Explores the progress of Fenway Middle College High School, in its third year as a Boston pilot school (an in-district charter-school alternative). Significant areas of autonomy remain untested. Fenway learned the value of an experienced, caring, diverse faculty; networking and reorganization opportunities; and idealism to counter "bigger is…

Fear of censure and political pressures for standardization compel teachers to act in ways they know will not further their students' learning. Changing teachers requires more than offering them information about method, organization, and content. To change, teachers need to examine their own learning and discover what engages students in genuine…

Studies the record of three companies (Sabis International, Edison Project, and Alternative Public Schools) that manage Massachusetts for-profit charter schools in serving students with disabilities. The profit motive compels even resource-heavy charter schools to limit required services, use inappropriate disciplinary procedures, segregate…

A study of 17 charter schools in 10 California districts concludes that these schools have not lived up to the assumptions propelling them. Charters fell short on accountability, administrative autonomy, funding efficiency, choice and admissions, infusion of competition, and instructional innovation. Public school educators claim charters are…

Discusses findings of two studies conducted in the Poudre District in Fort Collins, Colorado, which had experienced rapid implementations of in-district choice, a school-within-a-school, several public alternative schools, and a charter school. Debate rages over relationships between public schools and their communities, school choice and academic…

Advocates abolishing school custodians and training school students to clean up their own messes. Personal responsibility has two philosophical bases: pragmatism and "educational reconstructionism," holding that schools must not only transmit the culture, but transform it. Other countries, such as Japan, stress student maintenance of a school's…

Although the default rate on federally insured student loans is declining, the amount of student borrowing has almost tripled since 1990. Borrowers may be finding loans more burdensome, as nearly one-third are unsubsidized and amounts borrowed are steadily increasing. Also, the General Accounting Office has discovered serious program management…

Spectrum Community School, an alternative public high school in the North Kitsap (Washington) School District, and Omnibus School, an independent evening program in Ekaterinburg, Russia, have spent the past six years building bridges. They have traveled to each others' homes and shared each other's lives via a collaborative, engaging, and…

The teaching profession is harmed by its focus on college degrees and length of service; the public views teachers as semiprofessionals, with job security and summers off. Some private schools have developed teacher evaluation and merit pay systems focused on teacher performance, not longevity. Costs and benefits are discussed. (MLH)

A videotape series produced by the Annenberg/CPB Math and Science Collection demonstrates college and secondary students' misconceptions about everyday phenomena and advocates teaching for understanding. Third International Science and Mathematic Study data show American and German teachers' interest in procedures and algorithms, compared with…

Summarizes a complex Kentucky appeals court ruling upholding a school district's right to administer the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System exam to all students. Parents not allowing their children to take the exam lost their "reasonable accommodation" suit--signalling strong judicial support for the education reform movement. (10…

Building social capital for poor children is an important endeavor. Disadvantaged children generally lack a network that allows them to thrive in school and achieve a sense of belonging. Schools in impoverished neighborhoods can strengthen ties to students by building links to the community, becoming full-service community schools, and joining…

Alfie Kohn's article in the February 1997 "Kappan," which questioned the world views informing character education, was disappointing. His criticisms of habit formation were misdirected, and he failed to reconcile the various world views held by parents and children. Character, like other human endeavors, requires vigorous training in unsafe…

Refutes Alfie Kohn's criticisms of modern character education programs in the February 1997 "Kappan." The basic structure of true "for character" education relies on an approach relevant for students of all ages, has been time-tested over 2,500 years, has broad public support, and has a valid research base. Kohn advocates developmental principles…

In his February 1977 article in "Kappan," Alfie Kohn criticizes nearly everyone involved in character education, asserting that the values taught in American classrooms are based on the "ideological legs of behaviorism, conservatism, and religion." Kohn should partake of humility, a commonly taught virtue. Fair treatment for everyone is a…