From her own experience as a secondary teacher in the People's Republic of China, the author concludes that multiyear student/teacher relationships have great potential for improving the academic and social/emotional environments of secondary schools. In China, the multiyear commitment gives teachers considerable academic autonomy and demands…

Queried 571 elementary school principals in 12 states to determine: (1) the frequency of nontraditional (combination and nongraded) classes; and (2) changes in the use of combination classes during recent years. Found that although combination classes represented 17% of California classrooms, most states contained only 3 to 7%. Nongraded classes…

Explores the historical development of British Columbia's community college, university college, and institute system with the focus on voluntary collaboration in relation to provincial coordination and on swings between centralization and decentralization. Study examines development in BC's post secondary system in light of broader global…

Discusses "pods,""team areas," and "houses" as middle school physical environments that support the type of learning opportunities young adolescents need. Offers examples of such school designs from Cleveland, Tennessee; British Columbia; and Milledgeville, Georgia. Concludes by suggesting specifications for new middle school buildings. (EV)

Presents a framework for understanding the volume and content of socialization messages within primary school classrooms (n=64). Explains that the framework includes five levels of classroom and school organization. Utilizes three methods for data collection: (1) classroom observation; (2) interviews with teachers and principals; and (3) reading…

Examined over 3 years high-achieving high-poverty middle schools to determine school practices and policies associated with higher student achievement. Found that high-poverty middle schools that are high performing acquire grants and manage money well, use a variety of teaming configurations, and use data-based goals to improve student…

Current dominant modes of teacher evaluation separate knowing and doing, foster one-way communication between evaluator and teacher, bolster hierarchies, encourage unwholesome competitive relations, and detach teachers and students from their cultural experiences. An educative model is proposed as a replacement, featuring a dialogical relationship…

Studies ways that teachers and principals in South Carolina can influence (fudge) personnel evaluation programs. Discusses the shared nature of power in school organization that permits such practices. (FMW)

Culls the opinions of reform thinkers, school executives, and teacher union officials to provide an inside look at what teacher empowerment means for the schools. A sidebar summarizes the 1986 Carnegie report's key recommendations and union-led reform initiatives. Another sidebar provides trust-building tips. (MLH)

Reviews articles on educational technology appearing in this "Kappan" issue. Describes a National School Board's Association report calling for strong educational leadership. Mentions a Utah case study and articles discussing school restructuring, combining technologies in the classroom, the value of small changes, the need for teacher…

Discusses the use of the Work Environment Scale (WES) to measure teachers' perceptions of psychosocial dimensions of their school environment. Describes an application of WES in which work climates of different school types were compared and contrasted. (RJC)

Although bureaucratic decentralization lies at the heart of educational restructuring, many state-level reform strategies adopted since 1983 perpetuate the regulatory orientation of school improvement. This article assesses the restructuring movement, exemplified by the Coalition of Essential Schools, and the overall politics of American…

This article assesses the status of computers in schools, examines prevailing opinions of the factors which hinder their effective use, and presents information about aspects of the organizational structure of schools which produce constraints and opportunities for computers in schools. (IAH)

Reviews 1980s educational reform philosophies, characterizing this decade as driven more by debate than by change. The first wave's emphasis on the utilitarian value of education has endured in third-wave philosophy calling for business-oriented graduates to help reassert America's economic preeminence. A fourth wave envisions expanding…

If education is to be reformed to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century, a new decentralized model based on colleagueship must be developed. Principals must share their vision of the school's purpose with teachers and set aside the "creaking norms" of an earlier day. All school professionals must be empowered. (MLH)