Discussion of organizational change and performance improvement programs focuses on 10 guidelines for developing successful implementation plans. Highlights include defining a vision and mission; cultural considerations; forming a team; contingency plans; communication; employee education; monitoring mechanisms; and rewarding and recognizing…

Reflects on the application of peer coaching to the reference environment, suggests strategies for implementation, and relates peer coaching to the evaluation of reference effectiveness. Discusses behaviors specific to the reference interview and evaluating how well users are served. (Author/LRW)

The purpose of unemployment insurance (UI) is to provide labor force members with partial wage replacements when they are unemployed even as this income maintenance measure prolongs the unemployment period. This UI benefit also forces the beneficiaries to make more active job searches. Reemployment bonuses were aimed to speed return to work,…

In 2002, Michael Bloomberg, New York City's newly elected mayor, hoped to fix his city's public schools, which were widely perceived as plagued by a gamut of problems that ranged from low test scores to patronage-riddled schools and districts. A special bill approved by the New York State Legislature made Bloomberg solely accountable to the New…

This article describes a vermicomposting program at Epping Elementary School in New Hampshire. The "Feed It to the Worms: A Vermicomposting Geographic Curriculum," developed by the New Hampshire Geographic Alliance and led by fourth grade teacher, Lisa Madison, fits perfectly into the school's ongoing Artist-in-Residence program, where…

Readers theater is a familiar literacy strategy for children who can read independently; however, it can also be used with younger children who have not yet developed independent reading skills. The purpose of this article is to adapt the concept of readers theater for use with emergent readers. It focuses first on defining readers theater and…

Discusses contents of new publication released by the International Technology Education Association: "Advancing Excellence in Technology Literacy: Student Assessment, Professional Development, and Program Standards," intended to provide the means for implementing technology standards published in 2000 ("Standards for Technology…

Nebraska, like many states, is facing a shortage of healthcare workers. As a result of this shortage, the Area Health Education Center was formed and the cities of Kearney and Grand Island were selected to develop and implement a Health Care Sciences program for Nebraska. A team of professionals from government agencies, businesses, and secondary…

Interactive online diaries are a novel approach for evaluating project implementation and provide real-time communication between evaluation staff members and those implementing a program. Evaluation teams can guide the lines of inquiry and ensure that data are captured as implementation develops. When used together with conventional evaluation…

This article describes "The Millennium Project" developed in 1998 by the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AWACS) to develop models for fostering greater diversity within the family and consumer sciences (FCS) profession. "The Millennium Project" was funded at Florida State University (FSU) and entitled, "Step Ahead: Creating a…

This article proposes a conceptual framework for connecting family and consumer sciences (FCS) programs to the culturally diverse communities of children, youth, and families served. The framework consists of components for achieving culturally inclusive organizations and culturally proactive programs that will lead to more positive outcomes for…

We report an approach for implementing predictive fuzzy systems that manage capturing both the imprecision of the empirically induced classifications and the imprecision of the intuitive linguistic expressions via the extensive use of fuzzy sets. From end-users' point of view, the approach enables encapsulating the technical details of the…

This paper describes the District of Columbia's progress in implementing a comprehensive and coherent approach to education reform from the time of application through June 30, 2011. In particular, this report highlights key accomplishments over the reporting period in the four reform areas: standards and assessments, data systems to support…

This paper describes Delaware's progress in implementing a comprehensive and coherent approach to education reform from the time of application through June 30, 2011. In particular, it highlights key accomplishments over the reporting period in the four reform areas: standards and assessments, data systems to support instruction, great teachers…

This paper describes Florida's progress in implementing a comprehensive and coherent approach to education reform from the time of application through June 30, 2011. In particular, it highlights key accomplishments over the reporting period in the four reform areas: standards and assessments, data systems to support instruction, great teachers and…