The development of a diversity of optional public schools, each geared to be responsive to students with different learning needs and styles, provides one strategy for establishing a new organizational structure for public education. This book presents a brief picture of the development of optional alternative public schools, their status and…

A theoretical framework for mapping school political life is developed which distinguishes elite, bureaucratic, coalitional, and participant types of school political organizations. The framework provides tools for analyzing and comparing patterns of political behavior within and across school political behavior settings. Definitions and…

This report deals with school district collaboration and organization that can take place now and which could influence in a positive and constructive way school district change in Massachusetts. The Governor's Commission established associations with selected study sites across the State in 1973-74, and these study sites assisted them in…

The book is an account of the development of the credit system now in general use in Ontario high schools. The author describes education in the province from its inception, with particular emphasis on the reorganization begun in the middle 1960s. The text covers the background information, points up some of the trends of the last decade, and…

This survey includes programs that are designed for elementary and high school students and which (1) refrain from "institutionalized coercion," (2) de-emphasize traditional curriculum, (3) eliminate dependence on competition and encourage authentic self-motivation, (4) emphasize individual abilities and character rather than formal training in…

Instructional leadership for principals is not a panacea for the ills of education. Efforts to alter principal practices to meet this poorly defined and poorly researched construct reflect a lack of self-reference in the educational field. More study and thought are needed before plans of action are imposed. (BJV)

Offers a range of perspectives on the national school reform movement as exemplified in the national commission reports. Presents articles providing a broad, comprehensive set of evaluations of reform, and more specific articles dealing with the real or potential impact of reform or explaining individual issues raised by the reports. (RDN)

The whole problem of secondary education, both as to aims and as to methods, is now undergoing investigation. The demands for the readjustment of the work of the high school are insistent. This bureau has no specialists in secondary education and is unable to respond as it should to the many requests for information in regard to the trend of…

San Francisco teachers and principals in low-performing schools receive one chance to repair things and are removed if they fail. Many closed schools have reopened with new staff. The paper describes school takeovers, discussing advantages and disadvantages of the method and opinions of various school officials and teachers. (SM)

Offers a fictionalized account of the development, within an elementary school, of four distinctive schools-within-schools. Questions and issues arising in developing such programs are discussed; the theme of each of these four is described, and advantages that staff find in the arrangement are presented. (Author/JB)

Addresses key factors that influence the academic and social performance of minority and at-risk youth, including lack of role models, societal expectations and realities, ineffective practices, and patterns of school organization. The article provides suggestions for what teachers can do and what schools can do through staff development. (SM)

The goal of this book is to generate discussion not only about how individuals can create meaningful educational experiences for all learners, but to challenge systems that necessitate a resilient nature. Ultimately, the authors promote the need for a foundation of socially just policies and practices in all educational settings and respond to the…

This monograph on higher education in the German Federal Republic aims to describe the contemporary scene through a detailed look at structure, finance, research, studies and teaching, students, faculty, and international relations. Organized into nine chapters, the first, "Historical Development and Current Responsibilities," describes…

From 1880 through the mid-1920s, reformers labored to make a "New South" through the agency of public education. During those years, North Carolina led the way in building thousands of new schoolhouses, professionalizing teacher training, and developing an elaborate educational bureaucracy. Southern educational reform turned on the…

The use of environmental scanning by three colleges at Northern Arizona University is discussed. The environment confronting each college is described, along with the process that was used to direct change to improve the efficient use of human and fiscal resources. The process involved: scanning the internal and external environments, establishing…