Access to important educational resources in California's middle and high schools is not equal among schools that serve different student populations. Overall, the most disadvantaged populations of middle and high school students are likely to have the least access to the resources necessary for learning. California policymakers are focusing on…

Eight programs of the Des Moines (Iowa) Independent Community School District were funded by block grants: library and instructional materials; fine arts program; resource center; traditional school program; reading program; extended day kindergarten; reading/math lab program; and nonpublic schools program. Each program is described in this…

An ethnographic study reports on the practices of a sixth grade American Indian teacher at an urban charter middle school for American Indians. The study used classroom observations, interviews, and informal conversations over a 3-week period to determine and understand the personal and institutional influences on her instructional practices. The…

Provides an overview of published anthropological and educational information on the content, values, and methods of education in indigenous communities in Guatemala. Deals with the formation of a new collective identity in Guatemala. Examines the relationship between education in indigenous communities and official, formal education, which is…

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…

Acknowledging the growing trend to educate school-aged children at home, this book provides a detailed account of home schooling, providing a vision of home education that reflects its multidimensional nature. The book consists of seven chapters: (1) "Learning about Home Schools" describes the research study from which this book is drawn…

This policy statement adopted by American Federation of Teachers delegates in the summer of 1992 discusses two great tasks for U.S. education: improving the traditional model of education, while creating a different kind of learning institution to replace the traditional school. How to proceed in both areas is outlined. (SLD)

Three fundamentals schools in Minneapolis, Minnesota were evaluated using parent, student, and teacher surveys, standardized test results, and enrollment records. Parents reported their reasons for choosing the school--the most popular reasons were its emphasis on reading, arithmetic, writing, discipline, self-contained classrooms, citizenship,…

The effectiveness of a peer leadership program connecting senior high school students with at-risk, new eighth-graders in seven Atlanta (Georgia) high schools is evaluated. The program trains the peer leaders in leadership and group dynamics and then places pairs of leaders with 10 or 12 advisees for weekly meetings. The study population includes…

Urging new directions for American high school education, this book outlines problems with contemporary high schools and describes the experience of small high schools (those having approximately 200 students), designed in the past 15 years, that have developed excellent and diverse alternative programs within the constraints of existing district…

This study compares an open space elementary school and a traditional school in Harford County, Maryland, in terms of cognitive and non-cognitive student outcomes. In order to assess whether there were differences in instructional climate (open vs. traditional) between the two schools, the Walberg and Thomas Teacher Questionnaire was administered…

This report provides an end-of-year summative evaluation of the STEPS (Striving Toward Excellence in the Performance of Students) program, which was first implemented in elementary schools in 1983-84. The program, which is based on research on effective schools, focuses on school improvement efforts in six areas: (1) aligning instruction with…