Responding to the need for a comprehensive framework for monitoring and improving school effectiveness in local and international contexts, this paper presents the findings of a case study of one effective and one ineffective school. Data were derived from a survey of schools, document analysis, and field observations. The case schools are…

Italy's 1948 Constitution of the Republic reformed lower secondary education, making schooling compulsory for all citizens. This guide highlights the complex nature of the secondary education system in Italy. It provides information primarily about the upper secondary level of education, which consists of 3, 4, or 5 years of courses following the…

If they are to be effective, organizations must acquire and create new knowledge in order to achieve their goals. Service organizations, such as schools, must employ the concept of organizational learning. Organizational learning is an intentional process directed at improving organizational effectiveness. The process involves four…

During the mid- to late-1990s, the declining economy in Nova Scotia led to a reduction in the number of school boards and the closure or amalgamation of smaller schools. This paper presents findings from the first phase of a longitudinal case study that explored the amalgamation of five elementary schools in Gold Cove, Nova Scotia. The study uses…

Issues raised by the devolution of decision-making to the school level in Western Australia are described in this paper. The first part provides a background of governance structures and school organization. Prior to 1980, Western Australia had the most centralized system of educational administration in Australia. The second part describes the…

This document defines curriculum reform in Romania as the elaboration and progressive setting up of a new educational paradigm unaltered by the outlooks and consequences of the Communist era. Although the strategic and technical aspects of implementing the new reality are still at the stage of advanced working hypotheses, the essential objective…

This paper analyzes the relative funding model developed as part of the reorganization resulting from the 1988 Australian Government's White Paper on Higher Education Policy. This reorganization created the Unified National System which has resulted in fewer but larger higher education institutions. The relative funding model is described in terms…

Open universities are analyzed from the perspective of innovation in higher education in the areas of organization/administration and curriculum/instruction. Examples are drawn from open universities internationally to illustrate what was intended to be innovative, what worked out as innovative, and what turned out unexpectedly to be innovative.…

Pakistan's effort to achieve universal primary education is described in this study. Chapter One briefly traces economic and social developments, the growth of knowledge, and considers educational priorities. Chapter Two offers an historical perspective, focusing on the re-orientation of the schools after independence, the first national plan, the…

Swedish higher education is discussed with attention to reforms, the structure of higher education, study programs, entrance requirement and admissions, postgraduate studies, economic resources, student unions, and student financial aid. Educational reform created a unified higher education system, combining institutions that had previously been…

Problems facing Brazilian universities are rooted in a problem of goals, the disintegration of the community of scholars, and growth and bureaucratization. Different goals of the university that need to be conciliated are the roles of teaching and research, or helping the young become men and conducting scientific and technological investigations…

An analysis of data showed that British students in local education authorities which have retained selection to a greater or lesser extent did not achieve better examination results than students in those authorities which have gone fully comprehensive. (RM)

This book presents ways in which school administrators can identify and redirect school funds to improve student performance. It quantifies the degree of overall financial inequality in the country using figures for all districts and shows how education dollars are currently spent, why these dollars are ineffectual, and how different and more…

This paper reports on a study of site-level resource managers in schools. The paper brings together experiences of the United Kingdom and the United States educational systems to explore issues of educational resource management at the school-site level. The paper focuses on the role of the bursar, the term used in the U.K. to describe a senior…

Discusses organizational issues under the constraints of enrollment decline, focusing particularly on the politics of local autonomy and responsiveness to community attitudes regarding program modifications and school closing. (Author/MLF)