Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) represents the only chance for many Baltimore City residents to obtain a post-secondary education, find a job with a career path, and earn a sufficient income to support a family. BCCC is also a critical linchpin in Baltimore's ability to build a competitive workforce. Yet the college, with 7,300 credit…

This case study of two postsecondary schools in England attempts to assess the effects of a recently established and radically changed administrative structure and funding method on educational quality. These changes allowed schools to opt out of local educational authority control to become semiautonomous corporations and to create a separate…

This annual collection of papers examines changes in the South African educational system as the country has developed a democratic government. The papers are: "An Interview with the Deputy Minister of Education, Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa" (Lizeka Mda); "An Interview with Adrienne Bird" (Justice Malala); "An Interview…

In April, 1919, at the request of the Board of Education of Memphis, Tennessee, the United States Commissioner of Education submitted the conditions on which the Bureau of Education would make a survey of the public school system of that city. This study of the Memphis schools is intended to be a study of policies and practices; not of persons.…

Maryland's Challenge Grant Program was designed to bring systemic change to schools with relatively low performance levels. This paper presents findings of an ethnographic study that examined the workings of an educational reform effort across several levels of administration. Specifically, the study explored conditions that facilitated and…

This essay discusses impediments to student success in today's urban schools and recommends solutions for the future. The following problems are covered: (1) overcrowded classrooms; (2) student behavioral problems; (3) lack of instructional materials; (4) outdated facilities; (5) inadequate school library collections; (6) low teacher salaries; (7)…

Pressure for curriculum change comes from many sources--the federal and state government and individuals at the local level. Principals are responsible for balancing these pressures to ensure curricular integrity and coherence. After reviewing various pressures, this article explores principals' options for envisioning curriculum. (MLH)

The rhetoric of current blueprints for (Australian) school reform must be scrutinized to ensure a power redistribution furthering improved outcomes for more students, particularly the least advantaged. A desirable social justice outcome might be achieved through blending equality aspects ensured by the old centralized system with the progressive…

Massachusetts's school-choice program has seen a significant flight of students and dollars from inadequately funded urban districts to wealthier suburban districts. Despite the Haverhill district's cutting-edge curriculum, many students have transferred because of school location and the district's racial composition. School choice is not a…

Asserts that the country's current education system, comprised of local school boards, is fragmented and unfair. Proposes a national education congress to provide direction, promote a more unified effort, and ensure that the education system is responding to the best interests and needs of the American people. (EV)

A recent study found no evidence of inadequate state-aid general funding for Oklahoma's mandated elementary class size requirements as they became more restrictive during implementation phases. Over the years, state aid increased on a per-simulated-class basis for grades K-6. State-aid distribution equity also increased. (MLH)

The 19 chapters of this book address theoretical and practical aspects of the development and implementation of inclusive education programs. Chapter titles and authors are: (1) "Inclusive Education: The Past, Preset, and Future" (Lissa A. Power-deFur and Fred P. Orelove); (2) "Inclusion and School Restructuring: Meeting the Needs of All Children"…

This report is the result of a year-long evaluation of special education in New York City (New York) and presents major recommendations for reorganizing general and special education. It proposes a school-based model with an integrated general/special education system, and use of an enrichment allocation from merged special and general education…

This paper examines secondary schools in countries other than the United States to show the diversity of secondary school systems that operate within the industrialized world. The six countries are Australia, Germany, France, Japan, Sweden, and Great Britain. The descriptions are organized according to country and area of focus--learner outcomes,…

This yearbook focuses on technology, its power to improve education from within and without its boundaries, and its fiscal impacts. Eleven chapters are organized in three major sections that address: policy changes facing the global village (chapters 1-3); national and state issues (chapters 4-6); and curriculum, training, and local development…