Eight programs of the Des Moines (Iowa) Independent Community School District were funded by block grants: library and instructional materials; fine arts program; resource center; traditional school program; reading program; extended day kindergarten; reading/math lab program; and nonpublic schools program. Each program is described in this…

Research findings demonstrate that the way the classroom environment is arranged can have important consequences on the attitudes, behavior, and achievement of students. The concept of "synomorphy" is used to examine some of the research literature available on classroom design. Synomorphy refers to the similarity of structure or shape…

This report contains three topic centered studies. Each provides a description of the similarities and differences between four elementary alternative schools: a free school, an open school, a continuous progress school, and a contemporary school. Dimensions of the instructional process provide a comparison of the four instructional programs in…

The Town of Manassas Park officially became a city in 1975. Shortly thereafter the State Board of Education certified the city as a separate school division. The general purpose of this study was to provide the newly appointed school board with data on which to base decisions regarding school facilities. Facility needs are identified and existing…

The author, working with a 4-member teaching team, sought to determine how a group of pupils and their teachers would respond to an open space program proposed for a new senior high school building. A test program was conducted in temporary quarters with an experimental group of 25 randomly selected seventh grade students and a control group of 25…

A method was developed for doing a computer simulation of elementary school activities for different school organizations, with traditional and multiunit schools being observed for significant factors relating to the use of space. Analysis of the collected data showed that group size varied significantly as a function of school program and…

An ethnographic study reports on the practices of a sixth grade American Indian teacher at an urban charter middle school for American Indians. The study used classroom observations, interviews, and informal conversations over a 3-week period to determine and understand the personal and institutional influences on her instructional practices. The…

Provides an overview of published anthropological and educational information on the content, values, and methods of education in indigenous communities in Guatemala. Deals with the formation of a new collective identity in Guatemala. Examines the relationship between education in indigenous communities and official, formal education, which is…

This paper examines the context from which educational reform is approached and suggests that rather than restructuring the traditional educational model, rethinking that model might be more appropriate, particularly the model of the classroom. Drawing throughout on insights from the writings of John Dewey and John Goodlad, the paper has a…

This cross-cultural study evaluated the effects of nontraditional versus traditional educational approaches in kindergarten on children's preparation for first grade and their readiness to learn. Fifty children in a developmental kindergarten in Pennsylvania, and 50 children in a traditional academic kindergarten in Sichuan province, People's…

Based on Fiedler's Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness and Leader-Match program, this study's hypothesis is that experienced school principals increase their effectiveness by changing key organizational variables to suit their personal leadership styles. Following V. D. McNamara's application of Fiedler's contingency model in a study of…

This study attempted to answer two major questions: (1) Does a significant difference exist between the mean gain scores for achievement in reading and mathematics, as measured by the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS), among students from three different architectural school settings (open space, traditional, and mixed); and (2) Do reading…

This study examines the interaction of individual differences in pupils' temperament and ability with variations in educational strategies used in elementary school classrooms. This interaction was analyzed by re-examining the data from 2 previous studies of the effects of various educational strategies on social and academic behavior problems.…

An attempt was made to determine differences in reading achievement gains and student attitudes towards school between groups of third grade children enrolled in either modified open or traditional classrooms in the same school. The Metropolitan Achievement Test in Reading was used for pre- and posttest comparisons of achievement, and a…

This paper speculates on difficulties in making American formal education an active force for conscious cultural change rather than a passive force for unconscious cultural stasis. Two questions central to discussing any educational system which purports to be a conscious force for cultural change are posed: Can a society conscious of its own…