LEARNING FROM SCHOOL RESTRUCTURING

Citation
Pl. Peterson et al., LEARNING FROM SCHOOL RESTRUCTURING, American educational research journal, 33(1), 1996, pp. 119-153
Citations number
37
Categorie Soggetti
Education & Educational Research
ISSN journal
00028312
Volume
33
Issue
1
Year of publication
1996
Pages
119 - 153
Database
ISI
SICI code
0002-8312(1996)33:1<119:LFSR>2.0.ZU;2-U
Abstract
We analyzed cases of restructuring experiments in three elementary sch ools, each with ethnically diverse populations located in large urban school districts in different parts of the United States. Over 2 years , we gathered data on views and classroom writing practices of two tea chers in each school through on-site interviews and observations. We a lso interviewed the principal and other support personnel. We found th at these three schools did successfully restructure; changes included new student grouping patterns, new ways of allocating time for subject matter, teachers meeting together as a whole school or in teams and a ccess to new ideas through professional development opportunities. Thr ough close analyses of teachers' classroom practices, we learned that changing teachers' practice is primarily a problem of learning not a p roblem of organization. While school structures can provide opportunit ies for learning new practices, the structures, by themselves, do not cause the learning to occur.