This article presents findings from a 4-year study of 13 culturally and linguistically diverse elementary schools implementing comprehensive school reform (CSR) models. The study focused on: (a) the actions at the state and district levels that facilitated or inhibited reform implementation; (b) the adaptability of the various reforms in…

This article reports on a research project that explored the manner in which veteran school principals become aware of, and committed to, new perspectives and practices. Personal stories of formative and transformative change from the careers of 23 school principals were collected and analyzed comparatively. Four analytic tools were devised that…

We use several national surveys to provide a 50-year perspective on time spent on homework. The great majority of American children at all grade levels now spend less than one hour studying on a typical day--an amount that has not changed substantially in at least 20 years. Moreover, high school students in the late 1940s and early 1950s studied…

Describes an approach to overcoming challenges of large-scale multisite educational reform evaluation in the context of a study of the relationships between student achievement and instructional practices in the National Science Foundation's Systemic Initiatives program. Pooled data from 11 sites were analyzed with a planned meta-analytic…

Studied the extent to which the requirement that students complete three credits in mathematics and science was implemented in schools using a nationally representative sample from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1998. Evidence indicates that schools do not strictly enforce this policy. Increasing the number of credits students earn…

Elaborated a theoretical rationale for relational networks, norms, and trust as structural and functional norms of social capital that facilitate student achievement. Results of hierarchical generalized linear modeling show that the odds of fourth graders passing state-mandated assessments are modestly increased in urban schools (n=49)…

Examined patterns of special education services in elementary grades for children participating in the Child-Parent Center Preschool program or other early childhood programs of the Chicago Public Schools, Illinois. Findings for 1,377 children show a lower special education placement rate for participants and support the value of preschool…

Measured how competition among New Zealand's schools have affected student learning as perceived by teachers and principals. Findings suggest the competition brought about by New Zealand's implementation of full parental choice in 1992 has had negative effects on the quality of student learning and other aspects of schooling in New Zealand…

This article reports on findings from a longitudinal study of leadership in the context of a region-wide school renewal effort entitled the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative (BASRC). BASRC's theory of action is multifaceted, incorporating a focus on distributed leadership, continual inquiry into practice, and collective decision-making at the…

During the first half of the twentieth century in British Columbia, French language was considered a school subject to be taught as any other using formal classical approaches. Generally, no specific provincial or local policies existed to guide how French was taught and learned. By 1981, however, British Columbia had developed explicit language…

The purpose of this paper is to stimulate debate on how to define and enact public responsibility to children with complex health care needs and their families. We present a program, developed using the Auditor General's framework for accountability that involves Community Care Access Centres, schools and Saint Elizabeth Health Care, a complex…

This article investigates the recruitment and selection strategies of one large Canadian school district in Ontario, called here the "Northwestern School District." Data collection included interviews, document analyses and observations, and were gathered in 2001. Findings indicated that designated structured teams, financial and emotional support…

School improvement literature emphasizes collaboration of teachers, parents, and community members. Schools are challenged to create mutually beneficial partnerships that result in improved student performance. One source of challenge is schools' organizational structures and processes do not contribute to full and meaningful involvement of…

This article discusses recurrent themes in the literature about teaching in developed countries: the intensification of work, increased central control, diminished professional autonomy, and fears about the deskilling of teachers. Labour Process theory is used to consider how we might understand the ways in which teachers' work and professionalism…

Recognizing that learning to teach cannot be separated from learning to inquire, I argue that teachers have specific relational and ethical responsibilities to their students, particularly in the context of a diverse society. Using my research experiences with Aboriginal people as examples, I propose an ethical framework based upon four underlying…