This volume is part of a series of monographs from Australia devoted to outlining an alternative approach, based on neo-Marxist concepts, to educational administration. The introductory essay in the volume is an argument for the democratization of education by establishing a case for changing schools: by discussing industrial democracy as a…

This book promotes use of the microcomputer in schools as a school-wide resource, with applications across the entire curriculum, rather than as the specialized tool of only one subject area. It suggests ideal within-school organization and management so as to facilitate this role and considers the immediate and long-term implications of the…

Meaningful and useful evaluations of teaching and teachers must not only identify and define all the mitigating contexts, but must also account for their influences, both constructive and negative. Among the contextual factors that need to be considered in planning teacher evaluations are: student characteristics; goals, objectives and curriculum…

Some of the justifiable criticisms of our educational system are due to the inadequacy of the current educational structure for our information society, and the inability of the current system to motivate students to learn. An alternative structure would involve the use of teachers as educational guides, with parents choosing a guide based on…

Collaboration as a strategy to improve the instructional effectiveness of a school's faculty is examined in this bulletin. The first of four chapters provides a brief discussion of teacher isolation and its consequences and the positive effects of collaboration on school renewal, teacher satisfaction, teacher learning, cooperation among students,…

Although there is controversy as to whether middle-level education should be more comparable to high school or to elementary school, this paper argues that the school within a school (SWAS) concept effectively makes large schools seem small so that they have more in common with a typical K-5 school than with a grade-10-through-12 high school. The…

There is a need for a common educational core to satisfy the requirements for reproducing a democratic society. Although historically the common schools were couched in the rhetoric of a common educational experience, democratic localism tended to undermine the commonality through a large number of antidemocratic practices. However, recent decades…

The origins and early history of a system of regional colleges in Israel are analyzed in the context of an emerging postsecondary system, based on the work of John Meyer and others who look at the institutional side of organization. It is argued that the terms used to define legitimacy, as well as who defines it, are crucial issues in the…

A questionnaire surveying a 5 percent sample of Ontario's schools attempted to evaluate how declining enrollment is affecting principals and vice-principals in their relationships with staff, students, community, colleagues, trustees, and superiors, as well as in their personal lives. Analysis of the data reveals that there is generally more…

Agrees with the Carnegie report that schools must be rebuilt, rather than merely repaired. Describes the organizational structure and six common principles of the Coalition of Essential Schools; gives examples of working, experimental school programs; and describes several studies currently being prepared. Eleven footnotes are appended. (IW)

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…

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…

This brief paper is a presentation that preceeded another case of considering the ongoing dialogue on the advantages and disadvantages of centralized and decentralized school-improvement processes. It attempts to raise a number of questions about the relationship between state-designed standards and accountability initiatives and change and…

After more than 10 years into the charter-school movement, a fundamental issue remains to be addressed, according to this paper. The issue reduces the charter movement down to its basic core premise, which is effectiveness. The question for all stakeholders is how effective is the charter-school model. Evaluation within the context of the…

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)