This report describes inservice training programs in six eastern United States school districts. The districts range in student population from 4,400 to 65,000 and initially desegregated between 1970 and 1978. A team of investigators visited each of the districts and interviewed approximately 40 administrators, inservice trainers, and training…

The Studies of Implementation is a three-year, longitudinal investigation focusing on the process by which an innovation is implemented and becomes a pattern of individualized schooling. An examination is made of the behavior of 13 elementary schools during the entire change process, which includes the adoption, implementation, and adaptation of…

This study attempts to identify points of intersection between two layers of educational reform by analyzing how the goals of the program "Children Achieving" overlap with those of the federal Title I schoolwide programs in the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) School District. Children Achieving was a district-wide comprehensive restructuring…

Case studies of five small and isolated rural schools in the south-central United States examined their participation and success in the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) program. The schools included three elementary schools and two K-12 unit schools serving 71-473 students. All were at least 50 miles from a metropolitan area and…

Historically when children have experienced difficulty in learning to read they have been served by remedial reading programs, special education programs, or retention practices. There is considerable evidence that these programs have been ineffective in raising the achievement levels of those they serve. In addition, because these programs are…

This study is a retrospective examination of elements that influenced one elementary school staff to initiate and implement a school-wide innovation in their reading program in 1990-91. This school served 315 preschool children through grade three in a small town set in the rural countryside. Case study methodology was used to discover how the…

Reading Recovery has proved to be an effective intervention for meeting the needs of at-risk first graders. When Reading Recovery is not fully implemented in a school, the teacher then assumes responsibility for intervention. This project addresses how a regular education, first grade classroom teacher can best meet the needs of first grade…

During the 2000-2001 school year, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy conducted a study of how public high schools in Washington State are responding to state education reform. One aspect of the study was the experiences of high schools with various strategies to increase student engagement in learning. This paper summarizes study…

Part of a special issue on organizational research utilization, this article analyzes two National Institute of Education programs--the Research and Development Utilization Program and the Experimental Schools Program--and finds that a key reason for nonutilization of research is the "policy vacuum" in which research is conducted.…

Focuses on how basic research on psychological principles eventually leads to practical classroom programs. A case study is presented of a classroom program based on psychological research. Inferences are made regarding the problems of transforming basic research into practical classroom programs. (Author/DB)

Recent experience of test development in Ireland, which had no tradition of formal standardized testing, is described, in order to highlight a number of practical and psychometric problems. It is pointed out that some conventional procedures for developing norm-referenced attainment tests have limitations, especially in countries with centralized…

The University of Michigan's information technology division has undertaken a data administration function and strategic planning process to ensure the accuracy, integrity, reliability, and accessibility of the institution's data resources. These support both current decision making and future attainment of institutional goals and objectives. (MSE)

Discussion of the need for strategic planning in public libraries highlights a case study of a small resort town library, the Crawford Memorial Library, in Monticello, New York. Deciding on specific library roles and planning their implementation are described, and the importance of environment and competition in strategic planning is explained.…

The initial implementation of the Total Quality Management approach by 10 Boston-area (Massachusetts) institutions is summarized. The institutions include Babson College, Bentley College, Boston College, Boston University, Lesley College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, University of Massachusetts at Boston, Wentworth…

The Quality Circle Model of Planning is presented as a program evaluation approach for schools serving students with blindness. The model helps administrators solve problems using creative, innovative approaches; identifies human and monetary resources for successful implementation of the plan; and provides a framework for evaluating the plan's…