Summaries are presented of papers from a symposium entitled "The Evaluation of Complex Programs Using Participatory Evaluation" that focused on a comprehensive school service program in a south Texas alternative high school. "Theoretical Framework and Objectives" explores the problems of evaluating such programs. Problems…

Beginning in fall 1982 the Aurora West Public Schools (Illinois) conducted a multi-year study to identify the nature of their instructional programs and to establish a set of position statements that would serve as guides for program review and change. A significant element of the process was the involvement of the entire staff in development of…

Seven papers present research perspectives on how schools can nurture a collaborative relationship between parents and teachers to enhance student learning. Topics include the ways schools involve parents; the ways schools draw on home learning; programs in action; studies of parents, children, and teachers; and contextual and organizational…

The Sudbury Valley School was founded in 1968 by a group of Massachusetts parents who felt that a child is a person, worthy of full respect as a human being. It was intended that a nurturing environment be created in which the children themselves chose what they wished to do and scheduled their time. Democracy was a cornerstone of the school's…

Beginning in the mid-1960s, thousands of small alternative schools sprang up across the United States and Canada. These schools varied widely in programs and policies, but common factors among them were a disenchantment with conventional schooling, a desire to reform education, and (frequently) the belief that schools should be controlled by the…

This book identifies how consensus on vocational education and training (VET) policy is sought in a number of countries where interesting models have emerged. The focus of the book is on the principles of stakeholding and consensus applied to policy formulation and implementation in vocational education and training. The international case studies…

This four-part volume addresses design principles for introducing democratic forms in workplaces, educational institutions, and social institutions, based on a trend toward participative democracy in Australia. Following an introduction, part I sets the context with two papers: "The Agenda for the Next Wave" and "Educational…

A move from "participative" to "shared" governance of the California community colleges is one of the fundamental goals of Assembly Bill 1725. The Foothill-De Anza Community College District has given special priority to meeting this goal through its system of shared governance. Foothill-De Anza's success can be attributed to…

This book provides practitioners working with young adults with disabilities practical strategies for building expanded partnerships with parents during the transition years. It relies on three beliefs: parents need to be fully informed partners; practitioners need to empower parents to become partners; and parents can become accountable for…

This book contains 17 papers, chosen from those presented within the last 2 years at the annual National Conference on Creating the Quality School, hosted by the Center for the Study of Small/Rural Schools at the University of Oklahoma. The papers are grouped into three sections: leadership for school improvement; classroom practices for school…

Ten teachers write about time-related frustrations growing out of school reform efforts, noting how problems were or were not resolved. There are specific examples of what it is like to experience school reform and how reform affects teachers' already full days. These cases are preceded by contextual descriptions. Each case study includes one or…

This collection of articles focuses on the negative impacts that deindustrialization has had on the American labor market, on American workers, and on the U.S. economy. The introduction, by Donald Kennedy, traces the development of the trend toward and negative impacts of deindustrialization, outlines some of the policy issues raised by…

This monograph examines issues that will shape teacher education programs in the future. Following a foreword by Robert M. McClure, the monograph is organized into three chapters. The first, "Perestroika and Professionalism: The Case for Restructuring Teacher Preparation" (Linda Darling-Hammond), focuses on changes wrought by school…

Present trends and future directions in postsecondary education in Canada and the United States are addressed in 15 essays and an introduction by Ron Duhamel. Authors and titles are as follows: "Traditional Values in the Contemporary University" (Robin H. Farquhar); "Facing the Future" (R. J. Duhamel); "Challenges to the…

Thirteen articles on major topics facing school business officials in the 1980s are presented in this book. The titles and their authors are (1) "The Pursuit of Equity in Financing Public Education," by R. Craig Wood, Helene B. Jones, and William L. Riley; (2) "Facilities: Major Issues Ahead," by C. William Day; (3)…