| At a time when "global competitiveness" and "world-class standards" are becoming buzzwords for moving forward into the 21st century, the current bureaucratic system of education continues to leave too many students behind. While bureaucracy was created to develop equal opportunities for learning, this project proposes an alternative model of organization, based on restructuring efforts in Chicago and Kentucky, to create the capacity for success of all students, by replacing each of the features of bureaucracy.;This alternative model, called the Whole Learning System, replaces the rigidity of formal rules, under bureaucracy, with four learning processes that enable the system to change according to the needs of students and society: (i) learning about student and family needs; (ii) learning about societal needs; (iii) learning about best practices; and (iv) learning about solving problems. Hierarchies, which characterize bureaucracy, are replaced with school-based teams with the authority to make decisions about curriculum, budgets, instruction, and school operations. Finally, fragmentation within education and between education and health and social service agencies is overcome with networks that coordinate sharing of information about needs and about best practices.;This project provides analyses of the reforms in Chicago and Kentucky with case studies of three schools (two elementary schools and a high school) in each site to ascertain the degree to which both sites have implemented Whole Learning. Data on the reforms were collected through extensive archival research. Data on the schools were collected through four site visits and telephone interviews with teachers, parents, principals, district and state administrators, and community-based organizations spanning over two school years. Teacher focus groups were conducted to determine the impact of Whole Learning on academic achievement, homework completion, student engagement, student-teacher relationships, and parent involvement.;This study concludes that the policy design in both sites establishes the school-based authority to revise school operations to meet student needs. Additionally, schools are linked to networks which provide opportunities for learning about best practices and solving problems. The four learning processes, however, are unevenly implemented because organizational barriers halt their development. Despite their partial implementation, these processes, together with the policies and networks, have resulted in some improved achievement for students. |
