This book clarifies current efforts to reform teaching by providing a conceptual analysis of what a professional and a bureaucratic view of teaching entail. Case studies are presented illustrating what happens when differing approaches to teachers' work are tried in three school districts. The first chapter describes the two approaches to reform…

This book offers a comprehensive guide to the Career Academy high school model, including detailed descriptions of the model, practical advice, case histories, histories of existing programs, evaluation results, and an analysis of the model in the context of other research and policy analysis. Part 1 of 3 gives an overview of the dilemmas and…

The central thesis of this book is that the developmental conception of democracy provides the theoretical foundation for an alternative model of school governance devoted not to efficient integration of students into a hierarchical labor force, but to development as unique human beings. This will necessitate an organizational structure that…

Almost a third of all schools in Australia responded to an invitation to express views about how Australia's schools might be made more effective. This report presents the views that schools should have a full-blown view of what Australia wants for its children and youth, and they should be concerned with personal and social as well as…

A study examined teacher stereotypes as a factor in teacher resistance to change in schools. Based on a poststructuralist perspective, the study views teachers as both objects and subjects of reform and argues that research informs practice in ways that often result in socially constructed stereotypes. Methodology included a literature review, 129…

Focusing on teacher teams and their use as a lever for change, the author examines the importance of teachers becoming knowledgeable, skilled, and increasingly articulate about their leadership and participation so that they may take their rightful place in the school reform movement. Ten chapters focus on teams sponsored by the Rockefeller…

Restructured schools should be centers of inquiry and reflection, not of unexamined tradition; curriculum and instruction courses in teacher education programs should facilitate critical inquiry and reflection. A graduate level curriculum models course at the Wichita (Kansas) State University was restructured around the basic tenet of critical…

In response to a legislative request, this seminar convened to make a comprehensive study of ways to improve the governance effectiveness of the state's county boards of education and county school board members. Participants were county school board members, superintendents, principals, teachers, service personnel, parents, community leaders, and…

Collaboration between schools and institutions of higher education (IHE) is usually effective only when values are shared and mutual dependencies are recognized. These conditions are uncommon. The foundation upon which such collaboration could be developed requires several building blocks: (1) developing shared goals regarding teacher learning;…

Effective strategies for developing early childhood centers in public schools are discussed in this paper, which draws from a research-based literature search and intensive case studies of six Northwest sites. The sites represent a range of rural, suburban, and urban programs; large and small schools; and a variety of program features. The sites…

Although the United States has the largest economy in the world, it has vulnerabilities. The growth rate of productivity has slowed. The U.S. net national savings rate is at an all-time low. The nation's educational system is performing well below the best international levels. A disenchanted electorate views federal institutions with increasing…

The role of the local school board in delivering quality education is examined in this booklet, which provides a set of expectations and principles for drastic change in the role and operation of school boards. Now that fundamental, systemic change is being called for, the performance of school boards is under greater scrutiny. Following the…

This paper reports preliminary findings from a research project in progress which is based on a comparative case study of four elementary schools involved in site-based decision making legitimized by labor/management agreements. The study examines several issues: (1) how teachers exercise power in response to opportunities for affecting…

Although American students have always been somewhat diverse, newly identified groups with special needs appear on community horizons every year. Education is one arena from which response to diversity is necessary. Ethnic, socioeconomic, disability, and gender status differ from one region to another making communities the ideal nexus for change.…

Because information is quickly becoming the key resource in many industries globally, it seems natural to utilize and incorporate it as the primary resource in education, an institution that affects our entire society. A definition of an information-based organization (IBO) is proposed, steps to making an organization an IBO are identified, and a…