Rethinking Reform: The Principal's Dilemma : a Special Report of the NASSP Curriculum Council

Rethinking Reform: The Principal's Dilemma : a Special Report of the NASSP Curriculum Council
ISBN-10
0882101935
ISBN-13
9780882101934
Category
Curriculum change
Pages
73
Language
English
Published
1986
Publisher
Reston, Va. : National Association of Secondary School Principals
Authors
Herbert J. Walberg, James W. Keefe, NASSP Curriculum Council

Description

Principals can meet the challenges posed by the educational reform movement only by identifying and confronting each dilemma and exerting educational leadership amidst all the confusion. This report discusses leadership dilemmas and suggests effective strategies for resolving them. The title of each chapter is in the form of a question. The introductory chapter offers concise definitions that answer the question, "what dilemmas?" The second chapter asks if reforms are like swinging pendulums and details patterns of reaction and counterreaction in past and present reform movements. The solution is not the midpoint balance, but Dewey's method of abandoning opposing opinions and approaching the problem in a new light. Unfortunately, there has been no impartial body to speak out for American public education since the Educational Policies Commission's demise almost 20 years ago. Meanwhile, principals must learn to be educational leaders, not mere managers, and schools must rise above fads to reflect the best in society. The next chapter questions whether reforms are needed and responds affirmatively on the basis of recent blue ribbon reports and changes in public support and student demographics. Succeeding chapters explore curriculum design and integration, facets of school administration, the plight of high risk youth facing more stringent academic standards, and school scheduling alternatives. The last two chapters focus on educational quality, reviewing effective instruction elements and teachers' expectations regarding low achievers. References are included at the end of each chapter. (MLH)

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