Reports on a study of student characteristics and the school organization to confirm the findings of previous studies on the importance of individual characteristics to track placement. Concludes that systematic differences among schools suggest that track placement is more complex than previous research has shown. (CFR)

Teachers in six rural Saskatchewan schools were interviewed and observed over a four-month period during implementation of core curriculum policy. The least teacher resistance to change was found in schools with the most communication and teacher collaboration and the least direct control by principals. Contains 33 references. (SV)

Presents responses of approximately 16 principals in Halifax City School District (Nova Scotia) who were interviewed to elicit their personal professional opinions regarding scheduling of classes in the library, the concept of cooperative program planning, the adjustment to flexible scheduling and its inherent difficulties, and the type of staff…

Uses both qualitative and quantitative procedures to study select "Gymnasien" in Thuringia and Bavaria. Explores the influence the Gymnasium has had on individual schools' developments. Examines how "long-term mental formations" determine the transformation process. Examines differences between the school structures of…

In 1992, California became the second state to enact legislation enabling the creation of charter schools. This report provides information about 44 California charter schools that, as of the 1994-95 school year, had been in operation for at least 1 year. These 44 schools responded to a survey that was sent to each of the 62 California charter…

This study examined the relationship between transition from elementary to middle school and achievement gaps in math and science in eighth graders with (N=296) and without (N=1608) learning disabilities (LD). An abundance of research suggests that motivation and achievement decline during the early adolescent years, and that this decline is often…

History indicates that when a community college "single college district" opens a new campus center, that center tends to follow one of two different patterns of development. The new campus typically either remains in the subordinate role of a center forming a "single college multi-campus district" or it develops into a comprehensive college…

Restructuring schools has become a rallying cry among educators. It aims to create schools that are more centered on learner's needs for active, experiential, cooperative, and culturally connected learning opportunities supportive of individual talents and learning styles. This report is based on an early evaluation of the process of restructuring…

This paper revisits the literature on the nature of school organizations and presents a view of secondary schools as complex social systems, as opposed to bureaucratic-rational structures. Research was conducted into three Western Australia secondary schools planning to implement school-based decision making and planning procedures. The…

Existing qualitative studies of school principals suffer from procedural or conceptual shortcomings that result in failure to clarify the principal's instructional role. This paper describes the methodology and procedures of a year-long, multimethod, multilevel field study of 12 school principals. First, the background for the study (the…

This study was conducted to examine high school teachers' perceptions of self-efficacy and ways in which self-perception is affected by: (1) differences in the characteristics of classes taught; (2) differences in the organizational environments in which teachers work; and (3) interactions that neutralize the negative effects of difficult classes.…

The refinement and application of the School Organizational Climate Questionnaire (SOCQ), an instrument for measuring organizational climate, is described in this report. The instrument is a mechanism by which schools can direct their school improvement efforts. In two case studies, a small urban elementary and a large urban secondary school…

Drawing data from 20 school districts in 8 states, this study assessed the collective impact of federal categorical programs and related civil rights mandates on 6 problem areas in local school districts. Interviews with a variety of respondents in local districts focused on the federal laws' effects on instructional services for target students,…

This review is a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of education in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government high schools, addressing basic questions and making recommendations concerning goals, school structure, provision of resources, curriculum, and educational outcomes. It is divided into 13 chapters covering…

Of the three organizational variables that can be understood to influence the work of school specialists, only organizational structure appears to be under the control of school officials. This conclusion was reached by researchers following a year-long study involving close observation of nine carefully selected school specialists from California…