Compares two methods of measuring bureaucratic structure, Hall's organizational inventory and the University of Aston (England) approach, and tests them using data from 55 public high schools in New Jersey. Factor analysis reveals four underlying dimensions of school structure, including organizational control, rational specialization, system…

In Connecticut programs and services vary greatly from district to district; these variations are caused mainly by wide disparities in local tax contributions that affect state aid distribution. This study shows a marginal relationship among some selected financial variables and organizational health characteristics of randomly selected high…

Efforts to improve American high schools must center on their most fundamental deficiencies. Out of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's High School Futures Planning Consortium have evolved experience-based principles (outlined in sidebars) that other school leaders can adapt for improving their schools' organization,…

Changing to a trimester 3 X 5 schedule at Westfield (Indiana) High School made time for more focused academic activity, individual learning opportunities, and teacher development activities. Parents, students, teachers, and administrators find the schedule highly effective; academic achievement, attendance, and graduation rates have improved. (MLH)

Several districts have taken a radical approach to middle/high school transitions, removing ninth-graders from the mix to give them the attention needed to succeed in high school. Three ninth-grade-only schools with 720 to 750 students in Virginia, Texas, and Pennsylvania are profiled. Students experience less social pressure from upper-classmen.…

Higher order thinking can be defined as interpreting, analyzing, and manipulating information to solve a challenging problem. This definition does not restrict higher order thinking to any level of cognitive ability or any class of people; it includes thinking involving both nonacademic and academic topics; and it is not limited to any particular…

A report is given on the second phase of a 3-year study on change in American high schools. Data are presented from 17 schools for two of the study questions: What types of changes are occurring and what are the key units of change? Information was collected through approximately 28 hours of interviews in each school with students, faculty, and…

Besides setting the tone for accomplishing student learning goals and effecting improvement, school climate serves as a determinant of teacher attitudes toward personal and professional growth and development. Bureaucratization of schools decreases teacher effectiveness through rules, controls, and reduced autonomy and authority. The formal…

SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND COMPUTER SIMULATION TECHNIQUES WERE APPLIED IN A STUDY OF THE ORGANIZATION OF A BIOLOGY COURSE FOR INDIVIDUAL PROGRESS. THEODORE HIGH SCHOOL AT THEODORE, ALABAMA, WAS SELECTED FOR STUDY BECAUSE OF ITS APPROACH TO THE ORGANIZATION OF ITS RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS. DESCRIBED IN THIS INTRODUCTORY…

Discusses the development of comprehensive education in Russia with the focus on the comparison of ordinary versus specializing comprehensives. (RK)

Recommends an organizational strategy for improving the effectiveness of secondary school assistant principals. Outlines skills needed by assistant principalship and provides selection and evaluation criteria. Describes an internship program to provide opportunities for individuals to pursue assistant principalships. (KH)

This study investigated the effects of block scheduling on student learning. It compared the grade-point averages (GPAs) of one group of students during their 9th-grade year while under the traditional 7-period day to the GPAs of their 10th-grade year under the 4-by-4 block schedule. The text offers a history of block scheduling and lists some of…

Discusses methods for introducing innovations in secondary education and describes author's conception of the new high school. (AA)

The head of the English department at a senior high school explains the organizational and curricular adaptations that have made their practice of mixed-ability teaching a success. Sample English lessons are described. (SJL)