Is it possible for state legislation designed to initiate systemic school reform to influence curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the classroom and building level? This paper presents findings of a longitudinal study of Oregon educators' reactions to school-reform legislation since it was passed in 1991. The Oregon Educational Act for the…

Educator reticence in some states has exerted a moderating effect on attempts to redesign public schooling. This paper presents findings of a longitudinal study that investigated the phenomenon of educator reaction to systemic state school-reform legislation. Oregon's landmark school-reform legislation, passed in 1991 and revised in 1995, serves…

This paper explores some of the many reasons to restructure, suggests the participants in restructuring, responds to Goodlad's (1990) postulates and essentials of restructuring and describes a model for restructuring between a teacher preparation program and P-12 schools. Reasons for restructuring can be classified into three categories: changes…

This paper discusses distinguishing features of site-based management, theories supporting site-based management, examples of current practices, and special education implications. Part I presents issues concerning the implementation of site-based management as a restructuring process, including obstacles in implementing site-based management,…

This videotape and viewing guide present an emerging learner-centered paradigm of teaching and learning and answer questions of why and how a staff changes its practices. The viewing guide describes the elementary school in the videotape, noting the full inclusion of 50 students identified as disabled, the team approach in which teachers are…

Great Britain's 1988 Education Reform Act demonstrates the prevailing political climate's commitment to market forces and competition as a means of increasing educational productivity. This paper presents findings of the Primary Assessment Curriculum and Experience (PACE) project, which investigated the effects of the policy change on English…

This speech addresses the restructuring of special and regular education into one integrated system in a third generation of school reform. Six serious issues demonstrate the need for reform: (1) poor quality of disability identification and evaluation; (2) a classification system governed by fads rather than student needs; (3) minimal…

This paper presents a sensitizing conceptual scheme for examining interpersonal adaptation in urban classrooms. The construct "interpersonal adaptation" is conceptualized as the interaction of individual/personality factors, interpersonal factors, and social/cultural factors. The model is applied to the urban school. The conceptual…

The Urban Education staff at Research for Better Schools (RBS), Inc., has developed a conceptual framework to address the complex issues that must be dealt with in urban school-restructuring efforts. This overview of the Urban Learner Framework (ULF) describes its two major features: four research-based themes that are the foundation for a new…

The Urban Education Project developed by Research for Better Schools, Inc., has focused on meeting the needs of urban students in a changing and demanding society. In the second contract year of a 5-year contract, the project developed the Urban Education Restructuring Framework by categorizing relevant literature and school-oriented experiences…

The National Center on Educational Restructuring and Inclusion (NCERI) has conducted a nationwide study to identify where inclusion programs are taking place. Chief state school officers identified local districts in which inclusive education was taking place. These districts were then contacted requesting further information and this document…

This book tells the stories of four urban middle schools that have undergone deep transformation while participating in the Middle Grades Improvement Program (MGIP), an initiative that has nurtured fundamental change in school climate, structure and classroom practice in 16 urban districts and 65 schools in Indiana. The support of the Lilly…

This introductory text presents a collection of articles from urban-studies journals to introduce undergraduate students to the interdisciplinary field of urban studies. The book is divided into 9 parts as follows: Part 1: Cities and Urbanism; part 2: Urban History; part 3: Urban Policy; part 4: Economic Development; part 5: Community Services and…

Educational equity demands are progressively being framed in terms of multiculturalism and diversity within the educational process. This change of focus means that strategies aiming to secure rights should make room for others that emphasize the building of relationships, mutual knowledge, and community. For schools in poor, inner-city…

Although this book reviews pedagogical and curricular approaches to multiculturalism and addresses the issues of educating the student from different social and cultural backgrounds, it is not about how to teach multiculturalism in the classroom or how to ensure success for the student from a national minority population. Instead, it is an…