Comparative study of the effects of school physical setting, attendance requirements and schedules, and homeroom system on daily lives of secondary school students in The People's Republic of China, Japan, and France based on interviews with three native French residents, five native Japanese residents, and two native Chinese residents. (Contains…

Several studies have found that an inordinate amount of potential instructional time is lost in the American secondary school classroom. This paper briefly overviews the history and types of block scheduling in secondary schools and presents findings of a study that examined the perceptions of administrators and teachers in two large eastern…

To explore how charter schools will enhance teacher professionalism, this paper provides a theoretical framework for a qualitative study that investigated the role played by Colorado's charter-school policy in teacher development. Based on a review of the literature, the paper provides a baseline for comparison. The text examines bureaucratic…

In November 1987, the superintendent of a major urban public school system (Philadelphia) publicized the district's decision to convert junior high schools (grades 7-8-9) into middle schools (grades 5/6-7-8). The superintendent's decision was based on several factors related to grade organizational structure, including (1) the district's already…

This paper presents one researcher's perspective in providing technical research support for the self-evaluation of 10 school-based management (SBM) schools in the Dade County Public School (DCPS) system of Florida. Background information on the DCPS and the SBM program is reviewed. A description of the evaluation process and analysis is provided.…

This paper was presented as part of a symposium that dealt with several systematic research efforts that employed a specific methodology--the Structural Properties Questionnaire (SPQ)--as a measure of organizational structure in schools. The "subjects" in this study, 17 students in a class on organizational behavior, representing 14…

The authors describe five organizational models for team teaching, then report the reactions of 71 experienced London teachers to these models, and their views in general on the advantages and disadvantages of team teaching, correlated to their philosophies of primary education. (SJL)

From the early 1960s there have been organized attempts in Sweden to carry on decentralized innovative work in education through local multiproject development schemes. Features of the schemes are described and analyzed. (RM)

Student dropout rates of 272 public secondary schools of different sizes and organizations are compared using analysis of variance. Results are interpreted to support the suggestion that a secondary school can reduce its dropout rate by keeping the total enrollment over 400 students and by including grades 7 through 12. (MJL)

This paper explores how high schools, through their structures and organizations, may influence their students' decisions about whether to stay in school until graduation or drop out. Traditional explanations for dropout behavior have focused on individual students' social background and academic behaviors. What high schools do to push out or hold…

It is clear that the development and refinement of a theory is a continuing exercise that both shapes and is shaped by parallel developments in methodology, and data collection and analysis. (Author)

Surveyed 155 secondary school counselors from schools organized along three different structures (high schools, junior high schools, combined junior-senior high schools) to examine how the counselors perceived their roles. Counselors in combined schools reported spending greater amounts of time doing educational and vocational guidance.…

Presents interview and survey data collected from samples of economically disadvantaged Australian secondary school students and school leavers. Previous claims that students are unwilling to remain in school because they dislike schooling need closer examination. Blaming school structure and lack of teacher encouragement is not supported by…

Explores relationship between teacher perceptions of structural coupling in their schools and their perceptions of school robustness and effectiveness in study of 79 participating schools. Results suggested that teacher perceptions of relatively tight coupling of goal direction and work supervision structures and relatively loose coupling of…

This study details faculty perceptions concerning administrative structure and its impact on issues such as collegiality or student success. Faculty members in autonomous marketing departments are compared with those in combined units. Then, faculty never involved with departmental change are compared with faculty previously involved splitting…