Summarizes research on instruction-related practices and policies and their implementation in effective urban schools. Discusses outcomes-based instruction, effective organizational arrangements for low achievers, instructional coordination, avoidance of overemphasis on lower order skills, operationalization of shared values, "organic"…

It is time to free urban education from the standards of rural, agrarian America. Urban education must reflect modern family structures, utilize school buildings to a fuller extent, reflect more autonomy for schools in individual communities, and expand bilingual programs. In short, schools should become the new "settlement houses" for urban…

Students who neither cause problems nor display giftedness tend to receive little attention in high schools. Research findings from thousands of observations in fifteen high schools suggest that the varied curricula that support special students allow average students to drift through school. Schools must be restructured to motivate average…

Analyzes findings of a 1984 teacher attitude survey (from Dade County, Florida) showing declining job satisfaction and extrinsic rewards for a more experienced, better-educated work force than 20 years ago. Examines factors damaging teacher status, including outmoded administrative structures limiting teacher participation. Suggests sharing and…

Teachers and administrators who understand the "politics" in schools can operate more successfully to facilitate change. This book teaches educators to identify and influence common social patterns that affect their work in school organizations. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the concept of organizational literacy and an overview of several…

Schools and communities increasingly are being called on to meet the needs of all youngsters-- including those experiencing learning, behavior, and emotional problems. Meeting the challenge is difficult. Efforts to do so are handicapped by the way in which student support interventions currently are conceived, organized, and implemented. Over the…

This brief paper is a presentation that preceeded another case of considering the ongoing dialogue on the advantages and disadvantages of centralized and decentralized school-improvement processes. It attempts to raise a number of questions about the relationship between state-designed standards and accountability initiatives and change and…

After more than 10 years into the charter-school movement, a fundamental issue remains to be addressed, according to this paper. The issue reduces the charter movement down to its basic core premise, which is effectiveness. The question for all stakeholders is how effective is the charter-school model. Evaluation within the context of the…

This book examines the effects of reforms in some countries' national education systems, noting that far from improving education, they have often made it more difficult for teachers to do a good job in the classroom. It focuses on how teaching has changed and continues to change in England's educational reform climate. The book argues that many…

The transition of the Czech school system from a centralized system to one where schools enjoy greater autonomy has not been smooth. Educators and administrators need to learn new skills in interacting with parents, community, and each other in an educational system that is becoming more decentralized. Several surveys were conducted to…

This paper examines how to encourage widespread adoption of comprehensive school-reform models--adoption outside the schools and districts that took part in the development process. It refers to such models as "design-based" schools. The paper defines what is meant by a school design and describes receptive school and district…

This paper explores the "working culture" of faculty members at a Teacher Education School in Brazil. The study analyzes the teacher educators' values, feelings, and everyday practices. The main objective of the study was to rethink the school organization by taking into consideration the cultural and symbolic practices that organize…

Laboratory experiences as a part of most U.S. high school science curricula have been taken for granted for decades, but they have rarely been carefully examined. What do they contribute to science learning? What can they contribute to science learning? What is the current status of labs in our nation s high schools as a context for learning…

In February, 1922, the United States Commissioner of Education, John J. Tigert, called the First National Conference on the Work-Study-Play, or Platoon. One result of this conference was that the superintendents who attended asked the United States Bureau of Education to serve as a clearing house of information in regard to the work-study-play…

The bibliography of education for the year 1908-9 is the second attempt of the United States Bureau of Education to cover the field of current pedagogical literature. One of the special features of the present bibliography is the list of national and state educational societies, which has been carefully annotated. References have also been made to…