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…

Published in 1949, chapter 1 of a book by the Stelton Modern School's coprincipal discusses the natural self-directed development of creativity and intellect in children. This process is thwarted and wasted by conventional schooling's emphasis on conformity, discipline, and uniform structured activities that have no relevance to the individual…

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…

Despite the success of Japan's educational system in terms of academic achievement, a closer examination reveals a rigid system that discourages student expression and creativity, stresses conformity, ignores differences in student abilities, and supports an intensively competitive entrance system for high school and college. Discusses negative…

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…

Research has indicated that numerous factors influence teaching performance, including nonacademic traits such as personality attributes, self-concept, commitment to teaching, and gender. This study compared the personality characteristics of elementary and secondary preservice teachers. Subjects were junior- and senior-level students (N=186) in…

The report contains 16 papers and additional summaries of workshops held at the 1976 Annual Conference of the International Schools Association in Somerset, New Jersey. The conference theme, Education: Conformity--Liberation, linked the experience of the American Revolution to international education and reviewed the growth of multicultural and…

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…

The Phoenix Indian School, which served as a coeducational federal boarding school for American Indian students between 1891 and 1990, was partially excavated in 1995. Drawing upon written records, books, student recollections, and the school newspaper, this report summarizes what was learned from the excavation about life at the school. The first…

Statement 34 is the most significant change in the history of governmental accounting. It is a dramatic change in the way school districts report and present financial information. This new reporting model affects every public-school organization that issues financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).…

Included in this document are: (1) definitions of the terms "desegregation,""metropolitan" or "multi-district plans,""non-compliance,""non-conformance,""racial composition," and "school authority"; (2) desegregation report and conformity requirements; (3) details of a corrective…