The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a comprehensive plan to reform schools, change school culture, empower parents, and improve education for all children. The law promises to raise standards for all children and to help all children meet these standards. No Child Left Behind is based on four principles: (1) Accountability for results; (2)…

Results of a longitudinal ethnographic study of Utah home schools reveals that past school experiences figure largely in present home school rationales and practices. Public school administrators need to acknowledge the effects of the past experiences of home schoolers, dispel their fears, and treat them as partners in the education process. (BJV)

Families of Hispanic-American children of limited English proficiency are generally being denied the right to choose intensive English-language instruction rather than more typical transitional bilingual education. This article reviews the success of intensive English-language instruction and presents the case for making it available. (SLD)

In 2002, the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF) published the author's "Ten Educational Trends Shaping School Planning and Design" [ED467701], which received considerable attention and has been downloaded from the NCEF website by thousands of users. Here is an update by the author, with the ten trends expanded to twelve. This…

At Central Park East (CPE) schools in East Harlem, New York City, 90 percent of students graduate from high school and 90 percent of those go on to college. Starting with the CPE success story, this book shows why good education is possible for all children, and why public education is vital to the future of our democracy. Begun in the mid-1970s,…

This document reports on a pilot project called "The Consortium of Schools for the Future," designed to anticipate and make necessary adaptations for the future of public education. A section describing the project precedes a discussion of the disparity between advantaged and disadvantaged students--particularly along racial and ethnic…

This article reviews the existing anthropological and sociological evidence on school choice and educational stratification in Japan. Traditional linear models developed in the West have given little insight into how stratification processes actually occur. There must be analysis of the institutional linkages and organizational cultures of schools…

An issue of "Policy Notes" from the Institute for Research on Educational Finance and Governance (IFG) presents the proceedings of a conference held in October 1984 that focused on the question of what public and private schools can learn from each other. The issue itself consists of an overview addressing important issues in the public/private…

This pamphlet chronicles the study of Kirsty Arrondelle, an 11-year-old girl with Down's Syndrome, focusing on her attendance at a local infants school in Berkshire (England), her later acceptance at a primary school in Hertfordshire, and her preparation for transfer to secondary school. It details the struggle of Kirsty's parents to have her…

Investigated in this study are the school sorting process (how students are matched with schools, courses, and teachers) and the possible positive effects of mandating that schools disclose how this process occurs. After an introduction, chapters 2 and 3 present findings about the sorting practices in seven California school districts. It was…

This paper identifies major education goals that conflict with educational choice and explores the context and causes of the conflict. Implications for family choice of the numerous reforms currently gaining nationwide support are examined, along with public policies that deny choice, such as attendance requirements, state-imposed curriculum…

A research report on the attitudes of students, parents, and staff of an Ontario school for the arts (grades 4-8) is divided into five sections. The first section details the school's establishment, goals, admissions procedure, core program, faculty, and facilities. The second section describes the evaluation procedure. Areas evaluated were…

The Community Learning Centers plan provides a systemically changed model for the 21st century. This top-to-bottom transformation of current education addresses all aspects of schools with a detailed framework to guide serious educational reformers. This fresh approach to principles of learning, curriculum, staffing, facilities, student as…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) States Showing Some Reading Improvements: Early Grades Raise Scores, but Older Students Continue to Struggle; (2)…

This bulletin discusses approaches that reformers are using nationwide to bring about improvement in urban schools. It focuses on (1) embracing more choices (school vouchers, charter schools, private management, public school transfers, home schooling, enrolling high school students in community colleges, and virtual education); (2) holding…