Reform policy adoption and implementation is examined in the states of Colorado and Maryland. The cases illustrate how three theoretical perspectives (institutional, rational/technical, and interpretive) facilitate an understanding of policy sustainability and adequacy. (MMU)

Discusses some new organizational forms and provides a taxonomy of these emergent forms in urban public education. Argues that the old urban school system's legitimacy has largely collapsed. Examines three institutional change features considered essential for reorganizing urban schools: a shifting balance among governance values; a stronger…

The New Christian Right is hardly a new force in American education, but its recent activism leaves unresolved the question of whether it seeks to transform America in its own image or merely to protect its own position and respect for its special values. Implications for educational policy are considered. (SLD)

Public school systems in Chicago have seen relatively little movement toward school decentralization, despite turbulent periods of civil rights. Some explanations framed in theoretical perspectives for the apparent lag as compared with other cities are given. (Author/AM)

Evidence from 10 cities indicates that large city school systems' difficulty in closing schools stems from administrators' value conflicts between responsiveness to the community and efficiency, and from competing role interests between board members and administrators. (MJL)

Analyzes state performance incentive programs in California, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. Findings suggest that incentive programs vary in effectiveness, indicating that program design is critical to success, and that most of the programs do not have high monetary costs. (FMW)