Examines how public school system structure influences both education spending and student performance in California. Finds considerable support for the public-exchange model predicting that greater competition improves student performance. Higher spending and market power probably leads to lower student achievement in fourth and eighth grades.…

At a time when school leaders are trying to move from educational fads to transforming schools into effective learning communities, strategies to accomplish this end continue to elude many administrators even though they may be familiar with the desired results. School transformations, which are long-lasting and fad resistant, require all…

The paper draws on findings from three case studies on the changing role of Local Education Authorities (LEAs) in England and explores the degree of LEA effectiveness, their contribution to school improvement, and the nature of their leadership. The context for the study is one in which, over the years, the powers and responsibilities of LEAs have…

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of administrators of small rural districts hold about school-based management (SBM) and to compare them with the perceptions of administrators in larger, nonrural districts. Administrators' perceptions of what should occur in SBM were compared with what they perceived does occur. Responses…

Based on a review of recent research on school effects and workplace psychology, this paper hypothesizes that three core concepts comprise teacher organizational commitment: (1) belief in school goals and student learning ability; (2) intention to remain an active member of the school; and (3) willingness to exert extra effort on the school's…

A study was done to determine the extent to which effectiveness among a nationally representative sample of two-year colleges differs in terms of their dominant type of organizational culture. The study was based on a survey of 1,332 faculty and administrators in 30 colleges. Of these, 662 usable responses were received. Analysis yielded the…

The call to restructure schools is born from a new set of challenges facing U.S. society as well as its education system. This paper describes the process followed by 12 schools that participated in meeting the challenges in the "Schools of Tomorrow...Today" (ST/T) project, supported by the New York City Teacher Centers Consortium (TCC) of the…

The development of school culture within a comprehensive school in northern England, Deangate School, is examined in this case study, with a focus on the process of self-definition. Two aspects of school culture emerged as significant to the process of "becoming": generic culture, that which is common across secondary schools; and unique…

In 1989, South Carolina passed the Flexibility Through Desegregation Program as a means to provide exemptions from state oversight to those schools that had demonstrated sustained improvement. The first section of this paper provides an overview of educational improvement legislation enacted in South Carolina, specifically, the deregulated schools…

Educational reforms implemented in Sri Lanka in the early 1980s are examined in this paper, which focuses on three broad areas: restructuring reforms; the principal's role; and school-community reform. The research project was carried out by Basic Research and Implementation in DevelopinG Education Systems (BRIDGES) of Harvard University…

Three general aspects of the elementary principalship in North Dakota were examined in this study: the principal as a person and as a professional; the school and setting in which the principal works; and the principal's leadership style, style range, and adaptability. Self-report instruments were sent by mail to 75 randomly selected male…

This report examines the staffing, scheduling, and grouping practices of schools with a seventh grade, and investigates how those practices affect the academic and social development of students. Discussion focuses particularly on theories and previous research on middle grade school organization, national statistics on school organization in the…

This executive summary provides background information and a brief overview of a study conducted to determine the organizational factors that produced high reading and mathematics achievement in a majority of students in three predominantly poor and black elementary schools. Six organizational factors and 12 functional routines that were found to…

As part of a longitudinal study of external assistance in school change, cooperative efforts between an external agency and five schools were analyzed to identify characteristics of the social structure of schools that affect change implementation. Data were collected through extensive observations and interviews. The schools evidenced a…

The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of school superintendents in Mississippi toward the role of principals as members of the management team. The Team Management Opinionaire (TMO), a 12-item instrument designed by the researchers for the project, was sent to the 152 school superintendents in the state. Usable returns were…