This article synthesizes research on teacher effectiveness, school effectiveness, and organizational change and interprets what the findings imply for staff development in the schools. Nine research-based themes for staff development efforts are outlined. (PP)

Outlines the Max Planck Institute's exhaustive report on West German educational trends since World War II. An analysis of the effects of changing social values and demographic factors on educational policy, school organization, enrollment trends, curriculum design, and teaching methods is included. (AM)

The institutional features of the American high school reflect its role as the custodian of adolescents, who lack any status in society beyond that of student. These features conflict with the school's educative aim of adolescent self-development; curricular and organizational reforms are needed to correct this dichotomy. (SJL)

In England, teachers' salary structures and promotional opportunities are determined by a complex system of national law and local discretion involving formulas for school size and weightings favoring older pupils. The author traces the development of this system and considers its impact on school organization and teachers' career opportunities.…

Discusses author's observations of poverty-related problems within rural Sri Lankan schools. Juxtaposes literature on Third World education problems at national, district, school, and individual levels. Concludes high educational expectations in developing world are tightly constrained by poverty, negative attitudes, and weaknesses of systems.…

Advocates a quantitative sociological approach to measuring curriculum differentiation and its effects. Research should combine survey with observational methods to examine measures of track organization and instructional activities that are sensitive to organizational and instructional conditions that differ across schools. (Author/BJV)

Reports on a study of student characteristics and the school organization to confirm the findings of previous studies on the importance of individual characteristics to track placement. Concludes that systematic differences among schools suggest that track placement is more complex than previous research has shown. (CFR)

Compares Canadian and British models of the provision and practice of part-time forms of higher education. Examines historical context, part-time enrollments, institutional organization, funding, course characteristics, and student characteristics. Contrasts these two systems with those in western European countries, the United States, and…

This paper revisits the literature on the nature of school organizations and presents a view of secondary schools as complex social systems, as opposed to bureaucratic-rational structures. Research was conducted into three Western Australia secondary schools planning to implement school-based decision making and planning procedures. The…

Concerned with organizational approaches to student behavior, this paper first describes the key elements of organizational structure and leadership. These include articulation of organizational goals, such as ensuring an orderly environment conducive to learning and cultivating responsible student behavior and good character. The school's control…

This document draws upon theory and research about early adolescence and about the effects of middle grades structures and practices on student outcomes. The purpose is to identify specific problem areas and promising innovations that should be considered by policymakers as they establish guidelines for the restructuring of education in the middle…

The effect of school climate on student learning was considered important by educators until the late 1960s, was discounted as a result of major research findings during the 1970s, and is now beginning to reemerge as a potentially critical factor suitable for study, according to the author of this paper. Reviewing the literature, the author notes…

Taking the view that principals play a key role in providing a solid educational foundation for students, this review of the literature is designed to better inform administrators, teachers, parents, and the general public about the principal's role and responsibilities. The review focuses on the elementary school principal and includes research…

This synthesis of research and literature related to the education of the early adolescent involved analysis of 83 documents. These documents were analyzed to answer the following key questions: (1) What are the characteristics of the early adolescent? (2) What are the learning theories most applicable to the early adolescent and what do these…

This paper is a critical assessment of the theory and evidence on three general issues in comparative education. It assesses the factors affecting the origins and expansion of national educational systems; the factors influencing the organizational structure and ideologies of systems of mass schooling and higher education; and the effects of…