When Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School in Boston realized that their students' 2002-2003 math scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System fell below the target set by Massachusetts for adequate yearly progress, they saw not one problem (poor math achievement), but two. Because it was the fifth year the school had not hit AYP…

While many efforts to reform high schools target large cities, a similar minority located at the fringes of American culture has been relatively overlooked. Low-income, rural students suffer many of the same social maladies--such as severe poverty and widespread drug abuse--as urban minority children, and they are comparably disadvantaged when it…

A compelling body of research shows that when students are part of smaller and more intimate learning communities, they are more successful. The latest research demonstrates that small schools, particularly schools of choice, have a measurably positive impact on inner-city students, especially those from minority and low-income families. The…

This paper describes an interim evaluation of the Block Schedule Restructuring Program at Governor Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick, Maryland. The program began in the 1992-93 school year, when the school changed from seven 48-minute class periods per day to a block schedule format of four 90-minute class periods. Classes are conducted on a…

This book advances an argument for how to restructure public higher education in the United States. Among the authors' suggestions are: instituting an open-admissions policy to allow more people an opportunity for a college education; encouraging high school students to delay their college education until they are emotionally and academically…

This essay traces the history of the school reform movement from colonial times to the present. Public school reform tends either toward equalizing educational opportunity or higher academic achievement, but seldom both. The essay asks the question: Can public school provide equal educational opportunity and be excellent too? By tracing the…

Genuine educational reform depends on developing relationships with the home, community groups, politicians, and the business community (Seeley, 1981). This report is the third of three volumes that are products of a 3.5 year study of education reform, with a focus on the role of parent, family, and community involvement in the middle grades. The…

Kentucky high schools are attempting to address requirements of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA). This study was conducted to collect and interpret data related to the implementation of high school restructuring and make recommendations. Thirty-three schools were invited to participate based on categories of restructuring,…

A study examined four exemplary elementary schools that have successfully implemented language development programs for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students as part of a school-wide restructuring effort. The schools are: Del Norte Heights Elementary (El Paso, Texas); Hollibrook Elementary (Houston, Texas); Linda Vista Elementary (San Diego,…

School culture has recently emerged as a framework for the study and interpretation of the structure and development of schools. This paper reviews a work culture productivity model and reports the development of a culture instrument. The use of second-order component analysis shows areas of generalization across primary factors. The School Work…

The case study of the restructuring of an urban elementary school in Los Angeles (California), the Murchison Street School, in partnership with California State University is described. Of the school's 1,050 students, 67% were eligible for Chapter I funding at the start of the restructuring initiative. Over 3 years, parents, teachers, the…

This report summarizes findings of a study to identify key factors of inclusive education practices, as identified by school districts implementing such practices. The study involved contacting chief state education officers for state-level information and identification of local school districts conducting inclusive education programs and then…

New roles and relationships are being proposed in the literature dealing with the restructuring of teacher education. The linkages called for among teacher education faculties, liberal arts faculties, and public school personnel will result in role definitions that are significantly different from those that currently exist. Role theory provides…

Key elements of information literacy are identified, and a rationale is presented for the integration of information literacy in all aspects of the kindergarten through grade 12 and postsecondary curricula. Many aspects of the school restructuring movement and library media programs relate directly to information literacy and its impact on student…

"Small Schools and Savings" rebuts the presumption that capital costs of school planning and construction render small schools uncompetitively expensive. Specific options are outlined that can help small schools be cost effective. The false logic of borrowing economies-of-scale arguments from the factory model and applying them to…