The following are conclusions of “School Reform: Lessons From England,” a report of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching:
- Statehouses and school boards seeking to raise curriculum standards must seek the advice and willing participation of teachers and parents.
- A carefully crafted curriculum framework can help rather than hinder teachers.
- New assessment techniques must be piloted and well-funded, as well as supported by various education constituencies. The purpose of tests must be stated with precision.
- Local management and financial delegation offer schools the flexibility to tailor resources to particular needs.
- Self-governing schools run the risk of threatening a planned and integrated system of education dedicated to equal access.
- The quest for greater autonomy within schools must not jeopardize accountability to democratically elected institutions.
- There are limits to parental choice.
- Per-capita funding and a competitive market force schools to become rivals striving to gain advantage.
- Change should be implemented for educational advantage, not political expediency.
Copies of the study are available for $12 each, plus shipping and handling, from California Princeton Fulfillment Services, 1445 Lower Ferry Road, Ewing, N.J. 08618; (800) 777-4726 or (609) 883-1759. Bulk-order discounts are available.
