This report displays the themes and concerns that worried a cross-section of carefully selected educators and leaders in government, business, and civic groups. While failing to agree completely on the nature of the problems or their solutions, Task Force members were in accord on two conclusions: that district leaders must focus on the goal of…

This digest in Spanish discusses a contemporary rationale for decentralizing fiscal decisions through school-based budgeting (SBB). It comments on procedural, legal, and equity considerations; reviews several studies of SBB implementation in urban districts; and identifies emerging policy and research directions. The rationale behind SBB includes…

One school year after implementation of the Neighborhood Schools Initiative (NS), more Milwaukee Public School (MPS) district schools enroll more neighborhood students, although the increase in neighborhood enrollment is not the result of capacity-building; fewer schools have the capacity to enroll all their neighborhood students than two years…

One prominent approach to school improvement focuses on strengthening school accountability. This paper explains how three main issues keep the theory (which links school accountability to school performance) from working in practice. The issues involve: (1) implementation controversies dealing with standards, incentives, and constituencies; (2)…

The American public schools need a total revamping of structure, philosophy, pedagogy, and professionalism. This book is part of a series that explains why significant changes are needed and how changes can be made given the present constitutional authority. Part 1 introduces the causes and effects of the malfunctioning of the typical school…

In 1990, in response to court orders, Kentucky took the unprecedented step of throwing out the state's entire public educational system. Using outside consultants, they fashioned a model for education reform that many experts have hailed as the best in the United States. The Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) has become a beacon of hope for a…

This booklet proposes a different approach to understanding schools, school change, and why attempts at change run into so many difficulties. The text is divided into six parts. It examines issues in school reform and restructuring and offers what is called a Mineralogical Theory of school modifiability. This theory posits that there are eight…

This paper is not so much about research on school leadership delivery systems as it is about instructional methodologies, concepts, and ideas for rethinking the relationship between theoretical frameworks and the broader issue of practical applications for quality educationabout what it means to restructure schools or meet the needs of todays…

This digest discusses a contemporary rationale for decentralizing fiscal decisions through school-based budgeting (SBB). It comments on procedural, legal, and equity considerations; reviews several studies of SBB implementation in urban districts; and identifies emerging policy and research directions. The rationale behind SBB includes the finding…

This book is part of a series of case studies that demonstrate better ways to educate Ohio's students. The case study is part of the Transforming Learning Communities (TLC) Project, designed to support significant school-reform efforts among Ohio's elementary, middle, and high schools. The text describes an elementary school serving a homogeneous…

This book is part of a series of case studies that demonstrate better ways to educate Ohio's students. The case study is part of the Transforming Learning Communities (TLC) Project, designed to support significant school-reform efforts among Ohio's elementary, middle, and high schools. This report describes the implementation of an innovative…

Studied 11 schools that began implementing the Accelerated Schools program in 1994, focusing on two randomly selected "coaches" from each district who received special university training and guided schools through the implementation process. The coaching delivery model proved quite successful but could have improved its coach-selection…

Examines the potential for radically reengineering the (British) educational system. Proposes radical changes in schooling's political/educational interface. Urges educational policymakers to follow five rules: prioritize ruthlessly, invest productively, think strategically, learn constantly, and collaborate effectively. An incoming government…

Proposes a vision for schooling in the third millennium, based on two previous works and an upcoming book "Beyond the Self-Managing School." Analyzes the reform of school education by critiquing the development of self-managing schools. Identifies three "tracks" in the reengineering of public education for a knowledge society…

New forms of education have replaced the public-private school dichotomy of the past. The effectiveness of these new structures, such as charter schools and voucher systems, remains unproved, but the national interest in them is undeniable, and their most important contribution may lie in the interest they create in innovation that promises real…