During the 1997-98 school year, a large elementary school in the Kansas City area began to research the community learning arrangement within schools. In the early part of the second semester, teachers completed an anonymous survey in which they displayed overwhelming support for the change. Five community learning groups were established and…

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study that explored knowledge sharing among members of a community of practice (CoP) in a large, urban high school. Findings suggest that social relationships, informal channels, community culture, levels of trust, and spatial factors influence knowledge sharing, and that CoPs have the potential to…

In England, a 40-item test of a child's ability to draw the ground floor layout of his or her home was developed. Findings of initial analyses indicated that subjects' drawings improved between the ages of 6 and 12 years. In order to test the cross-cultural validity of the standardization of the test and to see if the order of concept development…

The Ninth Grade Houses Program of the New York City public high schools is described, and evaluation outcomes and recommendations are presented. The general goal was to help ninth graders adjust to high school. The purposes were to: (1) generate student engagement; (2) provide opportunity for sustained, meaningful interaction with respected…

Between 1997 and 2001, an elementary school on the south side of Chicago was reorganized to improve student achievement. By 2000, students at one small school (referred to as CASE) showed achievement gains, while students at other small schools within the host site did not. Teachers at CASE could not account for its success. During 2000-2001 a…

This manifesto outlines the purposes, instructional program, facilities, allocation of resources, financing, and implementation of a private elementary and middle school that is based on the concepts of professional accountability and individualized learning. The school would be organized around learning families that cross grade and ability…

Topeka West High School has approximately 1,500 students divided into four houses of 375 students. An effort is made to randomly distribute the incoming sophomores equally among the four houses. Each house has an assistant principal, a counselor, and a staff of 8 to 10 teachers representing the instructional areas of English, social studies, and…

This study reports the results of 3 years of implementation of a Partnership Academy, a restructuring model for at-risk high school students at J. Sterling Morton East High School in Cicero, Illinois. Based on the California model, the partnership academy is distinguished by four features: a multi-year, school-within-a-school structure from 10th…

A task group was charged with remodeling an existing connected old building-new building complex to make it feasible for a house-oriented senior high school educational program. Constraints to be resolved were keeping costs low, maintaining departmental proximity while encouraging interdisciplinary activities, providing for small groups, and…

High schools organized into schools-within-schools (SWS) have the capacity to create social capital, a sense of trust and connection among teachers and students that can be used in the service of teaching and learning. These differentiated social groupings, or subunits, can influence members' sense of identity during the transition to high school,…

In 1969 the Newark, New Jersey, Board of Education began the School Within A School Program for gifted and talented inner-city high school students. The program, offering an eleven-month school year plus five major subjects, uses the resources of business and industry to prepare students for a college education. An advisory board consisting of…

A study investigated how motivational, curricular, and instructional needs of at-risk students were accommodated by an alternative school program located and organized within a conventional high school in northern Louisiana. Data were gathered through documents; classroom observations; and interviews with students, teachers, and the administrator…

Educators in intentionally small schools in Chicago are working to create a climate that is inviting, engaging, and challenging to some of the most academically disadvantaged students. Over a period of 18 months, data were collected from eight intentionally small schools that included elementary, middle, and high schools; freestanding schools;…