NCREL's Policy Briefs

Decentralization:
Why, How, and Toward What Ends?

Detroit, MI

Interview with Allen Zondlak, Director of Planning, Detroit Public Schools

Fifteen of Detroit's 256 schools participate in a site-based management pilot and are considered Empowered Schools. The pilot, which began in 1990-91 with nine schools, will expand to other schools in the district throughout the next several years. A target of 46 Empowered Schools has been established for 1992-93. Empowered Schools are guided by four principles:

• Students and parents are the school's first priority.

• School staff should be given the freedom to create diverse educational programs.

• Parents should be given a true choice of the "best" educational programs to meet their children's needs.

• The central administration should function as a support enterprise, providing improved services to Empowered Schools.

Under this Empowerment Plan, teachers and school staff are viewed as professionals who are in control of their own destinies. Parents, teachers, and students are encouraged to take the initiative to implement ideas that impact the school environment and to take an active role in school management. In Empowered Schools, students, parents, and staff have the freedom to:

• Control the use of allocated funds

• Define their school's path to improvement

• Identify and implement instructional improvements

• Provide diverse learning programs for students

• Define the types of services and support they need and select the providers of those services

A school is eligible to apply for empowerment if its administration, 75 percent of its teachers, and 55 percent of its parents, support staff, and students (middle and high school student councils) vote for empowerment at their school.

Detroit has been considering empowerment since 1987. Several initiatives and reports provided the groundwork for the current Empowerment Plan. A "Memorandum of Understanding" negotiated by the general superintendent, Detroit Board of Education president, Detroit Federation of Teachers, and Organization of School Administrators and Supervisors provides the basic framework for governance and selection of Empowered Schools. With the help of Arthur Andersen Consulting and Larry Wilderson and Associates, the board attempted to combine all of these reports into one "empowerment plan." The plan, which was approved by the board in March 1992, is based on several key principles:

• School-site decision-making enhances leadership, ownership, commitment, and accountability at all levels.

• Empowerment promotes and encourages diversity and creativity in problem solving.

• Empowerment gives schools greater authority and flexibility to determine their own needs; select powerful solutions; purchase the goods and services they require; and enhance accountability for the mission, goals, and objectives of the district.

Support Programs

The current Empowerment Plan calls for schools to establish School Empowerment Councils to oversee local empowerment initiatives. Each school determines the number of Council members, selects a decision-making process, and sets the Council's agenda. Representatives to the Council must include administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, and students (at middle and high schools).

The general superintendent, board of education president, Detroit Federation of Teachers' president, and Organization of School Administrators and Supervisors' president comprise the Intervention Team, which reviews applications for and grants waivers to the School Empowerment Councils. The general superintendent also meets regularly with the principals of Empowered Schools.

Empowered Schools receive special transition attention through a School Management Support Organization that is designed to provide business management support for the schools and assistance in such areas as service brokering and skill development. Schools will have the freedom to determine the composition and structure of this support. Three options are available for support:

1. Internal service units

2. External service units

3. School development service units

Obstacles

Key obstacles include:

• Teachers' and administrators' apprehension that empowerment will weaken their collective bargaining positions

• Fear of change, new roles, and new responsibilities

• A need to assist central and area administrators in providing support services to Empowered Schools while recognizing the increased decision-making capacities of these schools

• A need to assist principals and other school constituencies to more effectively share in school decision-making

Recommendations

Funding "To support decentralization, there should be greater flexibility in funding at the state and federal level. At the local level, it is important that all school constituencies be involved in developing the Empowerment Plan every step of the way."

Posted on April 26, 1995

URL: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/go/93-1detr.htm