{"id":{"repo_id":"usd-thes","oai_identifier":"oai:digital.sandiego.edu:dissertations-1690"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/usd-thes/oai:digital.sandiego.edu:dissertations-1690","repository":{"repo_id":"usd-thes","name":"University of San Diego","base_url":"https://digital.sandiego.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"School-Based Management in Alberta: Perceptions of Public School Leaders, 1994–1997","abstract":"In 1994, the Government of Alberta, Canada, instituted major fiscal measures designed to reduce operating costs and a large provincial debt. In tandem, Alberta Education restructured public education by: reducing the number of school districts, redefining the role of school boards, increasing the involvement of parents, initiating Charter schools, expanding student testing, downsizing Alberta Education, improving delivery of services to children, and mandating the implementation of school-based management in all public schools (Alberta Education News Release, January 18, 1994). The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of how the implementation of school-based management, through the first three year plan (1994–97), shaped the roles, functions, and attitudes of participant school leaders. School leaders were defined as lead teachers, principals and school council chairpersons. A case study methodology was used to describe, and examine, interviews with the eighteen participants from three elementary and three secondary schools, on site observations and school and district documents. The findings provide a description of the collective and individual roles of participant school leaders and how they accommodate staff and parent input, decision-making, increased community involvement and improved communications. Stewardship was the style of leadership which evolved during the Three year Plan (1994–97). Participants reported a high degree of satisfaction with school-based management, in spite of conflicting restructuring measures, and placed a heightened value on collaborative decision-making. Implications of the study include changing leadership styles that occurred as a result of collaborative decision-making which help refocus school attention on school-based management. School leaders, particularly the principal, used collaborative decision-making, mentoring and power sharing to strengthen school-based initiatives and redefine stakeholder values which resulted in school leadership which was transforming and encouraged collaborators and leaders to be stewards of the process.","abstract_html":"In 1994, the Government of Alberta, Canada, instituted major fiscal measures designed to reduce operating costs and a large provincial debt. In tandem, Alberta Education restructured public education by: reducing the number of school districts, redefining the role of school boards, increasing the involvement of parents, initiating Charter schools, expanding student testing, downsizing Alberta Education, improving delivery of services to children, and mandating the implementation of school-based management in all public schools (Alberta Education News Release, January 18, 1994). The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of how the implementation of school-based management, through the first three year plan (1994–97), shaped the roles, functions, and attitudes of participant school leaders. School leaders were defined as lead teachers, principals and school council chairpersons. A case study methodology was used to describe, and examine, interviews with the eighteen participants from three elementary and three secondary schools, on site observations and school and district documents. The findings provide a description of the collective and individual roles of participant school leaders and how they accommodate staff and parent input, decision-making, increased community involvement and improved communications. Stewardship was the style of leadership which evolved during the Three year Plan (1994–97). Participants reported a high degree of satisfaction with school-based management, in spite of conflicting restructuring measures, and placed a heightened value on collaborative decision-making. Implications of the study include changing leadership styles that occurred as a result of collaborative decision-making which help refocus school attention on school-based management. School leaders, particularly the principal, used collaborative decision-making, mentoring and power sharing to strengthen school-based initiatives and redefine stakeholder values which resulted in school leadership which was transforming and encouraged collaborators and leaders to be stewards of the process.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wilson, Robert James, EdD"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"EdD Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation: Open Access","degree_discipline":"Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2001,"date_issued":"2001-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2001-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:41:28Z","subjects":["Alberta (Canada)","case study","decision-making","Leadership studies","parents & parenting","perception","public schools","restructuring","school administration","school-based management","stewardship","teachers"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/685","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wilson, Robert James, EdD"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-01-26T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation: Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["EdD Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Alberta (Canada)","case study","decision-making","Leadership studies","parents & parenting","perception","public schools","restructuring","school administration","school-based management","stewardship","teachers"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/685"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In 1994, the Government of Alberta, Canada, instituted major fiscal measures designed to reduce operating costs and a large provincial debt. In tandem, Alberta Education restructured public education by: reducing the number of school districts, redefining the role of school boards, increasing the involvement of parents, initiating Charter schools, expanding student testing, downsizing Alberta Education, improving delivery of services to children, and mandating the implementation of school-based management in all public schools (Alberta Education News Release, January 18, 1994). The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of how the implementation of school-based management, through the first three year plan (1994–97), shaped the roles, functions, and attitudes of participant school leaders. School leaders were defined as lead teachers, principals and school council chairpersons. A case study methodology was used to describe, and examine, interviews with the eighteen participants from three elementary and three secondary schools, on site observations and school and district documents. The findings provide a description of the collective and individual roles of participant school leaders and how they accommodate staff and parent input, decision-making, increased community involvement and improved communications. Stewardship was the style of leadership which evolved during the Three year Plan (1994–97). Participants reported a high degree of satisfaction with school-based management, in spite of conflicting restructuring measures, and placed a heightened value on collaborative decision-making. Implications of the study include changing leadership styles that occurred as a result of collaborative decision-making which help refocus school attention on school-based management. School leaders, particularly the principal, used collaborative decision-making, mentoring and power sharing to strengthen school-based initiatives and redefine stakeholder values which resulted in school leadership which was transforming and encouraged collaborators and leaders to be stewards of the process."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["School-Based Management in Alberta: Perceptions of Public School Leaders, 1994–1997"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Wilson, Robert James, EdD"],"dc:date.available":["2022-01-26T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["In 1994, the Government of Alberta, Canada, instituted major fiscal measures designed to reduce operating costs and a large provincial debt. In tandem, Alberta Education restructured public education by: reducing the number of school districts, redefining the role of school boards, increasing the involvement of parents, initiating Charter schools, expanding student testing, downsizing Alberta Education, improving delivery of services to children, and mandating the implementation of school-based management in all public schools (Alberta Education News Release, January 18, 1994). The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of how the implementation of school-based management, through the first three year plan (1994–97), shaped the roles, functions, and attitudes of participant school leaders. School leaders were defined as lead teachers, principals and school council chairpersons. A case study methodology was used to describe, and examine, interviews with the eighteen participants from three elementary and three secondary schools, on site observations and school and district documents. The findings provide a description of the collective and individual roles of participant school leaders and how they accommodate staff and parent input, decision-making, increased community involvement and improved communications. Stewardship was the style of leadership which evolved during the Three year Plan (1994–97). Participants reported a high degree of satisfaction with school-based management, in spite of conflicting restructuring measures, and placed a heightened value on collaborative decision-making. Implications of the study include changing leadership styles that occurred as a result of collaborative decision-making which help refocus school attention on school-based management. School leaders, particularly the principal, used collaborative decision-making, mentoring and power sharing to strengthen school-based initiatives and redefine stakeholder values which resulted in school leadership which was transforming and encouraged collaborators and leaders to be stewards of the process."],"dc:identifier":["https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/685"],"dc:subject":["Alberta (Canada)","case study","decision-making","Leadership studies","parents & parenting","perception","public schools","restructuring","school administration","school-based management","stewardship","teachers"],"dc:title":["School-Based Management in Alberta: Perceptions of Public School Leaders, 1994–1997"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation: Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["EdD Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:41:28Z"}