This book brings together different analytical perspectives from organizational theory and applies them to examinations of schools. The editors maintain that the current debate over school restructuring is essentially a debate over which strategy of organizing will achieve the best results. Organizational theory suggests that there are two primary…

This report expands on earlier research that found evidence of strong links between school restructuring and improved learning among students in the first 2 years of high school. This report, based on 1992 National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) data, analyzes data collected for most of the same students in their last 2 years of high school.…

This paper focuses on Frontier High School, a new school designed as an alternative to more traditional schools in its district. While the school is still clarifying its structure and philosophy, it is committed to "honoring diversity," defined in such terms as race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, alternative…

This practicum project used organized professional development to increase involvement of teachers at a preK-8 school in the school's reform process. All members of the school community actively participated in planning, data collecting, and sharing of pertinent reform information. The 3-month staff development intervention consisted of three…

Shifting from traditional, hierarchical bureaucracies to participatory governance and decision making is a major theme in school restructuring. This paper focuses on the involvement of teachers in key aspects of school decision making. Specifically, the paper describes how changes in power relations supported teachers' focus on improving the…

This book presents guidelines for implementing school-based management practices. Chapter 1 describes the growing interest in and rationale for school-based management (SBM). The second chapter discusses essential characteristics of good schools, and the third chapter describes 13 elements necessary for effective SBM. Pros and cons of SBM are…

The role of the superintendent in developing Catholic schools in the United States has received little attention. This book presents a historical overview of the Chief Administrators of Catholic Education (CACE). Following the foreword, dedication, introduction, and acknowledgments, part 1 traces the origins of the diocesan superintendency. Part 2…

This report is an excerpt from the National Education Commission On Time and Learning Final Report, "Prisoners of Time," published in April, 1994. In it, the Commission concludes that the reform movement of the last decade is destined to founder unless it is able to harness more time, and better management thereof, for learning. The…

As of January 1996, 20 states had enacted charter school laws. This brief summarizes the history of charter school laws and updates their current status across the country. The brief presents the findings of various charter school research projects conducted at the state and national levels. When substantive changes have been made to existing…

The model for school-linked services is based on the ideal of providing a coherent and seamless web among school professionals and other service agencies. However, schools are often organized around specialized functions that are not wholly aligned and coordinated in function and purpose. This paper examines the nature of schools as "aggregative"…

The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 introduced sweeping changes for public education. The planned changes are programmatic as well as fiscal: organizational modifications were introduced; administrator roles and responsibilities were redefined; particular student populations were targeted for additional academic support; and the method…

An indepth analysis of critical issues in school restructuring is provided in this first of a series of reports. The first article, by Karen Prager describes selected aspects of school restructuring in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, elementary school and illustrates how school-based management can articulate school vision and support teacher cooperation.…

Gay youth enter high school with the knowledge that they are different and with the belief that heterosexuality is normal and that homosexuality is not normal. Also, gay youth enter high school with the belief that honesty and integrity are important personal values. Additionally, the gay youth enter high school without family knowledge of their…

National restructuring organizations are described in this paper, with a focus on those that work across districts to support multiple aspects of school restructuring, rather than within-district or state organizations. Data were derived from interviews with individuals in each program and from program descriptions and secondary sources. Section 1…

The second-year report of the National Study of Charter Schools updates information on charter schools presented in the first report of the study. The study is a 4-year research effort (September 1995 to September 1999) intended to document and analyze the charter-school movement. It was designed to provide information about what kind of charter…