The growing proclivity of business leaders in some urban communities to become more deeply involved in the complex and politically volatile issue of school governance is assessed in this paper. The troubles facing Detroit public schools include a high dropout rate, illiteracy of graduates, and bad management of money and resources. In 1988,…

Georgia's business leadership is concerned about that state's public education system which has consistently ranked near the bottom of the educational ladder. In 1986, the Quality Basic Education (QBE) Act became law, and its provisions are described in this document. The Georgia Alliance for Public Education (the Alliance) was mobilized to…

In South Carolina, reform through the Educational Improvement Act (1984) and business-education partnerships are paying dividends in school improvements and gains in student performance. One key factor is the continued involvement of business leaders and business organizations in monitoring and supporting full implementation of reforms. Four…

This paper, written from the perspective of the child advocacy community, acknowledges the importance of the business community in the political process. The paper profiles the contrast between two New Jerseys, one of prosperity, the other struggling under excruciating poverty. The economic boom of the 1980s broadened the gap between wealthy…

The five correlates of effective schools are as follow: (1) strong administrative leadership; (2) high expectations for all pupils; (3) safe and orderly climate; (4) strong instructional focus; and (5) frequent monitoring of pupil progress. This paper outlines a model for implementing effective school practices. One or more of these correlates…

This paper, one of the nine-booklet Teacher Quality Series, offers guidelines for educational leaders who have the responsibility of making policy to improve the school as an organization in which teaching and learning take place. Various organizational schemes that encourage staff to share understandings and techniques, help each other to…

This report describes results of a survey on school-based budgeting (SBB) in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, public schools (APS). SBB began in the 1986-87 school year at 33 of the 116 APS schools and alternative schools, with 16 elementary, 11 middle, and 6 high schools, participating in the first year. A total of 131 responses were received from…

This ERIC Digest discusses the issue of the school district management audit--a comprehensive examination of an organization in order to assess efficient use of resources and program effectiveness. Several aspects of the management audit issue are covered in question-and-answer format: (1) What is a management audit? (2) What areas are covered by…

School administrators can get a better idea of what their purpose is by examining, first, what schools achieve; second, how schools function; and, third, why they function. A school's production function (what it achieves) involves many specific functions, but they all are a product of the relationship between school inputs and outputs. Inputs…

Asserts that achievement and cost measures of school districts' effectiveness are useful but insufficient performance critera. Focusing on British Columbia, Canada, this paper demonstrates a surprising negative relationship between cost and achievement and seeks a third element--school ethos or goodness--as a potential predictor of school…

Research indicates that school organization factors may be as important in explaining and managing school discipline as classroom techniques. The key to developing an environment conducive to good student deportment is a total school effort facilitated by a highly visible principal. Includes 11 references. (MLH)

The views and suggestions of Trinidadian students regarding the administration and organization of their schools are given. The consensus is that school administrators are failing to consider students' opinions. In order to function optimally schools must begin to involve the learner in the decision-making process. (VM)

School organizations need to make changes in the organizational culture of schools in order to achieve excellence. An analogy between cognitive systems and organizational belief systems helps to explain the ways that beliefs and values are structured in school organizations. (MLF)

Over the past 6 years, 28 states have authorized the creation of charter schools as an alternative form of public education. This policy brief examines the goals and implementation issues specifically related to teaching and learning. It presents findings of a study that explored how learning communities were created and sustained in 17 charter…

This proceedings of an international conference examines the nature of school self-management around the world. The volume opens with the keynote address by, Tony Townsend, which provides an overview of school self-management, effective education, and the school-effectiveness movement. Some of the topics addressed include student achievement, the…