Members of an Innovation School committee from Florida Gulf Coast University and the School District of Lee County share their individual and collective perspectives on designing anew traditional public school as an inquiry-based innovation school through an articulated partnership. Perspectives are shared through the lens of narrative inquiry and…

While Massachusetts has received accolades for its high scores on the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, absolute results from standardized tests tend to correlate strongly with family income and parental education. The Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the author's commentary on the special issue of "Journal of Educational Administration" entitled "Systemwide Reform: Examining Districts under Pressure". Design/methodology/approach: The author gives her personal opinions, draws upon her recent experiences in the national…

In an interview with Educational Leadership, Frederick M. Hess talks about greenfield schooling--a policy approach that attempts to knock down the formal and informal barriers that stand in the way of innovation in education. Greenfield schooling, he explains, "doesn't imagine that we should go around razing districts or schools or taking…

In this article, the author discusses the strategic change portfolio adapted by the Crystal Lake School District, a 26,000-student, inner-ring suburban district. The change portfolio consists of four major strategic change initiatives. The first initiative is aimed at passing a capital construction tax at a special election 16 months hence, which…

Suggests the field of education has paid little attention to complexities involved in large-scale replication of curricular changes and other new directions for school-based interventions, which has contributed to the failure of many reforms. Highlights a framework of general phases and specific steps for diffusion of major new approaches across a…

This paper addresses the question, "What potentialities lie in the use of 'informal networks' for the improvement of problem-solving in American public schools?" The first section consists of a close examination of the charge with consideration of networking and problem-solving capacity. In the second section, some of the constraints that affect…

A strategy for revitalizing public education by stimulating the creation of new public schools is proposed in this report. The proposed system goes beyond school choice and is based on the withdrawal of local districts' exclusive franchise to own and operate public schools. The proposal is based on the premise that the state must provide both…

A school district's 15 years of involvement with the computer are recounted in this paper, from the first computer literacy course to the present slackening of interest in the subject. The conclusion, however, is that computer technology will not be shelved, but will continue to change the way society lives and maximize student development. As an…

Applying matrix organizational structure to the organization of special education services is the focus of this paper. Beginning with a list of ways in which educational organizations differ from business or military organizations, the author warns that educators must be cautious when transferring organizational structures from other disciplines…

One school district, the Ipswich (MA) Public Schools, has adopted a culture of collaborative leadership that recognizes the strengths of teamwork and commitment. This article looks at some of the history and philosophy, followed by the application of those two elements, and provides a snapshot of a district operating in a unique and innovative…

The RAND study of change agent programs, explored the innovative process in local school systems. Specifically, it sought to identify the impact of these federal programs on local educational systems: the Elementary Secondary Education Act, Title III; Vocational Education; ESEA Title VII (Bilingual Projects); and the Right to Read Program. This…

Each of the articles included in this issue launched the author backward into nostalgia and reconsideration of her own work as they motivated her to ask new questions in current and future studies. The author's goal, therefore, is not to provide a linear road map through the articles but to point to themes and ideas that run through the project…

Editor-in-chief James Morrison talks with organic education proponent Hugh Osborn at the 2005 World Future Society conference. The current school system in America is inflexible and not conducive to technological innovation; a complete reform of American education, Osborn feels, is required. Osborn calls for a move to organic education, a…

This literature review highlights the large amount of research needed on the role of educators within school districts in planned educational change and knowledge utilization. After first defining knowledge utilization as the use of information (from research or practice) in educational products or ideas, the author identifies three factors…