The author's dissertation, summarized in this presentation, was primarily concerned with the question, "Are public schools like Max Weber's conceptualization of bureaucracy?" From a survey of the literature discussing the nature of organizations, a taxonomy of organizational facets was used, first, to identify and classify the features…

The paper identifies current special education practice and the current organization of schools as instrumental in actually creating the category of mildly handicapped students. A dichotomy between departments of special education and educational administration is noted. Only replacement of the system with an entirely different configuration and…

This paper examines the nature of change in educational institutions using a number of sociological variables including: (1) the internal and external environment; (2) organizational goals; (3) hierarchy of authority and power; and (4) professional standards. Each of these factors is discussed and related to one another in order to demonstrate why…

An examination of the technical and theoretical strengths and weaknesses of three British research studies on the effectiveness of selective and nonselective schooling shows that the reorganization of British schools has not produced the lowering of educational standards that politically motivated groups would like people to believe. (RM)

The author examines four categories of context variables (teacher characteristics, school policy and organization, instructional setting, and student characteristics) relating to teaching and learning in studies of teacher effectiveness, and argues that, by identifying contextual constraints within which teachers make decisions, teachers will be…

Summarizes trends in Portugese higher education. Recent changes in the organization of institutions of higher education, the types of academic degrees granted, and characteristics of the student population are described. Factors affecting employment of college graduates are discussed. (AM)

This article discusses general aims of the UNESCO Associated Schools Project and offers a case study of a primary school in Mexico City. (Author/DB)

In this 1979 replication of a 1974 survey, 234 high school principals provided information on perceived influences on curriculum, groups involved in curricular decision making, and use of 20 curricular arrangements and offerings, such as departmentalization, independent study, competencies, moral education, and unified studies. Five-year trends…

A synthesis of the purposes of North American educational systems and processes of administering educational systems derived from research literature was affirmed through surveys of several thousand administrators. A study involving over 10,000 students and their teachers found effective-school organization to be a powerful predictor of student…

Describes how principals assign teachers and students to single-grade and combination classes. Presents research showing unexpected constraints that fundamentally changed the basis of class assignment and, consequently, the nature of classroom compositions. A case is made that multitrack calendars reduce principals' flexibility to make purposive…

Reports that the cooperative program planning and teaching (CPPT) role of teacher-librarians is for the most part not taking place to any degree in the majority of primary schools in Australia. Reasons for the failure of CPPT to gain wide acceptance in Australian primary schools are analyzed and the benefits of CPPT are discussed. (six references)…

Examines current micropolitics literature in the context of educational reform leadership. Discusses implications of disassociated research and policymaking for systemic change, particularly when macro directions meet micro realities. Conceptual pluralism in organizational research has enriched and limited our micropolitical understanding. School…

This paper is a literature review of intensive education, or "macro block-scheduling." Intensive education is a change in the structure of secondary school organization. It involves organizing the school's schedule for efficiency and effectiveness so students study and teachers teach one subject for 30 days. Students stay with one…

Changes in administrative policies and budgetary cutbacks add to the vulnerability of many university counseling centers. Two possible solutions, currently existing within two state-affiliated universities, entail housing student counseling in student health centers and either linking counseling administratively with health services or keeping…

At the recommendation of Congress, the U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring a National Study of Charter Schools. This document is summary of the second-year report of this study. The second-year report presents information about charter schools for the 1996-97 school year and is based on a telephone survey designed to collect data from all…