The shift from the traditional self-contained classroom to the departmentalized classroom structure in upper-elementary classrooms is increasing as the pressure to maximize student outcomes is higher than ever for public schools. Teachers prefer departmentalization but findings as to its benefits for students are mixed. This study considers the…

Researchers use data from the RAND American Mathematics Educator Study surveys of public school principals and teachers to investigate three school structures--referred to as "school opportunity structures" throughout this report--that may affect kindergarten through 8th grade (K-8) students' mathematics learning. These structures are…

In the past 50 years, the share of students enrolled in U.S. Catholic schools has declined from approximately 12% to 3%. In reaction, many urban Catholic schools have closed and subsequently reopened as public charter schools in order to receive governmental funding and to increase enrollment. As public schools, these Catholic- affiliated charter…

Since the days when the country was dotted with one-room schoolhouses, many changes have taken place in school governance and management. In 1940, there were over 117,000 public school districts in the United States. In 2000, there were fewer than 15,000, even though the student population of the country had doubled in that time. While school…

The latest installment of the Fordham Institute's "Creating Sound Policy for Digital Learning" series investigates one of the more controversial aspects of digital learning: How much does it cost? In this paper, the Parthenon Group uses interviews with more than fifty vendors and online-schooling experts to estimate today's average…

Researchers have identified ninth grade as one of the most critical periods of time for intervention to prevent the loss of motivation, failing grades, and dropping out of school. This Information Capsule is concerned with the efficacy of ninth-grade centers or academies which isolate ninth-grade students into separate school buildings or in wings…

Queried 571 elementary school principals in 12 states to determine: (1) the frequency of nontraditional (combination and nongraded) classes; and (2) changes in the use of combination classes during recent years. Found that although combination classes represented 17% of California classrooms, most states contained only 3 to 7%. Nongraded classes…

This descriptive report examines the strategies of the six Southeast Region states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina) to improve high school graduation rates and student achievement and to increase the number of students leaving high school with the skills and knowledge necessary for the twenty-first…

Purpose: Teacher hiring decisions have far-reaching consequences for a school, its students, and faculty. This article examines how new teachers in four states are hired and explores whether the process leads to good matches between these individuals and their schools. The authors conceive of hiring as a two-way process and examine the extent to…

DESCRIBED IS THE REORGANIZATION OF A FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL FROM A GRADED TO A NONGRADED PHASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPED AROUND STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS, RATHER THAN THEIR CHRONOLOGICAL AGES. CLASSROOM WORK ACCOMPANYING VARIOUS ACHIEVEMENT PHASES IS DESCRIBED. REMEDIAL WORK IS EMPHASIZED IN THE FIRST PHASE, BASIC SKILLS IN THE SECOND, AVERAGE LEVELS…

Describes that nature of organizational development in this district and provides background information. By the close of the 1975-76 school year the district will have moved from a district centered to a school-based management system. (AM)

The school superintendent for Duval County (Florida) describes his experiences in developing a school-based management organizational structure. The following elements are involved: (1) funds are allocated to schools based on needs of children in schools, (2) specific educational objectives for a school are set by people associated with the…

Organizational transformation, rather than improvement, is fast becoming the focus as dynamic and energetic leaders open new frontiers in work life and productivity. Schools can move beyond tinkering with structures and processes by creating a vision of school greatness. Florida's and Minnesota's experiments with professional partnerships are…

AN OVERVIEW WAS PRESENTED OF THE ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION OF A NUMBER OF INNOVATIVE ASPECTS OF THE NOVA HIGH SCHOOL IN FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA. NOVA IS PART OF A COMPLEX PLANNED TO INCLUDE GRADES K THROUGH 12. STUDENTS MUST APPLY TO ATTEND NOVA AND ARE SELECTED PRIMARILY ON THE RELATION OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE TO MEASURES OF APTITIDE. VOCATIONAL…

SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND COMPUTER SIMULATION TECHNIQUES WERE APPLIED IN A STUDY OF INNOVATION FOR A 10TH-GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES COURSE. THE COURSE CONTENT WAS AMERICAN HISTORY WHICH WAS DIVIDED INTO 10 CONTENT AREAS SUCH AS COLONIAL, REVOLUNTIONARY, AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMERICAN. THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COURSE INCLUDED TEAM TEACHING, LECTURES, MEDIA…