This bulletin focuses on the role that community plays in creating a positive school environment. Drawing from research and practice, it offers insights and suggestions for helping children form social bonds, instilling in them core values, and serving as a safe haven for those students whose home lives lack a sense of safety. The bulletin begins…

This document focuses on the challenge of building professional community within schools. The introductory article provides a definition of and rationale for "community within schools." The second article discusses some of the benefits that schools enjoy when they develop strong professional communities, and what conditions and resources make the…

When initiating major structural change in schools, collaboration among educators, community members, and business persons is vital. This publication describes the efforts of the Ysleta (Texas) Independent School District, which successfully used collaboration to promote effective school change. Within the district, the Del Valle High School has…

A renewed emphasis on arts education has come after a period of neglect during the 1980s and early 1990s when the arts were often slighted as school budgets grew tight and as educational priorities shifted to the basic academic subjects. Recently, results of several research studies have confirmed the advantages of student participation in arts…

Consolidation has become both a solution for small, rural school districts and a contentious policy fraught with numerous difficulties. Despite concerns about limited curricula and higher operating expenses, there is no generalizable evidence that students educated in rural settings underachieve or have deficient social skills. Recent research has…

This publication contains three articles that examine the changing role of the urban superintendent. The first presents highlights of interviews with Dr. Walter Amprey, superintendent of the Baltimore City Public Schools, and Dr. Donald Ingwerson, who served 12 years as the superintendent of the Jefferson County, Kentucky, Public Schools. Each…

"The ERIC Review" is published three times a year and announces research results, publications, and new programs relevant to each issue's theme topic. This issue explores systemic education reform via an overview of systemic reform, a description of the Kentucky example, and an article, "Roadmap to Restructuring" (David T.…

A congress on continuing education and training attended by participants from more than 20 Eastern and Western European countries is summarized in this document. Topics discussed at the plenary sessions, panel discussions, and nine workshops included the following: cooperation between Eastern and Western Europe; the role of the social partners in…

This theme issue of "Basic Education" considers the importance of studying and comparing student work and educational practice in different countries, in particular as a vehicle to further the professional development of teachers. The first article, "International Studies of Education: Why Should We Care?" (William H. Schmidt;…

In shared decision making (SDM), principals collaborate with teachers and sometimes parents to take actions aimed at improving instruction and school climate. While research on SDM outcomes is still inconclusive, the literature shows that SDM brings both benefits and problems, and that the principal is a key figure. This brief offers a sampling of…

A current focal point of Oregon's school restructuring effort is on closing the gap between academic and vocational disciplines to increase opportunities for all students. This Bulletin examines a spectrum of practices aimed at facilitating integration of academic and vocational education while exploring issues, problems, and solutions common to…

The relationship between higher education and governors and state government is explored in eight articles. Brief introductions are provided by Samuel K. Gove of the University of Illinois and Governor Lamar Alexander, who served as a National Governors' Association chairman. An overview of the 1985 Wingspread Conference, which focused on the…

An indepth analysis of critical issues in school restructuring is provided in this first of a series of reports. The first article, by Karen Prager describes selected aspects of school restructuring in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, elementary school and illustrates how school-based management can articulate school vision and support teacher cooperation.…

Concerns about and characteristics of family/school partnerships are the theme of this issue of a "newsletter for the on-line administrator." Because of the changing natures of students, families, and schools, school administrators must take a leadership role in facilitating parent involvement in education. The six major types of involvement for…

The articles in this issue of Learning Quarterly, published by the Centre for Curriculum, Transfer and Technology (British Columbia), discuss "Charting a New Course," a strategic plan for the college, institute, and agency system in British Columbia. Introduced in 1996, the plan resulted from a collaborative effort in which institutional…