This paper describes the results of a study into the conditions that facilitate the implementation of innovations. The following eight conditions that facilitate the implementation of technological and program innovations have been identified: (1) dissatisfaction with the status quo; (2) skills and knowledge; (3) adequate resources; (4) rewards or…

This report presents the results of a study of faculty recruitment and selection strategies used by self-reported learning-centered community colleges during the 1998-1999 academic year. The study examined six key principles of a learning college: (1) creates substantive change in learners; (2) engages students as partners in learning; (3) offers…

This study examined the initial transition to an online learning environment by college of education faculty and staff at a university in the Chicago, Illinois, area. Using a case study approach, the planning, development, and implementation of a new online course were explored, collecting data to document the process, outcomes, and reflections of…

A study used 1999-2000 data from Accelerated Reader and STAR Reading to assess students' reading practice, growth in reading performance, and effects of Reading Renaissance training on students' reading development. The study included 10 schools that participated in the 1998-99 study and 27 additional schools. Data from 7876 students enrolled in…

In 1998, as part of a major 3-year Reading Initiative, the Albertson Foundation provided $24.5 million to improve the reading performance of all Idaho elementary, middle, and junior high students. The reading components of School Renaissance (SR), a comprehensive school improvement program, include Accelerated Reader (AR) learning information…

This study examined relationships between schools' efforts to involve families in their children's education and student performance on standardized achievement tests in the Baltimore schools. Data gathered by the National Network of Partnership Schools was combined with those collected by the state for the mandated Maryland School Performance…

School-based planning for instructional improvement has been a major national education reform focus for over 2 decades. However, many efforts proposed to put schools in charge of their own instructional operations delivered only increased discretion rather than real autonomy over internal operations, such as budgeting. In 1997, New York City…

This study was conducted to ascertain the factors associated with attrition in engineering programs on all fronts. Academic underpreparedness, psychosocial variables, and their interconnectivity were examined. Subjects included all enrolled University of Alabama students, as of the spring term 2001, who at one time or another were classified as…

Researchers designed and piloted a questionnaire that measures the level of implementation of exemplary middle school practices (based on the work of P. George and W. Alexander, 1993) using Rasch measurement theory. Assistant principals (n=26) participated in telephone interviews by responding to a 27-item questionnaire that contains items…

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is a sound academic practice that contributes to adult learning by linking formal and informal learning. However, it has not been widely accepted by Canadian educational institutions. In 1996, a consortium of seven colleges and an independent PLAR consultant began a study to create a comprehensive…

The practice of sustained silent reading (SSR) is based on the belief that motivation, interest, self-selection, modeling, and time spent reading contribute to student reading achievement. A study was designed to ascertain the prevalence of SSR in classrooms in a particular geographic area and the degree to which the program's original goals are…

This paper describes the implementation and evaluation of a social competence promotion program conducted in the sixth grade of a middle school. The need to increase social competence within the school arose from the results of enumerative and stakeholder data collected at the school. This paper outlines the steps of the needs assessment, program…

Examines use of Title III/IV-C funds for implementation of innovative programs in North Carolina and those factors which contribute either to success or failure of a program. The extent to which the successful programs have been continued and/or shared and established in other schools within the system is also analyzed. (MER)

Describes a study conducted to review the status of educational guarantees in two-year colleges and identify restrictions and processes associated with their implementation. Indicates that 87% of the colleges had adopted occupational guarantees and 68% adopted transfer guarantees and that colleges are using guarantees to improve institutional…

Describes a model international program for educating physicians about alcohol-related problems, focusing on the initiative's "trainer-development" approach and critical issues in implementing the program in other countries. Also describes the successful implementation of the program in Poland. (MDM)