The Netherlands' New Basic School was implemented in the mid-1980s to increase individualized instruction and curriculum differentiation in the earliest grades and to improve schools' capacity to serve students with varying learning needs and ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Under the plan, preschools and primary schools were brought…

The organizational characteristics of public schools, the impact of context on people in schools, and the consequences for school reform are examined. Based on the thesis that organizational characteristics of schools constrain most reform efforts, a suggestion is made for restructuring the teaching day, which promotes effective planning and…

Data from a national survey of principals in public schools with a 7th grade were used in this study of schools that serve disadvantaged, advantaged, and other populations. Differences in the schools' course-taking opportunities, organizational structures, extracurricular programs, remedial activities, instructional approaches, staffing needs, and…

In 1983 the Australian Commonwealth Government announced its new Participation and Equity Program (PEP). To allow schools to focus on new directions, substantial amounts of money were allocated to the states through the PEP so that they could develop programs that focus on nine major areas: (1) curriculum; (2) assessment, accreditation, and…

Parental choice is seen as a promising approach to school improvement. This report supports choice by suggesting answers to the following questions that reformers might ask: (1) is school performance poor enough to justify wholesale change? (2) what have schools done about troubling trends in student performance? (3) what do other researchers say…

This paper illustrates the need for full description and measurement of differences between "experimental" and "control" situations in school program evaluation studies. Two studies were completed at the University of Oregon involving the innovative program--differentiated staffing (DS). The first study, a doctoral investigation, sought to assess…

This bilingual handbook, presented in both Laotian and English, is designed to assist parents of language minority students who live in California. The book is part of the technical assistance effort of the State Department of Education to clarify the operations of California schools to language minority parents so they might better support the…

The current condition of educational finance in Ontario and the factors influencing efforts at finance reform are examined in this report. Five key issues confronting school finance in Ontario are reviewed first: inequities caused by variations in district wealth; the failure of provincial support to keep pace with expenditures; the loss of…

To help young adolescents reach their potential, middle schools must provide high quality intellectual climates that foster the development of adaptive skills which students can use throughout their lives. Accordingly, practical advice is presented for 12 interrelated dimensions of schooling at the middle level that merit the highest priority…

This report provides an overview of primary education in Norway. Discussion focuses on: (1) provisions relating to compulsory basic education and characteristics of the school system; (2) local education authority; (3) regional authority; (4) national authority; (5) organization of the schools; (6) curriculum guidelines and the model plan for…

This paper examines relationships between measures of educational interest group strength, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA); characteristics of state education agencies (SEA); and selected indicators of educational policy centralization. The more specific purpose of this study is the discovery…

Questionnaire data underlie this analysis of the patterns of personnel availability and utilization in a sample of government schools in Australia and New Zealand. An introduction reviews research and outlines some theoretical issues relevant to school organization and resource allocation. The design and administration of the survey are reported…

Patterns of organization for summer schools were examined for 55 American and seven Canadian public four-year colleges and universities, including research universities, doctorate-granting universities, and comprehensive universities and colleges. Relationships between organizational structure and the following factors were assessed: institutional…

This paper deals with the impact of recommendations in the Carnegie report ("A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century") on administration in schools. The Carnegie report gives a bold new outline for improving teachers' roles in the schools by greatly strengthening their decision-making role and advocating a much more…

This report intends to clarify and strengthen the position of the Texas Regional Education Service Centers by providing a structure to improve the quality of their services. The regional education service centers primarily deliver training and technical assistance to help school districts implement statewide initiatives for school improvement. The…