This survey project of 129 randomly selected school systems in Ontario, Canada, investigates: (1) dominant patterns among secondary principals' practices and their effectiveness in the improvement of school processes and outcomes; (2) differences in practices between elementary and secondary school principals; (3) factors determining secondary…

A study examined the organizational factors inhibiting and facilitating implementation of an innovation in an educational setting. The innovative program selected as the subject of this ethnographic study was Georgia's parenting education program. Data were collected from field interviews of teachers, observations of parenting education classes,…

A research study of the implementation of "good ideas" in 14 schools came to the conclusion that differences in school organization and climate cause differences in the success of school improvement. Specific aspects of organization and climate in these schools, called factors of school context, are the following: resources, incentives,…

This paper outlines the types of schooling programs that will build on the strengths of educationally disadvantaged students to bring them into the educational mainstream as well as to prepare them for economic, political, and social participation. Without intervention on behalf of the disadvantaged, the following results may occur: (1) a dual…

A historical review of the institutional beginnings of the Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education from 1912-21 is presented, with emphasis on the Commission's objectives to help the American high school become a better instrument of democracy and reflect the highest ideals of American life. In 1921, when this report was written,…

Patterns of problem-solving activity in one middle-class urban high school are examined and a problem solving model rooted in a conceptual framework of contingency theory is presented. Contingency theory stresses that as political, economic, and social conditions in an organization's environment become problematic, the internal structures of the…

There is mounting evidence that the programs and services essential to provide adequately for the educational needs of the nation will necessitate a broader and more demanding education structure than ever before. Specialists in many educational areas were asked to identify the characteristics of educational structure in relation to the…

Describes the recommendations of the Carnegie Report to restructure the schools in ways that could transform teaching into a career worth pursuing and could produce the greatest possible gains for all students. Teachers need a better incentive structure and need to be invested with greater discretion in making professional judgments. (IW)

This report of a Texas task force centers on state policy for educating students with disabilities, the foundation for the policy, and strategies for implementing the policy goals. The 32-member task force included teachers, school administrators, parents, community service professionals, and others. The need for restructuring services for…

Renewed attention on educational quality is forcing educators to consider experimenting with new organizational structures for achieving public school objectives. Eight recent reports on the state of public precollegiate education in the United States address the need for better educational quality. Although the eight reports vary in emphasis,…

The current debate on educational choice concerns whether locally centralized school systems of the kind that predominate in the public school sector are responsive to and can accommodate the diversity of educational consumers' preferences. Section I analyzes policy options and illustrates how policymakers, by examining a range of solutions to the…

This report analyzes the effect of public participation and the use of third party neutrals on recommendations for reorganization of a large Ontario school system. To reexamine the system, expand programs, and consolidate schools, the board of education commissioned an advisory council in 1984 to obtain community input before making…

Eight issues affecting the ability of the schools to meet the public's expectations and concerns are explored in this address. It examines problems, proposed solutions, barriers to change, and possibilities for reform in each of the eight areas. The topics considered are (1) school organization, the need for flexible structuring, and enhancement…

This book, divided into three sections, comprises papers delivered at a conference on "Alternative Strategies in Compensatory Education," convened by the staff of the National Assessment of Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act and designed to aid Congress in its 1987 reauthorization of Chapter 1. The introduction,…

Practices of attendance, suspension, and non-promotion in middle schools in Boston (Massachusetts) encourage at-risk students to drop out. School policies and practices, student data, and interviews with at-risk students were reviewed to determine which practices encourage disengagement from school. Personal narratives are included. Major findings…