Uses metaphors of the preparation necessary for painting and for Columbus's journey into the unknown to suggest a model for planning and promoting school reform. Steps include definition of preexisting conditions, assessment of the situation, immersion (communication and trust building among stakeholders), and coordinated strategic and tactical…

In this article, the author reflects on his participation in a project in democratic educational renewal in an inner-city high school in Cincinnati, Ohio in the 1990s. He frames the case study within a number of broader questions in democratic educational research and theory having to do with the need to construct narratives of hope without…

Some public schools do a great job educating students of color to high standards. But they populate public education much the way houses in rural regions appear at night from a jetliner passing high above--as faint beacons. The core challenge of school reform today is to produce not merely a few glimmers of success but the dense glow of thousands…

This article features Boston superintendent Tom Payzant. In a national landscape dotted with dysfunctional urban systems and short-lived superintendents, Payzant stands out. With over a decade at the helm, Payzant is arguably the best big-city school leader in the nation and Boston the most improved urban district. The success side of the Payzant…

In this article, the author profiles the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School in Devens, Massachusetts. Parker School opened its doors in September 1995 after a year of planning by its founders and prospective members of the community. It began with 120 students in grades seven and eight, and now, ten years later, enrolls 368 students in…

Scott and Bagaka's examine the connection between teachers' participation in professional collaboration activities and in professional development and their perception of the effectiveness of the district reform efforts. They also determine the extent to which teachers' assessment of the effectiveness of school reform efforts can lead to school…

Proponents of school restructuring often promote the purported benefits of professional forms of management that call for staff cooperation and collegiality, teachers' participation in school decision making, and supportive leadership by school principals. A theoretical perspective on organizations known as contingency theory refers to such…

Organizational change in education, as manifested by school reform, is indeed complex. In this article, we describe our experience with organizational change and analyse it using organizational change theories common in education. An evaluation of the reform initiative yielded unexpected problems related to sustainability. As a result, this…

The purpose of this paper is to consider whether standards-based school reform is an acceptable strategy for achieving a politically legitimate school system according to a principle of personal liberty. First, it briefly describes the purpose and implementation of standards-based school reform in the U.S. It then considers the ramifications of…

Maryland became the first state to use its authority under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to seize control of failing schools, as the state board of education this week ordered new management at 11 middle and high schools in Baltimore. Nancy S. Grasmick, Maryland's superintendent of schools, led the push to take over four high schools and to…

This article reports on 4 distinct Illinois reform initiatives that attempted to connect assessment to curriculum, instruction, and school improvement. Using quantitative and qualitative data obtained from principals and teachers involved in local reform efforts from 1993 through 2002, this study indicates that the lack of development of local…

In this article, the author discusses issues raised in the Academic Bill of Rights, which he defines as a lack of intellectual diversity on faculties and in curricula, abusive use of the classroom for nonacademic agendas, and lack of equity in the distribution of student activities funds. These issues drive his call for reform in the…

This article examines communication and system issues in dealing with misconduct in adolescents. The initial focus is an analysis of the goals of misconduct, including attention, power, revenge, and display of inadequacy. The second focus encourages the school system to consider its own part in the problems of misconduct, by examining circular…

The National Governors Association, Council of Chief State School Officers, and the National Association of State Boards of Education jointly devised recommendations in 11 areas in order to achieve America's education goals for every student since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. These recommendations included giving…

How can a community ensure that its public schools reflect local values and beliefs about education? The complexities involved in the reform of existing public schools, or the creation of a new system of schooling, have caused some researchers to explore new methodological avenues to change (Banathy, 1991; Duffy, Rogerson, & Blick, 2000;…