Charter schools were originally intended to improve the American public education system by introducing innovative practices that could be replicated elsewhere. Charter critics and proponents alike, however, question the degree to which charter schools are truly innovative. While alarm has been raised about apparent conformity among charter…

The 2020 Norwegian national curriculum for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education includes a "competence aim" after Year 7 that expects pupils to be able to "investigate how gender, gender roles, and sexuality are presented in music and dance in the public sphere and create expressions that challenge…

One of the key priorities for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is alignment and conformity across different federal and state systems. ESSA gives states the flexibility to hold schools accountable, measure student outcomes, and provide supports and technical assistance in a way that is aligned with their own priorities. States are encouraged…

Proponents of school uniforms claim many beneficial advantages: improved academic performance, student safety, discipline, and school morale. Opponents say uniform policies violate the First Amendment and will not dramatically improve student performance. School leaders must juggle two conflicting ideals of justice: a student's right to freedom of…

Outlines strategies to reduce inequities in numerous counties, focusing on the distribution of financial and human resources. Also addresses issues of diversity and conformity in education systems. Reduction of regional imbalances does not necessarily require imposition of uniformity, but the diversity caused by decentralization is not always…

Educators, theorists, and community leaders must consider which conceptual template is appropriate for a dynamic, diverse, and productive society and school. Intersubjectivity (stressing empathy, justice, and freedom) avoids the conformity espoused by the extreme right and the Balkanization dangers inherent in far-left recommendations. Promoting…

Discusses educational reform movements as derived from changes in the world economy affecting public education in both developed and developing countries. Examines national reform movements in several countries, noting the shift to closer conformity with increasingly uniform international standards. Treats the politics of school reform and the…

Based on conventional economic analysis, increasing competitive pressures on schools should promote greater curricular innovation and diversity. The United Kingdom's experience suggests that market-based reforms can initially create pressures to increase curriculum conformity in local schooling markets. Innovation incentives are greatest for…

Visionary leaders who take risks, transform schools, and initiate innovations will not emerge from current mentoring structures (comprised of selection, compatibility, sanctions, and conformity), unless these structures are altered. Discusses contradictions between the mentoring paradigm and the call for transformational leaders, and recommends…

Agrees with Bolman and Deal's observations concerning symbolic leadership in the same "Educational Administration Quarterly" issue. Points out some pitfalls of democracy--its tendency to promote conformity and undermine symbols. A society that commits itself to the democratic ideal must strive to organize its institutions accordingly and choose…

Recent incorporation of a performance assessment in Arizona's test mandate provides an opportunity to examine the assumptions and beliefs underlying measurement-driven reform. Efforts to meld cognitive-constructivist beliefs about pupil learning and assessment contradict behaviorist beliefs about changing teachers and reforming schools. Mandates…

The arts deserve an integral place in schools, since they provide outlets for individuality, enhance thinking and language skills, and possess intrinsic educational value. Arts counter modern society's awesome drive for conformity by offering opportunities for authenticity and spontaneity. Arts offer the last glimmer of warmth and humaneness in a…

The dichotomy between individualism and conformity, the myth that gifted children will make it on their own, and the fallacy of equating equal opportunity with equal potential, ability, and results has fostered a climate in which simplistic thinking, ambivalence, and neglect is prevalent. Awareness of this larger social context can allow for new…

Offers a descriptive analysis and critical evaluation of multicultural education policy and practice. It examines the three ideological systems for viewing assimilation as proposed by M. M. Gordon: "anglo-conformity"; "melting pot"; and "cultural pluralism." The author includes discussions of two educational policy…

In this report on leadership in the public schools, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton demonstrates how to make schools better places for learning and to encourage more of it. A brief biography of Clinton is presented in the beginning. The report represents a new generation of thinking on school leadership in that it emphasizes the leadership…