The new Taiwanese citizenship curriculum has converted its traditional bullet-point guidelines to hundreds of open-ended questions. Each question acts to initiate collective inquiry, to stimulate the sharing of lived experiences and to trigger within-class conversations. The previous pre-determined educational objectives and learning outcomes, in…

The education for peace model (EFPM) presented in this paper was developed within a theoretical framework of complexity science and critical theory and was derived from a review of an empirical research project conducted in a conflict affected environment. The model positions belief systems at the centre and is socioecologically systemic in design…

There are significant "lacunae" in the otherwise highly progressive documents on early school leaving prevention from the European Commission and Council in 2011, as part of the EU2020 headline target of 10% early school leavers across the EU. These documents offer no explicit account or analysis of the voices of children and young…

The modern university reflects many of the tensions and stresses of the wider society of which it is a part. The conditions generating conflict are related to the ambiguity and multiplicity of academic goals. Within the context of a political model of the university, various strategic and tactical methods for dealing with conflict between…

The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe decision-making in Individually Guided Education (IGE) schools. Concepts from four selected conceptual frameworks--rational decision process, organizational structure, individual traits and values, and group interaction--were set forth as guidelines for observations. Data collected from…

Survey feedback and problem solving processes can be applied to increase the effectiveness of task-oriented structural approaches to educational organization development. One such approach involves the superimposition of complementary collective decision structures over the existing authority decision framework of the school. Collective decision…

Some critical observers of schools despair of enduring and constructive change. Challenging the rhetoric of despair about change in school, the book is based on the hypothesis that schools, under certain conditions, can become much more vital and change-oriented than they currently are. The book begins by describing elements of educational reform…

Although the "what" of schooling has become clearer through a convergence of research findings, educators still do not understand the "hows" of effectively using that knowledge to make necessary changes. This paper's objectives are to argue the necessity of fundamental changes in the patterns of schooling (the "whys") and to present a conceptual…

Traditional quantitative-experimental models of evaluation have failed to contribute to educational reform; they should be supplemented by qualitative-subjective models, which can be grouped under the rubric of naturalistic, or non-experimental evaluation. This naturalistic approach does not attempt to be value-free; rather, it recognizes that…

Leadership theories are reviewed, and ways that college administrators can approach leadership are suggested. After defining leadership and distinguishing it from administration and management, three different approaches to leadership are reviewed: the trait approach, the behavioral approach, and the situational approach. Some emerging views of…

The final report of a research effort, interracial and multidisciplinary in nature and designed to deal with the politics of change in professional systems, outlines a) a diagnosis of American high schools and consequent change strategies, b) its goals and objectives, c) program outcomes, and d) issues facing the Educational Change Team and others…

Based on a review of 500 sources dealing with change, this presentation sets forth the practical applications of change literature for school administrators. The report concludes that change is a term neither commonly used nor commonly understood, and that ther e exist few scientifically developed (i.e., theoretically based and empirically tested…

This project presents a developmental study of alternative models for the organization of large school districts. Its objectives are: (1) to conceptualize, describe, and develop alternative administrative structures for large urban school systems; (2) to conceptualize and describe staffing policies for the different models; and, (3) to…

Conditions that inhibit change in higher education institutions and various models of the change process are described. Attention is also directed to: organizational character, structural features, planning procedures, key individuals in the change process, and practical advice about change. The major change models for higher education…

A collaborative project of Bank Street College and the Newark Public Schools, the New Beginnings initiative was designed to bring about progressive restructuring of kindergarten classrooms. This study used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the impact of the initiative on curriculum, professional development, and…