Highlights case studies of three elementary schools in the Kansas City (Missouri) System of Choice program that resulted from a court order to erase all vestiges of segregation in the Kansas City school district. The possible effects of these choices of school programs on educational equity are summarized. (GR)

Findings are presented which provide information about the extent to which fundamental schools (learning in a highly structured setting with instructional emphasis placed on "basic" subjects) at the elementary and junior high school levels in a large school system in Virginia have achieved their objectives. In this report, four schools…

Offers a comparative framework for school organizations which illustrates tacit differences in teacher role expectations inherent in unique types of organizations. Expresses the central idea that the effective classroom teacher's role is operationally defined by the organizational system in which the teacher functions. (CSS)

This report contains three topic centered studies. Each provides a description of the similarities and differences between four elementary alternative schools: a free school, an open school, a continuous progress school, and a contemporary school. Dimensions of the instructional process provide a comparison of the four instructional programs in…

This study attempted to answer two major questions: (1) Does a significant difference exist between the mean gain scores for achievement in reading and mathematics, as measured by the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS), among students from three different architectural school settings (open space, traditional, and mixed); and (2) Do reading…

This book examines the proposal of individuals in England's university extension movement in the final 2 decades of the 19th century to create a part-time teaching university that shared the following similarities with present-day open universities: a policy of admitting all individuals likely to benefit from the university irrespective of their…

The experience of schooling in America is recalled through a memory-sharing essay and an album of photographs. The intent of the article is to prompt readers to remember their personal schooling experiences and relate them to the larger framework of national memories. The essay, focusing on schools at the turn of the 20th century, discusses…

This research brief recaps a study of California charter schools. After a discussion of the key distinctions among charter schools, the brief focuses on the following questions: (1) Who attends charter schools? (2) How does student achievement in charter schools compare with that in conventional public schools? (3) What oversight do chartering…

Acknowledging the growing trend to educate school-aged children at home, this book provides a detailed account of home schooling, providing a vision of home education that reflects its multidimensional nature. The book consists of seven chapters: (1) "Learning about Home Schools" describes the research study from which this book is drawn…

This essay traces the history of the school reform movement from colonial times to the present. Public school reform tends either toward equalizing educational opportunity or higher academic achievement, but seldom both. The essay asks the question: Can public school provide equal educational opportunity and be excellent too? By tracing the…

This study employed the authors' previously developed Statements about Schools Inventory (SAS) to assess how well 14 alternative and 11 conventional high schools were meeting the needs of their students. Pairs of alternative and conventional schools studied were located in 11 communities in 10 states. Results of both student and teacher responses…

This study compares an open space elementary school and a traditional school in Harford County, Maryland, in terms of cognitive and non-cognitive student outcomes. In order to assess whether there were differences in instructional climate (open vs. traditional) between the two schools, the Walberg and Thomas Teacher Questionnaire was administered…

This report provides an end-of-year summative evaluation of the STEPS (Striving Toward Excellence in the Performance of Students) program, which was first implemented in elementary schools in 1983-84. The program, which is based on research on effective schools, focuses on school improvement efforts in six areas: (1) aligning instruction with…

Student perceptions of educational opportunities in contrasting educational settings in West Germany are explored. Two types of schools predominate in the Federal Republic of Germany. One type, the traditional, is characterized by a high degree of state control of the curriculum, teacher training, years of schooling, and number and type of…