Only a quarter of the class of 2008 graduated from Alain Locke Senior High School in Los Angeles after four years. This was unsurprising since nearly 60 percent of the class had left Locke by the end of their sophomore year. A majority of Locke teachers--frustrated with the school's mediocrity--petitioned to allow charter management organization…

This article analyzes how macrolevel institutional forces persist and limit the expansion of decentralized schools that attempt to challenge normative definitions and practices of traditional school organizations. Using qualitative case study methodology, the analysis focuses on how one decentralized charter school navigated and reconciled its…

Explores the role of academic departments within contemporary comprehensive high schools. Argues for further research acknowledging secondary schools as fundamentally different from elementary schools. Department specialization and differentiation are key elements in understanding differences. A two-stage exploratory study shows that departments…

In this report, the Commission on General Education in the 21st Century--a panel of University of California faculty and administrators--issues a call for renewed attention to general education in research universities, highlighting specific reforms for University of California campuses. In addition to analyzing the historical, institutional, and…

This report contains findings of a study conducted by the Little Hoover Commission, which investigated ways to support and expand opportunities for charter schools in California. Over 100 charter schools were in operation in California as of March 1996. Data were based on visits to 26 charter schools in the state. The report concludes that: (1)…

Based on an educational consultant's experience with a Pacific Telesis Foundation school restructuring program, this article shows the importance of time and culture. Restructuring means formally rearranging time usage to allow schools to create and sustain an interactive culture and supporting infrastructure for improving student learning. To…

This research brief recaps a study of California charter schools. After a discussion of the key distinctions among charter schools, the brief focuses on the following questions: (1) Who attends charter schools? (2) How does student achievement in charter schools compare with that in conventional public schools? (3) What oversight do chartering…

This bulletin demonstrates that Berkeley, California's educational problem is and has been that of meeting the varied needs of a population such as may be found in any typical American city. The varied population needs, together with the rapid growth, have brought many difficult problems to Berkeley, just has they have to other cities. Based on…

A middle-grade restructuring effort implemented by the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District is described in this report. A literature review and interviews with four educators experienced in restructuring explore issues in middle-school transition at the school and district levels. Topics related to the implementation process include needs…