The freshman-year cognitive impacts of 5 2-year and 6 4-year colleges were studied for 3,840 students from 23 institutions. Evidence suggests a parity in the relative cognitive impacts of two- and four-year colleges that enroll first-year students of generally similar academic preparation. (SLD)

Two decades after helping a school begin the transition to middle level, observations are made of the results of middle school planning, implementation, and evaluation. Chief areas of focus were interdisciplinary teaming, block scheduling, exploratory activities, and an adviser-advisee arrangement. (MLF)

Explores the difficulty of evaluating school effectiveness, distinguishing between school effectiveness and school efficiency. Introduces seven evaluation models, and discusses the difficulty of integrating these models. Develops a dynamic model which reconceptualizes school effectiveness and combines characteristics of the integrated and…

Reports a study that explored the role of educational attainment in job promotion. Considers the effects of years of schooling, academic credentials, college quality, and college major upon employee advancement within a large U.S. insurance company. Concludes that educational attainment that conveys relevant job skills is most likely to lead to…

Discusses a 1991 study conducted to examine parents' reasons for selecting Catholic school education for their children. Suggests that survey respondents chose Catholic schools because of their quality, religious instruction, fostering of moral and social development, family tradition, dissatisfaction with public schools, and pragmatic concerns.…

The six chapters of this theme issue consider three trends in educational effectiveness research: (1) integration of effectiveness phenomena at different levels, (2) a more model-driven approach than in the past, and (3) increased complexity of analysis tools and techniques to suit the new emphasis on process. (SLD)

Investigates teachers' and principals' perceptions of instructional leadership in a sample of Western Australian government primary and secondary schools, using the Instructional Leadership Questionnaire. Instructional leadership was viewed as a shared responsibility; teachers felt principals were less involved than principals felt they were.…

Argues that decreasing participation in accreditation will not necessarily realize financial gains for colleges, since other methods of remaining accountable will take its place. Proposes ways to reduce accreditation's real costs while preserving its traditional benefits of self-examination, external scrutiny, and participatory membership. (MAB)

Analysis of a sample of 1,636 11- to 20-year olds from the Ghana Living Standards Survey showed the following: no strong selectivity bias in the sorting of higher ability children into better schools; indirect effects of improving school quality on student achievement; and repairing classrooms as a cost-effective investment compared to providing…

Discloses findings concerning school community members' perceptions about the tasks and role of effective schools, drawing on a 1990-91 study conducted in Melbourne, Australia. Participating principals, teachers, school council members, parents and students believe these tasks transcend the academic to include development of citizenship and…

A survey of 1,321 administrators, 927 trustees, and 1,158 department heads in 332 4-year colleges and universities examined the independent and conditional effects of organizational culture type and level of consensus about mission on the institutions' organizational effectiveness. Implications of results for enhancing effectiveness are discussed.…

Fourteen teachers with diverse school roles were interviewed about their views on the U.S. educational reform movement and their own ideas for change. Results suggest that the teachers are optimistic about the possibilities of fundamental school reform in the future but skeptical about their ability to change the current system. (Author/LB)

Industrialized nations are increasingly concerned with school systems' attainment of academic excellence goals. In less developed countries, research has not fully explored environmental influences on student achievement. This paper examines the effects of classroom management and teaching practices on student achievement in four Caribbean…

Cultural leadership is an essential foundation underlying successful instructional leadership activities. Careful use of cultural assessment helps principals identify contextual barriers shaping the outcomes of otherwise effective instructional change interventions. Cultural brokerage not only protects these improvements but promotes and…

Reviews selected literature on administrative evaluation and focuses on four topics: (1) linking principals to school effectiveness as an outcome; (2) increasing awareness of school contextual indicators affecting leadership and effectiveness; (3) the effects of structural reform on the principal's role; and (4) assessing principal's performance…