It is time to free urban education from the standards of rural, agrarian America. Urban education must reflect modern family structures, utilize school buildings to a fuller extent, reflect more autonomy for schools in individual communities, and expand bilingual programs. In short, schools should become the new "settlement houses" for urban…

Students who neither cause problems nor display giftedness tend to receive little attention in high schools. Research findings from thousands of observations in fifteen high schools suggest that the varied curricula that support special students allow average students to drift through school. Schools must be restructured to motivate average…

Analyzes findings of a 1984 teacher attitude survey (from Dade County, Florida) showing declining job satisfaction and extrinsic rewards for a more experienced, better-educated work force than 20 years ago. Examines factors damaging teacher status, including outmoded administrative structures limiting teacher participation. Suggests sharing and…

Five educational planners make brief predictions about how the current baby boom will affect schools' organization and facilities. Common themes include the need to upgrade existing facilities, to make long-range plans, and to design new schools that are flexible and could be converted to other uses. (MLF)

Reviews investigations conducted to determine students' attitudes toward (1) graded v nongraded schools; (2) open v self-contained classrooms; (3) program organization and arrangement; and (4) the structure and design of curriculum and instruction. (Author/SJL)

This article discusses some of the social/political issues that are raised in relation to declining school enrollment and school consolidation. Alternatives to the closing of schools in the face of declining enrollment are discussed. (Author/EB)

A primer for schools attempting to analyze the data they collect. Describes ways schools can get a better picture of how to improve learning by gathering, intersecting, and organizing four categories of data more efficiently: (1) demographic data; (2) student-learning data; (3) perceptions data; and (4) school-processes data. (WFA)

Outlines a 10-year plan for school board members to restructure individual school districts. The objectives are to fund groups of teachers directly and establish teaching as the premier professional position in the school district. (MLF)

Reviews the literature on school effectiveness, school size, and school culture. Compares characteristics of urban and rural schools, examines strengths and weaknesses, and considers policy alternatives for improving their effectiveness through restructuring school governance. (FMW)

Explores potential changes in the power relationships among teachers and principals. Describes and analyzes the following models of teacher decision-making: (1) Instructional Leadership Teams; (2) Principals' Advisory Councils; (3) School Improvement Teams; and (4) Lead Teacher Committees. (FMW)

Includes responses to an earlier issue's symposium on computers in the classroom. Bredo focuses on different levels of learning environments. Winn and Coleman discuss urban and rural schools. Cuban contends that introduction of new technologies cannot lead to educational reform without organizational changes. LaFrenz and Friedman emphasize the…

In 1986, an Alaska school district filed a petition under Chapter 9 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Under the reorganization plan approved by the Bankruptcy Court in April 1988, teachers' salaries were significantly reduced. Discusses the legal implications of a Chapter 9 petition on a school district's collective bargaining agreements. (MLF)

Investigates the relationship between school environment and science classroom environment in secondary schools. Reports that the characteristics of the school environment are not transmitted automatically into the science classroom. Concludes that the effect the school-level environment has on student learning is mediated by classroom process…

In the late 1970s, Yugoslavia instituted extensive reforms of the structure of its secondary school system. Surveys of high school upperclass and graduate students before and after reform suggest that reforms had little effect on the relationship between socioeconomic status and type of school enrollment or on student attitudes toward work,…

Reviews the history of secondary science curriculum reform and presents an organizational and curricular framework for discussing why reformers committed to creating a science for living have difficulty altering prevailing patterns. Examines the influence of district, school, and classroom organization upon what curriculum is actually taught and…