As of September 1995, a total of 19 states had passed charter school legislation and 226 charter schools were operating. This document presents an overview of state legislation and describes the status of charter schools in operation in the United States. Chapter 1 provides background information on charter schools--a discussion of trends leading…

As sponsoring agents for Arizona charter schools, individual school boards in Arizona are committed to ensuring that all applicants have a fair and equal opportunity to submit a proper charter proposal. This handbook provides information and materials to help charter-school applicants in Arizona prepare a proposal for establishing a charter…

By March 1994, eight states had adopted charter-school legislation. This report defines the charter-school concept and describes its advantages and disadvantages. Proponents argue that charter schools offer flexibility, decentralized decision making, a performance accountability, and school choice, and increased pressure for change. Opponents…

As of October 1995, 17 states had adopted charter-school legislation. The strength and scope of charter-school laws vary greatly among states. This report describes those state statutes, including the 1995 law passed by the Texas State Legislature. It describes specific provisions of the Texas law, including the home-rule district charter, campus…

TEAMS Distance Learning is an Educational Telecommunications Network service of the Los Angeles County Office of Education (California). It provides live, interactive instructional telecasts for students in grades two through six and their teachers and parents across the United States and in Canada. This evaluation summary consists of an overview…

This book offers suggestions to parents for implementing interest-initiated learning in home-school situations. Interest-initiated learning is based on three principles: (1) the learner initiates and controls learning according to his or her own interests; (2) the student's own priorities guide the learner; and (3) the teacher only enters the…

This book challenges common assumptions about the nature of education and the need for formal schooling and provides an overview of promising alternatives to compulsory education. Following a foreword by Ivan Illich, four sections cover the philosophical roots of opposition to compulsory public education, current analyses of the public school…

Connectivity on the Internet through the use of World Wide Web browsers is becoming commonplace in the classroom, at home, and in the office. The term, "power pedagogy" refers to any set of instructional methods designed to increase faculty productivity and to accommodate more students with existing facilities. This paper examines the…

The integration of test-banks for computer-based testing, textbooks, and electronic lecture notes in first-year mathematics courses has changed the way mathematics is taught at Bennett College (Greensboro, North Carolina). Classes meet in two electronic classrooms each with 27 computers on a local area network and a projection system. An…

In 1991, East Ward Elementary School (Texas) exemplified a dilemma in traditional instruction approaches, namely, that teachers working ever harder using traditional approaches were still not preparing the diverse student population to live in a highly technological, fast-paced world. The staff then engaged in research into the concepts of…

Nongraded education is the practice of teaching children of different ages and ability levels together, without dividing them into groups labeled by grade designations. As the year 2000 approaches and schools are being re-evaluated in light of changing social and economic conditions, nongradedness is the focus of renewed interest. This publication…

This book focuses on the ways in which the work of principals is being shaped by transformational reform measures. Part 1 offers two chapters that analyze the challenges and possibilities for principals in restructuring schools and review the empirical evidence on the evolving role of the principal. Part 2 presents nine case studies, each of which…

For a number of years it has been suggested that distance education is a natural extension of existing teaching methods that includes learners who are separated from the instructor by time or distance. This paper takes an alternative look at distance-education research and evaluation and proposes an evaluation model built on that view. That…

This paper presents information on a new educational phenomenon in China--private schools. It reflects on the history of private education in China and its disappearance since 1949. Economic, social, and political conditions that prompted the reemergence of private schools since China's economic reform started in 1978 are examined. The article…

This paper examines ideas about school scheduling and student learning. It also offers suggestions for schools that are considering the adoption of alternative school calendars. It describes a case study in which a progressive school district modified its school calendar in order to improve instructional opportunities for student learning. The…