Parental choice is seen as a promising approach to school improvement. This report supports choice by suggesting answers to the following questions that reformers might ask: (1) is school performance poor enough to justify wholesale change? (2) what have schools done about troubling trends in student performance? (3) what do other researchers say…

The current condition of educational finance in Ontario and the factors influencing efforts at finance reform are examined in this report. Five key issues confronting school finance in Ontario are reviewed first: inequities caused by variations in district wealth; the failure of provincial support to keep pace with expenditures; the loss of…

The academic program review process that accounts for conceptual properties of loose coupling is analyzed, and organizational theory literature is reviewed with regard to program review and loose coupling. In addition, the academic program review process used at Ohio State University is described in detail, and the elements of loose coupling…

This literature review focuses on the role of schools'"common properties" in planned educational change and everyday school operations. Common properties include those features that are either present in all schools, relatively stable and unchanging, or central to the concept of schools today. The author first examines five ways in which…

Reviews the following historical phases of the recent home school movement: (1) parents' contentions about public schools; (2) home school parents' confrontations with schools and the courts; (3) cooperation between public schools and home schools; and (4) consolidation of home schools. Introduces the other articles in this issue. (BJV)

The national educational research agenda outlined in the National Academy of Education's report focuses on the following areas: (1) active learning over the lifespan; (2) assessment; (3) bolstering achievement of underserved, minority, and impoverished groups; (4) school organization; and (5) connection to teachers/teaching. Recommendations are…

Charles Chance's 1982 study of the middle grades in the Knoxville Tennessee, City School System suggested the need to develop a system-wide concept, system-wide goals, and a system-wide organizational framework for middle schools. These issues were addressed in a study designed to assess the status of middle-grade education in East Tennessee and…

Educational practice and barriers to full participation of Alaska Natives in postsecondary education were examined in an ethnographic study begun in October 1980 by the University of Alaska. Focus was on the institutional placement, organization, and functioning of gatekeeping encounters within the university, primarily the central Fairbanks…

Because the supervisor in the small school is often a Jack-of-all-trades, he may see himself as a manager rather than as a leader; however, to be an effective administrator, he must not only be ready for change but must be instrumental in creating desired change. Characteristics that affect the willingness and ability of rural schools to accept…

In this review of research findings, the authors identify ten categories of variables that may influence student learning and schools' instructional effectiveness. All the studies reviewed define effectiveness in terms of basic skills achievement, and all limit their research primarily to elementary schools and students with low socioeconomic…

The role of education is strongly determined by the perspective set by the political and social fabric of a given culture. Political and social upheaval, experimentation, and change accelerated at a tremendous pace during the 1960s and early 1970s. Consequently, great changes occurred in the structure of many school systems throughout the nation.…

The concept of "instructional leadership" springs from a desire to relate school administration to instruction, but it does little to suggest what the specific links between the two might be. It obscures the uncertainty and tension that is bound to arise from serious efforts to restructure the schools. (BJV)

This book describes the genesis and aims of 5 folk high schools established in Bangladesh during the last 20 years, the first schools of this kind founded in a Muslim society. Section 1 sketches in the essential background and context of the high school initiatives. It covers geographical facts and, particularly, the significance of historical…

Increasing numbers of middle school educators believe that the education of young adolescents can be enhanced when teachers and students are members of classrooms and small team groups characterized by long-lasting relationships. This book describes how to offer students the benefits of smallness within increasingly larger schools by ensuring…

This monograph reviews various strands of research on school effectiveness in developed and developing countries. It addresses a central theme of educational planning: how deliberate actions by policymakers, school administrators, teachers, and parents can help in the attainment of educational goals. Chapter 1, "Conceptualization: Perspectives on…