Draws on U.S. and international research to analyze the models, strategies, and processes used in implementing and sustaining educational reforms and innovations at the classroom level. There are some promising directions: a trend away from a macro policy focus to examining building- and classroom-level innovations, a shift from innovation…

Calls for focusing attention on the political obstacles to large-scale school reform rather than thinking of the problem mainly as one of disseminating information and helping individuals work through their fears about change. The natural outcome of urban politics is likely to be partial implementation of many programs rather than full-scale…

Offers a brief overview of the process undertaken by one school district in Missouri to explore and then implement a schedule change (in particular a block program)--a process involving parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, and students. (SR)

Describes briefly how the junior section of one Hong Kong school handled major problems by adopting a total-quality-management approach to change and restructuring. Describes the school's problems, discusses TQM generally in educational settings, describes the new "homestead" implementation, and comments on teachers' and students'…

Innovators from four institutions provide overviews of their approaches to implementing the principles of outcomes-based education, compare their models, and explore the changes in roles, rewards, resources, structures, and models that have occurred at their institutions. Identifies common key elements and issues necessary to transform the…

This article examines the challenge of opening and transforming South African education. "Openness" and "transformation" of any education programme in any society are ethicopolitical processes. In the case of South Africa, the transition from an autocratic education system serving the interests of a minority to a more modern…

In 2002, Michael Bloomberg, New York City's newly elected mayor, hoped to fix his city's public schools, which were widely perceived as plagued by a gamut of problems that ranged from low test scores to patronage-riddled schools and districts. A special bill approved by the New York State Legislature made Bloomberg solely accountable to the New…

The University of Sydney is a large, research-intensive, campus-based Australian University. Since 2004 a strategic initiative of project-based eLearning support has been creating teams of non-academic and academic staff, who have worked together to develop online resources to meet identified needs. The University's aims in continuing to provide…

This study was conducted in a large urban school district. Fifty-nine elementary schools, designated as Fine Arts Schools by the district, were organized as a Fine Arts School Network. The school district partnered with an external arts organization to deliver research-based, consistent and collaborative professional development to art, music,…

A recent report published by the National Center on Performance Incentives (NCPI) presents findings from the second-year of a multi-year evaluation of the Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) program, a statewide educator incentive program that operated in Texas. As part of this larger study, evaluators examined how participation in the TEEG…

The world outside schools is changing rapidly with the advances of technology and economic requirements for a 21st-century global citizenry. Today, technology has moved into one's everyday life and is becoming a pervasive part of how one works, learns, and plays. Similarly, networked communications and computer technology have transformed the…

The state of Kentucky has embarked upon a large scale systems change effort to integrate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, including use of digital curriculum and computerized reading supports to improve overall student achievement. A major component of this initiative is the use of Read & Write Gold. As higher expectations are…

The Mariner Model provides a step-by-step systems-building process and tool by which schools, school districts, and communities can develop capacity and create an infrastructure that supports continuous improvement in health-promoting environments for children. The Mariner Model follows a public health program planning development model that is…

Hungary's higher education system is being transformed fundamentally for a second time after the regime change in 1989-90. The first Higher Education Act was passed in 1993. An entirely new law issued in December 2005 involved fundamental changes in the entire higher education system. The most sweeping change was the introduction of the two-cycle…

This paper describes the District of Columbia's progress in implementing a comprehensive and coherent approach to education reform from the time of application through June 30, 2011. In particular, this report highlights key accomplishments over the reporting period in the four reform areas: standards and assessments, data systems to support…