Using telephone survey data from National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers representatives and information from official union publications and research reports, this article summarizes AFT and NEA perspectives on shared governance and administrator education programs in light of school restructuring efforts. The central…

Cuban says schools reflect our society's fascination with fads, which increases their vulnerability to pressures from different constituencies. The most long-lasting innovations have avid supporters and equitable intent. Kindergarten and preschool education are prime examples. Policymakers' efforts to change classroom teaching practice usually…

An important subset of issues involved in describing the process of educational globalization emerges when considering the reception, response and/or rejection of international proposals, ideologies and agents by indigenous national and regional educators. This case study describes and discusses how foreign/Western education proposals and policies…

A two-year qualitative study of mathematics and English teachers in two urban comprehensive high schools investigated how teacher community serves as resource for teacher development and school reform. A school engaged in whole-school reform sustained high teacher commitment and school-level community by constituting professional community…

"On the day we heard that there was agreement to establish an upper secondary school in the region, every house in Snaefellsnes flew the Icelandic flag," explained one parent in the first workshop to develop the Snaefellsnes Upper Secondary School. The new school in this rural Icelandic region will be a "meeting place to learn"…

This article reports on a study of teachers in New South Wales (Australia) and their practices surrounding outcomes assessment and reporting, which took place in 2003 and 2004 as a follow-up to a major study in 1995. The study explored whether the main focus of a teacher's work involves planning, teaching, assessing, rewarding and sharing in their…

This report, based upon the experiences of researchers visiting Hungary in summer 1994, highlights issues of the computability and adaptability of American community colleges to the developing Hungarian postsecondary educational system. The researchers visited with the representatives of the government and universities as well as with private…

This report focuses on three professional development school (PDS) programs in Massachusetts. The PDS collaborative programs involve the following partners: East Longmeadow High School and University of Massachusetts at Amherst; Devotion School (Brookline) and Wheelock College; and Coolidge Elementary School (Shrewsbury) and Anna Maria College.…

This book analyses the debate on the structure of higher education in Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, and Australia during the past 3 decades. Structural patterns or models are systematized and the way in which different countries have solved their problems in organizing higher education are…

This report presents a comprehensive plan, developed by the D.C. Committee on Public Education, to help strengthen the public schools in the District of Columbia. Chapter 1, "An Introduction: A Vision of the Future," contains the following sections: (1) "Description of the Committee"; (2) "Philosophy and Beliefs of the…

The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) recently provided school improvement assistance to the Chicago Public Schools. As part of its work, the NWREL reviewed 39 national reform reports in order to summarize the research findings on effective principals and teachers, curriculum, equity, partnerships and responsibilities, parent…

A new theme in the old tension between centralization and decentralization in the governance and administration of Australian higher education is explored. The argument is that the various major attempts to restructure Australian education systems both in centralizing and decentralizing forces have gained new strength, and that the recent stated…

School climate is a term used to describe how people feel about their school. The following 10 factors are described: (1) a supportive, stimulating environment; (2) student-centered; (3) positive expectations; (4) feedback; (5) rewards; (6) a sense of family; (7) closeness to parents and community; (8) communication; (9) achievement; and (10)…

Educational change does not occur overnight, but the introduction of information technology will initiate a chain reaction of changes in the curriculum, instruction, and organization of education. Research on the process of change both identifies factors involved in the introduction of innovations and suggests guidelines for educators. Two phases…

Reductions in resources and increases in external demands place schools under pressure that can be relieved to some extent by organizational changes. When resources are sufficient, these changes may take the form of technical rationality--that is, decisions concerning policy and practices are made on the basis of neutral, measurable data rather…