A San Jose (California) school district's voucher experiment illustrates the difficulty of implementing organizational and structural innovation in an education system. Successful implementation of technology-mediated education requires identification of the critical problem, negotiated decision making, component integration, authority and role…

After undertaking a study of values education and ethical behavior in fall 1982, the Baltimore County (Maryland) Public Schools formed committees involving more than 2,000 people. Innovative projects involving computer ethics, coaches as role models, academic honesty, and "culture nights" to celebrate the community's ethnic backgrounds…

A program of the Finnish Central Federation of the Visually Handicapped is described. The program's aim is to provide and develop teaching materials and instructional methods to help persons who lost their eyesight as adults to learn braille. Discussed are personal tutoring, correspondence studying, regional courses, and program plans. (Author/JDD)

Describes difficulties of Saint Paul's Saturn School of Tomorrow from planner, implementor, and evaluator viewpoints. The plan for a citywide, ungraded, downtown middle school called for an extended school year and the latest technology in a completely redesigned building with 4 teachers, 4 interns, and 162 students. Teachers were overworked, test…

Discussion of motivation in the instructional design process highlights an integrated affective domain instructional systems design model that integrates the work of Keller's ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) model with a military instructional systems design model. Phases of the model include analysis, design, development,…

A comprehensive school bus safety program designed and implemented in Euclid (Ohio) involves participation by students, drivers, parents, and the community. This article was originally submitted in application for, and the author received, a 1993 Pinnacle of Achievement Award from the Association of School Business Officials. (MLF)

Outlines a four-step grading system to help teachers implement standards-based education. Teachers should design a workable format; define three sets of codes (for assessment types, performance levels, and time periods); create a grade book with easily accessible student grade sheets; and monitor and adjust the process. (MLH)

As one Houston middle school demonstrates, a magnet program for gifted students can be successfully integrated with a regular program via music and art electives and whole-school activities. Gifted students are accelerated in many but not all courses; regular students can choose to be accelerated in specific content areas. (11 references) (MLH)

Describes how one elementary school developed and carried out the Million Minute Reading Incentive Program over the course of the 1996-97 school year to improve reading fluency in class and encourage students to read more at home. (SR)

The Mukilteo (Washington) School District developed an assessment plan to provide reliable feedback on primary students' reading performance, allow documentation of student progress over time, and enlighten parents. Collaborating with the University of Washington, the district decided to employ timed oral reading fluency measures to screen all K-3…

Discusses the rapid growth and expansion of distance education programs and provides a framework for defining, planning for, and achieving useful results from distance education programs today and in the future. Describes the Organizational Elements Model (OEM) that includes planning, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. (Contains…

Calls for focusing attention on the political obstacles to large-scale school reform rather than thinking of the problem mainly as one of disseminating information and helping individuals work through their fears about change. The natural outcome of urban politics is likely to be partial implementation of many programs rather than full-scale…

Discusses the need for strategic planning in libraries for the use of information technology that will add value to the library and better serve the users. Explains a model for developing information technology strategic plans that includes vision statements, goals and strategies, and an implementation timeline. (LRW)

Offers a brief overview of the process undertaken by one school district in Missouri to explore and then implement a schedule change (in particular a block program)--a process involving parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, and students. (SR)

Examines the concept of school-site health promotion for school faculty and staff, discussing its essential functions and impact and noting what school decision makers at the national, state, and school levels need to know and do to implement such programs. Examples of successful implementation are presented. (SM)