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Education Reform and Students At Risk. Volume I: Findings and Recommendations. Studies of Education Reform.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Education Reform and Students At Risk. Volume I: Findings and Recommendations. Studies of Education Reform.
Language: English
Authors: Rossi, Robert J., Stringfield, Samuel C., Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk, Baltimore, MD., American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences, Palo Alto, CA.
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 127
Publication Date: 1995
Sponsoring Agency: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
Document Type: Reports - Research
Descriptors: Educational Change, Educational Environment, Educational Finance, Educational Innovation, Elementary Secondary Education, High Risk Students, Organizational Climate, Potential Dropouts, Prevention, Program Effectiveness
Abstract: Despite the widespread attention given to education reform, no substantial knowledge base has existed for identifying and implementing specific effective reforms. This document, the first of three volumes, presents findings of a study that sought to identify the essential mechanics of effective reforms for students at risk. The study also identified the incentives for and barriers to implementing and sustaining reforms and their effects on students. It focused on three aspects of school reforms: raising academic standards, enhancing the academic climate of schools and out-of-school environments, and preventing dropouts through the provision of second-chance programs. This volume reviews study findings and discusses their implications for policy, practice, and needed future research. Data were gathered from a review of research for the last 30 years and visits of 12 school sites designated as effective in working with at-risk students. Results show that schools that function as communities have a shared vision, purpose, and shared values; high levels of communication, trust, and full participation; and commitments to caring, incorporation of diversity, and teamwork. High-reliability organizations develop clear and widely shared central goals; have staff who believe that success is critical; stress intensive recruitment and ongoing training; create interdependence among staff; utilize standard operating procedures as far as extant knowledge allows; prize vigilance against lapses and flexibility toward rules; and are invariably valued by their supervising organizations. Implementation reforms need a variety of monetary, personnel, material, and political resources. Implications for policy and practice include: (1) set clear and agreed-upon goals and objectives; (2) align federal, state, and local education programs to serve students; (3) maintain external sources of support for schoolwide programs (e.g., Title I); (4) upgrade teacher-training and staff-development programs; and (5) foster the sense of community among students and staff. A list of publications derived from the study is included. (Contains 540 references.) (LMI)
Entry Date: 1996
Accession Number: ED397541
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Despite the widespread attention given to education reform, no substantial knowledge base has existed for identifying and implementing specific effective reforms. This document, the first of three volumes, presents findings of a study that sought to identify the essential mechanics of effective reforms for students at risk. The study also identified the incentives for and barriers to implementing and sustaining reforms and their effects on students. It focused on three aspects of school reforms: raising academic standards, enhancing the academic climate of schools and out-of-school environments, and preventing dropouts through the provision of second-chance programs. This volume reviews study findings and discusses their implications for policy, practice, and needed future research. Data were gathered from a review of research for the last 30 years and visits of 12 school sites designated as effective in working with at-risk students. Results show that schools that function as communities have a shared vision, purpose, and shared values; high levels of communication, trust, and full participation; and commitments to caring, incorporation of diversity, and teamwork. High-reliability organizations develop clear and widely shared central goals; have staff who believe that success is critical; stress intensive recruitment and ongoing training; create interdependence among staff; utilize standard operating procedures as far as extant knowledge allows; prize vigilance against lapses and flexibility toward rules; and are invariably valued by their supervising organizations. Implementation reforms need a variety of monetary, personnel, material, and political resources. Implications for policy and practice include: (1) set clear and agreed-upon goals and objectives; (2) align federal, state, and local education programs to serve students; (3) maintain external sources of support for schoolwide programs (e.g., Title I); (4) upgrade teacher-training and staff-development programs; and (5) foster the sense of community among students and staff. A list of publications derived from the study is included. (Contains 540 references.) (LMI)