The factors contributing to organizational learning in police units in Finland and elsewhere were examined to find strategies to improve the prerequisites of learning and compare linear and nonlinear methods of modeling organizational learning prerequisites. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the 281 staff members of five police…

Conversations with seven Boston-area adult basic education (ABE) program coordinators revealed the severe adverse effects of Massachusetts' new restrictive welfare reform law on literacy education programs for the poor. The new law limits cash assistance to 2 years for most welfare recipients and requires most recipients whose youngest child is…

Efforts to change the role of principals over the past 30 years typically reflect a leader-centrist perspective of schools illustrated by the metaphors of a marching band or the slightly less hierarchical classical orchestra. In these conceptual systems, policy (score) is generated (composed) by policymaking bodies (composers) with principals…

This digest describes the challenges of social skills instruction and provides three strategies for improving the social competence of all students, including children with disabilities. It begins by emphasizing the importance of teaching individual social skills within the context of establishing a school-wide culture of social competence. To…

This book uses case studies of 12 Chicago elementary schools undergoing reform (in response to the Chicago School Reform Act of 1988) to examine how effective social relationships can serve as a prime resource for school improvement. It discusses how the myriad social exchanges that make up daily life in a school community generate, or fail to…

This monograph explores the social context of the school and how this context influences, for better or worse, the academic and social behavior of students. It reviews how most student behavior serves a meaningful purpose for the student and how similar behaviors may serve distinctly different functions for various students. It also explores how…

Inspired by the gains in student achievement realized by the small schools movement in New York City, the Oakland Unified School District (California) has proposed creating a network of 10 new, small autonomous (NSA) schools over the next 3 years. School size will range between 250 and 500 students, depending on grade level. "Autonomous"…

The Carlisle Indian Industrial School was the first off-reservation boarding school and began the social experiment of assimilation of Native Americans into American culture. For almost 40 years, from 1879 to 1918, the school sought to civilize "savage" Indian children. Richard H. Pratt, founder of the school, believed that the school…

This collection of papers examines the role, meaning, content, and quality of education, focusing on how opinions about learning and teaching, school development, and institutionalized education manifest themselves in modern western societies. There are 15 papers in five parts. Part 1, "Learning, Learning Environments and Imagination,"…

This report discusses four studies that investigated the effects of school reform on outcomes for children with emotional and behavioral disabilities. The studies included evaluations of the reform and restructuring activities of schools and school districts and assessment of student outcomes and use of metal health services. One study involved…

In some schools, students with disabilities achieve exemplary results. To find out what these schools do that set them apart, the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs sponsored a series of studies focused on "Beacons of Excellence Schools." This topical brief highlights results from three of these studies. The University of Maryland study…

This report describes a study that utilized the qualitative methodological approach of the focus group, followed by interviews, to gauge the perception of senior educational leaders in Trinidad and Tobago on issues pertaining to school effectiveness. Specifically, the study sought to ascertain from primary and secondary principals, school…

This monograph reviews various strands of research on school effectiveness in developed and developing countries. It addresses a central theme of educational planning: how deliberate actions by policymakers, school administrators, teachers, and parents can help in the attainment of educational goals. Chapter 1, "Conceptualization: Perspectives on…

This study investigated the educational circumstances of Aboriginal students in inner city high schools in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is based on a literature review and interviews with Aboriginal high school students, Aboriginal school dropouts, adult members of the Aboriginal community, and teachers. Results indicate that there is a…

This publication discusses the new educational environment of global competition between and among public and private higher education institutions, as well as new corporate providers of educational services, and how it will affect campus activities and board of trustee decision-making processes. The report notes the many powerful external forces…