Investigates a virtual program, providing descriptions and assessments from the different participants at the host junior high school. Chronicles what the participants feel were the strengths, weaknesses, and factors influencing students' success in the virtual-school environment and raises issues for educators to consider when investigating the…

Exploratory programs provide stimulating and enriching experiences that help young adolescents realize their strengths and weaknesses before deciding about future educational directions. A survey of teachers and principals at two Southeastern middle schools underscored exploratory programs' articulatory nature. Implementation problems and…

A UK study shadowed and interviewed 32 secondary-school department heads to identify their leadership/management styles; sense of empowerment; and initiatives for and obstacles to improving teaching, learning, and achievement in classrooms. Shared power among senior and middle managers in UK schools is rare; training must change radically.…

TayNet is a local service provider established to support the development of businesses in Tayside (Scotland) by providing local access to the Internet. This article discusses the network's hardware and software components, evaluates the pilot phase, provides performance and connection statistics for 45 audit participants, and describes technical…

Presents a case study of the ideology, strategies and process of the "Common Knowledge: Pittsburgh" project in its attempt at school reform in an urban school district. Reflects on the project's activities, and uses its experience to develop a conceptual framework based on chaos theory, as developed in mathematics and science, for discussing…

Reports on the initial implementation of the Success For All (SFA) reading/school improvement program in inner city primary schools in Nottingham, England. Finds students made as much progress in one term in reading as they would normally make in one year; and their motivation, behavior, attitude to and skills in learning also increased. (RS)

Examines value-added student achievement levels of 74 school districts named as litigants in "Tennessee v. Small School Systems v. McWherter" and compares them with those of 64 nonlitigating districts. Although litigant districts have achieved greater fiscal equity, student achievement has not significantly improved. (Contains 11…

A preliminary evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program at four San Francisco middle schools found no significant statistical evidence on academic achievement. The program successfully implemented its first-year objectives: positive perceptions among parents and students and solid student participation. Influential factors…

In May 2000, 35 principals from across the nation met to define their role in implementing rigorous academic curricula to promote student achievement. Their observations concerning effects of school climate, resources, staffing, equal access, professional development, sustained leadership, and program assessment are discussed. (MLH)

Examined ways in which families became involved in 21 classrooms in 9 state-funded rural Illinois prekindergarten programs for children identified as at-risk for later school failure. Found that wide variations existed in parent involvement and family-school partnership initiatives implemented across the nine programs. Findings pose implications…

Reviews criticisms of traditional educational planning; discusses key concepts of new model for education policymaking and strategic planning; discusses changes in roles of national governments required for the development and implementation of the new education planning model; raises several questions about the originality and effectiveness of…

This study extends previous work on survey validity and reliability by examining how different groups of respondents vary in their answers to survey questions about the policy system. The study uses state-representative data from a five-state study of standard-based reform in mathematics to test how predictive teacher, principal, and district…

This article presents a case study of the Roskilde Integration Project designed to enhance the school-readiness of ethnic minority preschool children. The process of implementing the Roskilde Integration Project involved linking a community of practice--consisting of the integration team, educators, and other professionals--with the immigrant…

A two-phase (P1 and P2) physical activity program/or 9th and 10th grade students, particularly adolescent females of color, was designed and implemented at a mid-western urban high school during lunch time. Written surveys, field notes, interviews and an 8-item questionnaire developed by the researchers were the methods used to collect data to…

Dependent group contingencies were used to increase the on-task behavior of general education students in third and fourth grade classrooms. The class-wide intervention allowed students to gain access to preferred items/activities (identified via a stimulus preference assessment) contingent upon being on-task at "unknown" random times during math…