Most means of differentiating higher education institutions emphasize their structural characteristics: faculty size; highest and kind of degree granted; level of external support; size of endowment; number of students; average board scores; admissions selectivity; tuition; and so on. In this article, the author offers a view of differentiating…

Comments on articles appearing in the 2001 theme issue of Sociology of Education. Considers the nature and impact of the widespread cultural commitment to educational equality. Discusses other aspects of education not emphasized in this issue, such as the implications of racial inequality, credentialism, and educational organization (CAJ)

This study details faculty perceptions concerning administrative structure and its impact on issues such as collegiality or student success. Faculty members in autonomous marketing departments are compared with those in combined units. Then, faculty never involved with departmental change are compared with faculty previously involved splitting…

What does the future hold for educators and facilities professionals when it comes to planning, building, funding, and operating school facilities? No one can absolutely know beforehand. However, there are many, many indicators of where public education in the United States may well be destined. These indicators take the form of already occurring…

The ACCE position statement for creating media enriched learning communities targets all stakeholders in educational policy and practice who influence the future of learning, schools, and systems. Stakeholders include policy-makers in government, national and international organisations, professional networks and institutions, school leaders,…

From time to time critics of the middle level publish works that suggest that our philosophy is too much "feeling good" and not enough academic substance. Confusing this debate is the current trend of districts (especially large urban ones) to reconfigure their schools to K-8 neighborhood schools. In this article the author takes a long look at…

This publication contains a brief description of secondary education in Estonia. The first section provides an overview of the societal and political context in which the educational system exists. The second section discusses current educational issues, including policy formation, finance, the school role in the community, administration and…

This paper argues for the sustained study of the organizational nature of schools, which should be conducted through a search for good theories. It outlines what such theories would look like and what might reasonably be expected of them. The essay argues that there now is broader recognition of the organizational characteristics and conundrums…

What would a school that is responsive to the needs of girls look like? This paper presents findings of a study that sought to synthesize research and commentaries that develop, articulate, or use a feminist critique. It also attempted to identify a set of feminist thought and action to serve as building blocks of an alternative structure for…

This design proposal for "Schools of the Marketplace" describes a system that does not rely on government bureaucracy to operate. Instead, it allows parents and students to choose their teachers, evaluates student performance more on results of projects and papers than on standardized tests, empowers teachers to form professional groups…

The Governor's Institutes of Vermont are summer programs for Vermont high school students. The students are chosen for their strong personal motivation and interest in art, science and technology, and international affairs. Coordinated with the Institutes, the Lead Learner program is designed to enhance teacher and school efforts in restructuring.…

To provide policymakers, practitioners, and other education leaders with the knowledge needed to consider the issues surrounding charter schools, a survey of these schools is offered. The text opens with an overview of charter-school basics, including the types of schools that are permissible and the legal status of charter schools. It analyzes…

As the decade of the 1990s began, there was uncertainty concerning the educational reforms attempted in the 1980s. This paper focuses on how deregulated schools in South Carolina reacted to the opportunity to create new programs to meet the needs of the community and students. Research indicates there is an improvement in the teachers' working…

Arguments for beginning new schools as a robust alternative to the incremental improvement of existing schools are presented in this paper. The educational improvement approach of starting new schools or programs, rather than making incremental improvements or generating comprehensive change in existing schools, is advocated. Two major types of…

The loosely coupled organizational approach is evaluated in this paper. This essay evaluates this line of research by focussing on an analysis of schools, which are usually considered to be the epitome of loosely structured organizations. It is argued that distinguishing the mode and degree of organizational coupling and control depends on where,…