Student evaluation methods (pass-fail vs. traditional grading) for Britain's honors curriculum are discussed. The British educational tradition concerning the honors degree is outlined, and the rationale for grading is examined. It is recommended that pass-fail grading based on specified learning outcomes be adopted for educational and practical…

In 1988, Indiana adopted a system of performance-based accreditation for its public schools. This article summarizes a study to describe the program's planning and implementation processes, evaluate program effects, and determine whether relationships exist among successful school improvement and planning and three elements identified in the…

Describes trust level theory in relation to Foxfire practices and educational change. Proposes that, as individuals in an organization move up an environmental quality scale, the value and nature of their organizational relationships improve, and fear is displaced by trust. Discusses seven trusting processes and their commonalities with Foxfire…

After 18 years of using a traditional approach to teaching, a middle-school teacher turned her classroom into a shared learning experience by giving students the responsibility to make choices about their education. To reassure parents who were skeptical of the Foxfire approach, she continued to interject traditional learning activities. (LP)

The process of changing was assessed in four schools at the midpoint of a five-year essential schools restructuring effort in Illinois. Cross-case analysis results in identification of factors affecting the change process by examining benchmarks of substantial agreement, observable change, all-school participation, and systemic leadership. (SLD)

Assigned community college first-year students (n=1,089) to three groups that differed with the intensity of a learning style intervention. Follow-up during the next semester revealed that students in the highest intensity group achieved significantly higher grade-point averages and higher retention rates than those in the other groups. (Author/NB)

Addresses the problems of racism in schools and reviews the historical and contemporary context of the policies and programs to reduce it. Discusses obstacles and challenges to implementing effective antiracist policies and programs. Presents strategies that address these challenges from a systems and an ecological approach. (MKA)

Most school board members and superintendents want to leave a lasting legacy to their district. To do this, they need to acknowledge that large-scale change is complex and takes time and that the system will outlast them. Board members can give their communities the gifts of vision, process, and competence. (MLF)

Summaries of the design, planning, and implementation of performance funding programs in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington reveal the challenges and opportunities of this reform approach. Performance measures and objectives and the history of the program in each…

Ohio State University's new president, William E. Kirwan, has taken a strong stand on diversity, hiring consultants to analyze weaknesses in minority-student recruiting and personnel practices, and holding quarterly town meetings on race. Some say this exemplifies the type of commitment white male senior executives need to make if higher…

Discusses ways to evaluate proposals for change in the educational system. Outlines three principles to guide in the planning and organization of educational change projects: (1) Base policy and practice on proven practice and research; (2) Support the creation of professional learning communities; (3) Use diffusion principles to support adoption…

One way of supporting college instructors who wish to improve student assessment practices is to offer a framework for change that raises the public profile of assessment policy, acknowledges that there is room for improvement, and provides methodological and collegial support to help instructors formulate and address practical problems. A…

A Rochester, New York, elementary school attributes its high parent involvement to a turnaround strategy involving newsletters, phone calls, parent-teacher conferences, surveys, parent-education classes, parent-involvement activities, special announcements, participation rewards, informal contacts, a parent resource center, home visits, volunteer…

Driven by restructuring, marketplace competition, and technological change, rural electric co-ops are implementing early retirement and severance packages, instituting staffing changes to reflect changing functions and needed skills, hiring business managers to develop business strategies and marketing plans, providing consumer-choice advocates,…

Argues that the role of education should be to shape the whole individual. The culture and organization of schools must change to promote student success and democratic values. The school has failed to be a level playing field for students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, and must become an instrument for justice and liberation for the…