Argues that while customizing education through home schooling may permit schooling to be tailored for each individual student, total customization also threatens to insulate students from exposure to diverse ideas and people and thereby to shield them from the vibrancy of a pluralistic democracy. (Contains 10 references.) (Author/PKP)

Describes programs in several states that seek to ease students' transition to postsecondary education and careers by providing them with a range of learning options and ever-widening circles of experience that move them away from school. These programs tailor experiences and learning objectives to students' developmental levels and interests.…

Describes Pathways to High School Success, a restructured high school program created by the Rochester City (New York) School District to allow students to earn a diploma in 3, 4, or 5 years. (PKP)

Describes theme schools developed for students in Dearborn (Michigan) Public Schools, such as an elementary school for science and a high school for engineering and technology. Includes a discussion of benefits and challenges. (PKP)

Describes several small technology-based high schools that offer a personalized approach to education through the use of projects, digital portfolios, exhibitions, and internships. (PKP)

Describes the curriculum and learning objectives at Academy X, a leadership and humanities school for 11th- and 12th-grade students at Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, California, the primary focus of which is a multiweek student internship divided into four components: the meaningful project, the essential question, the onsite…

Describes benefits of entrepreneurship education. Includes some examples of how entrepreneurship education can be added to the middle-school curriculum. (PKP)

Reviews research investigating the effectiveness of for-profit schools operated by educational management organizations. (PKP)

Describes prevalence, problems, causes, and treatments of substance abuse among adolescents. Suggests what schools can do to help alleviate the problem. (PKP)

Highlights some of the major findings of the December 2001 RAND report on charter schools and vouchers prepared by Brain P. Gill, P. Michael Timpane, Karen E. Ross, and Dominic J. Brewer. The report can be ordered from RAND at www.rand.org/publications. (PKP)

Asserts that an instructional leader's greatest challenge is changing an unhealthy school culture into a healthy one that promotes lifelong student and adult learning. Describes what instructional leaders should do to create healthy school cultures. States that unhealthy school cultures tend to produce at-risk students. (PKP)

Former principal tells how he transformed high school from an emphasis on teaching to an emphasis on learning by functioning as a learning leader rather than an instructional leader. Asserts that all principals should become learning leaders that promote student and teacher learning. (PKP)

Argues that concept of principal as instructional leader is too limited to sustain school improvement. Advocates that principals serve as change agents who transform the teaching and learning culture of the school. Describes how principals can bring about sustainable change in the school culture. (PKP)

Asserts that the way schools organize instructional practice often inhibits teaching and student learning. Offers suggests for improving the organization of instruction. (PKP)

Results of Public Agenda survey of 853 superintendents and 909 principals about problems they face in carrying out their jobs reveal concerns with bureaucracy, workload, funding, accountability, teacher tenure, and university administrator preparation programs. Asked administrators to rate approaches to improve their working conditions. Draws…