International journal of educational reform 

About: International journal of educational reform is an academic journal published by SAGE Publishing. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Higher education & Primary education. It has an ISSN identifier of 1056-7879. Over the lifetime, 999 publications have been published receiving 4838 citations. The journal is also known as: IJER.

School Restructuring in Practice: Reckoning with the Culture of School.

Abstract: The realization that existing educational institutions do not adequately promote the ful l educational devel­ opment of children especially children who are poor, of color, and have a first language other than En­ glish has existed for several decades. Although strategies have been developed to address these issues, to further new ways of thinking about education, and to create alternative structures, the outcomes of these strategies appear less than effective. This failure is at least partly due to an underestimation of how the culture of school (Goodlad, 1975 ; Sarason, 1982 , 1990; Purkey and Smith , 1985 ; Deal , 1987) constrains school change. If the culture of school is a concept that helps explain the difficulty of altering norms and be­ havioral regularities in schools, then finding ways to alter a school culture should provide a foundation for restructuring schooling and education . To develop and explore ways o f overcoming the ob­ stacle of existing school culture, the author and col­ leagues are engaged in a collaborative, five-year proj­ ect ! with two schools serving one geographic area of a medium-sized southwestern city. Some project goals have focused on the local needs of the community served by the schools. Three-fourths of persons over 18 in the community do not have a high school diploma or GED, almost forty percent of the popula­ tion l ives at or below the poverty level , and many first­ grade students do not speak English . However, the project's research goals have focused on larger issues about . education and restructuring. When we began our work at the project school , we

Creating Communities of Learners: The Interaction of Shared Leadership, Shared Vision, and Supportive Conditions.

Abstract: This study examines the preliminary results of a 5-year national study on creating communities of learners, provides findings from teachers and principals at 20 schools, analyzes characteristics of highand low-readiness schools, and discusses the interaction of leadership, vision, values, and the conditions required for professional learning communities (PLCs.) Characteristics of professional learning communities include shared authority and power, a united focus on student learning, collective learning by staff, supportive institutions, and the sharing of personal instructional practices. Effective leadership from the entire school community is needed to implement shared visions and values, and this requires developing the personal capacities of staff, and providing for adequate times and settings for peer dialogue and departmental communication. The Southwest Educational Development Laboratory project, "Creating Communities of Continuous Inquiry and Improvement," targets the creation of PLCs with co-developers in the Southeast, Midwest, and Northwest regions of the U.S. The preliminary data clearly suggest schools that have successfully integrated shared leadership, shared vision, and a supportive school culture are much better positioned to create professional learning communities than the less "change-ready" schools, which lacked similar markers of progress. Further research may reveal particular practices that facilitate integration in these three critical areas. (Contains 15 references.)(TEJ) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Creating Communities of Learners: The Interaction of Shared Leadership, Shared Vision, and Supportive Conditions Jane B. Huffman University of North Texas College of Education P.O. Box 311337 Denton, Texas 76203 940 565-2832 huffman@unt.edu Kristine A. Hipp Cardinal Stritch University College of Education 6801 North Yates Road Milwaukee, WI 53217 414/410-4346 khipp@acs.stritch.edu

Do Career and Technical Education Programs of Study Improve Student Achievement? Preliminary Analyses from a Rigorous Longitudinal Study.

Abstract: This longitudinal study examines the impact of programs of study on high school academic and technical achievement. Two districts are participating in experimental and quasi-experimental strands of...