A systems approach is used to show how changes in the design of English training programs for training international teaching assistants (ITA) have affected curriculum design. The approach is described, and three phases of curriculum development are outlined: initial design, ongoing reform, and radical renewal. The history of ITA program design…

Curriculum change and the dynamics of this change were explored by means of a case study of secondary social studies, science, and vocational education curriculums in Gary, Indiana, between 1940 and 1970. The time period is characterized by both unprecedented effort to produce change and slow change in schools. Talcott Parson's hierarchy of…

This speech begins with a discussion of broad social and political patterns and trends that are currently developing and continues to the specific unresolved social issues which will affect the nature and structure of educational systems. Those issues seen by the author is most likely to produce the greatest amount of activity are integration, the…

Community involvement is conceptualized as a typology of the following processes of social change: (1) conversion; (2) mobilization; (3) allocation of resources; and (4) instruction. The effects of these forms of involvement are considered in a review of 13 evaluations of programs for disadvantaged youth involving the community. (SLD)

An interview with the federal secretary of education, Richard W. Riley, covers the new administrator's policy goals, strategies for educational reform, perceptions of the federal role in education, approaches that differ from previous administrations', solutions for disadvantagement, and attitudes about free speech. (MSE)

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,…

Every educational change occurs with an equal and opposite reaction to that change. Some changes and their opposing reactions which illustrate this point are: (1) team teaching versus the negative dynamics of group planning; (2) justifications for funding special education versus emphasis on average and gifted students; (3) school site management…

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…

Reviewing recent research on efforts to improve the quality of public schooling in the United States, this paper focuses on evidence suggesting that negative by-products often accompany innovations and, moreover, that innovators have tended to disregard their capacity for leaving schools in worse condition than they found them. The analysis…

This study takes a critical look at the current status of elementary school principals and their schools. The report concludes that the causes for a leadership crisis which exists in the elementary schools are both pbulic and professional. Through the use of questionnaires and personal interviews, the researchers talked with 291 principals in 50…

The purpose of this topical review is to present Educational Policy Reform Research Institute's (EPRRI's) state-level qualitative findings collected during in depth interviews in the four core study states of California, Maryland, New York, and Texas. The data presented reflect the perspectives of state-level personnel who were involved with the…

The purpose of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments. After presenting a statement of…

This report describes a 2-day meeting of experts to identify and discuss the ramifications of inclusive school system proposals on the management, administration, delivery, and effectiveness of education programs and services for children with disabilities and to initiate development of a national action plan to address the issues. The policy…

This summary paper examines factors in achieving full adult literacy in the United States, particularly among the growing population of limited-English-proficient (LEP) immigrants. The first section offers a demographic profile of LEP adults in this country, drawing largely on data from the National Adult Literacy Survey and on a study of poverty…

A TWO-PART COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS IS MADE OF LARGE AND SMALL CITY SCHOOL SYSTEMS. PART I ANALYZES A WIDE RANGE OF FISCAL AND NON-FISCAL VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH FISCAL STATUS OF CITY SCHOOL SYSTEMS. IT COVERS THE 2,788 CITY SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE UNITED STATES WITH ENROLLMENTS OVER 3,000. COMPLEX INTERRELATIONSHIPS SURROUNDING FISCAL STATUS IN…