Reformers hope that by unbundling schools--taking apart the current structures and routines and putting them together in new ways--we can create better schools. But there is no guarantee that it would improve schools in three areas that we know matter: coherence and infrastructure, the instructional core, and political accountability. However,…

Conventional thinking holds that districts and schools face a strategic decision between two fundamentally different alternatives: make or buy? The former refers to planning, designing, and enacting school-specific improvement initiatives. The latter refers to contracting with external providers of schoolwide improvement programs. However, there…

Computer technology can be used in the classroom in three ways: as tools, integrated learning systems, simulations and games to motivate students. This article identifies eight major observations about schools that have adopted computers, discusses resistance to technology, and outlines guidelines for designing a self-improving school system.(39…

When "A Nation at Risk" appeared in 1983, everyone saw school reform through a lens of preconceived ideas about teaching and learning, and every part of the land of education reacted differently to the report. Some saw the problem as "bad teachers," which immediately raised the question of "bad schools of education" where they were trained.…

Describes several projects that have enabled teachers to leave the isolation of their own classrooms and think together about student work in the broader contexts of school improvement and professional development. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/MLF)

High school reform has now been on the national agenda long enough that people can begin reaching conclusions about the effectiveness of various approaches to it. This article discusses several strategies of high school reforms which includes: (1) improving school climate; (2) strengthening curriculum and instruction; (3) raising graduation…

This article, presents a discussion about Connecticut Superintendents' Network. Established and facilitated by the Connecticut Center for School Change, a school reform organization, the Network is grounded in a theory of action concerning professional development for administrators. The Network's goals are: (1) to develop superintendents'…