Why do some schools and districts thrive in a decentralized environment while others simply go through the motions? To determine what factors foster improved school performance through school-based management (SBM), researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles spent more than four years studying schools and districts in the United States, Canada, and Australia. They report their findings--based on visits to 40 schools, interviews with 400 people, and archival and survey data--in this concise book.
Creating school-site councils--typically the first step in SBM efforts--is just that, a first step. SBM must be part of a focused, even passionate, quest for improvement. The study suggests that decentralized management works best when a range of key organizational conditions are present--for example, a school vision focused on school improvement and strong leadership from principals and teachers; and four organizational resources, including the power to make or influence decisions and rewards for performance, are available to all school site participants.
The authors also discuss seven dynamics that help a school become an effective learning community, a necessary element of successful SBM. These include ongoing conversations about teaching and learning; rich connections with the external environment; and a view of the school as a whole rather than as separate subjects, grade levels, and classrooms.
School-based management is a time-consuming, complicated process that places high demands on all involved. Efforts can be impeded at any number of points along the way. The research summarized in this book may make the difference in your SBM experience.