This study employed the authors' previously developed Statements about Schools Inventory (SAS) to assess how well 14 alternative and 11 conventional high schools were meeting the needs of their students. Pairs of alternative and conventional schools studied were located in 11 communities in 10 states. Results of both student and teacher responses…

This document is the third annual status report of the Spencerport (New York) More Effective Schools/Teaching Project. Section 1 describes nine documents developed during the project; identifies persons participating in the project; states the applicability of effective schools research to all levels of a suburban school system; and sets forth the…

Informed opinion suggests that problems of underachievement in school relate to the lack of particular kinds of experience, discontinuity between school and home, and linguistic and cultural diversity. If a literacy program were based on up-to-date knowledge of the processes involved in reading and writing, and what is known of early literacy…

The Natural Approach to second language instruction has theoretical flaws and tends to reverse teaching methods that have been used successfully for many years. The approach exaggerates the presumed failure of previous language programs and ignores some important characteristics of children's language learning processes. It assumes that explicit…

The ways collective bargaining affects the operation of public schools are identified. Teachers covered by bargaining agreements, compared with teachers not covered, receive higher salaries and teach smaller classes. They also spend slightly less time instructing students but more time preparing for classes. The major difference detected in the…

The Research and Development Center for Teacher Education has launched a national study of change at the high school level, involving visits to a national sample of 18 high schools by 2-member research teams who conducted interviews with various constituencies to determine: (1) the types, sources, and purposes of changes in high schools; (2) the…

The Urban Demonstration Projects (UDP) combined rehabilitative, preventive, and developmental services in a coordinated school and community effort to test the impact of a maximal educational program for disadvantaged students in Ohio's urban schools. This report, which was prepared by staff members from the various projects throughout the State,…

The educational change strategy termed "reaching success through involvement" (RSI) has yielded promising results in creating school effectiveness. This paper analyzes the theoretical bases and practical applications of RSI strategy among 14 schools over an 8-year period. RSI theory assumes that educational organizations are dynamic social systems…

While in office, the 1976 chairman of the Committee against Censorship of the National Council of Teachers of English received reports of complaints about classroom and library materials; debated with textbook protestors; and participated in over 100 radio shows, at least half of which were call-in shows involving exchange of views with schoolbook…

The Saginaw Successful Schools Project (S3P) was described and evaluated using data collected from 1980 to 1985. S3P is a school improvement project based on instructional and school effectiveness research findings; but the starting point for change is determined by staff in each of the 31 school buildings. The School Improvement Survey (SIS) was…

A comprehensive survey was conducted seeking the opinions of 40,000 secondary school teachers on the impact of school reform proposals. Over 13,500 teachers returned questionnaires, for a response rate of 33.9%. In this report an evaluation is presented of the school renewal movement drawn from the perspective of the teacher. The survey included…

Section 1 of this report develops the thesis that while illiteracy is deeply entrenched in certain areas of India, it is also confined to specific pockets of the population. Recognition of this fact should be the basis, according to the author, of literacy strategy. Section 2 provides a history of the levels of priority given to adult education…

This report discusses the results of a survey of the characteristics and the social and academic experiences of black undergraduates at eight predominantly white and regionally diverse State college campuses. The majority of the students sampled were freshmen. Major findings are that: (1) black undergraduates did not report markedly unpleasant or…

Legislation enacted in 1978 and 1982 in New Jersey stipulated that a uniform recordkeeping system be established to gather information on reported offenses against persons, school buildings, and property. This report details the extent of violence and vandalism in the public schools of the state for the first 6 months of 1983. Of 593 districts,…

From a system dynamics perspective, distinctions between organizations and their environments are not objective givens, but hypothetical formulations. Wherever a reciprocal effect of variables is hypothesized, these variables are considered to be inside a single problem system. Everything outside this model system is the environment. To…