Commercial approaches are exceedingly being applied to institutions and organisations that are commonly referred to as nonprofit, not-for-profit or nongovernmental. Public schools are more and more understood and managed as business enterprises and are therefore more closely observed regarding their management, output and outcome, efficiency and effectivity.With the introduction of headteachers in the Zurich school system the question arises if economic approaches and instruments can also be transferred to the Zurich educational system and its school units. Are economic instruments, concepts and approaches of any help to school leaders in order to fulfill the tasks that they are asigned to? In this research project the Balanced Scorecard, an instrument introduced by Kaplan and Norton in 1992, is analysed as an example for an economic concept, that has been widely spread in the profit sector. A possible transfer of the instrument to the Zurich school system is presented (Balanced School Scorecard), followed by a brief outline of the principle questions.Transfer of the Balanced Scorecard to the Zurich School System (Balanced School Scorecard) and development of a possible prototype. Results of this work will be presented, analysed and discussed.It is expected that the Balanced Scorecard needs major modification, for in the basic concept the financial perspective serves as the main focus for all the other scorecard perspectives, an approach that cannot be transferred one-to-one to public schools. The process itself of establishing a Balanced School Scorecard (discussing strategic orientation, values and goals, their measurement and furthermore the means to achieve it) can be of great value, for it helps to initiate and structure discussions that are newly introduced in the Zurich educational system.Buchen, H. / Rolff, H-G. (Hrsg.) (2006): Professionswissen Schulleitung. Wienheim und Basel: Beltz. Dubs, R. (2005): Die Führung einer Schule. Leadership und Management. Zürich: SKV. Kaplan, R. S. / Norton, D. P. (1992): The Balanced Scorecard: Measures That Drive Performance, in: Harvard Business Review 78, January-February, S. 71-79. Scherer, A. G. / Alt, J. M. (Hrsg.): Balanced Scorecard in Verwaltung und Non-Profit-Organisationen. Stuttgart: Schäffer-Poeschel. Seitz, H. / Capaul, R. (2005): Schulführung und Schulentwicklung. Bern: Haupt.German language journals