Only when the organizational structure and staff are aligned with the school vision can productive and exciting change happen. Change is thwarted when the school vision is uninspiring, developed incorrectly, not used immediately, or misaligned with staff or organization. Values, missions, outcomes, and visions have a short shelf-life; they must…

This personal account of a central office administrator's involvement in the Riverside (California) Unified School District's decentralization effort discusses the problems facing the rapidly growing district in the early 1960's, kinds of interventions required to break out of old attitudes toward schooling and school administration, and some…

Conditions that influence a school's readiness for change are analyzed in this monograph for the purpose of providing practitioners, especially those who provide assistance to schools, with specific guides for diagnosing readiness for change. The publication is a tool to help school personnel and others make wise and deliberate decisions about…

In discussing what is meant by the concept "organization," the author raises the questions, "What is an organization that it can have such a thing as a goal?" and, assuming it appropriate to speak of organizational goals, "how do the goals of individuals bear on those of the organization?" The author submits that answers to these questions raise…

W. Edwards Deming's concepts offer an integrated approach to quality schooling. Three barriers must be overcome: fear of industrial models, poor knowledge of workers and work processes, and unquestioned beliefs. Instead, educators must develop community understanding and commitment, establish business-education partnerships, and manage schools as…

While almost any educator would agree that students deserve access to equal educational opportunities, many schools still sort students based on test scores or other criteria. There's a better way: one built on offering all students access to the best curriculum. In this first-ever practical book that shows how educators can make detracking work,…

As individuals contemplate a new worldview of leadership education, they must step back to reflect on what now shapes and constrains leaders in schools. Their understandings of traditional leadership are rooted in organizational theory that is focused on rationality, effectiveness, and efficiency of bureaucratic institutions, defining the…

The accumulated evidence argues that a school contemplating curricular innovation will heighten its chances of success if it first gives staff members practice in new norms and skills for the collaboration that will be necessary to the innovation's success. (Author/AM)

Presents a description of some of the needs in the 60's which generated the efforts to create the training materials and support training of trainers, the issues that seemed to need answers, a number of actions which have been taken, answers found for some of the issues, and suggestions of work yet to be done. (Author/AM)

A report is given on the second phase of a 3-year study on change in American high schools. Data are presented from 17 schools for two of the study questions: What types of changes are occurring and what are the key units of change? Information was collected through approximately 28 hours of interviews in each school with students, faculty, and…

This paper applies the strategic planning process to the task of school renewal and improvement. After outlining the basic elements of stratgic planning (planning-to-plan phase, research, writing a mission statement, forecasting, contingency planning, and development of the strategic plan), the paper focuses on using this model to restructure…

Discusses various topics such as the role of leadership of the head teacher, the needs of the school, the organization of teaching (vertical grouping, team teaching) and changes within a British school. (Author/AM)

Middle school transition brings with it considerable change for those involved. Using corporate and industrial management theories and practices presents a rationale for wholesale and comprehensive educational change. (six references) (MLF)

Staff and students at an Illinois high school recently decided to challenge all previously held assumptions about all school operations. For this group, school was best viewed as culture (not bureaucracy) dependent on collaboration, shared leadership, and flat organizational structure. Group identified communication styles matching their approach,…