One of the most persistent challenges facing schools is how to respond to diversity as reflected in student race, gender, ethnicity, language, social class, and ability. This paper presents findings of a study that investigated how eight elementary schools undergoing restructuring responded academically to student diversity and how a school's…

Americans are increasingly disenchanted with what they perceive to be lackluster efforts to improve schools. Some new approaches are needed. Schools must be re-created by local school leaders and by teachers who will focus on their vision or visions of what their school culture, learning, and teaching would be like if all conditions were as they…

An overview of U.S. academic achievement and the role of the federal government is offered in this report. It looks at scores on national tests, such as the SAT, and finds that although some improvements in math scores are evident, overall, students still score below scores from the 1970s. Furthermore, it is claimed that American students' math…

This report discusses an evaluation of the implementation of Whole School Reform (WSR) in New Jersey. It is based on a study intended to update the New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) on the implementation of WSR model programs and strategies in three school cohorts and also outline the technical assistance needs of district and…

This paper explores the deep-reform efforts of 9 secondary schools over a 3-year period. The reforms occurred in an Ontario, Canada, school district that empowered their secondary schools to develop site-specific organizational structures that deviated from the traditional subject, departmental structure. The sample for the study included all…

Selections in this reader explore some current and influential thinking about learning and assessment. It provides a theoretical framework for considering past and current developments in research into the mind and learning. The chapters are: (1) "On Becoming Labeled--the Story of Adam" (R.P. McDermott); (2) "Reconstructing Educational Psychology"…

This research brief looks at student enrollment growth, faculty aging and attrition rates, institutional restructuring, and changing government and public expectations to show how a combination of factors has created an unprecedented opportunity for renewal. It also explores how universities are using faculty renewal in a strategic way to…

This paper examines the effects of site-based budgeting in education. It describes and presents a school-based budgetary decision-making model that was designed originally to shift the balance of power from the central office to the building level. The model has been refined and successfully utilized in one school district for 20 years, and its…

This book examines school-based management and provides strategies to implement management changes. The 14 chapters examine the components of good schools, including clarity of purpose, leadership, professionalism, lack of bureaucratic control, competition, and choice. The text describes the components of school-based management and the need for…

This book is part of a series of case studies that demonstrate better ways to educate Ohio's students. The case study is part of the Transforming Learning Communities (TLC) Project, designed to support significant school-reform efforts among Ohio's elementary, middle, and high schools. The text describes the 12 Ohio schools that were selected for…

Although school restructuring often calls for modifying the roles and responsibilities of teachers, students, and administrators, most restructuring efforts involve educators, not students. A team of university researchers trained high school sophomores as documenters of the school restructuring process. These documenters helped develop the…

Describes the efforts of a team of university-based counselor educators, alongside teams of school-based counselors, to restructure public education. Explores the roots of the collaboration and provides examples of collaboration projects that focus on trend analysis, sexual harassment, needs assessment and interventions, and international…

"Measuring Up" describes the current standards-based educational reform movement for a general audience and professionals who have not been involved in reform. The simplified perspective does not do justice to the complexity of reform issues in some contexts, but the case studies illustrating reform efforts are particularly useful. (SLD)

Learning environments and assessments must be designed to include homeless children in their reform efforts. Although homelessness is not a problem educators can solve, they must be sure that they do not contribute to its problems through neglect of disadvantaged children. (SLD)

Australians were reluctant to become involved in the school-effectiveness approach because of concerns about standardized testing procedures. Driven by economic considerations, some large-scale effectiveness research projects have been commissioned by Commonwealth and state governments. Recent reports show evidence of close links between school…