In an effort to find out what makes small schools work, teachers, administrators, and students from seven small high schools in seven states were interviewed. While each school was different, themes that surfaced included the presence of varied forms of small learning communities, personalized learning plans, learner-centered assessment and…

Promising educational practices focus on achievement for all students and present evidence to demonstrate their effectiveness. Schools that have broken the mold are vision-focused and values-based. The most hopeful strategy for sustained, substantive educational improvement involves developing school staff into professional learning communities in…

A French immersion/math-science alternative school in Montreal (Quebec) had 32 secondary students perform the mandated school self-assessment. The student-designed questionnaire focused on the school's mission statement. Results indicated that the students felt the school was successful in only one aspect of its mission statement--the math and…

Examines the current condition of the charter-school movement. On the one hand, the demand for and satisfaction of charter schools is high; on the other, opposition to charter schools is growing. Suggests that changes, including a national organization to press for accountability, are needed for the movement to succeed. (WFA)

Ten papers are presented that discuss new developments in school effectiveness research from an international perspective. Three papers discuss factors that determine school effectiveness, and one paper considers the analysis of data. The remainder of the papers report on empirical investigations of school effectiveness. (SLD)

The types of school evaluation being used in private and state school sectors in Australia are described on a state-by-state basis. A growing interest in evaluation is evident; and evaluations are increasingly holistic, relying on a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data. (SLD)

Although the physical separation of school-age children is less common since "Brown v. the Board of Education," the number of students attending racially isolated schools is increasing. Several factors are shaping resistance to true desegregation, including the limitations set by racism, legally mandated change, court focus, demographics, and…

Provides a framework for enhancing personal and organizational growth through staff development programs. Nineteen guidelines for staff developers planning such programs for effective schools are presented. These guidelines are based on a sound understanding of organization development and factors that enhance school change. (SM)

Reports on two studies that examined teachers' perceptions of the characteristics of good schools. Notes that institutional biases exist in all types of schools. Found high levels of agreement among primary, secondary, and special school teachers' ratings of the qualities of good schools. (KO)

Argues that the publication of "A Nation at Risk" politicized education and established an environment in which the state imposed a common curriculum on everyone. Emphasizes that this is detrimental as it transfers curriculum control to the state and that teachers then teach to the tests, which become the curriculum. (NL)

Suggests that truth, beauty, and the notion of morals and ethics are the essence of knowledge. Stresses the obligation of educators to encourage the feelings in their students that generate social responsibility. Claims the humanistic issue precedes social science. (NL)

Refutes the claims of the neoconservative critics of social studies education. Emphasizes that their work reflects the discontent with public education fostered during the Reagan administration. Analyzes their recommendations for curriculum change, and challenges their assumptions. Encourages the study of social problems as the core of social…

1,003 teachers and 66 principals in 66 elementary schools assessed the effects of various levels of parental involvement on school quality variables. School socioeconomic status, teacher degree level, grade level, class size, teachers' and principals' perceptions of teacher efficacy, organizational rigidity, and instructional coordination were…

High School and Beyond Study data for 744 public high schools were used to study the influence of school size on diversity of academic offerings, school social climate, and dropout rate. Potential links between school size and dropout rate were greatly attributable to social climate, especially concerning student participation. (SLD)

Study investigated the relative freshman-year cognitive impacts on black students enrolled in 2 historically black and 16 predominantly white colleges. Results indicated general parity in standardized measures of reading comprehension, mathematics, critical thinking, and composite achievement between black students attending black colleges and…