Examines how preservice and inservice teachers relate to working cooperatively with school librarians in the instructional process, and how attitude components form and change. A study found no difference between the attitudes of preservice and inservice teachers. School size and teachers' knowledge about librarians and library education were…

Data from the High School and Beyond study were used to investigate the comprehensiveness of programs in mathematics, science, and foreign language in large and small high schools. Large schools offered more comprehensive programs than did smaller schools, but there was substantial variation in comprehensiveness at any school size. (SLD)

Future-directed liberal education that will prepare students for effective living is the major challenge for higher education today. Such a curriculum should teach critical thinking skills, continuous learning, and creativity or fluency of ideas. It should also provide a sense of efficacy and responsibility. (Author/MSE)

Based on societal, economic, and demographic trends (summarized in sidebars), this article forecasts an educational "ideascape" stressing active and service learning, higher cognitive skills, a past/present/future curriculum focus, lifelong learning, whole-person and transdisciplinary education, personalized learning, early childhood education,…

Reviews a New Zealand report titled, "Report of the Economic and Educational Viability of Small Schools Review." Discusses the four aspects of small schools considered in the report: (1) educational viability; (2) economic viability; (3) relationships of small schools with their communities; and (4) conflict between availability and…

A survey of 264 students with disabilities at 14 Canadian universities found most students rated their institutions' policies concerning disabilities as adequate for their own needs but only poor to good in general. Students at small universities were only slightly more satisfied than students at larger institutions. Many were unaware of relevant…

Reports on a study that assessed the impact of school restructuring on academic achievement and student engagement among 11,794 10th-graders. Finds that students' gains in achievement and engagement were significantly higher in schools with restructuring practices and were associated with smaller high schools. (CFR)

Although costs inhibit large-scale change, many large institutions are moving toward improvements in undergraduate education, with some imitating some aspects of small colleges. Reduced class and section sizes, elaborate orientations, special freshman groups, and courses in which faculty share cutting-edge research with freshmen and sophomores are…

Describes problems with vocational and technical education in China. Asserts that (1) school density is too high and size is too low; (2) the establishment of specializations is irrational; (3) the ratio of students to relevant employment is low; (4) teaching materials for the specializations are inadequate; and (5) teacher training and employment…

This interview with Constance Clayton, superintendent of the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) public schools, and Michelle Fine, professor of psychology and consultant, discusses the Philadelphia Schools Collaborative, a nonprofit organization established to lead the restructuring of the city's high schools. Central to the effort is the concept of…

Contends that school size is an increasingly important factor in discussions concerning school effectiveness. Clarifies the current usage of the term "small secondary school" so that research can be conducted. Concludes that curriculum reform requirements will have an impact on determining effectiveness of education in small secondary…

This study examined the effects on, and contribution of, input and process factors on student achievement in Louisiana public schools. Socioeconomic and minority status strongly predicted school achievement. Discrepancy between white and African-American students' achievement increased with grade level. Student attendance substantially affected…

Presents the results of a 1995 survey on the conditions of primary schools in 14 least-developed countries. Indicators include drop-out rates, class size, level of education of the teaching staff, student/teacher ratio, standard of classroom equipment, and quality of school buildings, among others. Overall findings are that conditions in many of…

A West Virginia study that found that smaller poor schools did better academically than larger poor schools is being replicated in four states. Discusses the survival and successes of one tiny Ohio school, the role of small schools' social capital in compensating for poverty, a small-school researcher's recommended school sizes, and changing…

Explores whether state policies encouraging the consolidation of rural school districts to improve efficiency through economies of scale are substantiated in the research literature. Reviews three decades of research on education economies of scale involving cost and production-function studies. Finds little program-evaluation research on school…