Restructuring, the current name for school improvement, usually refers to technical, political/social, or occupational orientations. School improvement research discloses five approaches opening different passageways to school culture: collegiality, research, site-specific information, curriculum initiatives, and instructional initiatives. No…

The Richmond (Georgia) County School Improvement Program, Models of Teaching, combines four related innovations: teacher study groups, an instructional council, provision of over 100 training hours in 4 student learning models, and trained teacher cadres to assist colleagues. Criticized by some as a top-down approach, the program has maintained…

In a sense, school reform is Chicago's "perestroika." As in Europe, an authoritarian, survivalist bureaucracy has collapsed, and a radical democracy is proposed as the solution to years of paralysis and backwardness. Unfortunately, the inexperienced Local School Councils lack vision and often promulgate commonplace solutions. Insistence on parent…

Soviet scholar Lev Vygotsky identified the most common cause of miseducation: failure to convert the classroom into a community of discursive inquiry. The USSR's Academy of Pedagogical Science is collaborating with Montclair State College (New Jersey) to introduce "Philosophy for Children," an American critical thinking program compatible with…

Previous educational reform efforts have not made significant, lasting improvements because they focused on correcting visible structural flaws. Educational organizations are social organisms held together by a symbolic webbing, not formal systems driven by goals, official roles, commands, and rules. Deep structures and practices must be…

A Learning Consortium formed by 4 school districts and 2 higher education institutions in the Toronto area brings together teachers, administrators, and professors in a collegial partnership that focuses on educators' sustained professional development. In a "living laboratory" environment, the group works to link classroom and school improvement.…

Teaching teams, staff development for teachers, and frequent communication concerning progress are key elements of a Texas district's efforts to improve elementary mathematics instruction without the usual loneliness experienced by teachers attempting change. The most difficult task for teachers was learning to lead their peers. (MLH)

When moral authority transcends bureaucratic leadership in a school, commitment and performance outcomes far exceed expectations. In transactional leadership, the leader and the led exchange needs and services to accomplish independent objectives. In transformative or bonding leadership, leaders and followers are united in pursuit of common goals.…

Known as "Doc" by his students, as a troublemaker by his critics, as good copy for journalists, and as a dedicated professional by his supporters, Dennis Littky is guided by an impassioned desire to improve education, regardless of the personal risks involved. He became a maverick principal to influence educational change. (MLH)

Through sharing and collegiality, teacher empowerment, and effective leadership, the principal and staff at DeKeyser Elementary School, in Sterling Heights, Michigan, have created a culture for change. The school's cultural elements include Tuesday meetings, planning sessions, schoolwide themes, cross-age teaching, schematic displays, and…

Whereas the laissez-faire approach merely tells each teacher to do what he or she thinks best, the principal moving toward empowerment charges a group of teachers with devising the best decision for all. A Maryland elementary school used the Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement staff development plan as a big step toward preparing teachers…

Under the guidance of a new superintendent, an underfunded and uninspired rural New England school district galvanized community support for school improvement and completely revitalized its program through collaborative decision making. Goal setting, used by individual classroom teachers, committees, and administrative teams, became part of the…

While Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was being transformed into a high-tech financial, service, and education center, a school district-teacher union professionalism initiative called the Professionalism and Education Partnership (PEP) emerged. The creation of the instructional teacher leader position enhanced teacher-administrator relations and…

In 1980, The Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Public School District polled its teachers, administrators, politicians, and parents for their views on the schools' most pressing needs. In the resulting renewal plan, phase I focused on renewing teachers' professional skills. Phase II challenged schools to institutionalize shared decision making and…

A four-year study of urban high school renewal found that the leadership and management of change meant dealing with uncertainty, complexity, turbulence, and the cussedness of many different people. This article discusses four study topics (context, vision building, resources, and problem coping), explores will and skill issues, and provides…