This book is an analytical assessment of what is known at present about the determinants of educational effectiveness. The literature reviewed is representative of the body of published work from 1950 through 1973. After the introduction and a chapter on measuring educational outcomes, the study is organized according to five approaches:…

This report deals with school district collaboration and organization that can take place now and which could influence in a positive and constructive way school district change in Massachusetts. The Governor's Commission established associations with selected study sites across the State in 1973-74, and these study sites assisted them in…

The book is an account of the development of the credit system now in general use in Ontario high schools. The author describes education in the province from its inception, with particular emphasis on the reorganization begun in the middle 1960s. The text covers the background information, points up some of the trends of the last decade, and…

This pamphlet surveys the research and literature concerned with the effects of curriculum and instructional practices on pupil progress. Specific topics include (1) student grade acceleration and retardation, and elimination from school; (2) graded vs nongraded curriculum and school organization; (3) teaching and curriculum practices for…

This survey includes programs that are designed for elementary and high school students and which (1) refrain from "institutionalized coercion," (2) de-emphasize traditional curriculum, (3) eliminate dependence on competition and encourage authentic self-motivation, (4) emphasize individual abilities and character rather than formal training in…

New instructional time blocks and curriculum designs are suggested as alternatives to traditional school schedules with their fixed time periods for traditional course offerings. The rational for variable modular scheduling and the application of computer technology to school scheduling are presented. Applications of variable modular scheduling…

This report is the third in a series describing the background, theory, and progress of the Differentiated Staffing Project in the Eugene, Oregon, School District. The report focuses on changes in roles within the differentiated staffing structure. It discusses the elementary principal and the curriculum associate (CA) in a unitized,…

How to decrease school operating costs without hurting the quality of education is the subject of this report, which contains suggestions gleaned from school districts all over the country in a survey conducted by the National School Public Relations Association. The most important attitude that all members of the school community can hold is an…

Instructional leadership for principals is not a panacea for the ills of education. Efforts to alter principal practices to meet this poorly defined and poorly researched construct reflect a lack of self-reference in the educational field. More study and thought are needed before plans of action are imposed. (BJV)

The article describes the development and operation of a psychiatric hospital model school program which provides evaluation and teaching of behaviorally disordered, severely handicapped, and gifted children and adolescents during two months on the basis of six continua, prior to placement in regular or special classrooms. (MC)

Offers a range of perspectives on the national school reform movement as exemplified in the national commission reports. Presents articles providing a broad, comprehensive set of evaluations of reform, and more specific articles dealing with the real or potential impact of reform or explaining individual issues raised by the reports. (RDN)

Elementary schools are continuously growing in student population. The increase in student population requires innovative management practices aimed at uniting and furthering progress within school sites. While the increase in student enrollment coupled with growth in staff can be challenging, possibilities of seamless transitions of practice can…

The major purpose of the second field test of the AEL MSCI instrument was to assess the psychometric properties of the refined version with a larger, more diverse group of respondents. The first objective of this field test was to expand the four-point Likert-type response scale to six points in order to yield more variance in responses. The…

Community schools were created in Ohio to provide additional educational options for children in low-performing schools and to develop innovative teaching and management techniques that may be transferable to traditional public schools. In 1997 the Ohio General Assembly required the Legislative Office of Education Oversight (LOEO) to evaluate the…

This research brief recaps a study of California charter schools. After a discussion of the key distinctions among charter schools, the brief focuses on the following questions: (1) Who attends charter schools? (2) How does student achievement in charter schools compare with that in conventional public schools? (3) What oversight do chartering…