Discusses lessons learned in the implementation of James Comer's School Development Program including: (1) leadership; (2) overcoming resistance to change; (3) time required for change; (4) creating a supportive climate; (5) staff commitment and staff time; (6) personnel and staff training; (7) parent involvement; (8) connecting school and…

A survey of local school-board chairs in North Carolina concluded that such leaders show more philosophical agreement with reform ideas (decentralization, work redesign, the student as worker, school choice, and the board chair's role) than practical knowledge of how to implement those ideas locally. (MLH)

Interviews two principals of middle schools using integrated curriculum: Molly Maloy of Carver Academy, Waco, Texas, and Camille Barr of Brown Barge Middle School, Pensacola, Florida. Considers issues of transforming theory into daily practice, reforming and developing curriculum, and building teacher leadership. Provides backgrounds on the…

The Baltimore Curriculum Project brought direct instruction (DI) and core knowledge (Core) to several Baltimore City public schools. This article describes implementation of DI and Core at one elementary school, documenting the dramatic growth in student achievement since implementation of DI in reading and examining distractions that interfered…

Analyzes effects of curriculum changes resulting from university education reforms in Spain during 1990-95, focusing on first-cycle undergraduate economics students and using estimated education-production functions. Considers both affective and cognitive education-output dimensions. Curriculum reform produced no significant differences in…

Meaningful change occurs in a school culture with strong belief statements that guide reform decisions and consequences. At least four steps are required: developing a series of belief statements, determining those statements' implications, putting implications into practice, and revisiting belief statements and implications regularly to ensure…

"The Future of Schools" (1998), by Australia's former Minister of Education Don Hayward and Professor Brian J. Caldwell, recounts the development, implementation, and early effects of a far-reaching change effort. The authors'"lessons" are undercut by insufficient data connecting the reform with improved teaching and learning.…

This study presents a rare opportunity to systematically examine the relationship between teachers' implementation of the America's Choice comprehensive school reform model and gains in student learning in an urban, at-risk school district. The results provide empirical evidence of relationships between student learning gains and variation in…

This article addresses the application of the Accelerated Schools Project (ASP) model in Hong Kong, as well as specific aspects of implementation in two schools. One lesson from the localized project, the Accelerated Schools for Quality Education (ASPQE), is that change is slow. This suggests that time should be given for both cultural change and…

The article presents the essential concept of reforms, implemented in Poland's education system since the early 1990s and some of their outcomes. Special attention is paid to one particular aspect of the reforms, i.e. structural diversification of the system, leading to diversification of education levels and corresponding diplomas. The article…

This paper explores what lessons we can learn from the experiences of states that instituted NCLB-like accountability systems prior to 2001 (here called first-generation accountability systems). We looked at the experiences of three smaller states (Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina), four larger ones (California, Florida, New York, Texas), and…

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) stands at the forefront of contemporary efforts to create access to education curricula for all students, including those with disabilities. This policy reader comprises a notably wide range of articles that address the challenges and opportunities facing policy makers as they consider UDL's implications for…

This paper examines the current academic and policy literatures concerning school evaluation in primary and secondary education within the OECD countries. First, it provides a typology of the existing systems of school evaluation across the OECD. It encompasses the diverse criteria and instruments commonly used to carry out schools evaluation, as…

The data are clear: Too many students are not doing well in school. Too many are experiencing interfering barriers, most of which are not internal dysfunctions but are associated with neighborhood, family, school, and peer factors. If the situation is to change, schools must play a greater role in providing supports for students experiencing…

School-based management (SBM) has become a very popular movement over the past decade. The World Bank Education Team's SBM work program emerged out of a need to define the concept more clearly, review the evidence, support impact assessments in various countries, and provide some initial feedback to teams preparing education projects. During the…