Projects supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) have a very high survival ratio after the grant has ended. The reason for this success seems to lie in the structure and principles of FIPSE. These principles (which can be adopted as guidelines in the creation of other innovation funds) include allowing maximum…

This report abstracts and summarizes seventy-eight Indiana research and development projects funded in 1977 with moneys allocated by parts C and D of the 1968 Vocational Education Amendments. The projects are grouped into the subject categories of innovative approaches, needs assessment, performance-based vocational education (PBVE), placement and…

Two Oregon science education programs are described following an introduction that discusses underlying problems in science education and approaches taken by exemplary practices. Exemplary practices involve the process method of instruction, teacher training, utilization of science resources outside the school, and instruction that emphasizes the…

Hospitals--the most costly segment of the health care system--are beginning to use benchmarking to discover how other hospitals and businesses have developed cost-cutting and time-saving ways of doing things. Benchmarking is a sophisticated, multifaceted procedure, usually conducted by teams, for identifying and adapting best-in-class practices.…

This newsletter on educational innovation contains a reflection on educators' time limitations, a personal examination of the "teacher as coach" analogy, and several brief descriptions of programs in school renewal, innovation, and teacher education around the nation. Shari Castle and Gary D. Watts argue, in "Temporal Tensions: The Tyranny of…

This report highlights four urban comprehensive secondary schools that are developing, implementing, and evaluating reform initiatives that include vocational and technical education as a key component of these efforts. Efforts of these four high schools are described: Bryan High School, Omaha, Nebraska; Humboldt Secondary Complex, St. Paul,…

Some 180 experts from 10 European countries met at the University of Trier (Germany) to exchange information about youth assistance projects and hear views about the extent of unemployment among disadvantaged youth and development of innovative solutions. "The Failure of Young People to Cope with Life When Unemployed" (Bohnisch) showed…

This document explains how agencies serving recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) can use videoconferencing as a tool for welfare and work force reform. The document begins with a brief overview of how videoconferencing and other communications technologies can be used in designing and delivering welfare and work force…

This document examines policy and program issues related to promoting employment retention among recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) who have moved from welfare into employment. The document begins with background information about the work requirements and time limits affecting TANF recipients. The second section…