Professional opinion and major research studies on the recommended sizes for school and school districts are summarized in this review. Definitive recommendations are not attempted, but the review does provide educational decision-makers with an insight into the thinking of others on these questions. The first section of the two-part study reviews…

People for Education has tracked the effects of funding and policy changes on Ontario's secondary schools since 2000. In 2002-03, 168 public and Catholic secondary schools were surveyed province-wide. Findings indicate that high school has become a harsher environment for students as schools have become larger and student-to-staff ratios have…

This bulletin informs teachers about opportunities to teach overseas under the Educational Exchange program, conducted by the Department of State. These include teacher interchange matchings, one-way teaching assignments for American and foreign teachers here and abroad, and summer seminars for teachers of modern foreign languages, the classics,…

A survey of 243 New England colleges and universities found a strong relationship between institution size and the scope of its institutional research function, reporting relationship, and size and qualifications of the research staff. Size of staff and qualifications of the institutional director were significant predictors of involvement in…

The 2015 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 51st in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The "Digest" has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977-78, 1983-84, and 1985-86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field…

A 1989 survey of Georgia's elementary and secondary school principals was undertaken to discover the relative importance of their schools' administrative needs according to five organizational criteria: (1) needs of schools statewide; (2) comparison of elementary and secondary school needs; (3) needs of schools by system size and socioeconomic…

Attention is focused on the possible loss of efficiency associated with efforts to increase size by closing schools and consolidating school districts. Empirical evidence from New York State is presented that shows that lower levels of efficiency exist in large compared to small school districts. Implications for policy are explored. (Author/CT)

A table shows enrollment figures for the nation's 50 largest school districts. Percent of enrollment growth or decline is shown for 1982 compared, respectively, to 1981, 1980, and 1971. (TE)

This study examined how teachers perceived their professional development needs and how to best meet those needs in the context of systemic reform (the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990), noting plans for professional development created by teachers themselves. A stratified random sample of schools from five geographic locations in Kentucky…

This paper reports results of the first systematic analysis of the progress of standards-based reform in U.S. school districts. Using data from a recent national survey of school districts (n=2,700) and a companion national survey of schools (n=1,177), it is found that not only do districts appear to play an important role, bigger districts appear…

A study of selected districts in 18 states concluded that economies of scale consistently and significantly influence how educational resources are allocated among schools. District size figures significantly in inequalities present within districts. Equalizing both school and district size is essential for achieving equitable distribution…

People in the rolling, scenic valley, between the Ozarks and Ouchita mountains have a lot in common. As of this school year, they share something else in common: a school district. The four districts that make up the newly christened Two Rivers are among 57 rural Arkansas systems that state lawmakers forced to consolidate with their neighbors.…

In 2006, President Bush proposed the America's Opportunity Scholarships for Kids initiative in his budget request for the Department of Education. The plan would make $100 million available in competitive grant awards to provide scholarships to low income students in persistently failing public schools. Only low-income students attending public…

Across the country, states are concentrating efforts to meet the requirements and the spirit of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The implementation provisions and timelines are demanding and challenging for all districts. NCLB is particularly daunting, however, for rural and small districts. This paper outlines the characteristics of rural schools and…

The research topics addressed in this study include the following: (1) reasons dropouts who immediately pursued a General Educational Development (GED) did not complete high school; (2) characteristics of the schools those GED examinees last attended; (3) differences in the reasons for not completing school by school characteristics; and (4)…