Abstract: Participatory democracy is the goal and direction of the transformation of school management styles. This study, based on a survey of 99 principals and 4,890 teachers in 103 schools, considers the status quo and influential factors of the democratic transformation in public primary and secondary schools.The results show that the current democratic participation in school management is kind of surface participation, and there exist such problems as insufficient participation, unequal participation and limited participation.Factors affecting the democratic transformation of school management include hindrance in administration, system, concept and idea. Therefore, it's suggested that education authorities should transform their governing modes by scientific decentralization. Primary and secondary schools should strive to build a sound democratic system by improving the internal governance structures. In addition, principals should change their authoritarian style and establish effective partnership between managers and participants.

Key words: participatory democracy, school management style, transformation