Kim Farris-Berg, Edward J. Dirkswager, and Amy Junge originally identified ten potential areas of autonomy when conducting research for Trusting Teachers with School Success: What Happens When Teachers Call the Shots. That list was developed from research about school decentralization and autonomy by Fordham Foundation, William Ouchi of the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles, and RAND Corporation. It was also based on the observations of field practitioners and observers at the Center for Collaborative Education, EdVisions Schools, and Education Evolving.
After the investigation, Farris-Berg, Dirkswager, and Junge added five additional areas of autonomy based on what they had learned from teachers about their importance.
See the list of 15 on the Teacher-Powered Schools Initiative's National Inventory of Teacher-Powered Schools.