Students are increasingly expected to be able to think critically, solve complex problems, and communicate clearly. Educators are expected to facilitate that learning in a variety of situations for an increasingly individualized student population. Therefore, educators who attempt to change their practices must become active learners. A school…

The last decade has seen accelerating change in Australia in the form of devolution of authority, democratic decision making, school accountability, and central reorganization. This paper presents findings of a study that investigated transformational and transactional conceptualizations of leadership and their usefulness in predicting school…

This newsletter reports the results of a study that explored the relationship between the organizational culture of secondary schools and students' progress, that is success, failure, and dropout. Three secondary schools were examined in the study, and the results showed that the organizational culture of schools is a useful concept for…

A study examined the organizational climate of a university undergoing dramatic change and its relationship to specific aspects of that institution's organizational culture. Earlier research has shown that organizational climate directly affects an organization's communication climate, but it is less clear how organizational climate influences and…

This paper examines the consequences of principals' graduate training in educational administration for school effectiveness and asks: Are schools led by administrators with extensive, formal preparation more effective than schools led by principals with little or no graduate training? The data were derived from the School and Staffing Survey…

Although educational researchers are beginning to recognize the influence of organizational culture on organizational productivity, the term "organizational culture" has been defined from a variety of perspectives. This paper presents findings of a case study that investigated the cultural characteristics of a junior high school recognized for its…

This paper summarizes a recent organizational climate survey conducted at Villanova University (Pennsylvania). The campus-wide project distributed questionnaires to all faculty and staff, both full-time and part-time (N=1800) and a 39 percent response rate was achieved. The survey measured perceptions of the following core processes and values:…

Research seeking to evaluate the effectiveness of SBM has been complicated by the complex policies and practices that have been implemented with great variation. Given this difficulty, this book presents findings of a study that sought to understand the ways in which school-based management (SBM) actually operates in a school recognized for its…

The problems involved in reversing ineffective schools have begun to engage researchers, policy makers, and practitioners. This paper conceptualizes the extent to which ineffective schools have to be understood as "different" from schools with other levels of effectiveness, and speculates which types of improvement strategies are most…

This strategic plan outlines the goals and objectives of the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (IDVR) for fiscal years 1996-99. The plan begins with a mission statement, a list of rehabilitation values, and an explanation of the services IDVR provides and how IDVR works as a change agent. Values associated with the importance of client…

Magnet schools have recently been promoted as a school-improvement tool to liberate the poor from inferior schools. This paper presents findings of a study that assessed differences in organizational capacity for education reform between magnet and nonmagnet schools. Do families have a choice of better schools--schools with greater capacity to…

The context of teaching has changed dramatically in the wake of two national waves of educational reform. This dissertation examined the relationship between elementary principals' use of transformational leadership strategies as determined by teacher reports and the presence of social-organizational factors within the schools. The five…

Many school districts and schools find that they have an incomplete understanding of site-based management (SBM). This guidebook provides a systemwide approach to site-based management, using SBM as a strategy for school improvement and increased student success rather than for managing the status quo. It identifies nine essential perspectives and…

The processes of school improvement at the secondary level are not well understood. This report summarizes activities conducted during 1990-91 in the Asheboro (North Carolina) City Schools in cooperation with personnel at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The partnership created Teacher Collegial Groups (TCGs), which were leadership…

Proponents of school restructuring agree that it must occur with support from all stakeholder groups. This paper presents findings of a study that examined to what extent educational personnel engaged in restructuring (principals, teachers, and external facilitators of change) agreed or disagreed that 60 conditions identified in the research…