In the industrial Midlands of England, the County Education Authority in Leicestershire County has jurisdiction over approximately 250 primary schools and 50 secondary schools. A child attending an infant or junior school works at his own pace, is creative and spontaneous, and learns on his own terms. Principals are given complete autonomy and may…

The World of Inquiry School (WOIS) derived its impetus from the wish to demonstrate that quality integrated urban education was both feasible and practical. The aim was to create a school in which the ethnic mix of the student body was a microcosm of the ethnic mix of the larger community. In addition, a new organizational school system, modeled…

This report summarizes the results of a 1967 survey designed to obtain a better understanding of the characteristics, duties, and opinions of the nation's elementary school principals. A questionnaire mailed to a national sample of 2,551 elementary school principals elicited a 91.7% response rate. These responses are described in 11 chapters…

A model program of pupil services for Chicago's inner-city high schools is proposed. It is based on the house plan of school organization, wherein a large comprehensive high school is divided into small sub-divisions called houses. The deficiencies and unmet goals of Chicago's inner-city high schools (e.g., low attendance, high dropout rate) are…

Multiunit school organization increases teacher participation in making decisions that directly affect them through decentralized decisionmaking -- a shift from individual to group decisions. A survey of teachers revealed that those in multiunit schools were more satisfied with their profession than were those in traditionally organized schools,…

Einstein, translated into a philosophy of education, views the factors governing man's qualities--his genes, his parents, his neighborhood, his church, his country, his world--as relative forces in his development, susceptible to infinite growth, and depending upon various combinations of experience. These experiences, in turn, depend upon nature…

The organization of three subschools at Grover Cleveland High School, Ridgewook, N. Y., is designed to meet the special needs and desires of the students. The first alternative school is for students with records of excessive absences; the second is for above average students interested in majoring in science; and the third is for average or below…

School legislation is often designed to alter the fundamental structure of the public education system. Article describes elements of charter-school legislation and provides examples of strong and weak laws. Discusses California's experience to date with charter schools, issues to consider when assessing the implications of charter-reform…

The superintendent's innovation and enthusiasm are leading school reform in Dade County, Florida. Educational experimentation includes a satellite school at the airport to serve grades K through two; a nighttime high school; and a school that has teachers acting as mentors for students at risk. (MLF)

Describes four areas of educational change: (1) the curriculum, (2) the role of the teachers, (3) the school structure, and (4) student learning. The impact of intensive computer use on each of these areas is examined using observations from a "technology-enriched" school project that is currently underway (1989-92) in the Netherlands.…

At the heart of the controversy over public education in a democratic system is the tension between majority rules and minority rights, and public and individual interests. This contextual framework sets the stage for the emergence of charter schools in Alberta, Canada. This paper describes the establishment and characteristics of the first…

Testimony concerning innovative state and local programs which expand family choice in education, and the Federal government's role in facilitating such programs, is presented. Testimony reviews research findings that bear on the issue, variables involved in planning educational choice, reforms proposed in the Minnesota plan for K-12 education,…

Described is a visit to the Fajans School in Falkenberg, Sweden, a single stream elementary school with an integrated nursery and day care center. Serving 220 children, the Fajans school does not grade according to age or ability. The nursery school provides 47 day care places, plus 18 in a part-time day nursery and 30 for children 7-12 years old…

In most schools the duties of the principal are not defined. A principal who is concerned with improvement of the instructional program has a wide range of roles to play. However, feelings run strong in the controversy over whether principals can or ought to be instructional leaders in their schools. Lack of time, power, clear role definition, and…

The analysis of the planning for an implementation of an alternative high school in a large urban school system is the focus of this study. Interview data are used. This investigation draws on, and compliments, the previous literature on implementation. While most of the earlier studies look at failures, this one is based on an instance of…