This article is part of a wide-scope research examining teachers' perceptions regarding the organizational profile of their school. Research participants were asked about nine parameters that outline the school's organizational structure (Chen-Levi, 2019). Main research questions were: How do the three different groups of position-holders in the…

State finance reforms have raised per-pupil spending and elevated the achievement of disadvantaged students over the past half-century. But we know little about how fresh funding may alter teacher staffing or the social and curricular organization of schools, mediating gains in learning. We find that US$1.1 billion in new yearly funding--arriving…

School organization is a key driver for meaningful inclusion for students with disabilities. While there are promising examples of how schools organize for inclusion with intensive technical assistance, little is known about how high schools organize without such supports. In a case study of two high schools, we compare school organization by…

This study is the first in-depth look at Chicago's charter schools by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research (UChicago Consortium). The authors examined four key dimensions of charter high schools in Chicago Public Schools (CPS): (1) school organization and policies; (2) incoming skills and characteristics of charter high school…

This ethnographic case study examined the experiences of African American students within an urban school detracking reform initiative, which was intended to replace tracking practices through the institution of small schools. Over the course of a year, the researchers interviewed administrators, teachers, and students while gathering…

The current study builds on earlier leader succession research, focusing on a school where the "insider"--who was believed to be strong before being hired as the formal school leader--drew sharp criticism after assuming the principalship. Interviews with staff members who worked with the insider leader in her role as teacher and…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature on student trust and to examine the relationship between student trust, behavior, and academic outcomes in high school. It asks, first, does trust have a positive effect on high school outcomes? Second, does trust influence student behavior, exerting an indirect effect on…

Seven counseling and guidance students from California participated in a study abroad program in which they were placed in a high school in Auckland, New Zealand, for one month. Their comments on the experience in response to researchers' questions form the basis of this paper. They suggest that the participants benefited from being immersed in a…

This article synthesizes the current research in the area of school transitions for all students from junior high to high school and the effect of the transitions on students. The authors discuss current common high school transition practices and make recommendations for high school transition programming. The authors present a case study…

Research was conducted to determine what impact school organization and classroom dynamics had on student achievement. Results from standardized benchmark tests found no significant differences in scores across all schools and content areas; yet, end of course standardized measures indicated that students in sites employing block scheduling…

This follow-up study presents findings from 11 structured interviews that were conducted with principals engaged in a conversion from a large comprehensive high school to six small schools. Key findings are (a) the greatest barrier to improvement was entrenched instructional patterns and (b) goals of college readiness and social/emotional…

Serious re-examination of participatory traditions of democracy is long overdue. Iconically central to such traditions of democratic education is the practice of whole School Meetings. More usually associated with radical work within the private sector, School Meetings are here explored in detail through two examples from publicly funded…

Scholars and reformers in the United States have called for converting large high schools into smaller units to provide a more effective, personal, and culturally responsive education for all students. Current literature argues that such "conversion high schools" should break into fully autonomous small schools rather than more…

A framework for urban public high school reform is presented for managing site-based change through re-envisioning, reculturation, restructuring, and remoralization. The four Rs for reform framework is elucidated through a qualitative study of a low-performing urban public high school that was transformed into a new more successful school. The…

The purpose of this study is to understand how a policy that provided college-prep coursework for low-skill students may affect instructional organization within schools, and how such effects on instructional organization may have unintended consequences on academic outcomes of high-skill students who were not targeted by the policy. The author…