Much of the Foundation's current activity in elementary and secondary education reflects lessons learned from the Comprehensive School Improvement Program (CSIP). The CSIP, a $30 million effort in twenty-five communities, was a focal point of the Foundation's efforts in education during the 1960s. The goal was to help schools create a climate congenial to innovations already developed, such as team teaching, non-graded programs, audio-visual materials, and independent study. A report issued this year pointed out that although the CSIP achieved less than had been expected, it provided guidelines for future Foundation approaches that have been emphasized since 1970.

Teacher Training.

One lesson gleaned from the CSIP was that the people who are expected to put new programs into operation should participate in defining problems and developing solutions, and that to do so often requires retraining.

To support the efforts of small groups of teachers to improve classroom instruction, the Foundation has helped establish informal training centers (sometimes called teachers' centers), primarily in areas serving minorities and other neglected student populations. At these centers (supported this year in Boston, New York, and Washington), teachers are trained to serve as advisors to other teachers. Participants (teachers, school administrators, para-professionals, and parents) further their understanding of how children can learn from a wide range of materials and experiences. The centers run workshops and seminars, offer space to try out and make new materials, provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, and answer requests for information.

Administrative Leadership.

The school principal too often is so overwhelmed by administrative duties that he or she has little time to provide effective leadership in instruction. For one approach to dealing with this problem, the Foundation granted funds this year to the Education Development Center in Newton, Massachusetts, to plan a retraining program in eastern Massachusetts, aimed at helping principals improve their schools.

Over the last four to five years, seven universities have been carrying out reforms of their graduate programs for principals and other educational administrators. For example, prospective school leaders spend as much as a third of their time in field work and study the social sciences and sophisticated management techniques in addition to educational theory and practice.

Foundation support was completed in 1973 with grants totaling some $2.5 million. One-fifth of the total went (through the University of Chicago) for a central coordinating office for the seven programs, known as the Center for Educational Leadership. The program goal of bringing more minority-group members and women into educational administration has been realized. Of the 280 students who have participated, 131 are blacks, Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, or Asian Americans, and fifty-seven are women.