This book is part of a series of case studies that demonstrate better ways to educate Ohio's students. The case study is part of the Transforming Learning Communities (TLC) Project, designed to support significant school-reform efforts among Ohio's elementary, middle, and high schools. The text presents a case study based on an elementary school…

This brief, which is part of a series of concept papers on educational partnerships, focuses on changes in leadership. The paper offers strategies for addressing turnover in key personnel in both existing and developing alliances and provides some suggestions for sustaining collaborative partnerships over time. It states that leadership…

Discusses the impact of the contractualist environment on education in Australia, focusing on what teachers perceive to be changing in education and in their professional practice. Also discusses some of the challenges of professional practice in an age of contractualism. (MDM)

Researchers say that kids seldom practice what character education programs preach. In real-life situations, students often act as though they have never learned about honesty, sharing, and cooperation. Some experts call for authentic, fundamental changes in the ways schools operate. To become grounded in basic values, students must see good…

Most schools and teachers cannot provide the kind of teaching the new standards demand because they lack know-how and organizational support. The policy challenge ahead is to develop schools' capacity to teach challenging content to diverse learners by ensuring teachers' access to knowledge they need to be effective and by developing new…

Analyzes trends in educational reforms in the context of conflicting needs for both educational excellence and equal access to education. Discusses the difficulty of balancing these demands in the preparation of school personnel and in school reform through choice programs. (FMW)

Carpinteria High School, California, has restructured its educational program to meet the needs of an increasing number of Mexican immigrant students. Making minority students feel that they are part of their school included getting the students involved in school activities, enlisting a parent support group, and rewarding students for good…

In Britain, as in America, major birth rate fluctuations have increased the complexity of providing schooling. Declining birth rates and migration limitations since the 1960s have forced widespread school closures. This paper examines the financial aspects of school closure history and projects the future situation under the newly decentralized…

Assesses the Schools Reaching Out programs at two elementary schools in Roxbury (MA) and New York City. Emphasis has been on input goals, not on outcomes, so that little progress in academic achievement has actually been made. Input goals, however, have been met. (DM)

How changes in teacher pay can contribute to systemic educational reform and school restructuring is discussed, focusing on knowledge- and skill-based pay, job enlargement, and collective incentives. These alternatives have the potential to improve teacher motivation and support other reforms. (SLD)

Results of a qualitative exploration of faculty response to the reconfiguring of organizational finances, structure, and mission illustrate the impact of reconfiguration on departmental and organizational culture at an institution of higher education. The change process and the dynamics of faculty interpretation, experience, and perspective of…

Three events drive the need for increased school funding: educational technology deficiencies, school restructuring projects, and declining resources. Downsizing will not work for schools. As district budgets tighten, principals must build funding programs to sustain a high school's academic and cocurricular needs. A three-pronged effort involving…

Although 1988 Chicago Reform Act mandates changes in decision-making structures to empower teachers, parents, and community members to make financial, hiring, and curriculum decisions, many teachers are opting out of change process. Interview data from 30 Chicago teachers describe principals as "powerhouses" or "benevolent…

Proposes reform in education from an "assembly line" to a "provider-client" approach. Swanton High School (Ohio), winner of GTE's Pioneering Partners program, which used Learning Management Systems to track student progress and testing, satellite courses, videodiscs, Hypercard, QuickTime video, and Internet connections, is…

Provides a satirical view of the extinction of school librarians. Highlights include educational technology development; changing professional environments; mainstreaming; certification; and the industrialization of education. (AEF)