Describes a research project conducted in Kentucky that developed and tested the Kentucky Teacher Inventory, a set of teacher evaluation instruments that could be used to determine career path advancement and to examine teacher attitudes and use of that information as a means to promote school effectiveness. Effective knowledge utilization is…

Schools are examined using a common sociological perspective. Relationships among key groups in school organizations are discussed from a micropolitical frame of reference. School micropolitics are considered in terms of teacher autonomy, order, time, and school administrators and the organization. Implications for future micropolitical research…

An administrator of an Indiana alternative high school constantly battles negative public attitudes toward alternative schools. Schools or programs seeking to serve the variety of youths and families in today's society should not be separated out as "alternatives." Ensuring that all individuals have opportunities to succeed is a necessity, not an…

As suggested by standard indicators--truancy, dropout rates, graffiti, vandalism, violence--youngsters in small schools rarely display the anger at the institution and its inhabitants that typifies Columbine and many other comprehensive high schools. Educators must cultivate learning communities and qualities (like empathy and compassion)…

Trends and research in nongraded schooling over the past three decades are described in this paper. The 1960s and early 70s were marked by a strong interest in the nongradedness movement and the British concept of open education, followed by a declining interest in the 1970s. A nongraded revival in the 1980s was facilitated by recognition of the…

This book provides an account of the major administrative restructuring and organization that has occurred in Australian public school systems over the past decade. Section 1 provides a discussion of the Australian restructuring efforts in an international context. Chapters in this section include the following: (1) "The Restructuring of…

It is the school board alone that determines the quality of education provided within the school district. Without periodically examining its own performance, the board's capability to create a quality educational environment can be compromised. Evaluation is a control mechanism that allows the school board to make judgments about performance…

Change by school restructuring has followed quickly on the heels of school reform that sought to mandate improvement upon teachers by bureaucratic control and compliance. It did not take long for problems of the reform paradigm to surface as teacher improvement could not be mandated. A complete restructuring of teaching and learning organization…

This paper explores the relationships among policy, structure, and culture of educational organizations, specifically, the relationships between policy-mandated educational change and the organizational variables of coupling and culture. A framework for research on policy implementation is presented, which illustrates the interactive relationships…

Several reforms recently proposed for secondary schools and their impact on students and schools are discussed. One type of reform being proposed for secondary schools is aimed at students and at the schools' power to make sorting judgments about students. Examples of these reforms are differentiated diplomas, minimal competency tests for…

Because a main educational function is to prepare children for workplace roles, education's organizational forms and functions tend to correspond to those of the workplace. For instance, as the U.S. economy moved from agricultural through industrial to service bases, U.S. education moved from nonpublic schools to public schools to mass higher…

A plan for schoolwide enrichment is presented as a model for promoting excellence in education and schoolwide change. Components of the plan include a nonelitist meaning of the term "gifted," a variety of important roles and responsibilities for all personnel involved, and creation of an atmosphere of excellence. (JDD)

Considers the problems inherent in British secondary school organization, the resistance to change built into the organizational systems, and possible organizational concepts that could serve the same general purposes (curricular oversight and student services) while adapting more successfully to changing needs and conditions. (PGD)

Commenting on Donna Kerr's ideas for improving teaching (Teachers College Record, Spring 1983), Goodlad points to three factors that discourage able students from becoming teachers: (1) salary structure; (2) job dissatisfaction; and (3) lack of opportunities for promotion. Goodlad compares his own proposals for educational improvement with those…

A study of instructional change in three schools reveals that a change strategy should take advantage of existing communication networks. Where there is little interdependence among teachers, administrators need to encourage its growth and replace the egg crate form of organization with arrangements that increase teacher interaction. (MLF)