In this article, the author explores the experiences of teaching staff on the conflicts and contradictions of working in a mass higher education system in the UK. The author conducted an in-depth interview with members of staff working in the area of the social sciences at different universities in the UK. She focuses on how her interview…

A case study of a student teacher shows that even under conditions of perceived and/or real constraints on their autonomy, teachers retain great power to shape enacted curriculum (defined as the outcome of interactions among teachers, students, and materials). A student teacher (Ken) was assigned to teach 12th-grade U.S. history in a New York City…

School principals are regularly confronted with conflicting priorities and perplexing dilemmas. This book shares some of the sense that practicing principals have made of their own complex work. Arguing that there are no textbook solutions to most school problems, the book proposes looking at leadership as a quest. It identifies seven persisting…

This book argues that bureaucracy is inappropriate to the information age. It advocates replacing bureaucratic organization with the concept of the "intelligent organization," an organization that develops and engages the intelligence, business judgment, and responsibility of all its members. The successful organization of today builds freedom and…

The four papers in this annual volume on the history of higher education cover some of the changes that evolved over the years in various U.S. institutions. The first paper is: "The Harvard Tutors: The Beginning of an Academic Profession, 1690-1825" (John D. Burton), which discusses the shift from Harvard's original tutorship model to…

Teacher empowerment and parent participation in school decision making have become dominant themes in the current debate over school restructuring. The literature suggests that as teachers become empowered, they may tend to view parents more as clients of education rather than as partners, thereby introducing a potential conflict into the social…

This is an interpretive summary of information from a multiple case study of 11 school districts in California, Arizona, and Nevada conducted in the spring and fall of 1992 as part of a larger set of strategies to work on solutions to the challenges facing schools in metropolitan areas of the Pacific Southwest. Rather than presenting a set of…

The thought of shared leadership offers teachers a vision of more control of central issues of concern, opportunities for significant decision making, and the development of a more democratic environment. This paper presents an account of the success and frustrations encountered by an elementary school throughout an 18-month period of school-based…

A 2-year project designed to identify and meet the needs of America's independent scholars is described. Project objectives were to: increase visibility and support for independent scholarship; learn more about independent scholars and their activities and organizations; identify the main problems and needs of independent scholars; stimulate…

This report looks at the classroom lives of teachers, examining ways in which teachers influence and are influenced by others and impediments to their effectiveness in decision making, lesson planning, and other instructional responsibilities. Conditions and characteristics particular to public school teachers in New York City are considered. Six…

The National Advisory Council on Educational Research and Improvement sponsored a conference to take a close look at the practical ways in which education is being reformed, and perhaps transformed, with the assistance of private-sector advice and innovations and with certain business disciplines. Following are the titles and authors of the papers…

Reductions in resources and increases in external demands place schools under pressure that can be relieved to some extent by organizational changes. When resources are sufficient, these changes may take the form of technical rationality--that is, decisions concerning policy and practices are made on the basis of neutral, measurable data rather…

The relationship between the current collective bargaining movement in higher education and faculty alienation was studied by determining whether professional and work conditions were related to alienation and whether faculty alienation affected opinions concerning collective bargaining. Of 401 mailed questionnaires, 187 usable responses were…

Reports a recent classroom analysis of Latino students who were doing well academically (as reflected both in teachers' assessments and in achievement tests). Finds that teachers were theoretically equipped, able to make curriculum judgments, and received support from colleagues. (MS)

Describes the success of an experienced middle school teacher in balancing her professional and personal values with organizational obligations and responsibilites to students. Encourages administrators to support teachers in the construction, evaluation, and revision of the classroom curriculum and to provide more collegial exchange opportunities…