Discusses the role of the university in the information society, arguing that universities are having to reinvent themselves to become more entrepreneurial, managerial, and flexible. Their role in the production of lifelong learners, however, is needed more now than ever because in a world dominated by knowledge, universities represent knowledge…

Describes the process used to identify a rare sample of U.S. public secondary schools, those that are divided into "schools-within-schools" and provides descriptive information about the 55 schools of that kind that were found in a national search in fall 1998. Offers some tentative conclusions about the school-within-school reform approach. (SLD)

Examines data collected from 36 California schools over three years to investigate individual and schoolwide influences shaping teachers' relationships to particular school reform efforts (thereby leading teachers to mediate the reforms in individual ways). (Contains references.) (SM)

In August 2001, the state-run Control Board for the Chester-Upland School District awarded control of nine of their 10 schools to Edison Schools, with little opposition. In contrast, nearby Philadelphia fought state efforts to privatize schools. Finally, on July 31, 2002, the joint state-city Philadelphia School Reform Commission partially…

This article reports how Philadelphia's new, standardized curriculum is just one component of a larger agenda for secondary education. By 2008, the school system plans to make a transition from about 55 high schools, when Chief Executive Officer Paul G. Vallas took the helm in 2002, to between 70 and 80 smaller ones of choice. As part of the…

The faculty at the Raymond Walters College of the University of Cincinnati recently conceived, developed, and implemented a complete governance review that the faculty approved unanimously. Raymond Walters College is one of the sixteen colleges of the University of Cincinnati which offers transfer programs, associate degrees, and technical…

Researchers assert that successful school improvement initiatives are school-based efforts that focus on a realistic number of priorities that address critical student needs and simultaneously motivate school staff members. Following from this assertion, attention to personnel evaluation can be a valuable component of evaluations of school…

This article seeks to understand the effects of educational change on the people in the change environment through a focus on the micropolitics of change. The views of individuals involved in a specific restructuring process are examined within the context of the current literature on the micropolitics of educational change.

This report describes Maryland's latest approaches to dealing with restructuring schools and other schools in NCLB improvement. Information for this report was obtained between September 2008 and January 2009 from interviews with Maryland State Department of Education officials and with administrators in three Maryland districts: Anne Arundel…

The need to complete a successful high school education has never been more important for an individual's future success. But, across the nation, high schools are not living up to their promise. U.S. high school graduation rates have remained virtually the same for the last 30 years--about 30 percent of students fail to graduate from high school…

Recognizing the need to implement standards-based instructional materials with school-wide coherence led some Philadelphia schools to adopt whole-school reform (WSR) models during the late 1990s. The authors report on the relation between mathematics achievement growth for middle-grade students on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessments and…

The North Carolina high school reform movement is focused on creating small, personalized and academically rigorous schools that increase graduation rates, reduce suspension and expulsion rates, increase college going rates and reduce college remediation rates. This report indicates that redesigned and early college high schools in North Carolina…

Schools and districts invest a great deal of time and money in professional development for teachers through instructional coaching. With this effort comes the responsibility to design coaching programs that have the greatest potential to improve classroom instruction and, in turn, increase student learning. What research is available to help…

To an unprecedented degree, this is the era of educational entrepreneurship. Dynamic new thinkers have waded into the world of K-12 education, founded influential organizations, and shattered familiar conventions. They have developed new models for delivering instruction and recruiting teachers and at the same time have applied old-fashioned…

Children living in poverty face many obstacles outside the classroom that can hinder their success in the classroom. Unaddressed health care needs interfere with learning and cause low attendance. Inadequate and inconsistent housing may deprive students of a safe and quiet place to study. The advent of accountability-based school reform has pushed…