Educators use informal theories and assumptions to guide their actions, yet often fail to evaluate these beliefs. This digest examines the nature and purpose of educational-indicator systems and discusses the design of report cards by which schools can inform the public of their performance. An indicator is any statistic that casts light on the…

Educators use informal theories and assumptions to guide their actions, yet often fail to evaluate these beliefs. This ERIC Digest in Spanish examines the nature and purpose of educational-indicator systems and discusses the design of report cards by which schools can inform the public of their performance. An indicator is any statistic that casts…

This study outlines the redesign of an elementary school, including the cost of the redesign. The school had been placed in the lowest category of the district's accountability system. Redesign meant a new principal, staff, schedule, philosophy, and curriculum. Direct Instruction was selected as the whole-school reform for literacy and math…

This symposium report presents a summary of research on the affect of aircraft noise on the classroom environment revealing that aircraft noise can interfere with learning in the following areas: reading, motivation, language and speech acquisition, and memory. The strongest findings are in the area of reading, where more than 20 studies have…

Today's high schools are woefully out of step with the demands of the 21st century workplace. Their structure, once suited for creating skilled laborers and trades people for America's industrial economy of the early 1900s, now engenders an unacceptably high student dropout rate, wide student achievement gaps, inadequate preparation for the work…

Effective school improvement involves building capacity for change and development. Capacity building requires pressure and support from external and internal sources. Although the need for "change agency" is well established in the literature, relatively little has been written about the role of the district as an external agent of…

This issue reviews publications that provide a starting point for principals looking for a way through the accountability maze. Each publication views accountability differently, but collectively these readings argue that even in an era of state-mandated assessment, principals can pursue proactive strategies that serve students' needs. James A.…

In response to an article by John Goodlad in this issue, the author describes an unconventional program in his own school and recommends examining such successful programs as well as our educational failures. (JM)

Criticizes the previous article in this journal, pointing out apparent inconsistencies in the arguments and claiming that while the author's rejection of traditional education is not without basis, his proposals for reforms based on newly developed understanding of brain processes are not fundamentally new. (PGD)

Middle schools in St. Louis (Missouri) were implemented in 1980. Evaluation measures indicate better student attendance and higher scores on achievement tests, fewer discipline referrals, and fewer student suspensions. (MLF)

Describes a program at Kishwaukee Elementary School in Rockford (Illinois) designed to improve the effectiveness of this inner-city school. (Author/JM)

Without more unanimity about which characteristics contribute to a school's effectiveness, it is difficult to know which characteristics to use as a focus for improvement. (Author/JM)

Identifies a number of key areas for further research on school effectiveness. The author draws up a framework of questions by which future studies might be assessed. He also argues that certain aspects of the way in which research on school effectiveness is conducted should be rethought. (CT)

Discussion groups of 100 teachers, 55 parents, 12 principals, and 40 students; survey responses from 50 parents, and interviews with 15 community members revealed positive attitudes about volunteer involvement in a school district, frustrations about limited time for volunteer coordination, and lack of support structure. Common school assumptions…

Focuses on secondary school departments in England, arguing that current approaches to school improvement do not adequately reflect or incorporate the department level. Highlights the processes that contribute to improved departmental performance, and subsequently, to school and classroom improvement, drawing upon empirical evidence from two…