One such resource is Site-Based Management in Minneapolis Public Schools . Adobe Acrobat is required to read this particular document, but not all site-based management resources on the MPS Web site need the reader. Much of the research done on how well site-based management works has determined that for the approach to be effective, a school system must earmark sufficient time not only for the initial learning of such skills as decision making but also for the ongoing meetings of all stakeholders to achieve productive decision making by consensus rather than fiat. Schools where SBM works well and schools that struggle with it have distinct differences in approaches. Professional development is continuous and schoolwide.
All information is widely and thoroughly distributed throughout the school and community.
Many schools and districts employing SBM use Web sites chock full of information and news conveying just about anything anyone would ever want to know about them. The principal is able to simultaneously lead and share power and responsibility. Leaving the issue of autonomy and its limits unclear may hamper a team's effectiveness. Principals need to stop telling others what to do and instead help people develop the skills to become self-directing. Accountability often stays with the superintendent and principals involved in SBM, when it should devolve to the entire decision-making group, typically composed of teachers, parents, and other community representatives.