Cultural competence is the knowledge, behaviors, and dispositions necessary to effectively interact with other cultural groups. Two case studies are presented which illustrate the cultural competence of administrators in urban settings. Theories are reviewed to investigate the themes of cultural competence that emerged from the professional…

Analyzes overall effectiveness and efficiency of Chicago public elementary schools, evaluating performance changes following fundamental school reforms of 1988-89. Some schools are effective regarding student achievement at certain points in time; others are efficient in adding value (improving disadvantaged students' performance). Some have both…

The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, influential in middle-grades policy, advocates a three tiered approach envisioning high-performing schools as academically rigorous, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable. This report discusses pioneering programs, critics' concerns, exemplary Michigan programs, and urban schools'…

In decentralized districts like Houston's, principals and superintendents, formerly serving as managers responsible for executing policy directives, are assuming ceremonial and policy-making roles. Superintendents use their symbolic "headship" to build community at banquets, lead crisis-intervention efforts, and motivate underachieving…

A study was conducted to determine whether the Stallings Effective Teaching Practices inservice training program contributed to improved teacher performance in the Cincinnati, Ohio, Public Schools. The study had two major objectives: (1) to assess the degree of improvement in selected teacher practices after training; and (2) to investigate the…

An approach for merging quantitative-qualitative data in order to enlarge the evaluators' perspective and provide an enriched data base for evaluating elusive evaluation problems in school settings is described. Mini-case studies were conducted over a period of three years in 11 urban schools to examine the impact of an arts-in-the-schools program…

This document comprises an evaluation of the first-year implementation of the New York City Board of Education's three-year Dropout Prevention Program (DPP), implemented in 10 high schools and 29 middle schools; and the Attendance Improvement Dropout Prevention (AIDP) program, implemented in 3 high schools. Two intervention models were implemented…

This document, the first part of a two-part evaluation of the third-year implementation of New York City's 3-year Dropout Prevention Initiative (DPI), is the final evaluation report of implementation of the DPI middle school component, called the Dropout Prevention Program (DPP), conducted in 29 schools. Case-management services and some…

This evaluator's report of a career education project for the Detroit Public Schools is divided into two sections. Section 1, process evaluation, provides a summary of the activities reported by the project personnel for the eight deliverables collected and analyzed by the evaluator staff: (1) curriculum infusion, (2) career…

Uses four case studies to illustrate differences in task engagement in 12 students in two "exemplary" sixth-grade science classrooms. Not all students are likely to benefit from improvements in science programs that provide increased opportunities for meaningful learning. For students whose personal agendas were indifferent to achieving…

This document comprises part 1 of a two-part evaluation of the third-year implementation of the New York City Board of Education's 3-year high school Dropout Prevention Initiative (DPI). It describes the DPI and presents the evaluation findings and recommendations. (Part 2 comprises reports on 8 special substudies of the program in year 3.) The…

A study conducted in an Illinois metropolitan school district explored four dimensions of school-based management implementation: school leadership, school climate, student achievement, and community involvement. Survey data from 176 teachers, 42 parents, and 6 administrators revealed that length of program involvement positively influenced…

A correlational study conducted with 10 Honolulu schools suggests that significant relationships exist between home-based parental involvement activities and student performance on norm-referenced tests. Home-based reinforcement probably exerts a more positive influence on student learning than remote policy changes. Schools should increase…

The Chicago, Illinois Public School System suffers from the following three-tiered system: (1) schools available to the best prepared students; (2) schools in middle class neighborhoods, inaccessible to most inner city students; and (3) inner city schools which serve as holding pens for the least prepared students, most of whom dropout. (PS)

Only 20 percent of high school students in New York City experienced an integrated education in 1985. The Board of Education, in 1976, implemented a policy which designated some high schools as targets for maintenance of 50 percent white student populations. Since this policy was enacted, the proportion of white students in the total school…