When President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law in 2002, the U.S. national high school graduation rate was 72.6 percent. Today, the national high school graduation rate has reached an all-time high of 81 percent and the number of low-graduation-rate high schools has declined considerably. While this progress is notable,…

Deals with four major skill areas: (1) the analytics of categorization, (2) the analytics of priority assessment, (3) the analytics of time and transition, and (4) the analytics of decision strategy. (Author)

An often-quoted Nigerian proverb holds that it is the responsibility of the whole village to teach a child. This paper argues that this goal might not even be possible, given the complex educational system of the 1990s. The paper provides a framework for effective change based on an understanding of the complexity of the educational system. It…

This paper explores the use of a series of heuristic models that identify the interrelated components of the broader educational process. This heuristic schema was designed so that educators can examine the purpose and limitations associated with models and subsequently enhance their ability to guide changes within their own institutional setting.…

The educational system is characterized by a vector matrix differential equation, and it is shown that the concepts of modern control theory such as observability, controllability, and optimal control can give deeper insight into the behavior of the educational system. The identification of the system dynamics and the definition of a realistic…

Describes the systems approach (the Information-Based School Development Project) used by a large education system in Australia for school review and development, involving a research and a service component to help schools identify, obtain, and organize information they need for their own decision-making. Relates two case studies. (SR)

Guidelines to facilitate the assessment and development of educational leadership decision-making skills are presented in this paper. Included are a review of traditional and contemporary concepts of the decision-making process, identification of appropriate techniques, and an analysis of four contemporary decision-making models by Thompson,…

A systems approach to evaluation of the Diagnostic Reading Clinic Program's progress and its effects upon participating pupils from the Cleveland schools is reported on in this document. Formal evaluation of the Diagnostic Reading Clinic Program is directed toward the following objectives: to assess the extent to which the Diagnostic Reading…

Future leaders will have to rely upon skills that are far different from those used in the past. Action mapping serves as a meta-process for moving schools toward desired ends; it calls upon school leaders to move into action, to reflect upon such actions, and to collect stories for future reflections. This process could be helpful to a school…

Describes a teaching technique based on learning unit reinforcement which is intended to help students learn more in less time. The authors maintain that the systematic application of the method resulted in a 20 percent saving of instruction time as compared with the general standards in Soviet elementary and secondary schools. (Author/DB)

This book examines the educational phases experienced by countries moving from authoritarian styles of government to various forms of liberal democracy. It focuses on Latvia, South Africa, and the former German Democratic Republic so as to identify commonalities in diverse systems. The essays employ a model that depends not on a regular linear…

This field guide provides a look into education in relation to a concept that has already been established in science, business and therapy. This book will encourage and educate readers about systemic thinking through examples and ideas pertinent to education and its reform. Following a Foreword (Michael Fullan) and Introduction (Blane Despres),…

Although educational reformers frequently use the words "system,""systemic change," and "systemic approach," many lack a fundamental understanding of the systems concept. This paper describes the application of systems theory to the problems of educational reform and educational assessment. It introduces basic concepts and principles and describes…

The application of a social theory perspective to an analysis of the concept of restructuring is the purpose of this report. Restructuring is a conjunctive concept that involves changes in a school district's pattern of rules, roles, relationships, and results. A systemic viewpoint examines the reciprocal interactions between structure and process…

The articles in this book examine educational privatization in Eastern Europe. The essays represent a variety of perspectives on education systems in various stages of evolution. The chapters are divided into three groups. The first three chapters discuss educational change and the privatization movement in the Baltic republics of Lithuania,…