Traces the development of teacher certification throughout the century, and discusses the current alternative certification movement. The discussion provides a context for the remaining articles of this special issue. These studies indicate the feasibility of alternative certification in teacher recruitment. (SLD)

Outlines disparities in educational access, proposing reforms for equalizing opportunities to learn and examining social and economic challenges; reducing achievement gaps; inequality and achievement; the influence of funding on achievement (particularly among African American students); what matters in teaching (e.g., access to quality teaching,…

In this study, we seek a better understanding of how individuals and their daily interactions shape and reshape social structures that constitute a classroom community. Moreover, we provide insight into how discourse and classroom interactions shape the nature of a learning community, as well as which aspects of the classroom culture may be…

The past two decades have witnessed a significant growth in the number of school improvement programs and in the accompanying efforts to evaluate such programs. Passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2002 has intensified the need for evaluations to assess and understand the quality and value of educational interventions. Well over a…

The Exemplary Schools study at Howard University's Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk (CRESPAR) was designed to aid the program in its goal toward developing and implementing a reform model that "overdetermines" success for all students. The Talent Development (TD) principle of "overdetermination of success" argues…

This paper synthesizes the results of three case studies that focus on urban and suburban elementary teachers who are engaged in new roles: as learners, as clinical educators, and as leaders. Results of the studies suggest that epistemological issues; workplace contexts; and an ethic of care, which is especially noticeable in collegial…

This collection of articles on school reform and restructuring is intended to supplement the video series "Every Child Can Succeed," a set of videos presented on public television that includes a demonstration component, a successful-schools component, and an essential-elements component. The 50 articles of the collection describe…

The purpose of this oversight hearing on the District of Columbia public school system was to welcome the new superintendent, Franklin L. Smith, and to assess the general condition of the school system. Among the problems and issues assessed were the impact of boarder babies entering the school system, the impact on the system of children who were…

Progress in civil rights for black Americans does not appear to have been matched, at least in recent years, by equal progress in social harmony. It is argued that a considerable part of present racial difficulties are the result of commonly expressed understandings that are deeply flawed and that these flaws can be corrected only if social…

This volume addresses the feasibility of operating small schools as the mainstay of the public school system. Research evidence indicates that small schools are associated with better student outcomes and that they make personal attention, academic focus, and experiential curricula possible. The premise that small schools are more expensive has…

This monograph describes 12 urban middle schools in 5 school systems as they work to apply the characteristics of successful communities to education. In some of these schools, racial segregation has been and continues to be a major feature. The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (New York) has awarded grants of $400,000 each to school systems in:…

This analysis of the Boston (Massachusetts) Public School System considers ways of advancing the opportunity for parent choice of school and program, and ways of breaking the bureaucratic culture of big-city American public schools to introduce a culture promoting innovation and experiment. The Boston public schools system, like large urban…

This collection presents a sampling of opinions of both proponents and opponents in the school choice debate from a variety of professional perspectives, including academics, bureaucrats, politicians, union leaders, economists, lawyers, parents, and activists. The following essays are included: (1) "School Choice Promotes Educational…

NINETEEN POSITION PAPERS AND ACCOMPANYING SUPPLEMENTARY STATEMENTS FOCUS ON ASPECTS OF EDUCATIONAL PLANNING STUDIED AT THE THIRD CONFERENCE OF A ROCKY MOUNTAIN STATE PROJECT, "DESIGNING EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE," HELD APRIL 3-5, 1967, IN SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA. THE PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCE WAS TO IDENTIFY CHANGES NEEDED FOR THE IMPROVEMENT…

Throwing the proverbial monkey wrench into the machinery "on paper" before a system begins functioning seems to be essential to program evaluation. This activity should be performed by the "resident skeptic" who is familiar with past resistance to change and who, being familiar with a program, is able to foresee theoretical and…