The relationship between participation in national reform network activities and the quality of the Success for All program implementation is examined. Results of a research survey of principals and facilitators indicate that the success of the reform program relies on networking among teachers and schools through participation in national…

Explores the efforts of two African-American principals of an innercity elementary school to involve parents in all levels of the educational process through school reform. Despite similar backgrounds, the principals differed in their understanding of the community and their position in it. One was successful in improving home/school relations,…

A review of leadership evaluations and accountability systems in hundreds of schools revealed seven keys to effective systems: balance between achievement and improvement, specific demands, focus on student performance, frequency, adaptation to individual strengths, rewards for tough choices, and reflection. No system can succeed if leaders lack…

Discouraged by their existing administrator evaluation system, a task force of principals reviewed the literature and crafted a more effective process geared to developing leadership capacity that accepts full responsibility for student growth. The process increased interactions with colleagues, gave participants support and assistance in tackling…

Reviews Cuban educational reforms, highlighting 1959, 1976, and 1980s initiatives. Compares Cuba's progress with John Kotter's eight-step process based on establishing a sense of urgency, creating a guiding coalition, developing and communicating the change vision, empowering broad-based action, generating short-term wins, consolidating gains, and…

Reviews 77 empirical and case studies of school-based management (SBM) implementations reported between 1985 and 1995 to determine typical obstacles and promising ameliorative strategies. There is no firm evidence of SBM's effects on students. Administrative-control SBM would probably produce the least amount of school change. Community-control…

Proposes an alternative to strategic and other school-improvement planning: collaborative intervention process (CPI) for initiating schoolwide change. The five-phase process includes planning, assessing, executing, implementing, and evaluating. CPI strategy, which stresses broader stakeholder involvement and frequent intercommunications, should be…

A Maryland middle school helps students navigate passage to high school with 10 crossings: parent engagement, mentoring transitional opportunities program, a middle-school exit form, a special assembly, a closing ceremony, a unification process, departmental articulation, a roundtable involving middle- and high-school principals, and a high-school…

Presents a discussion paper reflecting on the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) after one year of operation. Argues that once the NLS becomes established it will be necessary for all teachers to engage with the research literature so that they teach from a position of professional understanding of the processes involved in reading and writing…

Describes activities associated with Teen Read Week in October, 1999 in which young adult author Adam Rapp was the first Author-in-Residence at Ridgewood High School, near Chicago, Illinois. Notes students in the English Skills class (for students who need extra help) seemed genuinely interested in the book and the author. Describes how funding…

A survey of 68 schools shows that half of all volunteers have college degrees; most support classroom and tutoring activities. Volunteers are beneficial, despite costs associated with program administration, recruitment, interviewing, screening, orientation, training, performance assessment, motivation, recognition, record keeping, reporting,…

Examines the conceptual underpinnings of charter schools, their appeal to reformers, and the resistance to their implementation. The charter-school movement seems promising but will probably founder, due to inadequate financial support, special interest groups' lobbying efforts, and lack of an entrepreneurial spirit among educators. (11…

Presents a vision of how the agency-based GILS (Government Information Locator Service) will be implemented to help the public locate and access information throughout the Federal Government. Topics include policy context, the user perspective, data and information, the provider perspective, design principles, functional requirements, and GILS…

Inclusion-oriented schools should define their philosophy, form a committee, develop a written plan, provide early staff development, review children's individual needs, develop program modifications, and prepare parents and students. During the second year, schools should implement a pilot program, provide ongoing staff development, and evaluate…

State mandates in Kentucky, Oregon, Mississippi, and Tennessee have raised questions concerning multiage grouping's viability. Some educators are implementing multiage classrooms and schools with insufficient forethought, planning, and stakeholder participation. A recent study underlines the importance of teacher readiness, parental involvement,…