Quint reports on a synthesis evaluation of three widely used high school reform models--Talent Development, First Things First, and career academies. She highlights approaches within each model that helped high schools restructure themselves in ways that affected student outcomes, particularly for struggling 9th graders and students from…

Continuing use of outdated design is the main source of the crisis in education. The existing system should be "trans-formed" rather than "re-formed." Transformation requires the development of organizational capacity and collective capability to engage in systems design with a broad vision of what should be. (Author/JOW)

Globalization and the evolution of the knowledge-based economy have caused dramatic changes to the character and functions of higher education in most countries around the world. One major trend related to reforming and restructuring universities in Asia that has emerged is the adoption of strategies along the lines of the Anglo-Saxon paradigm in…

After investigating alternatives, a Missouri high school adopted the eight-block flexible scheduling model. Instead of meeting 45-60 minutes every day, classes now meet 94 minutes every other day. Staff and students are enthusiastic. Longer instructional periods allow teachers to develop key concepts and use diverse learning activities and permit…

This meta-analysis reviews research on the achievement effects of comprehensive school reform (CSR) and summarizes the specific effects of 29 widely implemented models. There are limitations on the overall quantity and quality of the research base, but the overall effects of CSR appear promising. The combined quantity, quality, and statistical…

"First Things First" is a reform model intended to transform elementary, middle, and high schools serving significant proportions of economically disadvantaged students. Its three main components are: (1) "small learning communities" of students and teachers; (2) a family and student advocate system that pairs staff members and…

Purpose: "If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound with mine, then come, let's work together". These words of Lill Watson, an indigenous activist, frame the context for this article. The purpose of this research was to examine the historical evolution of "grassroots movement…

The ills of urban schools are well documented. The challenges of recruiting and retaining quality teachers, student mobility, poor conditions of school facilitates, and lack of parent involvement are only a few of the issues related to urban schools. Large comprehensive high schools are a staple of many urban school districts. This model of…

To identify the lessons learned from contracting with private managers in Philadelphia from 2002 to 2005, the author conducted an extensive document review and interviewed state, district and EMO personnel involved with the restructuring process and the specific management structure implemented to administer the Partnership School Model in…

It is intriguing and frustrating that while research evidence on characteristics of effective staff development programs has existed for some time, these features are not commonly in practice. Most of the staff development conducted with K-12 teachers corresponds with the short-term transmission model, with no concern for what is already going on…

A study was conducted to describe the population of alternative models for comprehensive school reform in the region served by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). The study addressed the questions of whether schools that did not propose to adopt widely known or implemented reform models were able to design a reform process…

A Virginia school system independently arrived at and implemented some recommendations from NASSP's 1996 report "Breaking Ranks." In 1994, Old Dominion University and the Norfolk Public Schools embarked on a decade-long major school reform initiative (PRIME) aimed at providing students with exemplary college and career opportunities and…

In July 1992, New American Schools Development Corporation (private, tax-exempt organization) announced selection of 11 designs to serve as models for schools of future. Nationwide competition sought to improve existing public schools with new ideas and money from corporate donations. Winning proposals incorporate concepts such as longer school…

The comprehensive school reform (CSR) models build consistency throughout a district while addressing the needs of individual schools. The high-quality CSR programs offer a most effective option for urban education reform.

The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics, core beliefs, and activities of successful middle grades programs. Schools in Florida are held to standards of accountability under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the Florida System of School Improvement and Accountability, and the Florida Secondary Schools Redesign Act.…