Reform in Chicago's public schools has involved decentralizing decision-making to parent-dominated Local School Councils (LSCs). School data are analyzed to determine what aspects of LSC governance matter for student achievement. Concludes that training LSCs might be important for their functioning and lead to higher student achievement. An…

Recounts the restructuring and resulting survival of Park University (Missouri) over the last decade. A process of evaluating the university's competitive strategy resulted in changes in tuition pricing; development of the Park School of Distance Learning, which serves primarily military installations; minority student marketing; and development…

Draws on ongoing case studies of women's initiations of elementary collaborative principalships to discuss dilemmas encountered within the contradictory environment of "centralized decentralization" in New Zealand. Accountability issues have emerged as significant in one school, as the women and their board have been radically…

A case study of a large nonselective urban high school in Baltimore (Maryland) describes the design and implementation of a comprehensive package of school reforms, the Talent Development Model with Career Academies. Qualitative and quantitative evidence is provided on significant improvements in school climate, student attendance, promotion…

Briefly describes federal legislation, federally funded programs, and publications supporting the inclusion of limited-English-speaking (LEP) programs in schoolwide programs. Includes a list of regional, state, and national sources of assistance in designing programs for language-minority students. Notes the growing trend toward systemic inclusion…

Statistical sources demonstrate negative effects on educational spending in Canada in the 1990s, due to policies adopted in response to a severe recession and ballooning federal and provincial deficits. Massive restructuring (centralization and district consolidation) is occurring to increase efficiency. Retrenchment will probably be completed by…

Examines the invention of school effectiveness as a specific curriculum and pedagogical discourse that has captivated researchers, policymakers, and politicians. Considers school-effectiveness research methodology, politics, and underlying epistemological assumptions. Explores the dilemmas confronting inclusive education research. The concepts of…

This article reviews five frequently cited attributes of effective schools, presents steps in creating significant schools, considers the importance and role of talent development, and describes relevant applications of the Creative Problem Solving framework to synthesize school improvement and talent development efforts. (DB)

School officials often fail to recognize the capabilities of organized labor as both an impediment to reform schools and as a force to assist reform. Suggests that teacher unions and a bargaining environment can be incorporated into school reform. Offers some considerations for integrating unionism into reform. (14 references) (MLF)

This discussion of the relationship of gifted education programs to broader school reform efforts focuses on negative effects of gifted programs on schools at large; issues in the reexamination of the gifted construct; and suggestions to avoid positioning school reform advocates, gifted education proponents, and full inclusion supporters in…

Three elementary schools with very different characteristics extended their school years to approximately 223 days, with concomitant changes in funding and salaries. All three demonstrated increases in academic achievement, parent and teacher satisfaction, and cost-effective use of facilities. Implications for reform and year-round schooling are…

Introduces three perspectives on the Hawthorne Elementary School (Houston, Texas) reform effort. The case studies indicate that successful restructuring of schools serving highly disadvantaged communities is possible. (GR)

Examines teachers' responses to reform efforts prescribed for them as appropriate for reformed schools, considering emerging difficulties when teaching and reform are conceptualized not as situated, but as universal and generalizable in form and intention. Teacher responses to such static reform often replicate power relations circulating in…

Staff developers are being called upon to operate in four dimensions as skilled school change facilitators (process leaders, skills trainers, resource consultants, and energy enhancers). For staff developers to adopt the role of school change facilitator, expertise in both change process and group process skills is crucial. (SM)

A study of restructuring in three urban elementary schools with ethnically diverse populations found that the schools did change, with new student grouping patterns, new ways of allocating time, increased teacher collaboration, and new ideas for professional development. Changing teacher practice was primarily a matter of learning rather than…