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)

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)

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…

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…

Discusses strategic choices facing the Open University (United Kingdom) and other distance education institutions with the availability of electronic data processing and an increasingly competitive environment in traditional higher education institutions. Topics addressed include distance education and industrial production; production in the Open…

In Australian educational policy debate, advocacy of choice and diversity has come to be linked to support for educational markets and therefore with educational reform and restructuring associated with "economic rationalism." This paper argues that choice and diversity are better conceived within a framework of democratic educational…

The development of goals and objectives for intercollegiate athletic programs and for athletes is discussed by Xavier University's vice-president for student development. Usually there is a combination of institutional goals such as using athletics to produce revenue or to recruit students, or achieving growth in participation in intercollegiate…

A number of researchers, as well as practicing teachers and administrators, have reached similar conclusions about what makes a school effective: (1) the behavior of teachers, administrators, and students; (2) the quality, as well as the quantity of effort, materials, and time; and (3) the curriculum--both what is taught and how it is taught. The…

A major concern in the field of special education is the effective delivery of services and their administrative organization. A conceptual definition for "organization" as it applies to special education is developed. Specific areas in special education organization that warrant research are identified and described. Examples include: (1) the…

Educational reforms in recent decades have resulted in a proliferation of specific programs with dispersed controls and expanded levels of governance. As a result, the environmental context within which a school district operates is exceedingly complex. This case study describes the complexity of the overall system of reporting that has evolved…

Using information drawn from research studies, the literature, and personal experiences, selected physiological, cognitive, and affective differences among 10- to 15-year-old middle school science students are illustrated. A rationale is presented for K-12 school organization based on human brain growth studies, with particular emphasis on middle…

The departmental concept, while widely accepted in the Anglo-Saxon nations as a way to organize educational institutions into homogenous groups, is not used in many continental European countries and elsewhere. This paper analyzes various structures for organizing academic institutions at lower levels in certain national systems, dissects the most…

Discusses the relevance to class size policy of research studies on effective schools, mastery learning, organizational theory, and effective teaching. Class size should be matched to student needs. (BJV)

Recounts the complications that arose when the author's teacher research began to focus on issues of institutional racism within the school in which she worked. Discusses the politics of studying one's own site, and the dilemmas and risks in that process. Explores the issues involved in teacher research that is oriented toward school change and…

It is commonplace for school restructuring proposals to mention the need for support programs and services that will address barriers to students' learning and performance. This paper explores some concerns about prevailing policies that address impediments to learning (including but not limited to school violence and substance abuse). Emphasized…