Discusses how private schools differ from public schools, noting how private schools create meaning via cultural attributes and suggesting potential pitfalls in eschewing tradition in response to external pressures. Private schools must understand the balance between tradition and innovation to avoid losing their roots or becoming obsolete. (SM)

This study investigates the moral development of thirty 5-year-old children in Montessori and traditional preschools. Data for the study were derived from five sources: an intelligence test; a perspective taking task; an altruism/helping task; an altruism/sharing task; and an interview for exploring moral reasoning. Two 30 to 45 minute sessions…

Given that the learning environment in which the student was placed would influence aggression on the playground, it was felt that students would display less aggression on the playground of a pluralistic school, that is a school which offers several distinct learning environments and attempts to place students appropriately, than on the…

Two open plan schools were compared with two schools of traditional architecture so that the relationship between the building design and the program could be examined. (Author/MLF)

This working paper discusses safety in urban charter schools relative to other urban public schools, using several indicators from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is the nation's most extensive sample survey of elementary and secondary schools and the teachers and administrators who staff them. The indicators measure the frequency of…

Effects of inclusive school settings for students in six Indiana school corporations were investigated. Results reveal that students without disabilities educated in inclusive settings made significantly greater academic progress in mathematics and reading. For students with disabilities, there were no significant differences in reading and math…

The primary focus of this study was on differences in satisfaction with school between seventh grade students enrolled in the two junior high schools. One junior high school had made major modifications in its environment, the other maintained a more standard approach to education. A second focus was to investigate the relationship between these…

The Stephens-Delys Reinforcement Contingency Interview was administered to 78 subjects, 6.5 years to 7.5 years, who were enrolled in "traditional" or "open" educational programs. Scores are categorized by sex, race, economic level, and educational program, and treated by analysis of variance. (Author/PN)

This report describes work done on the project, "Individual Characteristics and Children's Performance in Varied Educational Settings," up to June 30, 1974. This research addresses two issues: the interaction of individual student characteristics with aspects of educational environments, and the relative educational benefits of…

In a study to determine the relationship between teacher effectiveness and variables related to the organization and value patterns of different schools, teacher interns rated by principals as high or low could be distinguished on the basis of their instructional decision making within the different school contexts. (JMD)

Nine elementary schools enrolling 852 sixth grade students participated in a study that examined the relationship between the organizational climate of elementary schools (whether the school was "open" or "closed") and the reading achievement of students. Each school's organizational climate was determined by administering the Organizational…

This paper presents results from a study of the effects on student development of open and traditional family and school environments. The theory is entertained that a match (or congruence) of family and school styles improves some student outcomes, while a mismatch (or incongruence) of environments results in improvement of different student…

This study compared the time use and perceptions of schools, teachers, and friends of approximately 290 demographically matched students in Montessori and traditional middle schools. We used the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) and questionnaires and conducted multivariate analyses showing that the Montessori students (a) reported more positive…

The purpose of this study was to gain a student's perspective on the differences between alternative and traditional educational settings. Specific objectives were to (1) identify obstacles students perceived in transitioning from alternative settings to traditional school settings and (2) hear the authentic voices of students to determine what…

This chapter suggests procedures and alternative practices for the improvement of big city education. The authors (1) urge the importance of planning, (2) describe procedures for identifying and selecting promising alternative practices, (3) discuss the involvement of people in urban education, (4) identify emerging learning environments, (5)…