Findings from a study that examined high schools involved in school restructuring to determine the effect of restructuring on the educational experiences of persons along the axis of oppression are presented in this paper. A second focus was to explore the utility of feminist poststructural theories in educational administration research. The…

In 1993, California became the second state to permit the creation of charter schools--innovative public schools operated by groups of parents, teachers, and community members under a contract or charter with a local school board. This paper provides an initial examination of the state's first charter schools based on research on organizational…

Evaluations of school restructuring, particularly school-based management (SBM) and shared decision making (SDM), have tended to focus on problems of implementation and on its consequent failure to fulfill its promises. Inadequate resources, unclear responsibilities, inhibiting regulations, and institutional resistance have all been cited as…

A series of focus group interviews with teachers and principals from six schools in several mid-Atlantic states examined common frustrations over staff development and school restructuring. Results of the interviews showed that the staff development needs of schools undergoing restructuring often do not match programs offered by the state or…

This document, prepared by the U.S. Department of Education-National Science Foundation (ED-NSF) Task Group on Systemic Reform, proposes a framework for creating a comprehensive, coordinated approach to the reform of elementary-secondary education. The group focuses on two themes of educational reform--increasing the capacity for reform at the…

This study examines restructuring from principals' perspectives. It explores restructuring as a "deal" between a district and individual schools, wherein the school receives greater autonomy over budgets, personnel, and school policies, in return for stricter accountability for results, usually defined in terms of student achievement.…

The report describes the settings of a case study of innovations in Burke County (North Carolina), provides a brief history of the county's educational efforts, and discusses some of the county's initiatives in education. For the research, multiple sources of data were used, including focus groups, interviews, and artifacts, such as memoranda and…

This paper examines ways in which the state of Florida addressed and resolved pressures to respond to continuous demands for reform by using new and different reform paths. Florida had committed itself in 1991 to a standards-based reform strategy. This commitment was analyzed during the 1996 election year. For the study, a content analysis of all…

This study by the Accelerated Schools Project at Stanford University explores the factors that were prominent in district office support of school reform. The paper details findings from case studies conducted between 1995 and 1997 of three district offices that have been supportive of Accelerated Schools and school restructuring. For the study,…

A study examined decision making within one large urban high school's restructuring efforts, using an emergent qualitative case-study design. Data, collected over a 2-year period, included formal and informal interviews, participant and nonparticipant observations, surveys, and documents. Results of data analysis supported matching the…

Advocates of charter schools claim that the degree of autonomy that legislatures grant charter schools plays a large role in the success of these schools. This report describes an analysis of how legislation in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas is transforming the concept of charter schools into an education-reform opportunity for…

This guide is designed to assist fiscal policy team members in assessing current standards and practices of school transportation systems in relation to the total school program. Team members should read the guide independently to determine their own familiarity with requirements essential to school transportation operation. An introductory…

A master plan to transform Tennessee public education is described in this report, with a focus on three key result areas: (1) establishing a 21st century classroom; (2) creating a rational, workable, accountable governance system; and (3) providing adequate, sustained school funding. Following descriptions of the plan's mission, vision, and 17…

Critical milestones in the university facilitation of meaningful school reform in schools serving at-risk students--schoolwide assessment, cadre-based planning, and pilot testing of new strategies--are examined in this paper. A training and facilitation mechanism developed by the University of New Orleans' (UNO) Louisiana Accelerated Schools…

Findings from a study to determine the knowledge base among Kentucky superintendents about site-based management (SBM) are presented in this paper. Questionnaires mailed to all of the state's 177 public school superintendents yielded a 73 percent response rate. Findings indicate that while there was considerable interest in SBM, there was…