In the Netherlands, the constitutional freedom of education offers the opportunity for the growing number of Muslims to establish state-funded Islamic schools. At the moment there are 46 Islamic primary schools; a number of schools are in the process of being established and there is still a need for an additional 120 such schools. Right from the…

In response to an evaluation conducted by the Netherlands Inspectorate of Education of the nation's elementary schools, the Institute for Educational Development and Advice (Christelijk Pedagogisch Studiecentrum, CPS) undertook a 3-year intervention to revitalize 5 schools experiencing problems with student achievement, curriculum,…

Issues in restructuring education for meeting the needs of at-risk students are discussed in this paper. The six goals of restructuring are: (1) reduce the number of drop outs; (2) raise the level of achievement for all; (3) have business and education work together; (4) create schools which incorporate both social and educational services; (5)…

Five papers examine issues regarding the role of the assistant principal, with a focus on accountability in school reform and restructuring. The first paper, by George J. Michel, analyzes the leadership areas of the assistant principal and suggests methods to make the assistant principal accountable. The next four papers describe new models of…

The behaviorist world view, influential in many social-science disciplines, is challenged by theories of action. With steady developments in nonbehaviorist thinking and related social-action conceptions, the study of school organizational structure can be transformed into a field centered about the dynamics of individuals' practical actions. This…

The first year of school reform in Chicago was devoted to preparation for governance and the election of local school councils to serve in each school. The second year of school reform was devoted to continued preparation for governance and attempts to restructure classroom instruction. The importance of restructuring education to match how…

Following a "dear colleagues" letter from John R. McKernan, Jr., Governor of Maine and 1991-92 chairman of the Education Commission of the States, a strategy is outlined that will help educational reformers to approach restructuring from varying perspectives and improve its chances for success. Several fundamental principles underlie…

Promising research evidence linking achievement, empowerment, and parent participation are dwarfed by troubling indications of negative, infrequent interactions between families and schools. Middle-income parents seem to participate in school-based and home-learning exercises at higher rates than lower-class parents. The study summarized in this…

A study examined the influence of differences in school district organization on internal school organizational processes that are central to reform strategies, such as teacher cooperation and instructional leadership. Data were obtained from interviews conducted with the principals of 98 Tennessee elementary schools that participated in the…

The potential exists in schools nationwide to create a high quality system of education. But schools are not operating as a coherent system. While most educators and citizens are ready to act and to improve education, decisionmakers do not realize the need for a new paradigm in education. Many successful schools serve as examples of the benefits…

Findings from a study that examined the attitudes of California school district superintendents toward school restructuring are presented in this paper. Interviews were conducted with a total of 30 superintendents and senior staff members in 22 California school districts to explore their orientations toward school restructuring in general and…

The accumulated evidence argues that a school contemplating curricular innovation will heighten its chances of success if it first gives staff members practice in new norms and skills for the collaboration that will be necessary to the innovation's success. (Author/AM)

Presents a description of some of the needs in the 60's which generated the efforts to create the training materials and support training of trainers, the issues that seemed to need answers, a number of actions which have been taken, answers found for some of the issues, and suggestions of work yet to be done. (Author/AM)

The study examined change in the role of Director of University Services and Auxiliary Enterprises (USAE) at the College of William and Mary (Virginia) as a result of reorganization of the Business Affairs Office. A review of the literature on organizational development and higher education leadership was conducted. A questionnaire was then…

Higher order thinking can be defined as interpreting, analyzing, and manipulating information to solve a challenging problem. This definition does not restrict higher order thinking to any level of cognitive ability or any class of people; it includes thinking involving both nonacademic and academic topics; and it is not limited to any particular…