To contribute to the debate about the reorganization of public-school supply, we analyze a reform introduced in Colombia in 2001 that merged independent schools into a single institution. Specifically, we estimate differences in achievement, dropout rates, teacher characteristics, and technological infrastructure between sites belonging to…

This article examines school leadership in the context of Taiwanese educational reform since the mid-1990s. The goal of the inquiry is twofold: to explore the conflicts that school administrators have confronted in facilitating school reform and to analyze the strategic and innovative leadership practices that have facilitated improvements in…

Presents the results of a study of student achievement, using a value-added testing technique, after 3 years of Memphis Restructuring Initiative. Findings show positive achievement gains in reform schools compared to demographically similar control schools, though strength of gains varied by type of reform and community poverty levels. (Contains…

Comprehensive school reform (CSR) projects are being funded throughout the United States in a determined effort to improve the performance of public education. The multidimensional nature of comprehensive school reform presents unique challenges for explaining widely discrepant outcomes among schools. These challenges are addressed in a study of 8…

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Memphis are conducting an evaluation of the Memphis Restructuring Initiative's eight restructuring designs. This paper describes the methodology for the full longitudinal study, including design selection, staff training, planning, implementation issues, and outcomes. The research team…

As preparation for restructuring in Memphis, the jurisdiction coordinator and design teams conducted pre-implementation professional development experiences. Describes teachers' perceptions of these efforts and initial reactions to their school's program choice. The 503 teachers surveyed enjoyed specific aspects of the training sessions and…

Presents a measurement scale specific to principals' self-efficacy in coping with change in a (Western Australian) restructuring context. Outlines the scale's psychometric properties and demonstrates its usefulness, using a series of regression equations. Self-efficacy can be a powerful mediator in understanding the reactions to change. (20…

In attempting to scale up restructuring efforts, the Memphis Restructuring Initiative used various strategies to acquaint schools with designs, such as inviting school leadership teams to presentations, giving schools time to research designs and narrow choices, asking schools to submit "letters of intent," and selecting 34 schools,…

The first-year global evaluations of the eight design implementations in Memphis, Tennessee, are based on syntheses of data from multiple sources. Common strengths included revitalized schools and initiation of new school organizations and teaching strategies. Common concerns include the need for more focused training, teacher collaboration time,…

There have been few studies on restructuring's effect on central office administrators. By analyzing 74 chief executive officers' perceptions about how restructuring is shaping the superintendency in Kentucky, this study helps address this gap. Three themes emerged: an enhanced superintendent role in developing community; redefinition of…

A study using survey data from a sample of 1,818 teachers and 6,490 students at a large Canadian school district replicated a study of transformational leadership's effects on selected organizational conditions and student engagement with school. Such leadership strongly affected organizational conditions and moderately influenced student…

This special issue provides diverse data sets on a school-improvement initiative in Memphis, Tennessee. The effort seems unusually promising because of top-down district support for eight separate site-based reform designs, planners' reliance on New American Schools and other familiar designs, long-term data-collection opportunities, accessible…

Argues that the school restructuring movement offers considerable promise for enhancing educational equity. Reviews equity definitions, outlines restructuring principles, and describes three powerful ethics (competitive/utilitarian, social justice, and caring) underlying current attempts to highlight equity values in education. Presents a strategy…

To implement school restructuring, midcareer administrators must change their role conceptions. This article examines literature concerning the major issues of socialization to a role conception (including definitions, sources, and socialization mechanisms for changing role conceptions) and presents a research agenda focused on two reform…

Proposes a 10-criteria classification framework, derived from current literature, to capture the characteristics of the design, leadership, and implementation of school improvement programs in the United Kingdom. Uses the classification frame to analyze the design model adopted by the secondary school in the case study. Draws conclusions about the…