Although the United States has the largest economy in the world, it has vulnerabilities. The growth rate of productivity has slowed. The U.S. net national savings rate is at an all-time low. The nation's educational system is performing well below the best international levels. A disenchanted electorate views federal institutions with increasing…

The role of the local school board in delivering quality education is examined in this booklet, which provides a set of expectations and principles for drastic change in the role and operation of school boards. Now that fundamental, systemic change is being called for, the performance of school boards is under greater scrutiny. Following the…

This paper reports preliminary findings from a research project in progress which is based on a comparative case study of four elementary schools involved in site-based decision making legitimized by labor/management agreements. The study examines several issues: (1) how teachers exercise power in response to opportunities for affecting…

Although American students have always been somewhat diverse, newly identified groups with special needs appear on community horizons every year. Education is one arena from which response to diversity is necessary. Ethnic, socioeconomic, disability, and gender status differ from one region to another making communities the ideal nexus for change.…

Because information is quickly becoming the key resource in many industries globally, it seems natural to utilize and incorporate it as the primary resource in education, an institution that affects our entire society. A definition of an information-based organization (IBO) is proposed, steps to making an organization an IBO are identified, and a…

This study finds that the New York City version of school-based decision making, School-Based Management/Shared Decision Making (SBM/SDM), fails to bring school-based management or shared decision making to the schools. This report begins by describing the seriously dysfunctional structure of the New York City public schools and explains the…

The goal of this practicum was to have building-based special education personnel support classroom teachers so that mildly disabled elementary students in an inner city school could be included in the classroom successfully. Through inservice education sessions, the staff were provided with current information on facilitating the inclusion of…

This report examines the issue of educational choice in detail, beginning with a historical review and concluding with a look at the future of choice in the United States. Focusing on both opposing and supporting sides of the debate, this report examines equity issues, including access to information, adequate and appropriate transportation, fair…

Drawing on the experience of public schools in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this document details a planning model and process of middle level reorganization. Following an examination of the impetus for change and how recent changes in the nation's economy, demographics, and family structure have shaped the context for educational change, collaborative…

This issue summarizes Marshall S. Smith and Jennifer O'Day's "Systemic School Reform," an analytic essay discussing research into the effectiveness of current education policies and policy system development in numerous states. The essay proposes a design for a systemic state structure that supports school-site improvement efforts and is…

This document presents the effects of variations of a schoolwide restructuring program, Success for All, on student reading achievement and other outcomes in elementary schools serving large numbers of disadvantaged students. Success for All includes the following elements: (1) research-based preschool and kindergarten programs; (2) beginning and…

Truly effective schools cannot exist without strong instructional leadership. At the base of the school improvement process are certain assumptions related to the role of principals, such as the expectation that school administrators demonstrate skills as both efficient managers and visionary leaders. The task of school reform has become one of…

By 1990 Australia had experienced almost 10 years of incessant activity to restructure education. In many respects, educators are not in control of the change process. This paper explains transformations that have occurred in the senior education positions, in the shape of educational organizations (including schools), and in the way education is…

This report analyses six current educational reform proposals: (1) "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform" (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983); (2) "Action for Excellence" (Task Force on Education for Economic Growth of the Education Commission of the States, 1983); (3) "The Twentieth Century Fund Task Force…

The Teaching Project at the Edward Devotion School (Massachusetts) is made up of four components: team teaching; school/university collaboration; inclass remediation; and alternative roles for teachers. Four third- and fourth-grade teachers' experiences during the first year of program implementation are examined to highlight potential…