Traci Fenton, Founder and President of WorldBlu, discovered ten key principles of a democratic workplace. With Fenton’s permission, I’ve used the word “schools” where ever she used the word "companies." This will give you a deeper feeling for the powerful impact these principles could have on our schools.
WORLDBLU’S PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEMOCRACY
Here, then, are the WorldBlu’s Principles of Organizational Democracy, modified to read “democratic schools:”
1. They get naked. Say goodbye to the "secret society" mentality. Democratic schools are authentic, open, and transparent with their employees about their financial health, strategy, and agenda.
2. They have a conversation. Instead of the monologue or dysfunctional silence that characterizes most schools, democratic schools are committed to ongoing conversations and collaboration.
3. They loathe rankism. Democratic schools are all about fairness and dignity, not treating some people like "somebodies" and others like "nobodies."
4. They understand the meaning of life. Any employee in a democratic school can tell why the school exists and where it is headed. A democratic school’s purpose and vision is their true north.
5. They point fingers. Not in a blaming way; in a liberating way! Democratic schools know who is accountable for what.
6. They think the individual is as important as the whole. In democratic schools, people are seen not only for what they bring to the collective goals of the organization but also for their individual contribution. No one is just a cog in the machine.
7. They're not Cyclopean. Democratic schools thrive on giving employees choices.
8. They've got backbone. Integrity is the name of the game, and democratic schools have a lot of it. They understand that freedom takes discipline.
9. They're so vain. Move over Narcissus, democratic schools have you beat! Democratic schools are vain because they're so committed to looking in the mirror and asking, "How can we be better?" not just quarterly or annually, but daily.
10. They don't believe in the caste system. Democratic schools are all about distributed and decentralized power. They don't just derive (or hoard) power from one power source at the "top" because in a democratic school, there usually isn't a traditional top.”

(From Chapter Six, CRISIS IN SCHOOL MANAGEMENT)