Discusses pedagogical reforms in French elementary and secondary schools since 1959. Major objectives of reforms were adaptation to economic and technological change and democratization. Identifies problems related to institutional obstacles, individual needs, and harmonizing social development and educational practice. (DB)

A study conducted in the winter of 1973 attempted to investigate how elementary school principals in innovative schools perceive their roles compared to the role perceptions of principals in more traditional school settings. Thirty-two schools were designated as innovative by a panel of four elementary school principals. It was assumed that the…

Analyzes the effects of mandated innovations (away from the traditional purely academic curriculum) in Belgian high schools on the rate of educational democratization and on student study commitment. (Author/BE)

Social theory defines "ritualism" as the communal act of accepting the legitimate means to achieve while rejecting the goals. The innovative-school community accepts the goals; however, the legitimate means are rejected. Ninety-three teachers were surveyed in a high-performing high school and a low-performing high school to determine the…

In Kuwait, there are currently two secondary school programs moving in parallel arrangements to serve the increasing number of secondary school students: the General Secondary School Certificate (GSSC), and the Unit Credit System (UCS). This paper compares and contrasts major characteristics of both programs in terms of program objectives and…

This paper examines three areas of alternative education: (1) In what ways, and for whom, are alternative schools alternative? (2) What appear to be the unanticipated consequences of the creation of alternative schools? (3) Can the creation of alternative schols be considered a change strategy? The authors compare the ideals of alternative…

Fifth-year pupil and teacher attitudes and opinions in innovative and conventional school plants during the 1970-1971 school year are contrasted. Teachers' educational backgrounds are also compared. The most significant finding of the study was that very few teachers in innovative plants favored a return to traditional school plants or…

This book argues that the Canadian public higher education system should return to the principles of a classical tradition of liberal education, abandoning the experimentation in school curricula and teaching methods of the last three decades. Taking as its point of departure the Ontario government's initiatives concerning destreaming and the…

Research compared Mexico's television-based Telesecundaria (TS) with its more traditional secondary school counterpart, the Ensenanza Directa (ED). The data collected indicated that the TS schools tended to be located in poorer rural communities and to have larger classes and less adequate facilities; its students were generally older and from…

This study compares open education groups and traditional education groups with respect to student attitudes toward high school; creative thinking of students; collaborative behavior among students; and student preferences for intellectual activities, activities involving change or sameness, and activities involving autonomy or dependence. Groups…

Examines the shortcomings of traditional schooling and the promise of learning in nontraditional environments in addressing student needs, teacher's role, and curriculum issues. Notes that the articles in this special issue indicate that a variety of situations and conditions lend themselves to nontraditional educational approaches or methods. (SD)

A random sample is reported of fifth-year teachers from conventional schools and from open or innovative schools who completed the Organizational Climate Descriptions Questionnaire (OCDQ), administered anonymously, which measured subjective rather than objective dimensions. The instrument is interpreted as being primarily a measure of teacher…

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)…

Tracing the broad movements in the teaching of English--both in theory and in practice--from its origin as a subject during the 1880's to the present day, this book focuses on the aspect of the teaching of English which has absorbed the greatest amount of teacher's time, energy, and enthusiasm: the teaching of literature. Chapters, following a…

Third-, fifth-, and eighth-grade pupil achievement test results in the 1970-71 school year are contrasted in terms of types of school plants, with those schools that had been in operation in a recently constructed school plant for at least one year grouped as "Innovative." Differences in ability levels of pupils were taken into account…