Efforts to increase academic expectations and improve the school climate at Fairfield (Ohio) High School have resulted in a record high in ACT test scores, a decrease in failure and dropout rates, and a dramatic increase in attendance as well as in the percentage of students taking foreign languages, math, and science. Some policy changes…

Quality circles attempt to satisfy both task and personal needs through staff involvement in solving work-related problems. This paper summarizes quality circle theory, applies it to school settings, and suggests a framework for introducing the process to educational institutions. After briefly defining quality circles, the article presents two…

A set of principles that focus on issues concerning implementation of a successful dropout prevention program is presented by a consortium of national educational organizations. The key elements of this "blueprint" consider local adaptations and effective results among various programs. The booklet discusses seven principles for dropout…

Confronted by complex and divisive issues and by groups seeking participation in policymaking, the Salt Lake City Board of Education adopted a shared governance policy in the middle 1970's. The policy mandated creation of two related councils at each school site. The School Improvement Council (SIC) consisted of the principal and specified school…

The Comprehensive School Improvement Program (CSIP), a holistic school improvement plan currently operating in selected New York City schools, is explained in this guide. The handbook is divided into three sections. Section 1 discusses the goals of the CSIP, which are to enable the principal to become a more effective instructional leader of the…

Designed to be a guide for community action, this booklet examines issues and trends related to groundwater contamination. Basic concepts about groundwater and information about problems affecting it are covered under the categories of (1) what is groundwater? (2) availability and depletion; (3) quality and contamination; (4) public health…

The papers in this collection are based on the document "Perspectives on Performance-Based Incentive Plans" and offer brief overviews of the following critical issues in education: (1) performance-based incentive plans; (2) needed organizational changes; (3) successful and unsuccessful teacher incentive plans; (4) compensation strategies…

Most recent initiatives to improve teaching may be characterized as top-down, compliance-oriented policies that seek to increase accountability and regulate different aspects of the profession. Little regard has been paid to the development of assistance programs at the state level that aim at building capacity among teachers and local school…

The process of developing the curriculum and determining educational policy in the schools of the state of Victoria, Australia, has shifted in recent years from being a function of the state bureaucracy to being a matter for collaborative decision-making among parents, students, teachers, administrators, and others involved in education. To ensure…

A study conducted in Massachusetts between October 1986 and May 1987 assessed the behaviors and skills principals exhibit when they make curricular revisions. Questionnaires were sent to all superintendents in Massachusetts, of which 48 were returned. From the information furnished by these questionnaires, 18 principals were selected for onsite…

The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea of how various interests representing public education can be brought into a collaborative alliance. Within this paper, a rationale for a collaborative alliance is analyzed by exploring the degree to which the implications of federal and state regulations and mandates have restricted the creativity…

The Carnegie Foundation recently completed a comprehensive survey of more than 20,000 teachers in all 50 states about their involvement in shaping classroom and school policy. The report consists of a brief introductory analysis of the survey by foundation president Ernest L. Boyer, followed by 10 tables presenting, for each state, the percentages…

This book reports results of a study of the efects of quality of worklife programs and related forms of worker participation on unions and the collective bargaining process. Chapter 1 describes the evolution of worker participation in unionized settings and summarizes basic propositions in models of joint union-management change. In chapter 2 five…

Participation in organizational decisions is thought to have a number of positive effects on performance and worker attitudes, but it is not clear which elements of participation are responsible for these positive effects. The effects of two elements of participation, upward information input by the worker and the provision of downward knowledge…

This report summarizes the results of a statewide survey (excluding New York City) on the objectives, procedures, and problems of school closing; it emphasizes school districts' planning processes. The report begins with information on the geographic distribution of closings; the years districts closed schools; and the types, sizes, and ages of…