When Worcester Massachusetts opened the Worcester Trade School--one of the first vocational high schools in the country--in the early 1900s, it marked an important change in public education. The old Worcester Trade School opened with 50 students, and became overcrowded in just five years. Local industrialists, knowing the value of such training,…

This paper reports on the process and outcomes of special school reorganization in one local authority with a particular emphasis upon the implications for those concerned with the education of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). The authors believe that reporting this experience provides pointers for others…

This phenomenological study of school consolidation is an investigation of how education policy that dictates the reorganization of schools and districts impacts educational choices, learning environments, and school culture. Although quality studies of optimal school size for promoting student achievement and cutting costs have emerged in the…

The purpose of this study was to gain an in depth knowledge of the day to day activities of home school families in order to better understand the instructional approaches, curriculum decisions, and challenges. Four themes were addressed: motivations, operations, resources, and challenges. Findings about motivations to home school included: (a)…

Danish upper-secondary school is currently undergoing remarkable changes. Comprehensive reforms and restructuring have transformed teacher roles and school organization. However, not all upper-secondary teachers welcome reform: on the one hand, they have to adopt norms, standards and values determined by colleagues, if they want to "fit…

High school improvement initiatives often focus on specific intervention strategies, programs, or priority topics (e.g., dropout intervention). However, research shows that systemic and sustainable improvement can only be achieved when initiatives are implemented with consideration for the broader education contexts in which they operate. The…

This publication contains a brief description of secondary education in Poland. The first section provides an overview of the societal and political context in which the educational system exists. The second section discusses current educational issues, including policy formation, finance, the school role in the community, administration and…

Three administrative approaches to organize the secondary school to provide services for learning disabled students are considered. In the first, a staff member assumes the role of case manager, coordinating communication and records from staffings, placement team meetings, conferences with parents, and individualized education program…

Author considered the question of school size and its effect upon the individual learner or teacher. (Author/RK)

Findings suggest that Holland's theory of vocational choice can assist in the interpretation of goal priorities within the academic community. Suggestions indicate how this theory might be employed by university administrators and in subsequent research on the administration of academic departments and the roles of their chairmen. (Editor/PG)

This book examines long-term changes in the form and function of schooling. The work falls into three sections: an introductory chapter; five historical essays; and a concluding chapter. Chapter 1 unfolds the theoretical and practical considerations that governed the selection and organization of the historical essays. The historical essays in…

School-site management embodies the concept that decisions should be made at the lowest possible level in organizations and intends that no decision be made without the input of those affected by them. The concept also suggests the empowerment of individual units of the system, particularly, the teachers. Centralization versus decentralization is…

This publication introduces and presents an Effective Schools Checklist that can serve as a broad guide for administrators comparing their schools to the profile of an effective school. The categories assessed are school climate, institutional organization, the curriculum, instruction, training and development, and evaluation and assessment. (PGD)

Education should be made the prime function of schools and the enormous task of establishing new directions and new traditions that will make this possible should be started. Suggested are master teachers, clustering of grade levels, and changing the role of the principal from administrator to coordinator. (Author/DN)

Examines the status of the elementary school principal and his relation to the central office. Considers the effects of administrative decentralization. (Author/DN)