Elmore (1990) has presented two contrasting models of school restructuring, each with different views about who is empowered--teachers or parents. This book examines what happens when schools and school districts attempt to implement either of these models. Following the introduction, "Examining School Restructuring Efforts," by G.…

This book is an updated account of the present use and status of performance indicators in British higher education set against the developing literature and experience of performance indicators in the United States and other countries and in view of the major shifts in higher education policy occurring in recent years. Chapter One explores key…

This qualitative study investigated how 11 full-time university faculty members planned live instruction for adult learners in a telecommunications-based distance education setting. All of the subjects had taught the same courses in a traditional setting and had experience teaching distance courses. Students at 8-11 sites in Utah and Colorado were…

Schooling has long reflected a bureaucratized, assembly line organization. The National Governors' Association has advocated a systematic restructuring of schools to increase student learning. This paper has four goals: (1) to define school restructuring; (2) to suggest how principals, teachers, and students may forge new relationships; (3) to…

A study compared remedial readers to more proficient readers in their meaning-making processes during the reading of literary text. Subjects, six children attending a university-based literacy center, read aloud two stories and verbalized their thoughts during reading. Judith Langer's four categories (or "stances") were used to compare…

An attempt is made to assess the effect of human resource diversity in South Africa and provide strategies for managing such diverse institutions. A pilot study using questionnaires was conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding workforce diversity in a number of educational institutions. Thereafter, qualitative interviews provided…

The problems of collaboration take on new shapes and meanings when writing/composing moves into the visual realm. This claim is based on our experiences working with the Bush-Hewlett Grant Project at Spelman College, which was designed to foster collaboration through the building of course-based Web sites. Our study analyzes three sites, and the…

Introduction: The study explores the social processes that influence the construction by academic (information behaviour) researchers of the meaning(s) and significance of an author and her work prominent in the literature of their field (Brenda Dervin). Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews, based in part on the "Life-Line"…

The authors report on two projects in which the role of documents as temporal boundary objects mediating information practices across multiple timelines was explored. It has been suggested that studying workplace documents will uncover the information practices of professionals beyond traditional information needs and uses studies. Two workplaces…

This study used qualitative research procedures to evaluate the learning impact of a long term (3.5 years) leadership education program on participants' cognitive models of leadership. Situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991) and communities of practice principles (Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002) were used to develop research…

This qualitative study was conducted to answer two questions concerning service learning in youth populations: Do teens understand their roles in the process of service learning? How do teens perceive service opportunities within their communities or organizations? The intent was to investigate these issues in order to provide depth to the…

The chapters in this book address four major concerns in the field of curriculum evaluation. The first chapter focuses on the formative evaluation of educational programs, concentrating on the link between program development and formative evaluation. The second chapter--"Evaluating Curriculum Implementation"--presents a classification scheme for…

A qualitative evaluation related to the creation of a Regional High School of Excellence (RHSE) in upstate New York is described. The focus is on a summer pilot study of the RHSE conducted while the continuation of the project was jeopardized by proposed budget cuts. The stages of development, problems involved in passing the proposal through the…

An instrument was developed to identify the needs and concerns of graduate students enrolled in the College of Education of the University of Tennessee (Knoxville). The instrument was designed to measure students opinions, perceptions, and needs. Issues addressed were: perceived quality of instruction; perceived quality of the administration of…

Using the perspective of gender, this study examines the views of science and science-related careers held by students in Kenya. The study is directed at exposing the experiences that girls have of school science education within the historical and cultural context of Kenyan society. The rationale for the study draws on findings showing that…