The policies and procedures described in this manual were developed to implement court-ordered desegregation transportation service for the interdistrict transfer plan. For the most part, these policies and procedures have been in effect since the beginning of the 1982-83 school year. The State Board of Education has acknowledged these policies…

Ten steps are described for planning and development of magnet schools: identifying needs; establishing desegregation and education objectives; developing district program strategy; selecting leaders; identifying and allocating resources; designing individual magnet schools; developing curriculum around magnet theme; publicizing the program and…

This brief is the first in a series featuring promising practices in city-wide after-school initiatives, with a focus at the infrastructure level, focusing on the infrastructure representing the underlying elements or framework that hold a system or initiative together. The brief identifies practices to support the public relations function and…

Discusses the increasing proportion of minority enrollments in urban schools and the ensuing social isolation of Black and Hispanic American students. Reviews four models of metropolitan school desegregation plans. Suggests a federal initiative that would require states to develop plans involving multiple school districts. (FMW)

Uses examples from the Schaefer School in Tappan (New York) to illustrate how an elementary school can develop an educational climate that fosters friendship, the key to student socialization. Discusses the following areas: (1) classroom activities; (2) school-wide democratic governance structures; (3) support staff roles; and (4) time scheduling.…

Discusses independent elementary schools serving primarily Black urban students. Focuses on the following issues: (1) individualized attention; (2) small class size; (3) parent participation; (4) cultural values; and (5) school finance. Suggests that many of the principles and practices applied in independent schools could improve public…

Schools and their communities in Dallas (Texas) develop and implement a comprehensive plan to improve student achievement, provide training for staff members, and evaluate and modify the program as it progresses. The goal is to bring the whole school and community together to create a climate that helps children achieve. (MLF)

This report from the Doing School Choice Right initiative reveals how two markedly different school districts, Milwaukee and Dayton, are confronting the challenges of competition. It explores how the two districts are affected by and respond to the pressures of school choice. Because it relies heavily on district's and school leaders' accounts of…

This three volume study presents the results of research which examined working conditions and their possible relationship to stress among faculty in six schools (two elementary, two middle, and two high schools) in two major U.S. cities. Information about the schools was obtained through ethnographic case studies. Data were synthesized to…

For several decades, school districts have attempted to anticipate and plan for enrollment fluctuations within 5- and 10-year periods. From a variety of humanistic, educational, and budgeting perspectives, total district and school-by-school forecasts and forecasting models must be as accurate as possible. This paper reviews nine historical…

This report specifies the enrollment and distribution of African American students in American public schools for the 1988-89 school year as reported by each state. The data, which show that these students are distributed unevenly among and within the various states, are presented in three tables. Table 1 presents the current enrollment of African…

This document, the first part of a two-part evaluation of the third-year implementation of New York City's 3-year Dropout Prevention Initiative (DPI), is the final evaluation report of implementation of the DPI middle school component, called the Dropout Prevention Program (DPP), conducted in 29 schools. Case-management services and some…

This study assesses trends in public school segregation using the index of dissimilarity calculated from racial enrollment data for the period 1968-1986. Here desegregation is defined as a cumulative decline of at least 20 points and resegregation as an increase of at least 10 points from the district's lowest score. In 87 percent of the 960…

This report presents the conceptual framework for a public school choice plan for New York City and discusses why school choice represents the best hope for meaningful reform. Public school choice is defined as giving school professionals the freedom to design innovative and distinctive school programs; and giving parents the right to choose, in…

This paper examines how controlling statistically for baseline covariates (especially pretests) improves the precision of studies that randomize schools to measure the impacts of educational interventions on student achievement. Part I of the paper introduces the concepts, issues, and options involved. Parts II and III present empirical findings…