This survey includes programs that are designed for elementary and high school students and which (1) refrain from "institutionalized coercion," (2) de-emphasize traditional curriculum, (3) eliminate dependence on competition and encourage authentic self-motivation, (4) emphasize individual abilities and character rather than formal training in…

THIS ISSUE OF THE NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTER FOR URBAN EDUCATION, AN OFFICE OF EDUCATION REGIONAL LABORATORY, CONTAINS AN ADDRESS TO THE STAFF ON THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE CENTER, A REVIEW OF THE STATUS OF EDUCATIONAL PARKS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES, AND A REPORT ON CLASSES IN NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING WHICH WERE SUBSTITUTED FOR THE…

This report describes a study that examined the process of educational reform and sought to determine how and why internal changes occur in the evolution of an educational program. The author studied the progress of four educational reforms in the Brunswick-Freeport area of midcoast Maine, including the introduction of significant changes in the…

Describes the roots and components of the alternative schools movement. (JF)

Traces the development of critical scholarship in the sociology of education, focusing on its attempts to explain failure for low-income youth. The author also examines contemporary theoretical work in "critical" literacy and three historical instances of when critical literacy was practiced. It is argued that helping at-risk students…