*Teacher Influence

In the debate over schoolmanagement reforms, some policymakers have argued for greater accountability and centralized control, whereas others have supported greater decentralization through school-based-management approaches of various types. The 1990-91 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), provides data on educational decision making from the principal's perspective. This document describes some of the SASS findings. According to principals, public and private schools distinctly differed in who influenced decisions concerned with establishing school curriculum. Influence over curriculum appeared to be more evenly distributed in public schools than in private schools. Principals reported that teachers, principals, school boards, and state departments each had "a great deal " of influence on curriculum decision making. In contrast,