This follow-up study presents findings from 11 structured interviews that were conducted with principals engaged in a conversion from a large comprehensive high school to six small schools. Key findings are (a) the greatest barrier to improvement was entrenched instructional patterns and (b) goals of college readiness and social/emotional…

Details for making worthwhile and effective changes in high schools are presented. (CK)

De-departmentalizing the high school into smaller integrated quads would make possible the necessary frequent review and revision of the curriculum and facilitate change with greater ease. Inflexibility could give way to creativity and provide a humanistic environment to meet the needs of adolescents. (Author)

A nationwide study of 500 schools showed that attending an effectively organized high school is worth an extra year's achievement over the course of one's high-school career. Only student aptitude trumped school organization as an achievement influence. Productive schools stress sound planning, people and program development, and accountability.…

Some relationships between high schools and their parent districts are similar to those between individual business enterprises and their parent companies. This article reviews several factors enhancing the success of these relationships in business and draws implications for high school organization. Leadership, organizational autonomy, and…

This article discusses one school's experiences in planning, implementing, and dealing with the changes resulting from a modular flexible scheduling system. (Editor)

Providing humane high school environment requires some philosophical and psychological foundations. Fundamental is the belief in circumstances that permit persons to grow and change at their own pace, but under sensitive and rational guidance. (Editor)

A study of five Vermont high schools suggests that change must grow from seeds already planted in different schools, fed by a constant flow of human energy interacting across all school organizational levels. Certain patterns, such as top-down or bottom-up change, are not as interactive as systemic efforts. (MLH)

Article provides an overview of the various alternative programs for schools, pointing out their specific advantages. Examples are given of some of the country's outstanding programs. (Editor)

Staff and students at an Illinois high school recently decided to challenge all previously held assumptions about all school operations. For this group, school was best viewed as culture (not bureaucracy) dependent on collaboration, shared leadership, and flat organizational structure. Group identified communication styles matching their approach,…

An inhouse student scheduling and information system facilitated the successful reorganization of a Massachusetts high school to a four-year program. (MJL)

This summary of a study describing the communications of school administrators and teachers and the degree of congruency between principals' and teachers' instructional intentions and students' and teachers' perceptions of classroom events concludes by proposing Rensis Likert's overlapping work groups as a more effective organizational pattern for…

High-performing schools, it is noted, share an organizational culture in which administrators, staff, and students agree on a common purpose for educational outcomes and undertake cooperative team efforts to reach these goals. A Virginia high school transformed its culture by providing comprehensive professional development and teacher-leadership…

Without building costly new plants, the College High School plan can be implemented. This plan provides the kind of climate usually associated with colleges, where students accept major responsibility for selecting courses, choosing teachers, and managing free time. (Editor)