Although the failure of open education experiments are often attributed to declining reading and mathematics scores, overwheming class sizes, and practical difficulties in implementing theory, the examination of a particular open education program in a suburban New York school district points to other possible reasons for the program's failure.…

Project MACK's major goal was to provide a comprehensive school program at McClymonds High School in Oakland, California that would reduce the dropout rate, improve student achievement, reduce absenteeism and class-cutting, and improve student attitudes toward school. Project components included 1) Career Cluster Program, which focused on work…

Generalization of behavioral skills was assessed across situations, time, and other behaviors in a behaviorally based educational program, Preparation through Responsive Education Programs (PREP), which was designed to improve both inschool and out-of-school performance of junior high students with academic and/or social deficiencies. Students…

The Durham Education Improvement Program (EIP) seeks to develop new organizational patterns and instructional systems in ongoing classrooms which would foster the educational and social development of disadvantaged North Carolina children. A small-scale model school system (consisting of three schools in target areas and a laboratory school) was…

This experiment was based on the assumption that the academic failure of the disadvantaged or middle class child is due to a failure of instruction and that if above-normal learning schedules were maintained, the second year of an enrichment program would not show the customary drop in gains from the first year. The subjects of this study were 43…

Three documents describe the Project Success Environment Program, which was funded to help alleviate behavioral and academic problems of children from urban, low-socio-economic backgrounds by providing them with an opportunity to experience success in school. The program, sponsored by the Atlanta Public Schools, consisted of: (1) a positive…

After discussing the controversies surrounding attempts at "external" performance contracting--agreements negotiated between local educational authorities and private educational firms--this document describes five "local" programs--agreements negotiated between a local educational authority and its own teachers--involving nine school districts.…

This report describes the first 3 years of three Excellent Beginnings projects from 1991 to 1994 funded by the Plan for Social Excellence, a private nonprofit foundation that creates or supports innovative pilot projects in education. Programs that are flexible and responsible to needs of individuals and communities, rather than system-wide…