Hispanic students who are learning and achieving well in certain kinds of schools are succeeding not because these schools have special policies for them but because the way the schools are organized helps to resolve some of the problems of Hispanics--problems that generally are not well understood. These organizational policies and Hispanic…

This cross-sectional study used primarily quantitative methods to investigate the superior achievement of 4th- and 5th-grade students at Alaska's Kenai Peninsula Borough School District who as young elementary students had attended K-2 primary school, compared to peers who had attended a K-6, K-8, or K-12 configured school. Since this study was…

Study sought to determine the effect of the form of school organization on pupil attitudes, achievement, conceptual maturity, and classroom behavior. (Authors)

Describes the development of an alternative elementary school in Hartford's Black South Arsenal Community. Contrasts organization, staff, student academic performance, and curriculum in the alternative school with those of the neighborhood public school. Attributes positive outcomes in the former to a strong relationship among parents, teachers,…

Discusses middle school student tracking. Describes a longitudinal analysis of tracking among 1,669 students. Argues that the number, stability, and size of tracks are determined independently of the student population distribution. Suggests that tracking is often based upon students' track history and prior achievement. Identifies tracking…

Performance-driven high schools have organizational, management, and governance structures that communicate high expectations. Such schools create a results-oriented culture, strongly support staff development, build community services and "outside" supports for students, help parents support their children's academic progress, and…

Research has indicated that educators view class size as a factor in improving student learning. This publication summarizes findings about some recently implemented class-size initiatives. It highlights results from Tennessee's reduced class-size experiment of the 1980s; summarizes the efforts and results from other recent state-level initiatives…

The recent movement to restructure schools has raised fundamental questions: Can changes in school structure improve student performance? Under what conditions might some structures be more effective than others? This document presents findings from Lee and Smith's study that examined the role of school restructuring on student performance.…

Surveys were conducted to investigate contemporary thought regarding organizational practices at the elementary level, with particular attention to identifying the extent to which departmentalization was supported by research and actually employed in 24 elementary schools in the Midwest and in 41 Des Moines elementary schools. Four committees…

This paper discusses the links among (1) schools' formal organizational structures; (2) the interactions of administrators and faculties; and (3) the patterns of thinking that grow from these interactions. These in turn have consequences for teacher-student interactions, and ultimately effect the cognitive development of students. Each of these…

This bibliography provides a recommended list of research and theoretical literature in the field of secondary education. It organizes the literature into three main categories: (1) references of general interest; (2) reform strategies designed to promote academic achievement; and (3) literature relevant to the specific research projects conducted…

This report examines the impact of certain key features of schooling organizations on student outcomes with specific attention to three key concepts: expectation, evaluation, and reward. Previous research on schooling outcomes is reviewed and complemented by the presentation of a theory (based on Parsonian concepts of social action) of school…

Evaluation of education involves assessing the effectiveness of schools and trying to determine how best to improve them. Since evaluation often deals only with the question of effectiveness, performance indicators in education are designed to make evaluation more complete. They are a set of statistical models which relate several important…

This study compares the effects of single-sex and coeducational secondary schooling. Results indicate that single-sex schools deliver specific advantages to their students, especially female students. Single-sex schools may facilitate adolescent academic development by providing an environment where social and academic concerns are separated.…