The current wave of reform in education, often referred to as systemic change, requires specific evaluation needs, especially at the school district level. Evaluation must address both the local district effort for systemic reform and restructuring. The state and national need to demonstrate accomplishment of student outcomes and adherence to…

This paper provides an overview of the use of "opportunity to learn" (OTL) standards, in relation to its implications for students with disabilities. It reviews "opportunity to learn" standards in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and in Congressional report language on Goals 2000. The paper offers five different definitions…

This paper considers the impact of school reform and restructuring programs on African-American students with exceptionalities and suggests strategies for general and special educators, policymakers, and administrators. It reviews the history of school reforms and concludes that the America 2000/Goals 2000 program and the 1990 Individuals with…

Urban school restructuring, although it can break down bureaucracy and empower teachers, can also seem distant from the day-to-day problems of most teachers, and even increase teacher burnout. Many of the following initiatives of the school restructuring movement may intensify a teacher's frustration: (1) school-based management may raise the…

This report provides background, implementation, and diverse outcome data from the first 3 years of an ongoing effort to implement a highly specified school reform design in a high-poverty, urban elementary school, Woodson Elementary School, Baltimore (Maryland). The design that is being implemented is the Calvert School model. The Calvert School…

This analysis considers the urban and educational crises in modern Britain, outlining and explaining the problems and suggesting interrelated solutions. Included is an indepth analysis of the social, economic, and educational revitalization of one inner-city community in Birmingham (England). The first six chapters of this book discuss "The…

This paper compares the two educational sectors in Romania K-12 schools and higher education seeking to understand why reform in the K-12 educational system has failed while higher education reform has been more rapid and effective. The analysis uses concepts from U.S. organizational theory, such as school climate, school culture, and permanently…

This report of a 2-year study on public university responsiveness to academic and vocational reforms in public K-12 schools and community colleges focuses on: (1) how state universities respond to curricular experiments, and (2) the difficulties reformers encounter with universities. The report presents a brief summary of previous progressive…

The Success for All elementary school restructuring program attempts to ensure that all students in high poverty schools will be at or near grade level in basic skills by the end of the third grade and will maintain or better that standing through the rest of their elementary school careers. The program emphasizes prevention and early…

This publication presents the proceedings of a conference on African Americans and educational equity in the southern United States. A brief overview opens the publication followed by information on Jean Fairfax, recipient at the conference of the John A. Griffin Award for Advancing Equity in Education. Other presentations are included as follows:…

This directory includes profiles on 80 individual professional development schools (PDSs) in 19 states; the profiles outline program characteristics and provide location and contact information. The data on each school were gathered by a survey conducted by the Clinical Schools Clearinghouse beginning in the fall of 1991. Findings from the survey…

Rural public schools can be perceived as economic drains on community resources; they also can be perceived as being of inadequate quality, hence demanding more support. Educational critics, however, are questioning the notion that more is better and are recommending teaching fewer, more integrated courses, in longer time periods. In analyzing…

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 uses research-based preschool and kindergarten programs, beginning and intermediate reading programs in…

This report examines the participation of 42 Phase I Chicago (Illinois) Project CANAL public schools in total site training (TST). TST is intended to provide participating schools and their core planning team (CPT) members with information on instructional strategies and program models for improving academic achievement. Participation by the CPTs,…

In 1990, the South Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching and School Leadership was established by the state's legislature to provide support to schools undergoing or planning restructuring. The Center assists schools to analyze needs, establish goals, and implement those goals. Technical assistance and college and school faculty training…