A growing body of literature suggests that when schools become professional communities there are expected benefits in terms of teacher learning, school improvement and student achievement. In this article the concept of professional communities is examined for certain subject departments in Dutch secondary schools. The authors report on research…

Data on secondary social studies education in Rhode Island public schools are analyzed. Of 36 schools contacted in 1982-83, 25 department chairpersons and 154 teachers responded to questionnaires covering professional background, chairperson role perceptions, faculty program perceptions, departmental offerings, and instructional techniques and…

This study identifies and evaluates changes in secondary schools not meeting the minimum standards required by New Jersey as tested on the Minimum Basic Skills Test. The study identified the deficiencies in three urban high schools and evaluated the progress toward meeting the standards. All but 2 of the 76 recommendations made were implemented.…