"Phi Delta Kappan" conducted 28 public forums exploring participants' views about public schools' purposes, effectiveness, and needed changes. Once engaged, community members were enthusiastic about discussing public schools' future, indicated they left the forums better informed, and found the three-question format productive. Planners…

Compares secondary and junior schools' influence on (British) 16 year-olds' performance on the General Certificate in Secondary Education examination. Presents a mathematical model to explain performance variations, using a cohort of 758 students in 48 junior schools and 116 secondary schools. There is a strong continuity of junior school effects…

In the opinions of 52 high schools students who kept journals regarding their feelings about school, schools are irrelevant, dull, sterile, or worse; they despised unenthusiastic teachers teaching uninteresting lessons from textbooks. The increased emphasis on testing and accountability will probably will not change these opinions. (JOW)

Describes the project "Effective School Improvement," designed to investigate the relationship between effectiveness and improvement in eight European countries. Presents a framework for the analysis of the case studies on school improvement projects in this special issue. (SLD)

Explores the effects of secondary schools, teachers, and classes on mathematics achievement in Flanders secondary schools. After controlling for within-class and school recruitment differences, finds that class-level group composition remains an important explanation of difference in mathematics achievement. Also finds that the school-level…

Examines methodological and data requirements for good-quality estimation of the education production function and reviews four UK studies that use pupil-level longitudinal data with a range of resource and control variables. These studies have produced some evidence of small resource effects on student outcomes and indicate the importance of…

Describes how a committee of five people (three selected by the Pennsylvania governor and two selected by Philadelphia's mayor) will manage schools in Philadelphia. Notes that because the revised U.S. Elementary and Secondary Education Act includes provisions for sanctions and takeovers for schools that fail to meet federal and state testing…

Proposes a set of procedures to help principals develop and clarify a school vision or mission statement, foster faculty ownership of the vision, communicate the vision to concerned constituents, and facilitate organizational trust by continuously reinforcing its major emphases. Includes sample mission and goal statements and three references.…

Despite being unremittingly attacked over the past decade, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) continues to thrive. The growth in SAT use has been stimulated by its critics and by Educational Testing Service and College Board promotional campaigns. The SAT is still erroneously used to summarize the quality of incoming classes and colleges. Includes…

Discusses positive developments occurring in the teaching profession and the changes needed to nurture them. Teacher empowerment does not mean banishing principals, but enabling teachers to participate in group decision-making and make key choices affecting their own work. Teachers have always been critical to effective schooling. (MLH)

Explains a California school district's successful development of school effectiveness policies to promote student achievement for all children. Milpitas Unified School District discovered that change must be clearly defined, clearly focused, and based on solid research. (MLH)

This article outlines some of the projects and activities which exist at New Hope Elementary School (MN). Discussed are parent awareness activities, use of positive reinforcement by school personnel, a reading incentive program, the gifted and talented program, career exploration for girls, and a peer assistance program for teachers. (IAH)

A description is given of a staff development effort in a vocational-technical school which involved school-based management teams and a series of retreats for the purpose of improving the school's climate and increasing its effectiveness. (JD)

Argues that educational professionals at all levels of the school system must demonstrate individual and collective leadership daily in order to effectively deal with the needs of students, staff, and communities. Discusses attributes of effective schools, and the pivotal role of principals in fostering school success. (SV)

Effective schools research and techniques are useful in developing dropout prevention strategies. The success of these programs depends on a school's adherence to certain variables asssociated with teacher and administrator characteristics and behaviors, school climate, instructional emphasis, and pupil progress measurement. Includes five…