This series of newspaper articles evaluates North Carolina's schools and establishes a relationship between the state's rural poverty and low student achievement levels. Test scores in 1988 are consistently low in all but four of the poorest rural counties. Small schools are disappearing from rural areas. Large schools can offer students more…

Scholars know the history of oppression. They know that struggles against oppression do not evolve in a vacuum. They may suspect that where discrimination exists, revolt is only an inch below the surface. What many may not realize is that the African-American fought against bigotry, racism, vigilante injustice, brutal violence, lynching, terror,…

This paper describes the emerging debate on efficiency and program quality in rural schools, explores the strengths and weaknesses of rural district consolidation, and suggests policy options for redesigning rural education. An examination of economic trends, demographics, and philosophical changes regarding rural education's purpose puts…

Information, analysis, and commentary are presented in a report that examines the progress and difficulties that states are having in assuming more of a moral and practical leadership role in achieving equity in higher education among minorities. The report discusses the fundamental dilemma states face in trying to foster greater institutional…

Within the framework of the Dutch national policy for the integration of computers in education, a cooperative research and development project is being carried out by two pilot schools (grades 7-12) and a team of researchers. Based on the results of an analysis of experiences and current practice on computer use in the two pilot schools and…

Component-building research on practical issues of instructional design can make a substantial contribution to research-based school improvement. Component-building research consists of rigorous within-school experiments that test various components of instruction for effects on student achievement. Research would address practical issues that…

The moral and ethical values enunciated by America's leading religious organizations lay much of the groundwork for its major democratic institutions and establish the benchmarks by which U.S. employment conditions and policies should be measured. The public's perception of the economy's relative well-being is based on oversimplified statistical…

The report of the Independent Commission on the Future of the State University of New York is presented, based on public hearings, review of staff studies, visits to the 18 campuses, and interviews with personnel at the State University of New York (SUNY), other colleges, and state officials. Major findings include: SUNY is the most overregulated…

This paper describes two conceptual models for addressing long-range development needs of principals. The first, a job competency model for managing productive schools, presents a comprehensive view of the central job tasks of the principal for stretching the school's capacity to influence achievement norms. Changing the school's work norms…

During the 1982-83 school year the Spencerport (New York) Central School District began a comprehensive project to study the effective schools research and its implications at all levels of a suburban school system. A leadership planning team (consisting of teachers, principals, and district personnel) participated in a series of workshops and…

Goals and priorities of the University of Nevada System for 1987-1991 are presented, with attention to growth projections, campus academic and budget priorities, capital construction needs, economic development, strengthening higher education in the state, and data collection. In addition to the System's goals, academic priorities are described…

A formative evaluation was undertaken at an urban community college to determine how an open-admission general studies program should be restructured to better meet student goals and the college's educational objectives. The evaluation process included: interviewing key college representatives to generate hypotheses, and review of the hypotheses…

Changing socioeconomic, cultural, and demographic forces have caused educational nonparticipation among adults to be treated as a social issue. Recent research has attempted to combine dispositional, situational, and environmental factors into composite models of participation. These models have suggested the following categories of deterrence…

Ways to improve college student loans, work-study, and grants programs are suggested, based on the experience of the financial aid director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is recommended that emphasis be shifted from the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) Program to the National Direct Student Loan (NDSL) Program, which is more…

The task of addressing the complex and deeply rooted problems faced by the nation's at-risk youth is one that largely falls outside the scope of traditional institutions. Investment in the development and operation of "second-chance" education and employment programs has historically been inadequate, haphazard, and uncertain. The gains…