The articles in the December 1997 "Educational Administration Quarterly" about replacing the American comprehensive high school lacked historical perspective. Despite contributors' efforts to dissociate them from such schools, certain "innovative" restructuring measures (community building, team teaching, and block scheduling) have historically…

High school students no longer keep company with the grown-ups they are about to become. Schools and districts have grown exponentially larger, impersonal, and bureaucratic, resembling post offices. Superintendents and boards who know their schools only through media representations or statistics fashion unrealistic policies. Coercion and…

Better physical conditions produce better student outcomes. Other factors affecting a school's physical environment and academic productivity include school structure, school size, teacher-pupil ratio, school location, grade-level configuration, and classroom size. Building or remodeling schools according to obsolete images is fiscally and…

The April 1999 Columbine High School tragedy in Littleton, Colorado, in which Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold committed massacre and suicide, should cause teachers to realize that public school education goes beyond the learning of academic subject matter. Student identity and concept of self are also vital components of education. In this article,…

Relying on standardized tests to measure performance and determine accountability obscures the fact that only reciprocal rights and responsibilities can create authentic accountability. A student has the right to expect a teacher will begin on time with a well-prepared lesson, the necessary materials, and the skill to conduct a class. A teacher,…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare the achievement of rural students on the 8th grade mathematics Virginia Standards of Learning assessments to urban and suburban students in Virginia. The variables of school size and socioeconomic status, as expressed by percentage of free or reduced lunch populations were also considered. The…

This report presents salary and wage data collected as part of the "Educational Research Service (ERS) National Survey of Salaries and Wages in Public Schools, 2008-2009." The survey, conducted in fall 2008, collected data on salaries scheduled and salaries paid for 23 selected professional positions and 10 selected support positions in public…

The purpose of this professional development study was to examine the impact of Teacher Study Groups on the teacher practice, teacher knowledge, and student outcomes, specifically in the areas of reading comprehension and vocabulary. The multi-site study was conducted in three large urban school districts from three states: California (CA),…

Survey results about the use of computers in independent secondary school libraries are reported, and factors related to the presence of computers are identified. Data are from 104 librarians responding to a questionnaire sent to a sample of 136 large (over 400 students) independent secondary schools. Data are analyzed descriptively to show the…

As part of its work for the Citizens' Commission on Planning for Enrollment Growth, the Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME) conducted research to assess the impact of overcrowding on the students of New York City schools. All five of the City's boroughs have experienced recent enrollment growth that has been closely linked to…

A 1995 General Accounting Office (GAO) study found that about one-third of schools nationwide serving 14 million students reported needing extensive repair or replacement of one or more buildings. This document presents findings of a GAO followup study that identified the differences in the: (1) condition of schools; (2) amount of funding needed…

This paper discusses the developmentally appropriate design of child care centers, focusing on the qualities or properties of center design that have been proven to influence child development. The paper suggests that the design of child care centers can be considered in terms of the five main steps in planning and designing a child care facility.…

This study illustrates with specific designs how the city might meet two critical educational objectives in its first program of new school construction in many years. The study designs show how New York might build schools small enough to meet criteria for effective learning environments and how these small schools might be closely integrated…

This step-by-step guide helps communities think and talk about school renewal through innovative planning and design, and high quality construction. It begins with an overview of need and available funding, then describes potential members of a school-improvement team. These include: architects, state school agents, community groups, local elected…

The tables in this report summarize statistical information for schools and education agencies as supplied to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) by state education agencies. Information comes from the 1989-90 school year Public Elementary and Secondary School Universe and the Public Elementary and Secondary Education Agency…