Reframing Decision Making in Education

Democratic Empowerment of Teachers and Parents

By (author) Perry R. Rettig

Not available to order

Publication date:

18 July 2016

Length of book:

130 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781475827200

American schools should be laboratories for modeling democratic concepts. However, our school systems are the antithesis of democratically run organizations. Teaching professionals, students and parents have very little power or genuine influence in decision making. Reframing Decision Making in Education begins by describing the current status of American schools and concludes with a description of the organizational structure, leadership, and decision making practices necessary to make our schools operate in a manner congruent with those democratic principles we espouse as a country.

This book describe a democratic structure and a decision making matrix to help reform leaders begin such an endeavor. Woven through each chapter is a fictional story of Principal Samantha Levy. We see Ms. Levy’s struggles as she begins the process of making change in her high school and its impact on those around her.

Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Way Things Are
Chapter 2: It Doesn’t Have to be This Way
Chapter 3: Democratic Principles: Change Happens
Chapter 4: Implications and Applications for our Schools
Chapter 5: Back to the Future
References

This book provides many practical democratic ideas for school leaders to read and reflect upon. I found Rettig’s ideas extremely useful. Reframing Decision Making will help people in my school not only to feel empowered but to be empowered. This book has truly helped me rethink how I organize and govern my school.