidding. A summarization is included of the actions taken by the Polytechnic in…

Questions whether "scientific" theories of educational management are compatible with the goals of an autonomous (British) education service. Discusses recent educational administration theories and their implications for social justice and educational diversity. Applies social-choice theory to organizational resourcing problems and…

An educator criticizes the appeals process provided for in the 1981 British Education Act for parents of children with special educational needs. Noted are discriminatory features of the provision, a common lack of independence by the hearing committee, and the limited authority of the Independent Panel of Special Education Experts. (DB)

The luxury of "slow change," so characteristic of schools over the years, may be giving way under the pressure of Britain's 1988 Education Reform Act. Primary headteachers have lived through two years of government-set agendas. Different groups' conflicting interests have created new priorities for headteachers and require new coping…

Effective-schools research indicates that greater community involvement in school management usually enhances children's cognitive and affective development. Future school effectiveness will be influenced by how successfully school councils and governing bodies function. Without adequate, ongoing inservice training for participants, school…