Downsizing schools--creating small schools, schools-within-schools, and small learning communities--has been a highly favored school reform strategy of recent years, one that is supported by considerable research. Yet for many of these schools, the going has not been easy, bedeviled by bureaucratic resistance, public misunderstanding, and…

Every Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) state has taken actions aimed at holding schools accountable for improved student achievement. Several SREB states are recognized nationally as leaders in implementing school-accountability systems that are getting results. SREB states are making progress in improving student achievement on indicators…

School choice plans have been widely adopted, and most urban areas have a limited choice plan of some sort. This digest presents an overview of different choice strategies by reviewing the experiences of several urban areas. Minnesota has statewide open enrollment for all students, making all public schools throughout the state open to all…

This study examined nongraded, multi-age elementary classrooms from the perspective of involved principals, teachers, and parents. Data came from field notes taken at on-site observations and from in-person structured and unstructured interviews with principals and teachers. The schools were all located in a small urban town in north central…

This annotated bibliography of articles and books related to school choice contains 94 annotations. Included are research reviews, case studies, analyses of policy and practice, collections of studies and articles, reports on research conducted in particular school districts, and arguments in support of and against school choice. Various forms of…

This study investigated professional development as provided through the Teacher Leadership Academy (TLA) model used in rural Illinois area school districts and district consortia. Surveys were distributed to TLA participants that sought their perceptions of the desirability, involvement, and feasibility of school reform in general and the…

The ancient Athenian "agora" functioned as a marketplace for ideas and commerce and offered an ideal place for teaching and learning. This digest suggests adapting such a model to modern needs and describes successful small schools that have done so while reducing costs. Research shows that small schools offer many advantages for…

During 1999, the school choice movement succeeded in winning the enactment of an education tax credit program in Illinois and two new charter school laws, in addition to the sweeping (although subsequently overturned) school choice plan in Florida. Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Texas also attempted to enact school choice legislation. In addition,…

This publication presents essays by members of Restructuring for Urban Student Success (RUSS) and other faculty, administrators, staff, and graduate students on participating campuses. The essays describe the work of RUSS and document curricular restructuring and reform efforts occurring at RUSS partner institutions. Part 1 includes essays by RUSS…

TIPS (Technologies in Pedagogical Strategies) is a collaborative partnership among the College of Education and Graduate Studies at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, local school districts, and their respective communities. A key component of the partnership involves meaningful curricular integration of technology, so teachers and students…

Discusses the results of a study that examined the perceptions of elementary and secondary school teachers and of educational technology faculty and graduate students about five topic areas related to educational technology: instructional design, cooperative learning, learner control, school reform, and computers and media. (Author/LRW)

Describes examples drawn mostly from urban areas that required the building of coalitions between schools and communities to create a new, more democratic context for curriculum development. Cited are the nationwide Vocational Education Project, the Southern Coalition for Educational Equity, and the "Rethinking Schools" progressive newsletter in…

Discusses future education for library media specialists that will reflect the changes being brought about as a result of school restructuring. Topics include an educational model based on instructional specialization, realigned staffing patterns, a global perspective, information literacy, and helping students construct effective mental…

Explains five modern cultural paradoxes involving parental and school responsibility, the job/education connection, the globalism/tribalism relationship, the diversity/specialization issue, and the future orientation/nostalgia dichotomy. Proposes six school renewal principles concerning borrowed missions, policy realization,…

Daniel Webster Accelerated School in San Francisco (California) is one of two schools adopting the process of school change developed by H. M. Levin. An interview with Levin explains his philosophy of accelerated schools characterized by (1) unity of purpose; (2) school site responsibility; and (3) building on strengths. (SLD)