This article defines two approaches to pupil control--custodial and humanistic--and reports results of an investigation of the relationship between teacher control ideology and behavior and their influence on quality of life for students. Subjects were 239 elementary and secondary teachers and their students from 5 school districts. (IAH)

Discusses the relevance to class size policy of research studies on effective schools, mastery learning, organizational theory, and effective teaching. Class size should be matched to student needs. (BJV)

The superintendent's innovation and enthusiasm are leading school reform in Dade County, Florida. Educational experimentation includes a satellite school at the airport to serve grades K through two; a nighttime high school; and a school that has teachers acting as mentors for students at risk. (MLF)

Meetings of home schoolers were observed to determine parents' attitudes toward traditional education. Many parents, over time, grew to question the validity of their previous assumptions but remained firm in their belief that schools are not neutral and meritocratic dispensers of knowledge. (BJV)

Studies the complex layers making up a school culture and their effect on the routine organizational decision in handling truancy. Findings suggest school cultures, although unified at the organizational level, are inconsistent at the subcultural or individual level. Members can exercise greater flexibility within the organization but also can…

Describes a study of the location of decision-making authority in state community colleges at the college or governance board level. Examines differences in authority for academic, personnel, and administrative matters. Suggests that decision-making authority generally rested at the local level, although personnel decisions were more likely to be…

Summarizes a three-year Consortium for Policy Research in Education project to identify conditions in U.S., Canadian, and Australian schools that promote high performance through school-based management. Findings showed that SBM requires redesign of the whole school organization. Success depended on how schools decentralized four key resources:…

Examines the effects of state policy, sociodemographic composition, and school structure on high school dropout rates in 1980. Reports that total educational expenditures per students' average daily attendance is a significant determinant of school structure with indirect effect on dropout rates. Concludes that family structure is a critical…

Describes four areas of educational change: (1) the curriculum, (2) the role of the teachers, (3) the school structure, and (4) student learning. The impact of intensive computer use on each of these areas is examined using observations from a "technology-enriched" school project that is currently underway (1989-92) in the Netherlands.…

The interrelationship between masculinity and schooling is explored for 10 gay males aged 16 to 19 years. Focal issues are the following: (1) sex education; (2) essentialism-constructionism; (3) sexual stereotyping; (4) sexual and gender systems; and (5) homosexuality. These perspectives recognize sexual/gender systems as a school organizing…

Five articles comment on Chubb and Terry M. Moe's book "Politics, Markets, and America's Schools": (1) Choice in Education: Examining the Evidence on Equity; (2) Politics, Markets, and America's Schools: A Review; (3) Political Pollyannas; (4) Degrees of Imperfection: A Note from a Political Pollyanna; and (5) Thoughts on Choice. (SM)

A comparative analysis of 10 primary and 10 secondary schools found relationships between school policy toward children with learning problems (either encouraging mainstreaming or separate classes) and other aspects of school functioning, including educational philosophy, approach to handicap identification, and degree of communication between the…

Research effects on achievement of nongraded elementary school organization is reviewed. Nongraded organization can have a positive impact on student achievement if cross-age grouping is used to allow teachers to provide more direct instruction to students but not if it is used as a framework for individualized instruction. (SLD)

A 1977 study examined the organization of six medical schools' basic sciences, including faculty research interests and department affiliations, and was updated with 1987 data from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Results show overlapping research interests, blurred departmental boundaries, and divergence between faculty research…

Reports on a review of research into the effects of organizational structure on the acquisition of knowledge. Asserts that the opportunity to learn has two dimensions: (1) the amount of exposure; and (2) the quality of exposure. Concludes that teachers and students make decisions about these dimensions, which are affected by inducements and…