Educational reforms in Russia since 1990 have positive as well as negative aspects. Economic decline that followed the severing of ties among the former republics and regions of Russia itself place severe limitations on the pace and content of reform. The most important developments are the possibility of choice in education and independence of…

Argues that school leaders should act as teachers of their colleagues, assuming the tasks of a teacher in planning curriculum, designing learning activities, and developing consensus among their students/colleagues about what should be done to act on their learning. School renewal and restructuring offer illustrations of the "leader as…

Examines types of leadership, compared on the dimensions of the roles of formal school teachers, the roles of teachers and other school staff, and the value system of leadership. Critical leadership is suggested to be the most promising approach through combining the pursuit of democratic values with explicit examination of structural and cultural…

Describes the restructuring process at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, focusing on changes in the College of Education over four years. Grant monies allowed faculty members to attend programs and conferences, hire specialists, develop a planning document, implement a plan that included 11 new units, and elect unit leaders. (SM)

Examines the relationship between school restructuring on mathematics achievement across categories of school socioeconomic status. Raises questions about the suitability of defining restructuring in terms of any specific reform agenda. Indicates the need for caution regarding the broad implementation of such an agenda in disadvantaged schools.…

Describes a comprehensive school reform initiative in one Memphis, Tennessee district. The restructuring started when the district began collaborating with New American Schools. Data from interviews, focus groups, surveys, observations, and student achievement records revealed which reform designs demonstrated the most progress in team building,…

Explores the role of charter schools and explains why the charter movement is so promising for transforming U.S. education, particularly in urban areas. Addresses three common objections to charter schools and asserts that charter schools can serve the needs of at-risk and disabled students. (SLD)

Uses metaphors of the preparation necessary for painting and for Columbus's journey into the unknown to suggest a model for planning and promoting school reform. Steps include definition of preexisting conditions, assessment of the situation, immersion (communication and trust building among stakeholders), and coordinated strategic and tactical…

In this article, the author reflects on his participation in a project in democratic educational renewal in an inner-city high school in Cincinnati, Ohio in the 1990s. He frames the case study within a number of broader questions in democratic educational research and theory having to do with the need to construct narratives of hope without…

Some public schools do a great job educating students of color to high standards. But they populate public education much the way houses in rural regions appear at night from a jetliner passing high above--as faint beacons. The core challenge of school reform today is to produce not merely a few glimmers of success but the dense glow of thousands…

In this article, the author profiles the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School in Devens, Massachusetts. Parker School opened its doors in September 1995 after a year of planning by its founders and prospective members of the community. It began with 120 students in grades seven and eight, and now, ten years later, enrolls 368 students in…

Scott and Bagaka's examine the connection between teachers' participation in professional collaboration activities and in professional development and their perception of the effectiveness of the district reform efforts. They also determine the extent to which teachers' assessment of the effectiveness of school reform efforts can lead to school…

Organizational change in education, as manifested by school reform, is indeed complex. In this article, we describe our experience with organizational change and analyse it using organizational change theories common in education. An evaluation of the reform initiative yielded unexpected problems related to sustainability. As a result, this…

The National Governors Association, Council of Chief State School Officers, and the National Association of State Boards of Education jointly devised recommendations in 11 areas in order to achieve America's education goals for every student since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. These recommendations included giving…

How can a community ensure that its public schools reflect local values and beliefs about education? The complexities involved in the reform of existing public schools, or the creation of a new system of schooling, have caused some researchers to explore new methodological avenues to change (Banathy, 1991; Duffy, Rogerson, & Blick, 2000;…