Site-based management (SBM) is an increasingly popular approach to school restructuring. SBM aims to transfer authority from state agencies and school districts to committees based at schools. To garner a consensus supporting reform, these committees are to be representative of educational and community members. SBM plans are characterized by: (1)…

School restructuring, or school-based management, is one of the most widely discussed educational reform movements. School restructuring improves education by giving teachers and principals more independence and responsibility in the educational process. The accelerated-schools process provides a means for school restructuring, emphasizing unity…

This guidebook was designed to help educational practitioners and community members in Oregon understand the issues regarding school-council formation and development. In 1991 the Oregon State Legislature passed the Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century, mandating a fundamental change in public education. The Act assigns school councils the…

This book maintains that educational reform cannot occur in a vacuum. The theme of the book is that the problems faced by education are systemic and deeply embedded in family and social problems. Schools themselves must assume responsibility for change, and change must occur in the ways in which schools relate to outside constituencies. The…

This book offers 24 perspectives from educators, students, advocates, journalists, policymakers, and citizens on education reform and the importance of improving America's schools and school systems. Articles include the following: (1) "What Only a Governor Can Do" (Lamar Alexander); (2) "Governors and the National Education Goals" (Carroll A.…

This paper presents the insights of superintendents about the school restructuring process in Kentucky and its likely effects. Data were derived from a focus group held with 24 members of the Kentucky Educational Development Corporation (KEDC), and from a survey of 48 superintendents, of which 35 responded. A majority of respondents expressed…

Little research has investigated the effects of school restructuring on the roles of central office administrators, particularly the superintendent. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the perceptions of superintendents in Kentucky, whose State Legislature passed a statewide systemic reform initiative, the Kentucky Education…

Despite the serious efforts of the decade-long school reform movement, there is little indication that American students are making dramatic gains in academic achievement or mastering the skills they need for productive lives. Can companies support education reform in ways that both "make a difference" and are compatible with the financial, human,…

Focus groups are conducted each year within the mid-Atlantic region of the United States to gather information on school restructuring to help Research for Better Schools (RBS) in its planning process. This document reports on the round of focus groups held in spring 1994 to determine the ways in which partnerships might further school…

Researchers and educators have examined the educational consequences of large and small schools. The major concerns documented in the literature on school size reflect four primary areas--curriculum, climate, achievement, and restructuring. This volume incorporates recent research on the effects of school size. Chapter 1 contains four research…

The Common Knowledge: Pittsburgh (CK:P), a technology-based project, introduced the Internet into all levels of the Pittsburgh Public Schools during 1993-97. This is a case study of the ideology, strategies, and process of the CK:P project describes the project's activities, examines the project in light of school-reform literature, and uses its…

A study was conducted of the educational role of the principal in elementary schools under two educational policy alternatives. The study joined perspectives on the role of the principal with policy initiatives to strengthen schooling along two lines: common high student performance standards for all and redesign of the connection between the…

Since 1988, a team composed of staff from 10 educational regional laboratories, teachers, administrators, and students have worked to become a learning community. This report describes the development and activities of the restructuring collaborative that gathered information on students and learning. Chapters 2 through 8 present case studies from…

For the past 12 or so years, policymakers, educators, and community members have been working to improve student achievement by reforming the public education system. However, progress has been slower than desired, and questions persist about which reforms return the most benefit for the money, time, and effort invested. This report summarizes…

This book presents findings of the second phase of a study conducted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Specifically, the study sought to identify the educational programs and leadership practices that were used in successfully restructuring middle schools. Of 46 principals at middle schools that met the NASSP's…