To conclude this special section, guest editor Murphy examines why Ed Schools should redesign their leadership education programs, explores what it will take to foster change, and presents a model program to stimulate debate and action. (Contains 21 endnotes.)

An exemplary program based at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay greatly increases the odds that at-risk youngsters will not only graduate from high school, but will go on to higher education. The program is also a model of university/community collaboration. ["Inspiring Students to Create the Future" was written with Timothy U.…

A Wisconsin elementary school program for talented and gifted students has provided a receptive atmosphere for curricular innovation that has proven beneficial for the entire school. (JBM)

Describes and evaluates a 3-year, 6-district (2 urban, 2 suburban, and 2 rural) Effective Schools Process demonstration project in Ohio. (PKP)

So far, the results of school restructuring efforts have been more rhetorical than real. As several University of Georgia projects illustrate, the work of newly decentralized, empowered schools embodies both high excitement and high anxiety. The contradictions of empowerment lie in attempting inimitable innovations while withstanding uncertainty…

Classroom research and formative evaluation, the most efficient methods of assessing and planning teaching improvements, form the link to quality student learning. An assessment program at Alverno College (Wisconsin) and an instructional improvement program at Miami-Dade Community College (Florida) demonstrate the importance of bringing assessment…

UNESCO nations were surveyed about education of gifted children. Developed nations' programs were most extensive, Communist countries were wary of elitism, and developing nations had more pressing concerns. Nations had difficulties with identifying "gifted" students, funding, and finding qualified teachers, but commitment to programs for…

This model alternative program incorporates the elements of individualized instruction programs developed through diagnostic/prescriptive techniques, experimentation with innovative teaching practices, and an emphasis on students' use of community resources. In the last 2 years, no students have chosen the option of a "Walkabout"…

Do proficiency tests show whether students are gifted? Are programs for the talented properly funded? Confusion among programs for gifted students indicates that guidelines should be established, including weighing the gifted label for each program and linking programs to special talents. References included. (CJH)

National Science Foundation reports provided criteria for identifying 54 exemplary science programs in the United States. Questionnaires and school visits showed programs characterized by locally developed curricula, less emphasis on textbooks, and outstanding teachers (average age: 51 years; degree: M.A. 30). (PB)

A new cooperative program jointly designed by Philadelphia school principals and University of Pennsylvania faculty members allows principals the opportunity to earn graduate degrees while studying educational theory in the context of their own practical experiences. (JBM)

The Hattiesburg (Mississippi) Area Education Foundation (HAEF), a local fund serving the community's educational interests since 1988, recently evaluated its own organizational effectiveness and identified barriers to its work (multidistrict environment, business ambivalence toward education, and white flight). HAEF encouraged five districts to…

Case studies of eight exemplary schools demonstrate that language-minority students can learn the same academic curriculum as native English speakers while pursuing English literacy. Common school characteristics include a schoolwide vision of excellence, creation of a community of learners engaged in active discovery, and well-designed, carefully…

This description of a model program developed in Washington State for improving teachers' classroom effectiveness includes an outline of the program's 15-step process and its three key concepts--involvement, ownership, and commitment--followed by discussions of resource people and the program's two-day problem-solving retreat. (JBM)

Presents data on each of four relatively successful inner-city intermediate schools under four major headings: (1) organizational arrangements facilitating improved reading, (2) emphasis on higher-order skills, (3) emphasis on personal development, and (4) high institutional expectations. Concludes by arguing the need for fundamental structural…