From the spring of 1986 to the autumn of 1988, the HM Inspectorate (HMI) undertook a survey of the quality of provision of education for 4-year-olds in primary classes. The work of 4-year-olds in 152 primary schools in 14 different local education authorities (LEAs), serving three London boroughs, four large metropolitan authorities, and seven…

This paper outlines, from the perspective of three school principals, the complexities involved in implementing a curriculum innovation, "4MAT," begun in Ontario in 1984. Curriculum project considerations include: leadership skills necessary; importance of support systems for principals; role of research; role of the principal; project…

Of the three organizational variables that can be understood to influence the work of school specialists, only organizational structure appears to be under the control of school officials. This conclusion was reached by researchers following a year-long study involving close observation of nine carefully selected school specialists from California…

The role played by the state government in Victoria, Australia, in public education changed considerably when the Labour Party took office in the early 1980s. Seeking to redress social imbalances and inequities, the government sought broad decentralization of decision making in education, with an increased role for teachers, parents, and students.…

To identify critical postimplementation events and school-related factors that affect the continuation of new classroom practices, qualitative data were collected in 14 elementary and secondary schools representing a mix of settings. Efforts to improve the schools' instructional programs in either basic skills, career education, or citizen…

A study examined the feasibility of the use of the Herzberg Motivation-Hygiene Theory to identify groups of teachers as motivation seekers. The theory distinguishes individuals by their personal needs, i.e., "hygiene needs," such as working conditions, salary, class size, supervision, policy, and benefits; and "motivation…

This document draws upon theory and research about early adolescence and about the effects of middle grades structures and practices on student outcomes. The purpose is to identify specific problem areas and promising innovations that should be considered by policymakers as they establish guidelines for the restructuring of education in the middle…

The Information Systems Long Range Plan specifically addresses Goal four of the Texas State Board of Education's (SBOE's) "Long-Range Plan for Public School Education" dealing with efficient management and organization of the educational system. To facilitate this goal, the SBOE in 1986 approved and directed the Texas Education Agency to…

This paper analyzes data from the Pennsylvania Educational Quality Assessment (EQA) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to provide a description of grouping, staffing, and scheduling practices that currently exist in elementary, middle, and high schools. The practices are found to follow a continuum from elementary through…

Research on school reform efforts and reform evaluation and the recognition that individual students are in constant transition and are members of multiple groups whose dynamics differ over the duration of schooling were examined. A conceptual framework for developing design and analysis strategies for investigating educational reform efforts is…

To analyze high school students' access to the forms and content of knowledge, the author used nonparticipant ethnographic research in four midwestern high schools to study how the pattern of knowledge control in the classroom varies in different administrative contexts. Through observation of social studies classrooms and interviews with…

The effect of school climate on student learning was considered important by educators until the late 1960s, was discounted as a result of major research findings during the 1970s, and is now beginning to reemerge as a potentially critical factor suitable for study, according to the author of this paper. Reviewing the literature, the author notes…

North York defines Special Needs Schools as those in communities characterized by a higher than average percentage of: children under 15 years of age, one parent families, women in the labor force, people whose mother tongue is not English, multiple family housing, or family mobility. During the fall of 1982 the Special Needs Evaluation Committee…

Perspectives on higher education in Taiwan are presented, based in part on the views of a sample of Chinese scholars. After briefly reviewing the origins of Chinese higher education, attention is directed at the current system. The nine layers in the contemporary educational structure in Taiwan are identified. Chinese students seeking college…

The Directed Learning Program, developed to provide the best possible individualized type of education, is nongraded in organization: students are grouped into Educational Families, each composed of approximately 175 students, seven teachers, four to six educational assistants, and a master teacher. (Author/JM)