Statistical analysis of the relationships between three schooling outcomes and family background in 13 Latin American countries employing data from 1996 study. Finds that while the relationship between schooling outcomes and family background varies among countries, the most effective schools share similar characteristics, for example, high levels…

In this interview, Cuban psychologist and scholar Franklin Martinez discusses the importance of early childhood education to the development of intelligence. Education affects child development, but it is the knowledge of child learning and development that makes education effective, not material resources. Cuba has invested heavily in preschool…

Reviews "School Matters" by Peter Mortimore, a rigorous longitudinal study of the effects of elementary schools in London. Concludes that school differences influence student development, and explores the connections between school leadership, classroom life, and student cognitive and noncognitive development. (FMW)

Introduces an issue devoted to the Schools Reaching Out projects at David A. Ellis School in Roxbury (MA) and Adolph S. Ochs School in New York City. Projects attempt to link the schools with parents and their communities to promote the students' academic and social success. (DM)

Reviews the literature on school effectiveness, school size, and school culture. Compares characteristics of urban and rural schools, examines strengths and weaknesses, and considers policy alternatives for improving their effectiveness through restructuring school governance. (FMW)

Reports on information concerning the recruitment of students; job assignments of graduates; allocation of revenues and expenditures; and management reform at Hangzhou University (China). Shows that new students are increasingly coming from senior high schools and that the number of students coming from peasant families is decreasing. Provides…

Argues against the notion that all school districts should be the same size. Research on fiscal efficiency and school effectiveness does not express a consensus regarding the long-term effects or organizational implications of district size, and the country still has a range of district types. There should be more research on community identity.…

Discusses the crisis in educational quality faced by Third World countries due to increasing elementary school enrollments and decreasing economic resources. Reviews strategies for school improvement, discusses future research issues, and suggests how American educators can help. (FMW)

Acknowledges the need for state-level educational accountability, but argues that strategies for assessing educational outcomes should be an institutional prerogative and an integral part of the teaching/learning process. Criticizes assessment programs imposed by state governments, proposing instead a student-centered approach to the measurement…

Examines how the Media Group helped coordinate the implementation of technology for vocational education within the Hungarian World Bank project. (AEF)

Analyzes the studies on the correlation between school expenditures and student achievement. Examines the effects of court-ordered equalization of interdistrict spending. Discusses a possible change of focus in recent educational research on the cost/quality problem as scholars grow concerned with designing more efficient policies. (86 footnotes)…

Examined effective relationships of parents, educators, and children by identifying quality care and education for children under 5 in a range of educational, social services, voluntary, and private establishments. Found four categories of practice that contributed to effective relationships, including educator-parent and educator-child…

This paper presents educational collaboration as a structured process and interactive relationship among individuals that focuses on multiple outcomes in a school's organizational structures. The paper describes characteristics of a collaborative school and the professional behaviors that support collaboration; outlines strategies that facilitate…

Discusses superintendency expectations and effective schools. Research indicates superintendents must have effective administrative management and supervision skills plus the ability to evaluate principals' instructional leadership. Though there is increased emphasis on instruction, research does not suggest the superintendent's position is any…

Data for third, sixth, eighth, and twelfth graders from the 1983-84 California Assessment Program are presented to support a new theory on the relationship between the size and performance of school systems. Size appears to be related to the socioeconomic status and performance of schools and school districts. (TJH)