The National Governors' Association Task Force on Parent Involvement and Choice believes that public education's current structure cannot deal effectively with the nation's diversity and demand for compulsory education. Key recommendations include adopting legislation that allows families statewide choice of schools and junior and senior…

Review of 60 multivariate studies conducted in the Third World reporting on the aggregate influence of the school on academic achievement versus the influence of the family background. The relative influence of alternative school inputs and organizational practices is assessed, and a framework for evaluation is included. (SLD)

This study of conditions of the school system of the County of Currituck, with suggestions for its improvement, is made at the request of the county board of education. It Is inspired by the desire of the board to adopt a consistent policy as to buildings, organization, course of study, supervision, and instruction, which provides for present and…

Describes four areas of educational change: (1) the curriculum, (2) the role of the teachers, (3) the school structure, and (4) student learning. The impact of intensive computer use on each of these areas is examined using observations from a "technology-enriched" school project that is currently underway (1989-92) in the Netherlands.…

Research effects on achievement of nongraded elementary school organization is reviewed. Nongraded organization can have a positive impact on student achievement if cross-age grouping is used to allow teachers to provide more direct instruction to students but not if it is used as a framework for individualized instruction. (SLD)

Chapters in this book focus on a wide array of educational issues that command attention at the end of the 20th century. Various aspects of contemporary schooling are explored, and models of school organization and functioning are proposed in the following chapters: (1) "Achievement-Oriented School Design" (James S. Coleman); (2)…

Although the effort to restructure the American high school is in high gear, little attention has been directed to how changes in high schools' organizational structures might affect the dynamic of equity in student learning--the ways that schooling outcomes reflect students' social background. This paper aims to identify organizational properties…

The call to restructure American education has captured the imagination of reformers across the country, yet it has not produced a coherent agenda for changing schools. This study investigates how the structure of secondary schools affects learning. Using a sample of 9,631 students in 789 U.S. high schools with 3 waves of data from the National…

The Wayne State University Public School (UPS), Detroit (Michigan), a university-operated charter middle school, is strongly influenced by the educational reform movement. The evolution of UPS is documented as a case study of educational reform in the 1990s, focusing on the 1994-95 school year. The school is in an urban area marked by poverty and…

A study involving 55 elementary schools and 18 secondary schools was undertaken to examine the relationships among teachers' perceptions of school organizational coupling structures, school environmental robustness, and three school effectiveness measures (school organizational effectiveness, school achievement, and average daily attendance). The…

Six major topics in the recent literature on class size concern the relation of class size to: (1) children's achievement; (2) other child variables, such as pupils' attitudes and behavior; (3) teacher variables, such as satisfaction and stress; (4) organization and instruction; (5) cost-effectiveness; and (6) the unique characteristics of small…

The social climates of two markedly different high schools are examined in this study. Although both schools reside in the same district and have the same community standards, they are different in curriculum concepts, problem-solving strategies, and size. The two schools, one a typical high school and one a smaller public alternative high school,…

THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE RESEARCH AND INSTRUCTION (R/I) UNITS WHICH WERE ORGANIZED IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN FIVE WISCONSIN CITIES TO IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING AND TO FACILITATE SCHOOL-RELATED RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND INNOVATION. EACH UNIT IS COMPOSED OF A LEADER (TEACHER SPECIALIST), CERTIFIED TEACHERS, NONCERTIFIED AIDES, AND STUDENTS. THE…

Research symposia were held at the 1977, 1978, and 1979 annual conferences of the National Middle School Association. This document reproduces 14 selected studies relating to middle schools from the papers presented during those symposia. Topics covered are effects of teaching behaviors; teacher-managed inservice training; relationships among…

In 1964 the Saskatchewan Department of Education embarked upon a provincial reorganization for the elementary schools based on the theory of continuous pupil progress. The grade system for the first 6 years of school was to be replaced by two broad divisions: Division I to encompass the work in Grades 1, 2, and 3; and Division II to replace Grades…