Concerns about enhancing availability and access to mental health services in schools range from sparse resources to the proliferation of piecemeal and overspecialized interventions arising from categorical funding. This paper discusses such concerns and stresses that they must be addressed from a perspective that fully appreciates the degree to…

This paper describes a program of master's level professional development for experienced educators, discussing school change, teacher leadership, and reculturing of curriculum and schools. The program emphasizes integration of theory and practice, defining curriculum in ways that accord teachers their rightful place in curriculum leadership. It…

This report looks at the conversion work in three large comprehensive high schools in Washington State with a focus on what was learned in the early years. Each school takes a unique approach but common themes emerge, including the importance of strong principal leadership, the use of data, a transparent decision-making process, and a commitment…

Several years after the passage of NCLB, there are persistently low-performing schools in every state that face increasingly strong consequences for failing to improve student achievement sufficiently. Schools failing to make AYP for five consecutive years must engage in restructuring to improve student learning. Districts have several options for…

In 1988, only one-half of Philadelphia 9th-graders in comprehensive high schools moved into 10th grade. In the same year, The Pew Charitable Trusts funded the Philadelphia Schools Collaborative (PSC) to seed the restructuring of the city's 22 comprehensive high schools. With a set of programmatic guidelines culled from successful efforts across…

Chaos theory provides a useful mental model for guiding change as leaders garner the energy from unpredictable events for realizing transformation goals. The paper considers chaos theory as a framework for managing school change toward Total Quality Management work cultures. Change is possible to manage when plans are made and then followed by a…

The 27 school reform models presented in this publication have been supported, at some time in their development and dissemination, by the National Institute on the Education of At-Risk Students in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department Education. As part of its mission, the Institute supports the development of…

Educational restructuring concerns a deregulated, decentralized system replacing central planning, control, and supervision. Such restructuring in relation to curriculum, teaching, and learning and the impact of restructuring on key stakeholders at the school-site level is the focus of this book. It uses a selection of international policy-based…

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) adopted the middle school concept in 1987-88. Generally, the middle school setting serves students between the ages of 11 and 14 and includes grades 6 through 8. In 1995-96, five middle schools met the criteria for funding under Title I. To make middle schools more responsive to the special needs of…

This evaluation of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools was designed to restructure the ninth grade in ways that improve academic performance, develop positive attitudes toward learning, improve the school environment, reduce the dropout rate, and increase the graduation rate of students. Features of the program were instructional and direct…

The three papers in this collection provide testimonial descriptions of the power of successfully implemented innovative procedures to advance the academic achievement of students whose life circumstances place them at risk of academic failure. In the first article, "20/20 Analysis: A Citywide Computer-Based Application," David J.…

Bronx Community College created a three-year College Discovery (CD) master plan for 1998-2001 to help restructure its counseling programs and support services and enable CD students to acquire an associate's degree level of education. The first area of restructuring is in the role of the director of College Discovery and Counseling. General…

This report reviews projected enrollment growth of the three segments of higher education in California: the University of California (UC), the California State University (CSU), and the California Community Colleges (CCC). The report concludes that in order to serve the enrollment growth of the next decade, the three segments should move to…

This paper discusses three topics related to the issue of the changing environment for community colleges. It first explores the market forces impacting community colleges and how these forces affect organizational design. Second, the tensions that reside within community colleges and act as impediments to change are addressed. The internal…

Over the past decade, preschool initiatives, reading reform, and class size reduction efforts have helped focus attention on improving education at the elementary school level. Policy attention has also been paid to middle schools as educators have tried to figure out how best to reach students who are no longer children, but not yet adults.…