Teachers' perceptions of support provided for implementation of the New American Schools models in the Memphis City (Tennessee) school district are examined in relation to the effectiveness of these models. Via questionnaires and focus group interviews, teachers indicated professional development, teacher collaboration, and resources to be…

Examines the effectiveness of Accelerated School Programs (ASPs) on the basis of a study of four comprehensive schools in Israel. Assesses the influence of ASPs upon internal school processes, such as school goals, structures, and cultures, as perceived by school staff. Determines the project's impact on staff and parents' attitudes, and examines…

Describes a study of a staff development project in multicultural education involving teachers from two contiguous school districts, highlighting structural constraints to change. Interviews and observations indicated staff development for multicultural education should be part of a whole-school reorganization rather than a separate activity to…

An ethnographic study of two urban junior high schools in the beginning stages of school restructuring describes three culturally relevant teachers who create empowering educational experiences for low-achieving African American students. The restructuring process was not taking the wisdom of practice of these teachers sufficiently into account.…

Describes the development and implementation of a class on the topic of school change. The class was organized using the precepts of problem-based learning, believing that this was an effective way to reflect the reality of the environment in which school change occurs. (SLD)

Discusses ways that library media specialists can influence lifelong learning habits by collaborating with teachers on projects and activities that incorporate real-life applications. Based on readings from the whole-language philosophy and school-reform movement, presents examples from a high school; the examples stress authentic learning…

After verifying that the federally supported Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program schools in the 7 states studied had a disproportionately high English Language Learner (ELL) population, we examined the understandings and guidance about ELLs that was included by those states' state education agencies (SEAs) in the policy…

In this era of education reform, school counselors are among educators being held accountable for the academic achievement of minority and poor children. School counselors in urban schools serve a disproportionate number of minority and poor children at risk for school failure. Urban school counselors can play critical roles in engaging their…

In Physics "critical mass" refers to the minimum amount of fissionable material required to sustain a chain reaction. The adoption of state education policy isn't often equated with this concept, but occasionally solutions and ideas seem to gather around a common problem. If the solution at hand is simple, easily understood, and…

The leading school reform policy in the United States revolves around strong accountability of schools with consequences for performance. The federal government's involvement through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 reinforces the prior movement of many states toward policies based on measured student achievement. Analysis of state achievement…

If the goal is to fundamentally change the culture inside schools, people need to move beyond the superficiality of professional learning communities and focus on a system of learners. Professional learning communities are in fact about establishing lasting new collaborative cultures. Collaborative cultures are ones that focus on building the…

Using in-depth interviewing, participant observations, and the collection of historical and curricular documents, this article describes two Latino community-based small high schools-the Dr Pedro Albizu Campos High School (PACHS) and El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice (El Puente). The authors focus on ways in which these two schools create a…

The longitudinal impacts on school change and student achievement of implementing varied Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) models was investigated in 12 elementary schools in diverse geographic locations. Each school was individually matched and compared to a demographically similar control school on measures of school climate, teacher…

Schools across the nation are implementing reform models intended to enable all children to meet state-established academic standards. One of the nation's comprehensive school reform models is Success for All (SFA). This study assessed the impact of the program on elementary school students in standardized reading scores as well as attendance and…

The purpose of this paper is to provide an account of changes in student achievement at one urban elementary school involved in an eight-year partnership with a University. The school first became involved with the University through a research project designed to support the school's efforts at restructuring and soon became a full-fledged…