GENERATING CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL INNOVATIONS THROUGH SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT

This study examined how schools utilize school-based management to int roduce curriculum and instructional changes. It builds on previous res earch which concluded that school-based management can be more effecti ve when the conditions associated with high-involvement organizations- namely, the decentralization of power, knowledge and skills, informati on and rewards-are in place. In the present research, we assessed the extent to which these four conditions along with three other factors-a n instructional guidance system, leadership, and resources-facilitated the implementation of four categories of curriculum and instructional innovations. Data from seventeen schools in eight locations supported the premise that higher levels of reform take place when higher level s of more of these supporting conditions are present at a school. Furt hermore, all of these conditions, with the possible exception of resou rces, appear to be instrumental in facilitating these innovations. A n umber of avenues for future research are suggested.