The more revolutionary, drastic education reform efforts are usually supported by new governmental legislation. This book offers three case studies of drastic reform carried out in Kentucky, Alberta, and Chicago. The reforms can be visualized in terms of how close they are to the alternative aims of expert guidance, social activism, and an…

In December 1996 the New York State Legislature enacted sweeping changes in the structure and governance of the New York City public school system. The legislature and the Governor have shifted over one million school children, their parents, and their teachers back to a centralized, hierarchical system, in which one person, the chancellor,…

In this memoir, a principal recounts the story of his 2 years at Edison Elementary School in San Francisco (CA), a school that was called the worst school in California. The students had the worst standardized test scores in the district, and racial discord and playground violence were common. The school was facing the threat of reconstitution,…

This theme issue newsletter includes five articles on the theme of the coordinated, efficient, and equitable use of funds in educational programming. "A Successful Coordination of Funds and Programs Approach: Four Dimensions of the School Restructuring Process" (Abelardo Villarreal, Oanh H. Maroney) examines the interrelatedness of four…

This document brings into focus the main ideas and action-oriented decisions emanating from the seminars of heads of African universities which took place on the themes of: the mission of the African university (Accra, 1991); restructuring the African university (Dakar, 1992); and the resources and management of the African university (Alexandria,…

In 1990, President Bush and the nation's governors adopted six National Education Goals for the year 2000, calling for improvements in school readiness, high school graduation rates, curriculum mastery, math and science achievement, adult literacy and skills, and drug abuse and violence levels. Congress faces two overarching issues--identifying…

A forum on inclusive schools, developed cooperatively by 10 national organizations, focused on the experiences of 12 schools and school districts across the United States and Canada. Twelve features are identified as characterizing inclusive schools: (1) a sense of community; (2) leadership; (3) high standards; (4) collaboration and cooperation;…

Reform efforts in the Chicago (Illinois) public schools represent a radical experiment in decentralization. Half of the 411,000 children in the Chicago public schools never graduate and tens of thousands receive diplomas even though they are scarcely able to read, write, or compute. Recognition of the deplorable shape of the city's schools led to…

This paper presents a set of general observations about state-sponsored school improvement initiatives with data from several sources. One major source is the Research for Better Schools, Inc., Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), implementation study, "Facing the Challenge: Selected Programs and Practices of the Urban Initiative's Operation School…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined how teachers restructuring schools came to understand the meaning of the term "unity of purpose." Fourteen Louisiana schools, comprised primarily of high-risk student populations, implemented the accelerated-schools model of restructuring. The accelerated school model is based on…

From 1990 to 1993 PATHS/PRISM worked with five elementary schools and two middle schools in Philadelphia to try to bring about systemic change for schools serving low-income students. This Cluster Initiative attempted to achieve greater coordination of curriculum and instruction, to develop teacher-driven collegial processes, and to revamp school…

A 5-year project conducted in three comprehensive schools in a small community near Helsinki, Finland, was designed to integrate new information technology into the curriculum and to assist teachers in changing traditional instructional practices. General goals of the project were: (1) to make the knowledge and learning process more active; (2) to…

Produced quarterly by the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), this annotated bibliography announces the availability of selected new documents produced or sponsored by the Department of Education that address topics of national importance. Topics featured in this edition are: (1) the National Education Goals (readiness for school;…

This report summarizes the evaluations of 15 schools in seven states that are using the Success for All program, an elementary school restructuring program that stresses prevention of learning problems and immediate intervention when learning problems do appear. The schools included those in Baltimore, Maryland, where the program was initiated,…

This report identifies what Iowa teachers say must be done to transform schools comprehensively. Recommendations in the key areas of time, authority and responsibility, evaluation and accountability, and early childhood education, are offered. In regard to these recommendations, three major elements have the greatest leverage for change:…