An obsolete, unworkable approach to achieving high standards is top-down dictation of goals and minimal staff compliance. A constructivist change strategy is based on collaboration. It is an action research and development process enabling everyone to understand the problem, reach agreement on goals, and share responsibility for implementing…

A collaborative effort between George Washington University and the Fairfax County Public Schools enables people with undergraduate degrees to complete coursework for secondary teacher certification in a single year. The program has established close ties between theory and practice. Interns are placed in the district's 23 high schools, where they…

Discusses three goals of character development for elementary school children: promoting (1) cooperative relationships and mutual respect; (2) moral agency; and (3) a moral community based on fairness, caring, and participation. Explores teaching strategies for building self-esteem and fostering cooperation, moral reflection, and participative…

Outlines a broad range of organizational features that minimize teachers' ability to teach. Research findings show that the dominating motivational force for teachers is the reward found in promoting students' growth and development, but the conditions teachers work under often make teachers function less effectively. (MD)

In recent years a growing number of state boards of education have established mechanisms to ensure dialog between public school policymakers and their nonpublic school counterparts. Outlines the methods used in four states: Florida, Louisiana, New York, and Ohio. (MD)

There are five primary areas in which mayors exert visible and invisible influence--appointments, decision-making, public statements, coordination of resources, and provision of basic services. (Author/IRT)

Provides practical suggestions for meeting the anticipated increased costs (6-8 percent) that will normally accompany new dimensions of community education. (Author/JH)

Regarding educational improvement as a continuing process based upon research, feedback, and modification, the effective utilization of educational research in the comprehensive ES'70 program is described as dependent upon the extent to which an effective network of interagency and interpersonal communications is developed. (JK)

The 18 junior high school teachers at the Ironwood School in Phoenix (Arizona) meet once a week as a team to engage in mutual planning, problem solving, and decision making. The team concept's success is owed to the active support of the school's administration. (PGD)

Describes the concept of quality circles: small, homogeneous groups of workers who discuss product improvement. The idea originated in Japan and has infiltrated U.S. industry and, ultimately, U.S. schools. Explains the quality circle program in the Muskegon (Michigan) schools and its effects in improving communication among employees and…

Describes a new method of resolving conflicts, called "collective gaining," that has been implemented in the Forest Park (Illinois) public school system. The method encourages teachers, administrators, and school board members to work together to benefit all parties concerned. (Author/WD)

Describes the evolution of the University of Illinois' collaborative Project on High Performance Learning Communities, established in 1989 in response to policymakers' and practitioners' need for a more fully developed, practical knowledge base on educational reform. The university/research partners' role is to synthesize the most current,…

Proposes the creation of a collaborative school, a new kind of professional development school somewhat analogous to the teaching hospital. The school's three-fold purpose would be to educate children, prepare teachers through intensive clinical experiences, and to provide opportunities for inquiry through research and reflection. Common goals and…

Directors of the American Association of School Administrators and the National School Boards Association discuss superintendents' and school boards' complementary roles in ensuring that all community members become public school stakeholders. Boards and superintendents must respect each other, stop sending mixed signals, clarify roles and goals,…

Current studies suggest that children today are less physically fit, are more obese, and have less healthy cardiovascular systems than their peers of 10 years ago. Obesity affects more than fitness; it is a major health problem. Physical education specialists, teachers, administrators, parents, and business leaders can cooperate to change this…