Study by the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy's Task Force on Teaching as a Profession assessed problems in teacher preparation, offered reform proposals, and recommended school and teaching force restructuring. The article outlines the major proposals, compares the report with earlier studies, and provides an assessment. (SM)

Emphasizes the need for coherence between the reward structure and the organizational culture of effective schools. Presents a typology of rewards, including pecuniary, nonpecuniary extrinsic, and intrinsic rewards. Analyzes several pay-for-performance strategies and explores the perceived advantages and disadvantages of various merit and…

Examines conceptions of the nature of organizational effectiveness and the characteristics of effective organizations. Reviews school effectiveness literature. Proposes that school effectiveness be assessed on the basis of performance expectations formulated by constituents and that effectiveness research adopt a configurational approach…

Research has indicated that computer-assisted instruction can give students an advantage compared to traditional instruction. Money spent on educational technology must be matched with staff development and support for implementation efforts. Lists seven references on computers and technology in education. (MLF)

Experiences from dropout programs that serve at-risk students at a North Carolina school district identify planning and management considerations. Among these are that dropout rates and other measures of success must be standardized; and staff selection, duty assignments, and workloads are different for at-risk educators because of inordinate time…

Multilevel models used to assess and compare school effectiveness, particularly their application to multivariate data, are critiqued. Problems associated with standard errors of measurement and the various components of "school effect" are highlighted in terms of how they could affect incautious application of the models. (TJH)

For several years, small primary schools in England and Wales have been threatened with closure because of feasibility and educational quality concerns. This article argues that school effectiveness depends not on size or age distribution, but on teaching methods, curriculum and staff organization, resource availability, collegial interaction, and…

As a result of increased public and political concerns about education system failings in Great Britain and elsewhere, the pressures upon schools and educators have intensified. Research and development in the fields of school effectiveness and improvement can help schools meet these new pressures, as three articles in a special section of this…

Quality circles can be an effective way to strengthen three significant forces influencing school organizations today. Quality circles allow teachers to participate in more meaningful ways, transform the principal's instructional leadership role, and allow site-based management, or bottom-up decision making, to succeed. (MLH)

Two distinct multiple regression models used in evaluation methods of the Dallas (Texas) public schools are discussed along with the issues and problems related to their application to the practical problem of identifying effective schools. Results from application of these models, one implemented in 1984 and one in 1992, are discussed. (SLD)

Explores the use of state wage data in college planning, program improvement, and educational assessment. Explains how Southwestern College, which began collecting post-college wage data to gauge its economic impact in the community, found that these data were also valuable in assessing its career programs and institutional effectiveness. (EMH)

Results of a series of studies of factors affecting perceived quality in school organizations in Iowa show a significant positive relationship between the perceived quality of district staff development and the perceived quality effectiveness index of the districts. Respondents were 720 teachers, administrators, and students from 44 school…

Looks at different waves of school reform beginning with Sputnik in the 1950s. Examines influences in today's reform, including industrial influences and school choice. Argues that the origins and outcomes of school reform have more to do with what is happening outside the school than within it, and that schools must think beyond objective indices…

A study of school achievement and student-income data for 54 Wichita (Kansas) Public Schools over three years revealed six "breakthrough" elementary schools with above-average achievement and proportions of poor students. These schools shared three characteristics: positive school climate, smaller school size, and structural leadership…

Examines whether student enrollment in a pre-college minority intervention program was associated with academic performance, retention, and success, as measured by such things as GPA, retention rate, and degree attainment. Found that African-American students who participated performed at or above the level of nonprogram students on all measures…