Elementary and secondary schools in the United States lack a singular pattern of organization. Each of the separate school districts can, and often does, introduce different types of changes at different times. Yet a piecemeal description of an educational system unduly complicates the task of understanding that system. As the number of changes…

At the 1974 conference of the New England School Development Council, six papers were presented. Marvin Powell outlined a new form of student evaluation which can give the teacher a much more comprehensive picture of student performance and potential, and described his service organization, the Foundation for Individualized Evaluation and…

This report first details how American Samoa's public schools are organized. The public school system consists of early childhood education (ECE), elementary education, secondary education, and special education. In the 1975-76 school year, ECE operated 145 village centers. In addition to these centers, five year-old children from village and home…

This paper explores what happens to the old central office when the familiar top-down structure of school governance is replaced by a charter-district system in which independent public schools operate on charters or contracts. For the most part, the paper examines districts that authorize and oversee a significant number of charter schools,…

AEL works with state educational entities to help schools become higher-performing learning communities. AEL's current partnership with Lincoln County (West Virginia) began about 6 months after the state board of education assumed administrative control of the county school system, citing major deficiencies in the system. AEL provided facilitative…

In response to a Montana School Boards Association (MSBA) resolution, this report develops alternatives and recommendations on school district reorganization for submission to the Montana state legislature. The first section examines the history of school district establishment and consolidation in Montana, and points out public opposition to…

Describes changes that must be made within and outside of the school district to achieve urban school improvement. Successful improvement must involve support from the local, state, and federal governments, parents, and local neighborhoods. Within the district, there must be changes at the district, building, and classroom levels. (SM)

This essay is the author's battle cry for help in revitalizing democracy. It deals with the institutions in which the future citizens are being educated. It deals with the undemocratic way in which schools are run. Given the time and space, the author would like to narrow the focus of his battle even further and argue for a revitalization of…

This report of a Virginia interdisciplinary task force on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the schools reviews what is known about this disorder and presents recommendations to the Virginia Department of Education and local school districts. Recommendations include the need to provide a systematic program of…

The North Carolina statewide testing program is designed to determine and ensure the competence of high school graduates, evaluate the educational process, and provide public accountability for educational results. There is little law to guide school administrators in dealing with various ethical issues in statewide testing, but there are some…

This booklet tells the story of citizen organization and role in the school reform movement in the restructuring of the Chicago (Illinois) Public Schools. Chapter 1, "People Were 'Mad As Hell,'" relates the events immediately surrounding the Chicago Teachers Union strike that transformed discontent into community action. Chapter 2,…

The Los Angeles County Board of Education's campaign to improve the public's confidence in public education is described. Education as an investment rather than a cost is the theme of the campaign. The coordinated approach is adopted from campaigns developed by 11 national educational agencies. The following topics are included in this booklet:…

According to a June 1989 report by the Council of Chief State School Officers, 41 states have adopted model human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) prevention programs and curricula for use in local school districts. Effective HIV/AIDS education takes a comprehensive approach that includes teacher…

Four school boards in Ontario, Canada, were selected for intensive case studies to examine the models, policies, procedures, and practices used to stimulate, support, coordinate, and assess the effectiveness of curriculum changes within their jurisdictions. The data collection consisted of (1) documents such as organizational charts,…

This study responds to the Board of Education's request that a plan be developed to assess and improve guidance and counseling services in the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Maryland. Data collection activities included (1) a review of MCPS policies and regulations, and (2) analysis of data from counselor logs, counselor observations,…