Following the publication of "A Nation At Risk" in 1983 by National Commission on Excellence in Education, school districts came under increased public demand for greater educational performance. Olson and Gerald (1998)noted that "when people talk about the problems in public education, theyre usually not talking about suburbs or small towns. Theyre talking about big-city schools--specially the ones that serve poor children." In response, many superintendents were persuaded by two leading professional bodies: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and the American...