Analyzes the processes used by a group of Australian teachers to make curriculum decisions at the school level. Policies aimed at decentralizing curriculum decision making can be supported only if teachers' expertise is fully utilized in the decision-making process. Unless teachers contribute something that administrators cannot, they will be seen…

In 1988, two metropolitan and four country schools (two of which were remote) in Australia received federal grants to implement technology education. This paper presents the outcomes of the six schools' attempts to implement curriculum innovations associated with technology education and interprets those outcomes in the context of a school-based…

Administrators are looking at decentralization as a solution to issues troubling schools, teachers, and students. The notion of decentralization is accompanied by two assumptions. First, decentralization will produce an improvement in education because classroom decision making will be more responsive to the specific needs of a school. Second, in…

Restructuring has come to mean fundamentally substantive change leading to improvement in students' education, while offering the promise of power sharing. Organizational, curricular, relational, and fiscal changes were part of the restructuring initiatives of four urban districts. Unfortunately, the efforts generally fell short of genuine…

Outlines three 1990s reforms in Hong Kong affecting curriculum and management: the School Management Initiative, the target-oriented curriculum, and an education commission report on quality education. Reviews reforms' effects and discusses the need to reorient the current school-based management system and recognize Hong Kong's societal culture.…

This document analyzes six school-reform models for at-risk youth. Part 1 examines three curriculum-based reform programs that explicitly target curriculum and instruction: Reading Recovery; Success for All; and the Academy model. These programs focus on changes in student achievement and work within the structure of existing schools. Part 2…

Survey forms were sent to 6,000 school board members who subscribe to "The American School Board Journal" in an attempt to discover what reform efforts are being utilized and which ones are working best in schools. A total of 1,347 readers (22.5%) responded. Curricular and instructional reforms were cited by 91% of the respondents, and 70% said…

Twenty-first century principals will play a vital role in curriculum and staff development. Principals must be prepared to revitalize teachers' energies by mastering and using powerful, research-based strategies, including establishing a common vision, focusing on instructional improvement and accountability, creating a collegial, participatory…

This paper summarizes an ethnohistorical study of the way in which a medium-sized suburban school district's implementation of site-based, shared decision making interacted with attitudes and procedures created by earlier district reforms. A second focus is on how the adoption of a new curriculum framework, based on a whole-language philosophy and…

This document presents findings of a nationwide study that examined the extent to which American high schools are implementing various restructuring activities. A survey mailed to principals in all of the nation's 10,365 regionally accredited public and private high schools elicited a 33 percent response rate. Seven indicators of major school…

This bibliography provides a recommended list of research and theoretical literature on school restructuring. Selected for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers, the literature is organized into five areas. Part I, "General References on School Restructuring," has sections on proposals for school reform (42 references); how…

This issue summarizes Marshall S. Smith and Jennifer O'Day's "Systemic School Reform," an analytic essay discussing research into the effectiveness of current education policies and policy system development in numerous states. The essay proposes a design for a systemic state structure that supports school-site improvement efforts and is…

A summary of the school restructuring movement and an outline of strategies for implementation are presented. The underlying principles of restructuring are included in four broad strategies, which include school-based management, teacher empowerment, voice/choice, and teaching for understanding. New responsibilities for state policymakers include…

In the wake of the Chicago (Illinois) School Reform Act, Tilden High School (Chicago) hired a new principal and began self-evaluation in preparation for an accreditation association visitation. These events brought about curriculum development, staff development initiatives, changes in budget management, and, ultimately, an increase in student…

A 1993 National Study of High School Restructuring surveyed principals of 3,380 high schools concerning restructuring elements being used. Although 10-15% of U.S. schools are being restructured, few are simultaneously employing key elements (performance standards, authentic assessment, interdisciplinary curriculum, school-based decision making,…