The agendas of active learning, technology, and restructuring--each a powerful vehicle for changing learning and teaching in schools--must be pursued concurrently to be maximally effective. Creating new technology schools and initiating technology projects in restructuring districts are two approaches that can transform schooling's image and…

The Panasonic Partnership Program's framework for school success includes (1) vision of equity and learning for all; (2) centrality of school; (3) clear role delineation; (4) integrated assessment practices; (5) results-based accountability; (6) well-managed data; (7) effective communication; (8) involvement of teacher unions; and (9) community…

Discusses connections between the critical theory of John Dewey and the agenda of the middle school movement, noting that both attempt to infuse a traditional, authoritative institution with innovation, democracy, and unity. Considers Dewey as a catalyst for ideas that brought about middle school reform, and the need to synthesize past and present…

Reviews educational reforms being made in an era of economic restructuring, including those driven by competitiveness, those made in response to reduced public funding for education, and those made to improve education's role in social mobility and equalization. Suggests an alternative model based on newly industrialized Asian countries. (SK)

Studied the effects on engagement of school reform initiatives that are consistent with educational theories. Also studied patterns in student engagement in a sample of 3,669 students from restructuring elementary, middle, and high schools. Hierarchical linear analysis suggests that reform initiatives substantially influence engagement in a…

When teachers at Thomas Gardner Elementary School voted in fall 2003 to join Boston's network of "pilot" schools, they had no inkling of the political firestorm that lay ahead. A few months after they moved to become part of the city's nationally watched experiment with small, autonomous public schools, the president of the Boston Teachers Union…

This study addressed applicant reactions to teaching positions announced in recruitment media. The independent variables were school classification based on standardized student achievement tests (in need of assistance, progressing, meets goal), signing bonus (10% initial signing bonus, no bonus), and teaching experience (experienced,…

This paper uses a sociocultural theoretical lens, incorporating mediated agency [Wertsch et al. (1993). A sociocultural approach to agency. In A. Forman, N. Minick, & A. Stone (Eds.), "Contexts for learning sociocultural dynamics in children's development" (pp. 336-357). New York: Oxford University Press] to examine the dynamic…

This meta-analysis reviews research on the achievement effects of comprehensive school reform (CSR) and summarizes the specific effects of 29 widely implemented models. There are limitations on the overall quantity and quality of the research base, but the overall effects of CSR appear promising. The combined quantity, quality, and statistical…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) NCLB Anniversary Prompts Renewed Calls for Reauthorization: Growth Models, High School Reform Emerge as Points of…

"First Things First" is a reform model intended to transform elementary, middle, and high schools serving significant proportions of economically disadvantaged students. Its three main components are: (1) "small learning communities" of students and teachers; (2) a family and student advocate system that pairs staff members and…

In response to long-standing problems with student academic performance, the condition of school facilities, and the overall management of the D.C. public school system, the D.C. Council approved the Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007 (Reform Act). The Reform Act made major changes to the operations and governance of the D.C. public…

This article discusses higher education transformation in California, the wider USA, and Asia. It touches on several sensitive topics, including the relationship between higher education and the public good versus commodification, privatization, and centralization versus decentralization, as well as others. In the USA and California, this has led…

Given the potential consequences of test results, it is important that policy makers, educators, and parents understand the empirical base underlying the use and validity of assessments for measuring the academic progress of English Learners (Abedi, Hofstetter, & Lord, 2004). In order to understand how the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) school…

Principals can profoundly influence student achievement by leading school change, but they cannot turn schools around by themselves. District leaders need to create working conditions that support and encourage change for improved achievement, rather than hindering principals' abilities to lead change. This report includes principals' perceptions…