In "School Culture Rewired," education experts Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker offer strategies and advice for defining, assessing, and transforming your school's culture into one that is positive, productive, and actively working to enrich students' lives. Drawing from decades of research on organizational cultures and school…

Whole-school or whole-class programs designed to promote positive behavior can enhance the likelihood that effective teaching and learning occur for all students. This practice guide is intended to help elementary education educators, as well as school and district administrators and parents, implement and support effective prevention-focused…

The study utilized the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) to identify which characteristics of academically effective high schools are key determinants of students' academic readiness for college. A multilevel analysis shows that high school characteristics affect student preparation for college in four core subject areas:…

Describes the characteristics and application of the School Assessment Survey, a validated teacher survey instrument that assesses nine organizational dimensions of a school and provides feedback for staff use. (PGD)

A study of the 18 "most effective" high schools in California uses analysis of questionnaires completed by administrators of the schools to identify eight recurring general factors of effectiveness. (DCS)

The purpose of this guide is to help school administrators, faculty, or other involved persons to measure a school's climate. Factors that create the climate, or total ambience of a school, include relationships of all within the school community, feelings and opinions about personal development and learning goals, and feelings and attitudes about…

Some colleges have been able to create and maintain campus climates that promote educationally purposeful student behavior. The 14 "involving colleges" identified in a recent study provide unusually rich extra-classroom learning opportunities for undergraduates. Common cultural features of the institutions include strong institutional…

A review of the physical development of college and university campuses over 40 years looks at themes evident in each decade and identifies some constant underlying principles: the timelessness of a well-ordered campus; characteristics fostering collegiality, communication, and interaction; and qualities that give each campus a unique sense of…

Organizational cultures are systems of publicly and collectively accepted meanings, beliefs, values, and assumptions that a staff uses to guide its actions and interpret its surroundings. In an effort to suggest concrete ways a principal can change or maintain a culture, three important elements of a school culture are discussed: content, symbols,…

Examines school reform efforts by reviewing the origin and development of the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES). Discusses findings from the school ethnography project study, characteristics of schools that continued with restructuring efforts, and student attitudes about reforms made by CES participating schools. (CFR)

Whilst school violence is a major public concern and a focus of educational reforms both in the USA and South Korea, few studies have comparatively examined the rates of school violence and school factors associated with them. Analysing nationally-representative data from eighth graders, their mathematics teachers and principals in 150 South…

A study compared characteristics of the 25 medical schools producing the lowest percentage of primary care physicians with the 25 producing the largest percentage. Results indicate differences in school commitment to primary care education, research programs, and clinical environments supporting required clerkships, suggesting educational…

In an application of contingency theory, data from 45 Arizona schools were analyzed to determine the relationships between three sets of independent variables (organizational structure, leadership style, and environmental characteristics) and the dependent variable (organizational effectiveness as perceived by principals and teachers). Contingency…

Reports on a review of research into the effects of organizational structure on the acquisition of knowledge. Asserts that the opportunity to learn has two dimensions: (1) the amount of exposure; and (2) the quality of exposure. Concludes that teachers and students make decisions about these dimensions, which are affected by inducements and…

This self-assessment manual is intended to help institutions examine their academic management process to assess how they create and foster a climate that promotes undergraduate teaching and learning. It contains three instruments for self-administration. The "Institutional Case Study Guide" helps users analyze their institution's educational…