Background/Context: Recent trends suggest that middle-class parents may be a growing constituency in urban public schools and districts. Within the burgeoning literature on the middle class in urban public schools, most scholars have focused on parents' goals and orientations and/or the consequences of parental involvement in classroom and school…

In the light of the global trends towards international assessment, inter-country comparison and policy convergence, this article critically discusses the contextual factors that influence educational success in Shanghai and Singapore. Focussing on the structural and cultural frames, this article maintains that the educational achievement in…

A study examined the dynamics present in middle-level schools to identify the issues of concern to parents, teachers, and the greater school community. It also attempted to identify those strategies used successfully by school leaders in response to those concerns. Four middle schools in different areas of the United States participated. The…

This book contains sixteen compelling case studies that illustrate the power of future search to create lasting, whole system change. Future Search in School District Change: Connection, Community, and Results chronicles ways in which educational institutions have used broad-based stakeholder involvement to improve education. These experiences, by…

This book tells the stories of four urban middle schools that have undergone deep transformation while participating in the Middle Grades Improvement Program (MGIP), an initiative that has nurtured fundamental change in school climate, structure and classroom practice in 16 urban districts and 65 schools in Indiana. The support of the Lilly…

A vocational-technical center in Delaware, launched a massive restructuring effort in 1988. Educators used frameworks provided by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education and Southern Regional Educational Board and visited High Schools That Work sites. In 1991, Sussex Technical High School opened its doors as a newly designed…

A group of dedicated teachers in Gilmer County High School, Glenville, West Virginia (WV), worked with school administrators to make far-reaching changes to prepare all students for further study and the workplace. With their experiences from High Schools That Work workshops and help from a WV Department of Education representative, educators…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)-State Vocational Education Consortium's commitment to higher standards for and greater achievement of vocational students has brought substantial gains in student performance. SREB's High Schools That Work (HSTW), a school improvement initiative, documents achievement gains by vocational students. Data…

This publication contains descriptions of "outstanding practices" in high schools that had the most success in improving student performance by doing the best job of implementing one particular High Schools That Work key practice. The 33 efforts are organized according to which of these 10 key practices they reflect: high expectations…

When the new superintendent of Orangeburg School District Five was appointed in 1992, he found that Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School graduates did not have the skills to enter the workplace and postsecondary institutions that require high-level academic skills. He identified these three things that Orangeburg would need to do to improve academic…

A determined core of teachers and a dedicated vocational director at Hoke County High School, Raeford, North Carolina, made outstanding progress in raising student achievement despite economic, social, and demographic odds. The project was part of the Southern Regional Education Board's (SREB's) High Schools That Work initiative. The first barrier…

When North Laurel High School, London, Kentucky, opened in Fall 1992, students and teachers entered a new facility and a new era of commitment to excellence for all students. In Spring 1993, North Laurel joined the Southern Regional Education Board's High Schools That Work initiative. The new school replaced the general track and raised graduation…