In 2009, the federal government committed over $3 billion nationwide to help states and districts turn around their worst-performing schools. The U.S. Department of Education intended for the School Improvement Grants (SIGs) to spur dramatic change.This report looks at the results of a field study of the first-year implementation of those grants…

Institutional isomorphists and other proponents of world culture theory argue that schools around the world are converging in many ways, whereas anthropologists and others question this conclusion, often arguing that local cultural differences belie superficial similarities. These viewpoints are not merely academic explanations of the spread and…

Evidence from previous research suggests that peers at times exert negative influence and at other times exert positive influence on drug and alcohol use among adolescents in recovery. This study explores recovery high school staff members' perceptions of peer support among students in recovery high schools using qualitative interview data.…

Innovations associated with gas and oil drilling technology, including new hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques, have recently led to dramatic boomtown development in many rural areas that have endured extended periods of economic decline. The Marcellus Shale play, one of the world's largest gas-bearing shale formations,…

This study examines how secondary school teachers have implemented educational reforms in China. To examine the implementation process, we conducted teacher, student, and parent surveys. Teachers and students surveys asked questions on how often a teaching or evaluation strategy was used in a given course. The survey concluded that teachers and…

Public school and faith-based private school educators often primarily concern themselves with the health of their own sector. We contend, however, that the United States would benefit if American educators viewed the schooling system more holistically, in the process expressing a greater willingness to learn from those practicing in the other…

Schools created as part of the small schools movement have been in operation for almost a decade, allowing identification of patterns in their growth. This study examines 4 years of survey data on 12 start-up and 13 conversion small high schools. Start-up small schools, almost all of which began with one grade level and grew by one grade per year,…

This study describes the status of small school reforms in U.S. high schools and contemplates their future. It asks how cultural and instructional reforms differ across school reform types. Analyses focus on indicators of teacher and student culture as well as instructional reforms including project-based learning (PBL) and other inquiry-related…

This article uses qualitative case study methodology to examine why the racial composition of magnet schools in Nashville, Tennessee, has shifted to predominantly African American in the aftermath of unitary status. The article compares the policy contexts and parents' reasons for choosing magnet schools at two points in time--under court order…

This article summarizes the results of a 2-part study using both state databases and teacher surveys to examine teacher retention and mobility in Washington's teacher workforce. The first part of the research examined individual teacher records during a 5-year period. Statewide analyses were conducted, and 20 districts were selected for in-depth…

Explores the complexity of balancing curricular standards and accountability with professional creativity and development, focusing on four Chicago high schools that range from a college prep magnet school to a reconstituted school. The paper looks at how teachers respond to curricular standards, frameworks, and assessments and how they shape…

Introduces a theme issue that explores the perceptions of teachers toward African American school leaders as they seek to create inclusive school environments; the capacity of teachers and school leaders to negotiate intergroup conflict so they can work collaboratively on matters of race; and leaders' interpretation and implementation of policies…

Examined the perceptions of teachers of color and European American teachers regarding their African American principals' ability to lead successful urban schools. Survey and interview data indicated that in the areas of image management and relationship development, the two groups perceived their principals' leadership differently.(SM)

Examined how teachers of color and European American teachers perceived intergroup conflicts in desegregated urban schools and how it affected their working relationship. Teacher interviews indicated that intergroup conflict occurred between the two groups. Three major themes that emerged were: incompatible goals, group boundaries, and power…

Introduces a theme issue on school-constituent relationships that includes papers on such topics as community development in educational reform; teacher commitment; parent- principal contacts; family school relationships; school boards and school-based decision making; engaging Latino families; the agency of African American teachers in Franklin,…