Research findings, supported by other research projects, identify the elements relevant to school improvement as school focus, school autonomy, and staff development. A chart based on three recent major literature reviews provides a comprehensive listing of supportable assertions regarding unusually effective institutions. (MLF)

This publication is intended as a practical resource to assist school-based teams in effective implementation of the new provisions to the Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) Act. Chapters include: (1) "The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997: Implications for School-Based Teams" (Mitchell L. Yell,…

A knowledge base on influences on student learning is emerging from a study that analyzed the contents of 179 handbook chapters and reviews, compiled 91 research syntheses, and surveyed 61 educational researchers. This analysis presents results of the research by using a 28-category conceptual framework based on models of schooling that influenced…

This paper describes Nevada's public education policy structure and the responsibilities of various administrative and legislative bodies, including the Nevada State legislature, the governor, the State Board of Education, the superintendent of public instruction, the State Department of Education; the Commission on Professional Standards in…

School business officials' technical knowledge and expertise can make the process of school-based management more successful. The art of site-based management is relationship building through effective interpersonal and communication skills. (MLF)

Proposes an elementary secondary school where an elementary school would teach the basics and the secondary institute would operate more like a college. Students would focus on a main field of interest with other subjects being subsidiary. Presents an analysis of the social construction of schooling to support this idea. (MJP)

The first year of shared governance in a Canadian urban elementary school and the responses of the school's 14 teachers to the system of equal rights and responsibilities for teachers and the principal were described. Shared governance worked well, although not without conflict, but the group eventually used shared governance to resolve conflicts.…

Briefly describes the post-World War II tripartite secondary education system in England and Wales which consisted of technical schools, secondary modern schools, and grammar schools. Discusses the various efforts ("campus schemes") initiated in single schools to make their programs more inclusive and/or effective. (MJP)

Interviews with nine principals of Hong Kong schools found that faced with uncertainties arising from Hong Kong's political transition, principals were somewhat confident about coping with changes in curricula and school management but felt less control over broader changes in access and opportunity following the expected influx of teachers and…

Investigates resourcing issues for schools through headteachers' perceptions of the funding issues. Delegation of financial decision-making has made it harder to obtain impartial analyses of resource-deployment decisions. Concludes that linking resources to learning requires a shift in emphasis away from apportionment and toward the language of…

The most fundamental curriculum question is "What is most worthwhile to know and experience?" A democratic orientation leads to answers to nine other questions relating curriculum planning to a goal of personal and social growth. (nine references) (MLF)

Discusses school power structures. Cites the following examples of "bottom-up" authority: (1) vouchers; (2) magnet schools; and (3) open enrollment. Suggests a new model in which the larger school districts function as "holding companies" and individual schools function as "subsidiaries" of the parent company. (FMW)

The superintendent's innovation and enthusiasm are leading school reform in Dade County, Florida. Educational experimentation includes a satellite school at the airport to serve grades K through two; a nighttime high school; and a school that has teachers acting as mentors for students at risk. (MLF)

Although the driving philosophy underpinning British educational reform since 1988 has emphasized "quality" and "choice," few governmental pronouncements have addressed equity issues. This article defines "equity," focusing on distributional equity as a framework for examining reforms such as formula funding,…

Summarizes a three-year Consortium for Policy Research in Education project to identify conditions in U.S., Canadian, and Australian schools that promote high performance through school-based management. Findings showed that SBM requires redesign of the whole school organization. Success depended on how schools decentralized four key resources:…