Interviews with and surveys of administrators, teachers, and school board members at 12 American Indian schools in Arizona examined their opinions about the extent of tribal self-determination and local control in the design and implementation of educational policies. Respondents from tribal contract and grant schools reported greater local…

Outlines a framework for shaping reform policies on strategies for enhancing teacher capacity, using interview data from a study conducted in California, Michigan, and Vermont. Michigan has developed subject-matter objectives and assessments, Vermont uses a portfolio assessment system to help teachers learn about problem solving and develop new…

In "Board of Education of Boone County v. Bushee," the Kentucky Supreme Court upheld school site councils' power and autonomy in a dispute involving a school improvement plan. Implications of "Bushee" are enormous. School-based decision making presents school business administrators with brave new challenges and increased…

Describes a 50-state study of the regulatory environment of 2-year colleges, focusing on patterns in budgeting flexibility, budget form, expenditure oversight, tuition and revenue control, local authority, and personnel administration. The highest degree of state control was over budgeting form and local autonomy, while the lowest was over…

Describes how a realistic, down-to-earth approach is succeeding in bringing technology into a Delaware school district. A written plan featuring some strategic language, a concrete way to find funding for purchases and programs, and providing "change workshops" for personnel were key elements. Preliminary steps, the plan, and some of the…

Japanese school management should consider more broad-based, active participation in school board policymaking and should democratize school board-school relationships by adopting the lay-control principle. Both U.S. and Japanese schools should improve the exercise of appropriate administrator leadership. Japanese schools are evaluated on a…

A survey of 290 South Dakota superintendents, principals, and school board presidents examined personal, interpersonal, and institutional barriers to school-based management. Most school administrators, but not school board presidents, were skeptical about changing the management of school districts and implementing school-based management. (LP)

Many school boards have considered searching for their next superintendent in the ranks of the business community. Both Minneapolis (Minnesota) and Milwaukee (Wisconsin) have businesspeople as superintendents. Contains a number of comments concerning advantages a businessperson can bring to the superintendency, as opposed to the need for proper…

Cutbacks to outdoor education and outdoor education centers are inconsistent with the Ontario boards' goal of lifelong learning. Although traditional curricula consist almost entirely of public meaning, outdoor education yields personal meaning engendered by direct experience with what is being learned. Outdoor experiences are also essential for…

Investigates the role of Boards of Governors in the governance of local high schools in Papua New Guinea. Offers lessons for those who are intending to introduce school governance at the individual institution level. Asserts that training is required for principals and board members to strengthen the boards' effectiveness. (19 citations) (VWC)

Site-based decision making (SBDM) represents one of the more progressive paradigmatic shifts in decentralization. Varieties of the model have been implemented. Surveys issues emerging from the variety of experiments in SBDM. Concludes that, at its best, SBDM is the grand experiment of letting local schools determine how to meet the district's…

The Ottawa Board of Education (Ontario, Canada) has committed revenues generated by a districtwide recycling program to help fund the MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre. A partnership between recycling and outdoor education is valuable in developing an environmental ethic among students and in finding new ways to fund outdoor education. (LP)

Canadian school board administrators are increasingly expected to meet the needs of disabled or other students requiring specific types of accommodation. The duty to accommodate arises when otherwise legitimate school rules or policies affect the customs and observances of nonmajoritarian religions. (Contains 12 references.) (MLH)

Leaders bring to new jobs their values and vision, the authority of their position, and their reputation and accomplishments. How new superintendents conduct themselves during the critical entry/"honeymoon" phase affects their subsequent working relationships and leadership effectiveness. Structured interviews with staff, parents, and…

Advocates the use of scripted plays (called dramatic scenarios) to teach administrators and school-board members about the politics of educational decision-making. Includes a dramatic scenario involving the deliberations of a seven-person principal-selection committee. Summarizes administrator impressions of the scenario. (Contains 28 references.)…