Logic of school restructuring: a conceptual analysis

Perusal of the educational literature since 1983 reveals the flood of attention given to reform in this decade. Fueled by reports much like A Nation at Risk and the efforts of personalities such as former Secretary of Education William Bennett, the rhetoric of reform abounds. In state houses across the nation such rhetoric has found expression in reform legislation ranging from career ladders to competency testing. Accompanying this variegation has been a host of buzzwords which seem to have permeated the colloquial language of reform- "mediocrity," "back to the basics," "efficiency," "competency," "educational deficit," "excellence,"-to name but a few. Yet, six years after A Nation At Risk the inquiring observer is led to question the nature and progress of enacted reforms.