An examination of the nature and use of appealed grievances in an urban school district indicated that the grievance appeals process was being utilized by the leaders of the teacher organization to enhance their organization's status. Classroom conditions were found to be a likely area of future conflict and implications are discussed for the…

Discussed is the concept of "organizational development," which is a process of planned change that is organizationwide and iterative in its examination of problems, design of strategies, and evaluation of outcomes. (Author/SB)

This article has attempted to: (1) describe several dimensions of organization-environment fit; (2) describe some concepts which can be used in diagnosing the degree to which a school system's organization matches the demands and needs of its environment; (3) present some implications of such a diagnosis for OD [organizational development]…

Discusses the concept of "organizational development," which is a process of planned change that is organizationwide and iterative in its examination of problems, design of strategies, and evaluation of outcomes, but considers two components that previous OD interventions omitted: parents and students. (Author/SB)

Describes educational change at an inner-city school, Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School, Syracuse, New York, which was brought about by restructuring its decision-making processes, and continuing to change by meeting new community and educational problems. (Author/SB)

Discusses the concept of "organizational development" (OD) and its relationship to educational change and reviews the five articles in this issue of the journal in the preceding pages 135-238. (SB)

To examine the role of mentoring in urban school settings, conceptions of "urban schools,""mentors," and "mentoring" are explored. The most critical component of successful mentoring is a shared philosophy of the ways students learn and the possibility of learning. Strengthening the ability of mentors to exchange information is essential. (SLD)

Introduces a collection of articles on accountability, testing, and academics in schools with minority group and low-income students. The articles share the common viewpoint that there have been, and will continue to be mixed effects of accountability on educational equity in schools and districts. (SM)

Presents an urban practitioner's reaction to arguments about the positive effects of accountability policy on improving educational equity for minority and low income students. Recounts the Houston Independent School District's experiences with accountability and suggests that high levels of learning for all students has become the new civil…

Argues that arts education makes it possible for students to imagine themselves out of their current identities, describing how a middle school theater arts program supported female students' positive identities. Observation and interview data indicated that tools gained in the program transformed girls' attitudes toward education and other…

Discusses dropping out from a historical and theoretical perspective. Suggests that although the sociocultural context in which schools operate has changed drastically, the solutions sought to educational problems attempt to re-create the good schools of the 1950s. Notes specific areas where school change has not kept pace with social change,…

Uses data from the Schools and Staffing Survey 1993-94 to study the link between alternative teacher certification, minority teachers, and urban education and to compare alternatively and traditionally certified minority teachers in urban schools. Alternative certification appears to be effective in recruiting minority teachers to urban schools.…

Current population trends represent a dramatic shift in wealth and educated people to the Sunbelt, creating a secondary effect in terms of growth, jobs, tax bases, and school enrollments. These trends will continue in the 1980s, intensifying the decline in economic conditions, the quality of social and educational services, and the quality of life…