Analyzes findings from a 3-year study of 10 racially mixed schools that decided to reduce ability grouping. Discovers that decentralized decision making and local control inhibit systemic reform because the micropolitics of autonomous schools will act as an obstructionist influence. (MJP)

The current tripartite system of human services delivery (education, health, and social services) is unable to deal with children with multiple problems in an effective, coordinated way due to fragmentation, specialization, and complexity. Reorganizing the current system by linking or integrating services could provide many advantages, as…

Assessments should improve performance by providing usable feedback, and should not merely audit it. Problems with educational accountability policies stem from a flawed view of student assessment. Intellectual excellence cannot be obtained via one-time mandated tests composed of proxies for real challenges. Common standards should be developed…

Describes goals, beneficiaries, offerings, locations, and providers of six current school-linked service efforts. Identifies several integrating elements needed for systemic reforms to make school-linked services produce more successful outcomes for children and families. Programmatic initiatives must complement deep-reaching changes in ways…

Explores elements of the design of school choice programs, defining outcomes and technical criteria. These criteria are applied to failed choice initiatives in three states and to a proposed initiative in California, the Parents' Choice in Education Amendment. Differential effects in urban and suburban schools are considered. (SLD)

This yearbook, a retrospective and prospective exploration of educational change, focuses on the challenges of curriculum, instructional supervision, and leadership for education in the United States. The yearbook opens with a foreword by Stephanie Pace Marshall, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) President, 1992-93, and…

The Educational Quality Indicators (EQI) initiative was a collaboration between Alberta Education (Alberta, Canada) and 12 school jurisdictions to develop and implement indicator systems to measure the success of the educational enterprise. Ten concurrent collaborative projects were conducted between 1989 and 1992 to develop indicator systems for…

Career and technical education (CTE) in Pennsylvania faces a dual challenge. CTE programs must prepare students for careers in the 21st century and the new knowledge economy. Simultaneously, CTE must meet or exceed academic expectations and standards required of all students. This report summarizes the findings and recommendations of Jobs for…

Lessons from the 18-year institutional experience of Alverno College in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) with assessment for the improvement and verification of student learning are summarized. Principles are described that should inform a national assessment system with the dual purposes of improvement and accountability by incorporating the following key…

A comprehensive view of educational development in Europe considers the long-term policy implications of integrating post-secondary education into the emerging systems of education, the diversification and decentralization of post-secondary education, and mobility of students, teachers, and research workers. Major sections examine: (1) policy…

This guide/toolkit is designed as a resource aid for those in schools and communities who are concerned about sustaining valuable initiatives and innovations. The focus is on sustaining valued functions and collaborations. A particular emphasis is on efforts designed to enhance how schools address barriers to learning and teaching. The material is…

Argues that school choice plans should be limited to public schools. A system of controlled choice overcomes many problems associated with school choice. District 4 of the New York City public schools offers an example of how greater choice for parents has reinvigorated innercity schools. (SLD)

Explores issues faced by designers of school choice systems as numbers and types of choice arrangements proliferate and become more complex. Defines elements of a successful system of choice. The system developed will depend on the intentions, assumptions, and commitments present in the initial design. (SLD)

School organizations must become responsive and flexible to address rapidly changing social, economic, and demographic conditions. Reform attempts to date have not worked because they were layered on old structures and perceptions in a fragmented, piecemeal fashion. The fundamental transformation of education that is required demands a paradigm…

The advisory council is important in developing a career education system in the elementary and secondary schools of our communities. The advisory council as a school community can assist by recruiting the totality of the community's resources. The council offers a mechanism designed to wire an educational system into the work world, linking…