Are England's Education Action Zones an innovative approach to combating educational underachievement in disadvantaged areas? An examination of the EAZ director's role and functions shows it is possible for zones to pursue a more broadly based, innovative, and longer-term strategy for delivering government-mandated improvements. (MLH)

Achieving sustainable improvement in schools facing challenging circumstances remains a major challenge for policy-makers and practitioners alike. This paper analyses the strategies used within a group of English secondary schools that have succeeded in increasing and sustaining attainment levels over time in order to learn more about the factors…

This article deals with an initiative embarked upon by the government of France one year after widespread youth violence broke out in many disadvantaged communities in France. The initiative is aimed at adapting its 25-year-old "priority education" program to a landscape that has dramatically changed. The initiative is the centerpiece of…

This case study covers a wide variety of challenges facing administrators as they make an effort to improve the learning environments of impoverished communities. It may be used in an introductory course for aspiring school leaders and practitioners in the eld of school leadership. This case also presents myriad complex organizational issues that…

In this study, the authors explore the implementation of a statewide class-size reduction program in nine high-poverty schools. Through qualitative methods, they examined how schools used class-size reduction to change staffing patterns and instructional programs. Requiring changes in space allocation, class-size reduction was accomplished through…

The Rural Education Bureau of the New Mexico Public Education Department has established a program to address the special needs of schools and communities in the extensive rural areas of the state. High poverty rates, depopulation and a general lack of viable economic opportunity have marked rural New Mexico for decades. The program underway aims…

This paper presents findings of one in a series of case studies designed to study leadership in schools committed to reform. Gavin Elementary School in Chicago Heights, Illinois, serves a predominantly African-American, low-income, neighborhood. In 1988, the school's achievement test scores were the lowest in the lowest-achieving Illinois school…

Chapter 1 programs in Arkansas are evaluated in this report. The federally funded program provides financial assistance to state and local educational agencies to meet the needs of educationally deprived children residing in districts with high concentrations of low-income families. This report lists federal requirements for state compliance with…

Findings of a study that explored ways of designing elementary-level instruction for disadvantaged students are presented in this paper, with a focus on the impact of the educational environment on instructional practices. The study sought to identify the current range of instructional practices and demonstrate their potential applications to…

This paper reviews the key recommendations of the New York State Education Department's Regents-approved statewide learning technologies plan. Strategies for addressing recommendations pertaining to "producer-consumer forums,""development of model staff development programs," and "technology applications for at-risk…

THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE INCLUDED PRESENTATIONS ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS--(1) "TEACHING IN AMERICA--THE STATE PERSPECTIVE," BY F. KEPPEL (CONCERNED WITH THE PROBABLE GROWTH OF POWERS AT THE STATE LEVEL OVER EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND PRACTICE, POSSIBLE CHANGES IN THE PERSONNEL STRUCTURE OF THE SCHOOLS, AND THE DEMAND BY TEACHERS FOR…

TO OBSERVE 1966 TITLE I VOLUNTARY SUMMER SCHOOL PROJECTS, 27 CONSULTANTS TO THE NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON THE EDUCATION OF DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN VISITED 86 SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN 43 STATES IN ORDER TO (1) GATHER FACTUAL DATA, (2) WRITE DETAILED PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS, (3) OFFER EVALUATIONS, AND (4) SUGGEST IMPROVEMENTS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF…

TO IDENTIFY THE EXPRESSED MOTIVES AND PERCEPTIONS WHICH DIFFERENTIATE TEACHERS WHO REMAIN FROM TEACHERS WHO LEAVE SLUM SCHOOLS, 62 WOMEN--42 "STAYERS" AND 20 "LEAVERS" WERE INTERVIEWED. RESPONSES TO THE QUESTIONS--(1) WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MAIN REASON YOU HAVE REMAINED IN THIS SCHOOL AND (2) WHAT IS THE MOST SATISFYING THING…

CULTURALLY DEPRIVED CHILDREN IN TARGET AREA SCHOOLS NEED A CURRICULUM WHICH IS RELATED TO THEIR EXPERIENCE AND IS ADAPTED TO THEIR SPECIFIC NEEDS. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN NEED INSTRUCTION IN SUCH BASIC AREAS AS TOILET TRAINING, SPEECH, AND GETTING ALONG WITH OTHERS. LOWER CLASS JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS FIND THE PRESSURES OF A COMPETITIVE…

Suggests that there are six prerequisites to successful teaching in any inner city or disadvantaged school, and that these prerequisites must be the foundation upon which the educational philosophy of the school's teachers is based if programs in such schools are to have any impact on the educational development of the students. (Author/RK)