Knowing the great impact education has on a nation, the author decided to investigate the education systems in America and Japan. The aim of the study was to answer how educational systems or practices in Japan and America differ, and how Japanese practices might improve those of American educators and administrators. Besides many similarities,…

The women's movement in the 1970s and 1980s was a global phenomenon that achieved significant educational change. More analysis of how it developed and had an impact on education can inform our understanding of the possibilities for change today. This paper explores how the women's movement changed schooling in Vancouver in the 1970s, using a…

This article reflects on the authors' experiences during a pilot year of an innovative core curriculum at a state research university and their attempts to create a "collaborative community" characterized by transformative pedagogy. It discusses their students' and colleagues' resistance to their inventive, albeit time-consuming and sometimes…

This month's newsletter highlights recent research that suggests a different approach to school reform. It looks at three studies in which schools that succeed--and all of them serve high percentages of at-risk students--take a more comprehensive approach to improvement. Each of the schools identified in this report approached reform…

With the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) adoption of the National Model, school counselors are called to align their work with educational reform initiatives and provide leadership in public schools (Dollarhide, 2003). School counseling literature supporting leadership for social justice is frequently reiterated (Hatch & Bowers,…

Every child deserves a great school. When kids fail or schools fail, parents must engage and help restore them to the path of success. That assistance is especially called-for during a process called "Restructuring"--a status in federal law that requires schools to make major changes due to dreadful student test scores year-after-year.…

The components of a successful school are clear. Many educators can easily list them: high expectations for all students, a safe and orderly learning environment, strong instructional leadership, highly qualified teachers, data-driven decision making, etc. Then why don't more schools change the what they are doing to mirror them? Knowing the…

This study uses data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 to test a conceptual model that integrates aspects of sociological and econometric frameworks into a traditional status attainment model for educational aspirations. Using descriptive and logistic analyses, this study advanced understanding of the patterns and stability of…

The federal law No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires states to "restructure" any school that fails for six years running to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) toward full proficiency on the part of all students by the year 2014. The law provides a number of restructuring options, including turning over the school's management to a…

The Common Principles, originally developed and applied to high schools, guide schools to evaluate what is happening and strive, through reflection and common understanding, to seek improvement. What distinguishes the application of the Common Principles in an elementary school? And what makes a Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) elementary…

Alternative education has its own history. Having emerged in the sixties as a response to the social crisis, its goal was primarily to fight increasing bureaucracy and the depersonalization of public education by giving students more freedom and minimal adult supervision. In the eighties, the understanding of "alternative education" narrowed to…

In the 2004-2005 school year, District of Columbia (D.C.) charter schools enrolled more than 15,000 students, or approximately 21 percent of D.C.?s public school population--one of the highest proportions in the nation. Charter schools are public schools that are exempt from certain regulations in exchange for accountability in improving student…

Longitudinal study of the durability of Illinois secondary school reform initiatives begun in 1989. Finds certain weakness in the implementation of essential reform initiatives. Suggests need for benchmarks to maintain connections and to establish competence and routine. Discusses implications of findings for the use of institutionalization to…

One of the most telling characteristics of U.S. schools is professional isolation. On their way to visit a RE:Learning School in Illinois, a junior high school principal and three teachers begrudged the time and money invested in the trip. On the way back, they wondered how long educators could keep going without collegial support from networking.…

Presents the results of a study of student achievement, using a value-added testing technique, after 3 years of Memphis Restructuring Initiative. Findings show positive achievement gains in reform schools compared to demographically similar control schools, though strength of gains varied by type of reform and community poverty levels. (Contains…