This paper discusses the nature of people and the prospect of change. People are identified as either creators of change, reactors to change, or those who attempt to move forward while looking backward, and the education profession exhibits a seeming increase in reactionary approaches. In the educational planning process, many issues exist that…

This publication contains six selected papers from the 30th Anniversary Meeting of the University Council for Educational Administrators (UCEA) in the fall of 1987. The first article, by John A. Thompson discusses problems associated with implementing the agenda of the Holmes Group report in decentralizing the control of schools. Leslie, Snyder,…

Downsizing schools--creating small schools, schools-within-schools, and small learning communities--has been a highly favored school reform strategy of recent years, one that is supported by considerable research. Yet for many of these schools, the going has not been easy, bedeviled by bureaucratic resistance, public misunderstanding, and…

Collegiality can effectively address complex schoolwide problems requiring shared expertise or cohesive schoolwide action for resolution, but traditional teacher autonomy may inhibit such collegiality. Two New Zealand schools used collegial processes to develop solutions to schoolwide problems. Forest High was worried that staff failure to meet…

The international trend toward the devolution of many decisions and responsibilities for managing schools to the schools themselves is a powerful influence changing the understanding of educational leadership. This trend is also apparent in Australia, where there has been substantial change in the way schools are structured, financed, and managed.…

The three 1993 issues of selected readings present annotated bibliographies of resources available from CHIME (Clearinghouse for Immigrant Education). CHIME facilitates public access to literature, research, teaching materials, and human resources to promote the effective education of immigrant students. The issues in this series pertain to the…

This paper reviews research on principals' and teachers' roles in site-based decision making (SBDM). Research examining teacher participation in SBDM is reviewed, finding that higher quality teaching behaviors and higher student academic attainment resulted from teacher participation. The review focuses on steps in implementing SBDM, means for…

From 1990 to 2000, a qualitative study of the implementation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) was conducted in four small rural school districts in Kentucky. KERA reflects key components of what would later be termed "systemic reform": a unifying set of goals that all students must attain, a coherent system of instructional…

This digest examines the unique nature of public charter schools, explains their obligations to students with disabilities, and presents the results of two federally funded studies of special education in charter schools. It finds wide variations among the 37 states which permit charter schools. The digest stresses the importance of the legal…

Staff interviews addressed the changing roles and relationships between principals of one-teacher schools and administrators of the North West Region of the New South Wales Department of School Education. Over a five-year period, the approaches employed by administrators to implement departmental policy changes altered significantly and resulted…

In Finland and England, national policy on subject- versus child-centered curriculum are moving in opposite directions. Comparative studies of four small elementary schools indicate that teachers' beliefs, values, and practices were powerful mediators of their interpretations and responses to imposed changes, and the ethos of very small schools…

Examines Project IMPACT, a school-based teacher enhancement model for elementary mathematics instruction designed to improve student performance and support teacher change in predominately minority schools. Comparative data show IMPACT schools having significantly higher mathematics achievement scores that are persistent over time. Instructional…

Daniel Webster Accelerated School in San Francisco (California) is one of two schools adopting the process of school change developed by H. M. Levin. An interview with Levin explains his philosophy of accelerated schools characterized by (1) unity of purpose; (2) school site responsibility; and (3) building on strengths. (SLD)

Discusses Milwaukee's (Wisconsin) project for school choice. Describes the program of public funding for private schools, vouchers, and parent-run schools for African-American and Hispanic students. Cites autonomy, small class size, and values instruction as advantages of the small private schools. Reports graduation rates are higher and reading…

Experiences of the Des Moines (Iowa) public schools as they work for educational improvement and school restructuring are described. The school system will be considered successful only if what is taught is learned at an acceptable level by all students. Restructuring is traced from its 1989 inception to the present. (SLD)